Figure 42 c. 1910 Image of Wisnom-Bonner Hardware at 2nd and Ellsworth with Dodge Dealership Sign
Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection Beyond meeting the city’s growing population’s necessities, the commercial development during this period began to include enterprises related to entertainment and recreation. The San Mateo Theater opened on Third Avenue in 1925. Designed by architects William I. Garren and Irving F. 210 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1920. 211 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1920, revised 1950. 212 Stanger, Levy Bros: A Centennial History, 1872-1972, 28. 213 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 125.
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70 Marrow, the 1200-seat theater had a popular Neo-Classical design with Art Deco elements (Figure 43).
214 A second movie theater was added to downtown in 1931 when Baywood Theater was built (159 B Street, non-extant). Designed by Simeon Charles Lee, it featured an Art Deco design.215 Other entertainment venues during this period included other businesses along B Street and Third Avenue, like billiards halls.
Figure 43 San Mateo Theater, 1925
Source: Los Angeles Public Library, Library Legacy Collection Other entertainment businesses also began appearing outside of the downtown area. Before the city’s incorporation, Coyote Point was beyond the city limits. First inhabited by Native Americans, it was eventually sold to the Mellus & Howard shipping firm in 1850, who connected the once-island to the mainland. In the 1880s, it had a swimming tank and bath houses popular with weekenders from San Francisco.216 Still owned by the Howard Estate Company in 1922, its manager David Stollery saw an opportunity for an entertainment business. A group of investors formed the Pacific City Corporation and purchased nearly 350 acres, 250 of which was submerged land, to create a theme park to rival New York’s Coney Island. By late Spring 1922, Pacific City included landscaping, ferris wheel, rides, bath house, band stand, pier, and playground in addition to the beach. A success in its first year, it did not last, due in part of contamination from the growing bayside communities of San Mateo and Burlingame into the bay that restricted swimming.217 It closed in 1925 and the Howard Estate Company purchased the land back, eventually selling it to the city in 1940.218 214 “San Mateo Theater,” Los Angeles Public Library, accessed October 1, 2025, at https://tessa2.lapl.org/digital/collection/photos/id/111652. 215 “Baywood Theater,” Cinema Treasures, accessed October 10, 2025, at https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9547. 216 “A History of Coyote Point,” CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point, accessed October 10, 2025, at https://curiodyssey.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/03/History.pdf. 217 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 187.
218 “A History of Coyote Point,” CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point, accessed October 10, 2025, at https://curiodyssey.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/03/History.pdf. 452 of 1110
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In 1934, William P. Kyne (1887–1957) opened Bay Meadows racetrack on a portion of Dave McLellan’s former Beresford ranch. A powerhouse in the racing industry, Kyne was responsible for introducing pari-mutuel betting, the daily double, night racing, and quarter horse racing to California. Bay Meadows (non-extant) became one of the busiest racetracks in the country and hosted many of the most famous horses, including Seabiscuit.219 Bay Meadows was the only racetrack on West Coast that operated during World War II. As part of its agreement for continued operation, over 90 percent of the track’s profits were leveraged to support the war effort, with over $4 million donated to war relief and service organizations.220
8.3 Civic and Institutional Development
The need for expanded services was stark in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. Elisabeth Mills Reid, daughter of Darius Ogden Mills and Jane Templeton Mills, was visiting her family from New York in 1906 and saw a need for an adequate hospital. Up to this point, the city’s medical needs were met by doctors making house calls.
In 1905 the San Mateo Medical Society was formed by a group of 16 doctors, but there were no hospitals or emergency facilities between Palo Alto and San Francisco. Reid, having organized the New York chapter of the Red Cross in 1881, recruited Dr. W.C. Chidester to develop an emergency care facility. The effort was supported by Neptune Blood William Gallwey, rector at the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew. Between 1906 and 1907, a corner of the church property was set aside for a modest building to house the parish nurse and a patient’s room for emergencies. Reid, back in New York by this time, lead the search for a head nurse, and hired Miss Beatrice H. “Woody” Woodard.221 Woody arrived in 1907 to a high demand for services. By 1908, the six-bed facility operated as the first private hospital in San Mateo County. First called the Church of St. Matthew Red Cross Guild, it had no connection to the Red Coss and, though on church property, served everyone. At the hospital’s dedication in 1908, the Bishop stated that it was “to meet the needs of suffering humanity, irrespective of religious or racial affiliations.”222 Immediately popular, the facilities were expanded. In 1909, Reid and her cousin Henry H. Taylor purchased the old San Mateo Hotel for a nurses’ residence. In 1910 Reid purchased the Taylor estate land at El Camino Real to construct a facility to accommodate 50 patients.223 Architect Lewis Hobart designed the new building, which was completed in 1914 in a French Gothic style (extant, northwest portion of hospital).224 The hospital was expanded in 1928, with a Hobart-designed addition, increasing capacity to 147 beds.225 Renamed the Church of St. Matthew Mills Memorial Hospital, it continued to expand in the following decades, with notable growth after World War II.
The city’s medical services further expanded when the San Mateo County Community hospital was planned in 1919. Land for the hospital was purchased by the county, and architect William Toepeke designed the building (non-extant) which opened in 1923 to serve patients with communicable 219 Ringler, San Mateo, USA: The Golden Years, 35.
220 Herb Phipps, Bill Kyne of Bay Meadows: The Man Who Brought Horse Racing Back to California (A.S Barnes and Co, 1978), 82-101 referenced in Mitchell P. Postel, “Armed Forces Presence in San Mateo County During World War II,” La Peninsula, Vol. xliv, No. 2, 13. 221 M. Morrison, The Hospital Elisabeth Built, (Mills Memorial Hospital, n.d), 6. 222 Morrison, The Hospital Elisabeth Built, 8.
223 Morrison, The Hospital Elisabeth Built, 20.
224 Morrison, The Hospital Elisabeth Built, 22.
225 Morrison, The Hospital Elisabeth Built, 23.
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72 diseases.
226 It was expanded in 1929 with a tuberculosis unit and expanded again in 1934 with a 51- bed third unit. It was extensively updated following World War II.227 In addition to medical services, the city’s municipal services expanded significantly after incorporation and during the period of exponential growth after the 1906 earthquake. In 1910, following a campaign lead by the San Mateo Women’s Club, the city received $10,000 from the Carnegie Foundation for the construction of a library at San Mateo Drive and Second Avenue (nonextant).228 In 1914, a City Hall building was constructed at 215 South B Street (extant, altered). Built by Caldwell & Wisnom, it served as City Hall until 1961.229 The city’s police department was established in 1917 when Thomas F. Burke was hired as the first Marshal and then Police Chief in 1922.230 Burke, who also served as Fire Chief, professionalized both bodies. First operating out of City Hall, by 1939, the Police Department headquarters was in a one-story building at 11 South B Street (extant) (Figure 44). The Fire Department headquarters was at 2nd Avenue and Main Street in the City Hall building before being moved to a new Spanish Colonial Revival-style station at 120 South Ellsworth (extant) in 1939.
