ORDINANCE NO. ________
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND REZONING TO ADD A -L, LANDMARK OVERLAY DISTRICT TO THE RL1 BASE ZONING DISTRICT FOR THE JOHN HALEY STUDIO/HOUSE AT 771 OCEAN
AVENUE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADDING THE PROPERTY TO THE RICHMOND
HISTORIC REGISTER
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Richmond recognizes the importance of preserving and enhancing the City’s historical and cultural background;
WHEREAS, Richmond Municipal Code (RMC) Section 15.04.303.070, Procedure for Designating Property within Historic Districts and Landmarks Overlay Districts, sets forth the requirements and procedures for the designation of a site with the –L, Landmark Overlay District designation;
WHEREAS, on August 4, 2025, the City of Richmond Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) conducted a duly noticed public hearing to conduct a study session for a proposed Landmark Overlay Designation ( -L) and made a preliminary determination on whether to recommend a -L designation for the John Haley S tudio/House (771 Ocean Avenue, Richmond, 94801) for the purpose of listing on the Richmond Historic Register;
WHEREAS, on August 4, 2025, the HPC voted (3 -0-2) to recommend to the Planning Commission the designation of the John Haley Studio/House as a -L Landmark Overlay for the purpose of adding the John Haley Studio/House to the Richmond Historic Register;
WHEREAS, on January 15, 2026, the Planning Commission voted to adopt (3 -0-0-2) Resolution No. 26-01 recommending the City Council approve a proposed rezoning to add a -L, Landmark Overlay District to the RL1 base zoning district to the John Haley Studio/House located at 771 Ocean Avenue, Richmond, 94801 for the purpose of listing the property on the Richmond Historic Register;
WHEREAS, upon approval by the City Council, a building, structure, object, site, or area not already designated as a historic or archaeological resource may be subject to an -L overlay designation if it is found to meet any of the six criteria pursuant to Section 15.04.303.060 of the Richmond Municipal Code as listed in Section Two below;
WHEREAS, the proposed -L Landmark Designation complies with the goals and policies of the City of Richmond General Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Richmond determines that landmark designation of the John Haley Studio/House is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA guidelines Section 15308, Class 8, Actions by Regulatory Agencies for the Protection of the Environment as the project proposes to preserve the John Haley Studio/House.
NOW, THEREFORE that the City Council of the City of Richmond, does ordain as follows:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Richmond finds that all the above Recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 2. The City Council finds and determines t hat 771 Ocean Avenue also known as the John Haley Studio/House is a historic resource meeting the following criteria specifie d in RMC Section 15.04.303.060 -L Overlay Designation Criteria as follows:
Criterion 1. It exemplifies or reflects valued elements of the City's cultural, social, economic, political, aesthetic, engineering, archaeological, or architectural history; Supporting Statements of Fact : For most of its history (1932 -1991), the property at 771 Ocean Avenue was owned and occupied by John Haley, a significant and influential figure in the Richmond, Bay Area, and California art world (see criterion 2, below, for an explanation of Haley's significance). Because the property served as the studio where he practiced art and produced his extensive body of work, and because the studio -house and its Point Richmond environs often factored into that work as subject matter, the property can be recognized as an embodiment of the City's cultural values, especially in relation to art. The neighborhood of Point Richmond, in particular, has been an enclave of artists, writers, intellectuals, and other creatives – many faculty of UC Berkeley – since the early twentieth century, and continues to be today. Haley's studio/house, thus contributes significantly to the built environment that makes up a neighborhood long-inhabited by an intellectual and creative community with high creative and artistic history and values.
Criterion 2. It is identified with persons or events important in local, state, or national history;
Supporting Statements of Fact: For most of its history (1932 to 1991), the property at 771 Ocean Avenue was owned and occupied by John Haley who used it as both his home and art studio.
Haley was a significant and influential figure in Bay Area and California art, who is credited with originating and proliferating the “Berkeley School” style. Having trained with Hans Hoffman , a seminal figure in European Modern art, Haley brought revolutionary new artistic concepts and practice to U.C Berkeley and the Bay Area. His work is pioneering and distinctive in its break from traditional Beaux -Arts style painting, its exploration of r egionalist subject matter, its later shift toward abstraction, and the more sedate and representational approach that differentiated it from the New York School of Modern art. Haley not only practiced his ground -breaking genre prolifically, but as a professor of art at UC Berkeley, helped make that academic program one of the strongest art departments in the nation. He was a gifted teacher, who taught and disseminated Berkeley School style and philosophies to countless students, who then went on to have their own art careers, proliferating the Berkeley School style. Haley's career spanned over sixty years and he was well recognized by his representation in solo and group shows nationally and internationally, complimentary critical review, and a number of awards given to him by prestigious art institutions.
His name and works remain well represented in Modern art circles, proving the longevity of his influence on Modern art locally and regionally, as well as extending to the national level.
Criterion 4. It embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style, type, period, or method of construction, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship; or
Supporting Statements of Fact : The studio-house at 771 Ocean Avenue can be classified as Second Bay Tradition style (popular from 1930 -1960) and embodies many physical characteristics of that style, such as a simple form, use of basic affordable materials with a rustic aesthetic like hollow clay tile and wood board-and-batten siding, a broadly sloped side-gable roof form with reverse shed dormer, lack of eves, banked fenestration and fenestration integrated into the roofline, and minimal decorative trim. It also demonstrates strong respo nse to the design philosophies of the Second Bay Tradition style in its unusual angled siting, plan, and hillside integration, which followed the Second Bay Tradition tenant of design cooperating with site topography. The style also emphasized public versus private space, which is seen in the building's orientation away from the public realm and contrasting openness to the private patio and shoreline to the south, a non -interactive street facade, and minimization of the primary entrance. The openness to the private realm to the south is facilitated by ample glazing, which also responds to the Second Bay Tradition concept of interaction between indoor-outdoor space.