231
Figure 44 San Mateo Police Headquarters 1939
Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection San Mateo High School High School District was established in 1902, and the high school moved to the former St. Margaret’s School for Girls campus on Baldwin Avenue in 1903 until a new building 226 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 181.
227 Darold Fredericks, “Evolution of the County Hospital,” April 1, 2025, at https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/evolution-of-thecounty-hospital/article_8d14e9f2-28a8-541b-a249-46d2d6021a00.html. 228 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 144.
229 “San Mateo City Hall Contracts Awarded,” The Bulletin, February 17, 1914, https://www.newspapers.com/image/994878855/?match=1&terms=%22san%20mateo%20city%20hall%22; City of San Mateo Planning Division, Downtown San Mateo Historic Self-Guided Walking Tour, 9, April 2019, online, https://dsma.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/03/DT-Historic-Tour-Final.pdf. 230 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 148.
231 “City Hall is Nearly Empty,” San Mateo Times, August 16, 1940, https://www.newspapers.com/image/38862185/?match=1&terms=san%20mateo%20fire%20department%20headquarters. 454 of 1110
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was constructed in 1911.232 The new, three-story concrete reinforced building at San Mateo Drive and Baldwin Avenue (non-extant) had 25 classrooms, lab space, and an assembly hall and was designed by Havens & Toepke architects.
233 In 1926, to accommodate a growing student population, a new San Mateo High School was built on Delaware Street (extant).234 Designed by architects and brothers Col. E.L. Norberg and John Norberg, it was meant to resemble England’s Hampton Court.235 Elementary education facilities also expanded significantly during this period. In 1914, the city’s first Parent Teacher Association was established.236 They established the city’s first kindergarten. During this period, several neighborhood schools were founded including Borel School in 1929 (extant as a middle school) and Baywood Elementary School in 1939.237 San Mateo also established higher education institutions during this period with the founding of San Mateo Junior College in 1922. First housed in the San Mateo High School building downtown, it moved to William H. Kohl’s former mansion (non-extant) in 1923 for four years before returning to the former San Mateo High School building after it relocated to its new campus (Figure 45). In 1939, a new campus opened at North Delaware and Peninsula Avenues, but development was curtailed by World War II. It moved to its current campus following the war in 1963.238
Figure 45 College of San Mateo Students at Kohl Mansion Location, c. 1925 Source: College of San Mateo PHLIP Project
232 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 124, 120.
233 “New $100,000 San Mateo High School Completed Opening Exercises Friday May 5” Peninsula Times Tribune, April 27, 1911, https://www.newspapers.com/image/838227866/?match=1&terms=san%20mateo%20high%20school%20. 234 “San Mateo Union High School District,” The Daily Journal, September 6, 2025, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/sanmateo-union-high-school-district/article_8157473e-b8bc-4864-8a63-2895d2d658e4.html. 235 “E.L. Norberg is Architect for New High School Plan,” San Mateo Times, March 5, 1926, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51637841/?match=1&terms=%22norberg%22%20%22san%20mateo%20high%22. 236 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 144.
237 Heather Murtagh, “Baywood Celebrates Historic Status,” The Daily Journal, June 12, 2017, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/baywood-celebrates-historic-status/article_dbc45706-26c2-57d4-82bb-ca25aaedd29d.html. 238 “History of the San Mateo Community College District,” College of San Mateo, accessed October 13, 2025, https://collegeofsanmateo.edu/generalinformation/history_smcccd.asp. 455 of 1110
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74 During this period, the fraternal and society groups that were emerging in the previous period grew and expanded, and many catered to the city’s elite. In 1906, Edward Howard founded the San Mateo Polo Club, which used several private estate lands for matches. 239 The club’s first clubhouse
is in present-day Hillsborough (Hillsborough Racquet Club). In 1926, the Borel family sold a portion of their estate to the San Mateo Polo Club for fields and grandstands, but the city’s new sanitation orders in 1931 made horse ownership more difficult and the land was subdivided for residential development.240 In 1911, wealthy Jewish residents founded the Beresford Country Club (presentday Peninsula Golf and Country) in response to restrictive membership policies at Burlingame Country Club. By 1914, the land south of San Mateo included a Tudor Revival clubhouse and an 18- hole golf course. 241
Several other civic groups and institutions flourished during this period, including the San Mateo’s Women’s Club, established in 1903, who were instrumental in getting the library constructed. Other civic grounds were dedicated to improvements like roads and beautification, like the Civic Club and the Auxiliary Civic Club.242 The city’s first municipal park, San Mateo Central Park, was established when the city purchased the former Kohl estate in 1922. Early improvements included a baseball field and grandstands for the city’s amateur baseball club, the San Mateo Blue.243 By the 1920s, San Mateo had an Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge, and a Rotary Lodge. The Masonic Lodge built a temple at 303 Tilton Avenue (extant), while the Elks Lodge owned 336 B Street (non-extant).
As seen in the previous period, communities organized places of worship. Many of the churches were damaged in the 1906 earthquake. The Congregation Church of San Mateo’s steeple collapsed, but avoided more significant damage and was expanded with a new building in 1931. 244 St.
Matthew’s Catholic Church was damaged and had to be dismantled and rebuilt.245 The roof of Episcopal Church of St. Matthew was extensively damaged in the quake, and the church decided to rebuild the church rather than repair or restore it. The new Gothic-style church building, designed by architect Willis Polk, was consecrated on May 15, 1910.246 As the city’s population became more diverse, more faiths also established churches in San Mateo.
The First Methodist Church opened at 300 East Santa Inez in 1905 and is purported to be the oldest continuously used church building in San Mateo (extant, now the Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo) (Figure 46).
247 The First Church of Christ, Scientist began in San Mateo when two residents opened their house at the corner of Tilton Avenue and Elm Street for Christian Science services in 1897. By 1907, the congregation had grown and the church was incorporated. The small group first met at Froebel Hall on Ellsworth Avenue before moving to the newly erected Masonic Lodge in 1910. The church purchased a lot at the corner of El Camino Real and Monte Diablo Avenue in 1919 239 Philip Alexander and Charles P. Hamm, History of San Mateo County (Burlingame Publishing Company, 1916), 181. 240 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 160.
241 Mitchell Postel, Historic Resource Study for Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Mateo County (Washington, DC: US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2010), at https://npshistory.com/publications/goga/hrs-san-mateo.pdf/. 242 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 118–119.
243 “100 Years of Central Park,” The San Mateo Arboretum Society, accessed October 19, 2025, at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HJPSrdkZ4NrNX3pE8jNfz_o5AmvEYE2E/view. 244 Samson So, “Finding a Family: Congregational Church of San Mateo Celebrates 150 Years,” May 24, 2014, at https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/finding-a-family-congregational-church-of-san-mateo-celebrates-150- years/article_46267c25-c0dc-5056-b545-ed8549479893.html. 245 “History: Early Days,” Saint Matthew Catholic Church, accessed October 1, 2025, at https://www.stmatthewparish.org/page.cfm?p=778. 246 The Reverend Robert Louis Semes, Of These Stones, 8. 247 “First Methodist Church, San Mateo, California,” accessed October 7, 2025, at https://californiarevealed.org/do/4e8d03c8-9127-453a8084-9bc051073373. 456 of 1110
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and construction of the new church began in May 1928, and it was dedicated on October 20, 1935.248
Figure 46 The First Methodist Church, c. 1905
Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection
8.4 Transportation Infrastructure
San Mateo’s suburbanization during this period was made possible by its evolving transportation options and favorable location near San Francisco and surrounding communities. The improved transportation connections supported an emerging middle class. In 1896, transportation options increased with the arrival of the newly organized San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway.249 As the region’s first electric railroad, it was granted franchise into San Mateo to serve as its terminus, in 1900. Sold to United Railroads of San Francsico in 1902, construction on the San Mateo line, or interurban, began in October of that year. By 1910, 54 cars left San Mateo each weekday, traveling along the current Caltrain alignment.
250 It boosted San Mateo’s residential development,
similar to many of the streetcar suburbs that emerged throughout the country during this time. By 1915, however, the Peninsula Rapid Transit Company began running a bus line. Unlike the streetcar, it did not have to pay for the franchise. The No. 40 streetcar line continued to run into the 1940s, when it was supplanted by the popularization and increased accessibility of the automobile.251 The availability of the personal automobile in the 1920s lead to El Camino Real being established as the first highway in San Mateo. By the early 1920s, however, as the only connection between San Francisco and San José, traffic became intolerable to drivers. In 1924, the first section of the San Mateo County section of the highway was planned to span from South San Fransico to San Mateo.252 In October 1929, Bayshore Highway opened, and relieved some of the pressure on El Camino Real.
Built to the highest standard of the time, the highway was 100 feet wide with three lanes in each 248 “About Our Church,” First Church of Christ, Scientist, accessed October 7, 2025, at http://www.cschurchsanmateo.org/about-ourchurch/. 249 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 125.
250 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 126.
251 “Meet Me in San Mateo on the #40 Line,” The Daily Journal, April 2, 2025, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/meet-me-insan-mateo-on-the-40-line/article_935cab68-4572-53a6-a0f1-5143ac452322.html. 252 “Contract Award to Smash Peninsula Chinese Wall,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 10, 1924, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1235459138/?match=1&terms=State%20Action%20On%20New%20Road%20Cause%20Of%20Joy. 457 of 1110
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76 direction (Figure 47). It did not, however, have a center median and drivers commonly traveled above the posted speed limit, making it one of the most dangerous roads in the county. By 1940, traffic congestion and growing fatalities lead to the establishment of the Bayshore Freeway from San Francisco to Palo Alto. It was a separate high-speed roadway with on-ramps.253 Figure 47 Bayshore Highway to Coyote Point, 1928
Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection During this period, trans-bay automobile travel also became possible when the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge (also called the San Francisco Bay Toll Bridge) opened in 1929.254 The 7-mile bridge was comprised of 1,278 25-foot spans resting on concrete and wood composite piles across the shallow bay. The bridge was designed by Raymond Concrete Pile Co. and was planned to take approximately 18 months to construct.255 Bogged down by several delays, when completed in 1929, it was the longest continual vertical lift highway bridge in the world.256 Despite the popularity of the personal automobile, the bridge was not heavily used during its first years of operation and suffered low usage and low toll fares during the Great Depression (Figure 48).257 253 Jacquiline Kious, “Bayshore Highway,” accessed October 10, 2025, at https://www.ssf.net/files/assets/public/v/1/ourcity/documents/bayshore-highway_.pdf. 254 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 178.
255 Redwood City Tribune, “San Mateo Bridge Due to Be Ready Before July, 1929; Here are Facts, Figures, January 4, 1928, https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/841934976/?match=1&terms=san%20mateo%20hayward%20bridge. 256 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 187.
257 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 191.
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Figure 48 San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, 1929
Source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
8.5 Industrial Development
From the turn of the twentieth century to the years immediately preceding World War II, industrial development in San Mateo consisted of salt refining and harvest along the bay shore, agriculture, and local businesses providing lumber milling and storage, and blacksmithing.258 By 1897, locally prominent builder, Robert Wisnom, maintained a lumber yard on the west side of B Street, just north of Second Avenue. By 1920, Wisnom Lumber Co. developed a larger complex with a mill and cabinet shop with a spur connecting to the Southern Pacific Railroad at 4th Avenue and South Railroad Avenue. The San Mateo Planing Mill Co. developed its own facility at 5th Avenue an C Street, immediately east of the railroad.259
In 1903, C.E. Whitney, who worked in the dredging business for August H. Schilling, acquired 200 acres of land east of the railroad tracks in San Mateo where he established a salt harvesting operation known first as C.E. Whitney Company and later the Leslie Salt Refining Company. Whitney employed many Japanese laborers at his San Mateo plant, which was located just north of the present-day Highway 92 overpass; a site that provided extensive marshland and was close to the 258 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 125.
259 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1920, revised 1950. 459 of 1110
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78 railroad. In 1907, the Leslie Salt Company was formed through the merger and consolidation of Whitney’s company with the businesses of other industrialists. The plant continued to operate until 1931, when C.E. Whitney’s successor Arthur Whitney died.260 Excluding the salt works, San Mateo did not factor in significantly to other major industries such as logging or agriculture, beyond a concentration of flower farms that emerged during the twentieth century. Many of the flower farms relied heavily on Japanese labor, as the Leslie Salt Company had.261
For a short period, San Mateo sought to be a new center for the film industry following an aggressive booster campaign that began after World War I. Pacific Studios was constructed in 1920 at a 103-acre parcel east of the railroad and south of Peninsula Avenue by architects Roy Purnel and Harold Stoner. The studio included plans for sets, labs, cutting rooms, and offices. Only one stage set and an administration building (extant, 430 Peninsula Avenue) was completed, however.262 Open from 1920 until 1927, only one feature length film, White Hands (1921), was shot at the studio. Work on several unfinished films continued for several years, but the arrival of talking movies made the set obsolete and the property was sold.263
8.6 Cultural and Ethnic Groups
As San Mateo grew significantly during this period, so did the diversity of its ethnic makeup. In 1935–1940, an agency of the federal government, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, graded the residential security of neighborhoods across the United States. The practice, which came to be known as redlining, assigned a risk level to neighborhoods that was used by banks and mortgage lenders to decide on what neighborhoods to invest. The practice included declaring neighborhoods with high concentrations, or “infiltrations,” of African Americans, immigrants, and Jewish people as hazardous.264 Though the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation map was not published for San Mateo County, a related practice to redlining—the use of restrictive covenants—was common. The use of restrictive covenants excluded minority access to several of the city’s neighborhoods and promoted a Whites only policy.265 During this period, immigration bans like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was still in place; alien land laws banned those ineligible for U.S. citizenship from owning property, and anti-miscegenation laws barred interracial marriage.266 Despite all of the challenges faced by non-White and immigrant populations during this period, several cultural and ethnic communities emerged in San Mateo.