Some of the characteristics described above can be attributed to the living room addition, made in 1949, meaning that they are not original to the 1932 design. However, as the Second Bay Tradition style continued until 1960 (and later evolving into the Third Bay Tradition style), the addition falls within the style's period of significance and was designed by an architect whose body of work contributed to the development of the Bay Tradition style over time. Therefore, the property can be regarded as a good example of the Second Bay Tradition style at two different time during the style's period of popularity. It also contributes to a notable concentration of Modernist architecture in Point Richmond and was one of the earliest Second Bay Tradition or Modernist buildings to be constructed within that neighborhood context.
Criterion 5. It is representative of the notable work of a builder, designer, or architect whose style influenced the City's architectural development;
Supporting Statements of Fact: The original designer and/or builder of the studio-house is unknown. The living room addition, made in 1949, was designed by pioneering Chinese-American Modernist architect Roger Lee. Lee was responsible for designing over 100 buildings in the Bay Area, and although he tends not to be included in many discussions of Midcentury architecture in the Bay Area, he is credited with designing innovative and high-style houses affordably for middle- class clients. This made him one of the most prolific and financially successful of the Midcentury Modernists and put him at the fore of promoting and proliferating the Second Bay Tradition style.
While the living room addition at 771 Ocean Avenue represents the modification of an existing structure that was not of Lee's design, it is strongly representational of Lee's design philosophies and shows innovation in his integration of an earlier Second Bay Tradition building with his new Second Bay Tradition addition. It is also one of few buildings in Richmond known to have been designed by Lee. Another is located nearby at 664 Ocean Avenue and was built for Josephine Miles i n 1951. Miles was a poet and professor at UC Berkeley; another of Point Richmond's artistic academics. It seems likely that she and Haley were acquainted and that Roger Lee's work at 771 Ocean Avenue may have given him entree to designing Miles' house down the
street a year or two later. Lee also designed a multi -unit housing project in Richmond for Basic Home Industries in 1956; however, the location and status of that work are unknown. (UC Berkeley Environmental Design Archives).
Criterion 6. A structure, site, or other improvement which meets any of the above criteria at the highest level, and whose loss would be a major loss to the City, may be designated a Richmond Historic Landmark.
Supporting Statements of Fact: The property at 771 Ocean Avenue meets criteria 1, 2, 4, and 5. It represents the place where an influential artist lived and produced his significant work for nearly 60 years; contributes to a rich history of intellectual and creative community in Point Richmond; and embodies the characteristics of a distinctive regional architectural style as designed by a prominent and pioneering Bay Area architect. Therefore, its loss would constitute the loss of a cultural and architectural element of the Point Richmond neighborhood and the city as a whole.
Because the building also relates strongly to the near -identical building next door (775 Ocean Avenue) and the two have a shared history, the loss of one or the other would mean the loss of that relationship, which would further exacerbate loss to the neighborhood and city.
SECTION 3. The City Council approves a rezoning to amend the Zoning Map to add a -L, Landmark Overlay District at 771 Ocean Avenue, also known as the John Haley Studio/House, for the purpose of listing the property on the Richmond Hist oric Register and determines that this project meets the following findings required by RMC Section 15.04.814.050:
A. The proposed amendment is consistent with the General Plan.
Supporting Statements of Fact : The proposed project -L Landmark Overlay Distr ict Designation complies with the goals and policies of the City of Richmond General Plan, specifically under “Historic Resource Preservation Policy HR1.1: Preservation of Diverse Resources” which encourages the protection, preservation and enhancement of the diverse range of historic, cultural and archaeological sites and resources in the City for the benefit of current and future residents and visitors.
B. The proposed amendment is necessary for public health, safety, and general welfare or will be of benefit to the public.
Supporting Statements of Fact: The proposed rezoning is suitable for the project site because it will be of historic and cultural benefit to the public to preserve the history and the residence of a significant and influential figure, John Haley, in the Richmond, Bay Area and California art worlds and their respective built environments.
C. The proposed amendment has been reviewed in compliance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Supporting Statements o f Fact: The -L Landmark Overlay District Designation of the John Haley Studio/House is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA guidelines Section 15308, Class 8, Actions by Regulatory Agencies for the Protection of the Environment as the project proposes to preserve the John Haley Studio/House.
D. For a change to the Zoning Maps, that the subject property is suitable for the uses permitted in the proposed zone in terms of access, size of parcel, relationship to similar or related uses, and other relevant considerations, and that the proposed change of zoning district is not detrimental to the use of adjacent properties.
Supporting Statements of Fact : The subject site is located in an area already served by community facilities, utilities and transportation systems and poses no expansion of uses in terms of access, size of parcel, relationship to similar or related uses, and other relevant considerations, nor will it be detrimental to the use of adjacent properties.
SECTION 4. This ordinance shall be effective thirty (30) days after its passage and adoption.
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First introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Richmond held March 3, 2026, and finally passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Richmond at a regular meeting thereof held______________ by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTENTIONS:
ABSENT:
___________________________________
CLERK OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND
(SEAL)
Approved:
______________________
Mayor
Approved as to Form:
_____________________
City Attorney