Chinese
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 significantly limited Chinese immigration to the United States.
The anti-Chinese laws were so severe that the Chinese population in California declined by 40 percent from 1880 to 1900.
267 During this period, however, San Mateo’s Chinese population 260 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 155-116.
261 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 125.
262 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 183.
263 Joan Levy, “We Could Have Been a Contender at the Oscars,” The Daily Journal, October 2, 2006, at https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/we-could-have-been-a-contender-at-the-oscars/article_88ef319a-1224-5a7d-b60cc2ab9d2314f4.html. . 264 “Mapping Inequality,” University of Richmond, accessed October 10, 2025, at https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/. 265 Larry W. Ellis, “In Search of Home: A Case Study on the Housing Inequities in San Mateo County, California,” (PhD diss., Union University & Institute, 221), 14.
266 Albert A. Acena, “Chinese Americans in San Mateo County,” La Peninsula Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 2015, 4. 267 Michael Chang, “150 Years of Chinese Lives in the Santa Clara Valley,” (Cupertino Historical Society, 1997), 12. 460 of 1110
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changed very little and there was a small Chinatown around First Avenue. By 1897, Chinese businesses included laundries and a grocer along blocks nearby the Southern Pacific Depot in San Mateo.268 A 1920 Sanborn map describes several buildings as having Chinese uses, while the neighboring block of buildings was designated as Japanese (Figure 49). This concentration demonstrates a statewide trend during this period where distinct Chinatowns, Japantowns, and Filipinotowns developed in towns and cities. They often developed close to each other and other ethnic communities in the less desirable areas where minorities were relegated by law.”269 The Leong family migrated to San Mateo during this period, having first arrived from China to Oakland in 1913. Sam Shun Leong bought a successful fruit and vegetable route in San Mateo in 1931. His son, Gordon, who had been delivering flowers, borrowed $150 from him in 1933 to open a flower shop, named Ah Sam in honor of his father. The shop, eventually located on El Camino Real and 28th Avenue, soon included Gordon’s siblings, children, and extended family. The store, still operating today, is in its third generation of Leong ownership.270 Figure 49 1920 Map Showing San Mateo’s Chinese and Japanese Businesses African Americans
At the turn of the century, many African American laborers worked as Pullman porters on the railroad. The city’s African American population grew as the city suburbanized. Noah Williams, a 268Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1897. 269 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders In California, 1850-1995” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (Washington D.C.: US Department of Interior, National Park Service, 2024), 12. 270 “A San Mateo Institution,” Ah Sam Floral Co., accessed October 7, 2025, at https://www.ahsam.com/about/ourhistory/?srsltid=AfmBOopRiH0t5hG3EjBQ93X5-eXai6crhL3LwqBs1gAoQwwgURRwXPZC. 461 of 1110
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80 famous railroad chef, opened a restaurant, Noah’s Cafeteria, at 139 South B Street in 1920.271 Following up his success at his restaurant in San Francisco’s renowned Palace Hotel, Noah’s was instantly popular. In 1923, he moved the restaurant to 3rd Avenue and renamed it Noah’s Ark. The restaurant was noted for its fried chicken and baked ham, as well as its impressive décor including large format paintings of jungle scenes. The paintings are on display at the San Mateo County Historical Association Museum.272 During this period, Williams also appears to have owned a grocery store with his wife, Mabel, who worked as a cashier. They lived at 114 South Delaware Street (extant).
Their neighbor at 112 South Delaware Street, Harry Cox, was also African American and worked as a clerk for a cafeteria, potentially Williams’.273 In addition to neighbors, Williams also employed several family members. The restaurant served primarily Whites as Noah’s wife worked the front of house area and could pass as White, while Noah worked in the kitchen. Noah “closed” the restaurant on Mondays for the exclusive use of Black customers. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held meetings at Noah’s Ark, but the restaurant closed in 1931 due to the Great Depression (Figure 50).
274 Noah’s family, however, remained in San Mateo. Noah’s son, Les, became a well-known dancer in the 1930s. During World War II, Les went on to become one of the 996 African American airmen known as the Tuskegee Airmen.275 Les attended Standford University on the G.I. Bill after the war and opened a dance studio on San Mateo Drive.276 After City Council approved his permit for the dance school by a vote of 3 to 2, a woman threw her purse at him in anger. Other San Mateans, however, sent him unsolicited checks and enrolled their children in his classes in support.277
271 Joan Levy, “Noted African-Americans in Early County History,” The Daily Journal, February 9, 2004, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/noted-african-americans-in-early-county-history/article_63ee461e-8ed9-11e9-89b2- 0759222fabe1.html.
272 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 168.
273 Eve Simister, “The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County,” La Peninsula, Vol. XLIV, No. 1, 4; U.S. Federal Census 1930, at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 274 Simister, “The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County,” 14; U.S. Federal Census 1930, at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 275 “Les Williams CSM Class of 1939,” College of San Mateo, accessed October 20, 2025, at https://www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/100/cf_leswilliams.php. 276 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 169.
277 “Les Williams CSM Class of 1939,” College of San Mateo, accessed October 20, 2025, at https://www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/100/cf_leswilliams.php. 462 of 1110
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Figure 50 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Dinner at Noah’s Ark, c. 1925
Source: San Mateo County Historical Association
During this period, San Mateo’s African American population was concentrated in the North Central neighborhood, along Monte Diablo Avenue, North Fremont Street, and Cypress Avenue. According to available census records, families who lived in the neighborhood worked as cafeteria workers, barbers, cooks, and were employees at the salt works.278 By 1919, the community organized a church. Community leaders like Robert Holmes, Jesse Selby, Anita Miles, Robert Williams, Kelly Mack, Rose Jones, William Pinkstone, Mary J. Boutee, E.M. Brown, Mamie Davis, and Harry Cox, lead the effort with the help of Reverend J.B. Holmes from Oakland.279 The church, African M.E. Zion Church of San Mateo, grew out of temporary quarters within the Congregational Church at Tilton Avenue and San Mateo Drive and in 1927 the congregation constructed a new building at 803 Monte Diablo Avenue, named St. James African Episcopal (now African Methodist Episcopal [A.M.E.]) Zion Church. In 1938, the church moved to 825 Monte Diablo Avenue (extant, altered). 280
The Pilgrim Baptists faced opposition during planning to construct a church in 1935. The congregation wanted to exchange a lot they owned on Cypress Avenue for a City-owned corner lot at Monte Diablo Avenue and North Grant Street. In November 1935, Revered Sample went to City Council for permission to construct the church. City Council expressed concern, questioning if a dance hall was included in the plans. Sample replied, “dancing feet and bended knees don’t go together.”281 Just as council was to approve the exchange and permission to construct the church in January 1936, 21 neighboring property owners filed a protest requesting Council to reconsider the matter, apparently concerned that two African American churches on the same block would 278 U.S. Federal Census 1930, accessed October 2025, at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 279 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 167.
280 “Our History,” St James A.M.E. Zion Church, 2024, at https://www.stjamessanmateo.org/about/#history. 281 “Council Hears Arguments for Church on Cypress Street,” San Mateo Times, November 5, 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51685586/?match=1&terms=%22pilgrim%20baptist%22.
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82 somehow damage the neighborhood.
282 At the February 1936 City Council meeting, a one-hour debate occurred, but the Council were united in their support of the project.283 After the Council hearing, Revered Sample penned a Letter to the Editor of the San Mateo Times outlining the need for the church stating:
“we feel that it is not generally understood by the majority of people that this is the only Negro Baptist church between San Francisco and San Jose consequentially we serve the spiritual needs of five to six hundred people in San Mateo and the surrounding communities.” 284
Upon project approval, Sample thanked the Council saying, “you have been very kind to us, and we have been very patient with you.”285 One City Councilman, Aylett Cotton, who went on to become a Superior Court judge, supported the cause early on and was invited to speak at the church when it opened in 1937 (extant, altered).
286
Japanese
By the turn of the twentieth century, Japanese had settled in San Mateo, having arrived during the 1890s. Similar to San Mateo’s Chinese and African American communities during this period, may Japanese immigrants worked as support staff such as gardeners, maids, and cooks at the many area estates. Like California’s Chinese communities of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Japanese communities were predominantly home to single men who emigrated from Japan and provided agricultural labor. The 1907–1908 Gentleman’s Agreement between the United States and Japan resulted in an increase in female immigration.287 In San Mateo, many domestic workers worked short hours in private houses to attend language classes. Some became permanent, fulltime workers. When domestic workers married, it was common for husband and wife to work in the same household.288
As San Mateo welcomed more commerce and industry in the early 1900s, many Japanese found work outside domestic labor. In 1901, a notable number of Japanese people immigrated to San Mateo County to work at the salt works, West Shore Company and Leslie Salt Works .289 By 1910, a Japanese employment agency, helped match newly arrived Japanese to local work opportunities.290 Workers at Leslie Salt Works were single men who typically worked 12-hour days, six days a week.
Sahioue Kawakita tended the boiler at the plant from 1910 until 1930 and witnessed hazardous working conditions that often caused injury to workers.291 In addition to the working conditions, the associated labor camps (non-extant) for worker housing were often crude, unsafe, and spread communicable diseases like tuberculosis. Despite the hardship, workers saved money to send to family or to purchase their own property.292
282 “Tree Planting for Homestead,” San Mateo Times, January 21, 1936, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51682020/?match=1&terms=%22pilgrim%20baptist%22. 283 “S.M. Council Calls Tri-City Water Meet,” San Mateo Times, February 4, 1936, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51683123/?match=1&terms=%22pilgrim%20baptist%22. 284 “Letters to the Editor,” San Mateo Times, February 8, 1936, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51683216/?match=1&terms=%22pilgrim%20baptist%22. 285 “Widening of Aves. Ordered,” San Mateo Times, January 7, 1936. 286 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 168.
287 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders In California, 1850-1995,” 35. 288 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, (San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1981), 17. 289 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 19. 290 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 17. 291 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 19. 292 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 21. 464 of 1110
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Tomisuke Ito, among the earliest known Japanese residents of San Mateo, worked for the Mitsui Company in Japan and immigrated to the United States in the 1880s, where he found work as a domestic servant.293 In 1903, he became the first Japanese to purchase land in San Mateo County and built a one-story apartment building, nicknamed nagaya or “long house” on a three-lot property at 112 North Fremont Street (non-extant). The nagaya “was a way station for many Japanese families who stayed until they found other housing.”294The property also hosted meetings, parties, and included a teahouse and bathhouse.295
Figure 51 Nagaya at 112 North F Street (now Fremont Street) on 1920 Sanborn Map Source: Sanborn Map Company 1920, Insurance Maps of San Mateo, California, May 1920, Sheet 2.
Additionally, Japanese who saved money and/or obtained loans from fellow community members through rotating credit, tanomoshi, established businesses that served the Japanese community.
These included the Yokohama Laundry at Tilton Avenue and North El Dorado Street, established as the city’s first Japanese laundry in 1900 by S. Sato and K. Katoaka; Tetsuo Yamanouchi’s Imperial Laundry at 214 First Avenue; Konosuke Ito’s Depot Hand Laundry at 247 Railroad Avenue; and Kyusuke Yamaguchi’s Sunrise Cleaners at 151 B Street, which were established between 1908 and 1912 (all non-extant). Into the Great Depression years of the 1930s, there were nine Japaneseoperated cleaning or laundry businesses in San Mateo, in addition to informal operations based in homes.296
In addition to cleaning and laundry, Japanese proprietors worked as tailors, grocers, and in the floral industry. Businesses included the Hata Merchant Tailor Shop (non-extant) at 122 B Street, opened in 1901, and Tokutaro Takahashi’s Oriental grocery and merchandise store, originally located on B Street, and relocated several times under multi-generational ownership, and most recently to 221 South Claremont Street by 2003 (Figure 52).
297
293 Gayle K. Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, edited by Diane Yen-Mei Wong, (San Mateo Chapter JACL 2003), 5.
294 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 5–7. 295 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 5–7. 296 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 18–20. 297 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 22–25. 465 of 1110
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84 Figure 52 Takahashi Market 221 South Claremont
Source: TBD
The floral industry, primarily chrysanthemums, emerged on the Peninsula after the 1906 Earthquake. San Mateo became known as the “Floral City” beginning the in early 1900s, because growers sought the advantageous climate offered in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties while maintaining access to markets in San Francisco.298 The floral industry in San Mateo County grew significantly between 1910 and 1925 due to the physical expansion of farms and production of roses, carnations, gardenias, and lilies, in addition to chrysanthemums.299 Fields in the Beresford and Homestead areas were leased for flower cultivation. Renting land was the only choice for people after the passage of the Henry-Webb Alien Land Law in 1913 that prohibited non-citizens from owning land.300 Into the mid-1920s, the present-day Hillsdale area was among the chrysanthemum-growing locations in San Mateo, with San Mateo-based nursery proprietors including Seishiro Mayeda, Tokujiro Tanaka, and Saikichi Yamada.301 In 1935, San Mateo’s Bay Meadows racetrack hosted the San Mateo County Products and Floral Fiesta, where it was noted that “Japanese gardeners sent a pyramid of yellow chrysanthemums.”302 The Floral Fiesta was the precursor to the San Mateo County Fair. By 1939, 38 percent of Northern California’s Japanese flower growers were in San Mateo County.303
Japanese settlements grew with the establishment of cultural institutions such as Buddhist temples, Christian churches, Japanese language schools (gakuen) and other businesses that served Japanese residents.304 San Mateo’s Japanese built community through religious associations and organized local Buddhist and Christian churches. Imperial Laundry owner Tetsuo Yamanouchi served as the 298 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 29. 299 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 53. 300 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 142.
301 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 29. 302 “Peninsula’s Big Floral Fiesta Opens,” The San Francisco Examiner, October 12, 1935, https://www.newspapers.com/image/457996476/?match=1&terms=%22floral%20fiesta%22%20%22japanese%22. 303 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 55. 304 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders In California, 1850-1995,” 35.
To be updated with current
conditions photo
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Buddhist church’s founding spiritual leader, and his wife Yoshiko organized the church’s Sunday School and Women’s Auxiliary. In 1910, the San Mateo’s Buddhist church was established through affiliation with the San Francisco Buddhist Church and began operating independently with 60 members in 1925. Services were first held in the Yamanouchi home at 1st Avenue and Ellsworth Street, then they relocated to an adjacent store before moving to the Japanese Language School at 504 Second Avenue. Property was acquired at 504 2nd Avenue in 1940 to construct a temple, however, World War II halted construction until after the war. 305
In 1924, the Japanese Christian Church was founded and held services at the home of Hidematsu Tamura on Grant Street, before relocating to worship space in the Congregational Church on Tilton Avenue. In 1927, the congregation, led by physician Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge, became the Japanese Independent Union Church of San Mateo. The congregation acquired property at 25 South Humboldt Street in 1930 and received funds from Dr. Sturge’s estate supporting construction of the Sturge Memorial Cottage in 1938. Like the San Mateo Buddhist Temple, World War II impacted the full development of the Sturge Memorial Cottage property.306 Japanese and Japanese-Americans also participated in social organizations. The Japanese Association of America was founded in 1900 and San Mateo’s chapter organized in 1906. Its first meeting included 50 people, led by President Sekko Shimada. The organization sponsored social events like annual picnics and Sumo tournaments. Shimada arrived from Japan in 1902 as a guest of prominent San Matean Henry Bowie, who studied art in Kyoto.307 During this period, Bowie, then considered a leading expert in Japan, designed a Japanese tea garden at his San Mateo residence. A portion of Bowie’s estate, including a portion of the Japanese tea garden, was sold to Eugene Henry de Sabla in 1906. de Sabla constructed his own estate house on the property and expanded the “Shin” style gardens with the assistance of Japanese master designer Makoto Hagiwara (1854– 1925), who also designed the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Japanese gardener Naoharu Aihara (1870–1940) may have also been involved in de Salba’s garden design, which is extant.308
Between 1904 and 1942, 589 children were born to Issei, or first generation Japanese immigrants.309 Many Issei wanted to return to Japan and wanted their children to be fluent in reading and writing Japanese. To address the need, several Japanese Language Schools opened in San Mateo County during this period. A Japanese Language School (gakuen) opened in San Mateo in 1916 at the corner of South Delaware Street and 2nd Avenue. The schools also taught Japanese music, literature, art, and social customs and traditions.310 In addition to Japanese school, second generation Japanese, or Nisei, participated in other children’s activities like athletic leagues or judo and kendo clubs.311 Nisei in San Mateo County organized around issues surrounding their community, such as civil rights. In 1930 the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) became a national organization. The San Mateo chapter was founded in May 1935. Aside from organizing around issues like citizenship and employment opportunities, JACL was also a social group that hosted dances and meetings.312 Many Nisei in JACL emerged as leaders during World War II. 305 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 38–40. 306 Yamada and Dianne Fukami, Building and Community: The Story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County, 40–41. 307 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 35. 308 Cherilyn Widell, “de Sabla Tea House and Tea Garden, San Mateo County, California,” National Resister of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington D.C: US Department of Interior, National Park Service, 1997). 309 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 63. 310 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 36. 311 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 63. 312 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 67. 467 of 1110
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86 Filipino
The first recorded entry of Filipinos to the Americas (and land within present-day California) occurred in 1587 at Morro Bay during a Spanish expedition. Filipinos also settled in the United States in the late 1700s as crewmembers or escapees from Spanish galleons. The Spanish-American War in the late 1890s and subsequent Philippine-American War resulted in the formation of an American colonial regime in the Philippines that lasted into the 1930s. The Americanization of Filipinos was integral to the American colonization process. In particular, the Pensionado Act of 1903 allowed for sponsorship of Filipino students at higher education institutions in the United States. These students, known as pensionados, were expected to return to the Philippines and share and spread their American influence; however, some stayed in the United States.313 Agricultural labor was another primary factor of Filipino immigration during the first half of the twentieth century. The Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907–1908 between the United States and Japan was aimed at restricting immigration of Japanese laborers and opened pathways to agricultural labor in Hawaii and California for many Filipino men.314 Filipinos were considered nationals, rather than aliens, meaning they were not subject to the same immigration quotas imposed on other Asian nations during the early twentieth century. Many entrants passed through San Francisco where they found an emerging Manilatown community established alongside Chinatown. Filipino immigrants typically labored in agricultural areas of California seasonally, based on harvest cycles. During off seasons, Filipinos often worked in restaurants, hotels, and as domestic servants in population centers including San Francisco and Stockton. San Mateo was home to several Filipinos, including students at San Mateo Junior College.315
In 1920, approximately 2,700 Filipinos resided in California, and by 1930, that number rose to over 30,000. During this period of increased immigration and settlement, several Filipino students formed a Filipino Club at San Mateo Junior College.316 Despite increased settlement during the 1920s, immigration slowed in the 1930s as the Great Depression hit. Furthermore, anti-Filipino sentiment in California rose and influenced federal policy related to controlling Filipino immigration.
The Tydings-McDuffie Act (also known as the Philippine Independence Act of 1934) provided for Philippine Independence on July 4, 1946, following a transitional period of Commonwealth Government. However, the Act also resulted in changing Filipinos’ status as nationals to aliens with a quota of 50 immigrants per year, effectively ending Filipino immigration for the foreseeable future.317
313 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (Washington D.C.: US Department of Interior, National Park Service, 2024), 58. 314 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995,” 58–61. 315 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995,” 58–61. 316 Albert A. Acena, “’Invisible Minority’ No More: Filipinos in San Mateo County,” La Peninsula, Volume XXXVII, No 1 (Summer 2008), 8. 317 “Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934,” Immigration History, accessed October 1, 2025, at https://immigrationhistory.org/item/tydingsmcduffie-act/. 468 of 1110
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88 9 World War II and Post-War Development
(1941–1979)
During World War II, the San Francisco Bay Area played a major role in coastal defense, military training and transport, and wartime industries, including shipbuilding.318 After the Japanese bombing of Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan and joined World War II soon after. In San Mateo County, the impact of the attack brought immediate and heightened security along the Pacific coast and included expansion or rapid construction of defense installations throughout the Peninsula.319 In 1942, the United States Merchant Marine Cadet Basic Training School was constructed at the former Pacific City park at Coyote Point.
320
The war created 17 million jobs nationwide and pulled the country out of the Great Depression.
However, beyond impacts to military and industry, the war created lasting social impact through racist policies. San Mateo, like many communities along the West Coast, witnessed the forced relocation of residents of Japanese descent to assembly centers, including Tanforan Racetrack in nearby San Bruno. Federal relocation policy also affected residents of German, Italian, Hungarian, Romanian, and Bulgarians descent, but was particularly impactful to the city’s Japanese community.321
In the immediate post-World War II decades, San Mateo’s population growth and suburbanization mirrored broader regional and national trends.322 New neighborhoods emerged from the subdivision of former estates. The downtown transformed with new architectural styles and buildings including mid-twentieth century-style bank branches and City Hall, Modern-era corporate office towers, and contemporary streetscaping. Some buildings in the central business district represented completely new construction, while others were remodeled with on-trend exteriors.
The bulk of the city’s residential, commercial, transportation infrastructure, and civic and community buildings extant today were constructed in the two and a half decades following World War II.323
This period also brought significant transitions in cultural and institutional development, as well as in transportation systems that served the city, Peninsula, and in some cases the greater Bay Area. 318 National Park Service, “World War II Harbor Defenses,” accessed October 1, 2025, at https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/world-war-ii-harbor-defenses.htm; National Park Service; “Places of World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area,” accessed October 1, 225, at https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/places-of-world-war-ii-in-the-san-francisco-bayarea.htm#:~:text=The%20San%20Francisco%20Bay%20Area's,the%20SS%20Red%20Oak%20Victory; National Park Service, “World War II Shipbuilding in the San Francisco Bay Area,” accessed October 1, 2025, at https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/world-war-ii-shipbuilding-inthe-san-francisco-bay-area.htm. 319 “Lend-Lease and Military Aid to the Allies in the Early Years of World War II,” United States Department of State, Office of the Historian, accessed September 25, 2025, at https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/lend-lease#:~:text=the%20full%20notice.- ,Lend%2DLease%20and%20Military%20Aid%20to%20the%20Allies%20in%20the,the%20war%20until%20December%201941; Mitchell P.
Postel, “Armed Forces Presence in San Mateo County During World War II,” La Peninsula, Vol. xliv, No. 2, 3. 320 James O. Clifford, Sr., “San Mateo County: A Training Ground in World War II,” La Peninsula, Vol. xliv, No. 2, 14-15; “Coyote Point Regional Park Dream Coming True,” The Times, August 7, 1973, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52113917/?match=1&clipping_id=180287725. 321 “World War II,” Library of Congress, accessed September 25, 2025, at https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-historyprimary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/world-war-ii/. 322 Mary Brown, San Francisco Modern Architecture and Landscape Design, 1935-1970 Historic Context Statement, (San Francisco Planning Department, October 2011), 23–26; California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973: A Context for National Register Evaluation, (Caltrans, 2011), 9–18. 323 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 259.
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Several new congregations were joined in contributing to the city’s diversity of religious institutions, while the College of San Mateo (formerly San Mateo Junior College) consolidated from three campuses to one. The San Mateo-Hayward Bridge and the Interstate 280/Highway 92 Interchange, as well as emergent Caltrain and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) systems influenced the spread of commerce and industry beyond the downtown.
9.1 Residential Development
The post-World War II building boom expanded San Mateo’s suburban character beyond its earlier developed residential neighborhoods. The city’s population grew from just under 20,000 in 1940 to over 77,000 in 1980.324 The geographic boundary of the city also expanded with annexation of newly subdivided areas. Post-World War II housing was largely characterized by tract developments— houses constructed in large numbers and marketed to prospective buyers. Merchant builders like David Bohannon of the Bohannon Development Corporation subdivided land and constructed homes on a massive scale. Bohannon’s company developed over 10,000 houses throughout the Bay Area, including in San Mateo’s Hillsdale neighborhood. Marking for new suburban neighborhoods included newspaper advertisements describing related amenities, such as parks, churches, and access to modern shopping centers. While the newspaper adverts showcased alluring amenities, new housing in post-World War II neighborhoods often came with restrictions and exclusionary lending and sales practices targeted at non-White minorities.
Construction of Bohannon’s Hillsdale neighborhood began in 1939, suspended in 1941 with the onset of World War II, and continued in the late 1940s. Located on 800 acres in the southern extent of the city, Hillsdale was developed immediately west of El Camino Real and adjacent to Laurel Creek. The neighborhood included single-family houses, Hillsdale Garden Apartments, and sites for churches, schools, and parks. It also included Hillsdale Center, the Peninsula’s first mid-century, Like many post-World War II suburban developments, Hillsdale was among San Mateo neighborhoods that restricted residency to Whites. Deed restrictions for new houses contained exclusionary clauses such as “No persons other than members of the Caucasian or White race shall be permitted to occupy any portion of said property, other than as domestics in the employ of the occupants of the premises.”325 The architecture of the houses and apartment buildings in Hillsdale included one-story, Minimal Traditional and Post-War Minimal style single-family houses.
Occasionally the exteriors featured applied minimalist ornamentation. In 1946 House Beautiful’s Editor, Elizabeth Gordon launched the Pace Setter House Program, an annual series of exhibition houses that showcased modern architecture in post-war America. In 1950, one of Bohannon’s Hillsdale houses was included in the program, showcasing its design described as a “cautious” pacesetter (Figure 53). The Hillsdale Branch Library at 205 West Hillsdale Boulevard leans more into the Contemporary style, which typically featured post-and-beam construction elements.
The Hillsdale Garden Apartments was sold to prominent investor Albert G. McCarthy in 1953 after recognition as an innovative example of family-friendly garden apartments with playgrounds and a nine-hole putting course for adults.
326
324 San Mateo, Decennial Census Data,” Bay Area Census, accessed October 9, 2025, at https://census.bayareametro.gov/historicaldata/1980/san_mateo 325 Sustainable San Mateo, “Historical Background,” Sustainable San Mateo, online, 2022, at https://sustainablesanmateo.org/about/. 326 “705-unit Hillsdale Apartments Sold,” San Francisco Call-Bulletin, October 3, 1953, https://www.newspapers.com/image/1232684436/?match=1&clipping_id=181201068. 471 of 1110
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90 Figure 53 Pace Setter House #3, 1950
Source: House Beautiful 1950, Photo: Maynard L. Parker
In addition to Bohannon, developer L.C. Smith became synonymous with post-World War II-era housing in the region. He also emerged as one of the Peninsula’s most prolific contractors for sidewalk, street, and highway development.327 In 1955, Smith’s Concord Ranch Enterprises acquired land along 19th Avenue from the Leslie Salt Company and contracted with Moorepark Company to develop 19th Avenue Park. The Moorepark Company was owned by renowned tract house developer Joseph Eichler. In addition to 19th Avenue Park, Eichler constructed housing in The Highlands, located just outside San Mateo’s western municipal boundary. Overall, roughly two-thirds of the 11,000 houses Eichler built in California were located in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.328 Additionally, Eichler’s housing was not racially restricted allowing 19th Avenue Park to develop as a relatively diverse neighborhood. Eichler’s houses featured the Contemporary style post-and-beam architecture, and were built from several architect-designed models, often with a central atrium or courtyard and clerestory glazing above street facing exteriors or garage bays.
Between 1964 and 1965, Smith developed Lauriedale, a community of garden apartments and single-family houses built southeast of the downtown. Lauriedale was annexed to the City of San Mateo in 1966.329 Smith hired San Francisco-based Modernist architects Campbell & Wong to design apartment buildings in the community.
330 The apartment buildings exhibit Second and Third Bay 327 Mitchell P. Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 236. 328 Caltrans, Tract Housing in California, 1945-1973, 116. 329 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 236.
330 “Look to Lauriedale for a Completely New Living Idea,” The Times, October 29, 1964, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-timesthe-times-1964-lauriedale-ad/180827468/. 472 of 1110
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Tradition-style architecture notable for their wood shingle cladding and multiple stories. The singlefamily residential areas of the development feature Ranch and Minimal Traditional-style architecture with one to two stories, hipped roofs, stucco exteriors, and brick or stone veneer accents.
Fiesta Gardens, located south of 19th Avenue and north of Borel Creek and the Bay Meadows racetrack, was developed by the Culligan Development Company during the 1950s. In addition to single-family residences and apartment buildings with swimming pools, Fiesta Gardens featured Fiesta Center (built 1955), a moderately sized Ranch-style shopping center at the northeast corner of Bermuda Drive and Ginnever Street.331 One advertisement for the subdivision noted builderdeveloper Thomas J. Culligan had constructed 5,000 houses on the Peninsula by 1955.332 Initially developed during the interwar years between 1918 and 1939, additional single-family developments were constructed in Beresford Park during the 1940s and 1950s. San Mateo Knolls, developed by San Mateo Investment Company between the early 1940s and mid-1950s, included single-family houses constructed east of Alameda de Las Pulgas and in the vicinity of 42nd Avenue.
Buyers chose between three different Ranch-style house models within blocks of San Mateo Knolls Grammar School, P.J. Abbot School, Hillsdale High School, and St. Gregory’s Parochial School.333 Additionally, a shopping center at the intersection of 42nd Avenue and El Camino Real was integrated into the neighborhood’s development. Subsequent residential development occurred west of Alameda de Las Pulgas in the 1960s and 1970s.
While much new construction occurred west of the Bayshore Freeway between the 1940s and early 1960s, construction east of the freeway included additional tract housing in the Lakeshore and Los Prados neighborhoods during the 1960s. Los Prados opened around 1960, with waterfront living, parks, a playground, schools, and single-family and duplex residences.334 In 1965, the Los Prados Shopping Center at Hillsdale Boulevard and Bayshore Highway marked the completion of its first phase of construction. This shopping center has since been redeveloped from its mid-century form.335
Joseph Greenbach of the Newbridge and Belle Haven Realty Companies began development on Shoreview, just south of Coyote Point, in 1945. Development continued into the late 1940s and included construction of 1,200 residences in 1949 alone. By 1952, Shoreview housed 3,000 San Mateo families in houses typically representative of the Minimal Tradition, Post-war Minimal, and the generally modest aesthetic common to post-World War II tract housing developments.336 In 1966, Woodlake Apartments, a large complex of nearly 1,000 apartments with central courtyards and an outdoor recreation area with lake, opened immediately north of San Mateo High School’s campus (Figure 54). The prominent architecture firm, Wurster Bernardi & Emmons, was contracted 331 Advertisement for Fiesta Gardens Swimming Pools and Recreation Center, The Times, October 8, 1955. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1955-fiesta-garden/180888993/. 332 “Wouldn’t You Rather Live In…Fiesta Gardens…in Sunny San Mateo,” Redwood City Tribune, August 3, 1955, https://www.newspapers.com/article/redwood-city-tribune-redwood-city-tribun/180890440/. 333 “Southward the Course of Progress Makes Its Way,” The Times, August 16, 1940, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-thetimes-1940-san-mateo-kno/180894262/; Advertisement for San Mateo Knolls, The Times, March 5, 1954, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-san-mateo-knolls/180894093/. 334 “See This Exciting Sneak Preview Showing Los Prados,” The Times, March 19, 1960, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-timesthe-times-1960-los-prados-ad/180892789/. 335 “Center Opens at Los Prados,” The Times, December 4, 1965, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1965-losprados-sh/180892864/. 336 “Official Opening Expands Shoreview Shopping Center,” The Times, December 18, 1952, https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/38975670/?match=1&terms=Official%20Opening%20Expands%20Shoreview%20Shopping%20Center. 473 of 1110
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92 by developer Gerson Bakar to design the apartment buildings.337 In 1979, Woodlake tenants were given the option to purchase their apartments, and 400 of the 990 tenants did so resulting in the conversion to condominium units. Two hundred units were reserved for seniors.338 Figure 54 1967 View of Woodlake Apartments
Source: Architecture/West, Vol 73, Number 9, September 1967
9.2 Commercial Development
In the immediate years after World War II, new commercial developments included neighborhood and regional shopping centers, modern bank branches in the central business district, neighborhoods adjacent to commercial corridors, and several commercial office towers that supported growing professional sectors (Figure 55).
Figure 55 View of San Mateo’s Downtown Commercial District, 1952 Source: Nirenstein's National Realty Map Company, 1952 via David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford University 337 “Woodlake Captures ‘The Good Life’,” The Times, July 30, 1966, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1966- woodlake-apts/180947811/.
338 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 236.
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Hillsdale Shopping Center, among the most prominent projects in post-World War II San Mateo, was developed by the Bohannon Development Corporation. Hillsdale Center was planned as a 42-acre shopping center on part of the acreage Bohannon acquired from the Burleigh H. Murray Ranch in 1939.339 By 1941, Bohannon’s development included housing in the Hillsdale and Park Western neighborhoods, as well as the Andrew Williams Stores grocery (rebranded Mayfair Market in 1951) at Hillsdale Boulevard and El Camino Real.340 Planning began in the early 1940s, but construction for Hillsdale Center commenced in the early 1950s. The shopping center was master planned by the noted architecture firm Welton Becket & Associates who concurrently planned San Francisco’s Stonestown shopping center.341 Consistent with the typical features of post-World War II regional shopping centers, Hillsdale Shopping Center included anchor department stores, smaller retail shops, adjacent office buildings, and ample parking with capacity for 10,000 vehicles.342 Hillsdale Shopping Center’s Macy’s store was designed by architect John Bolles, with 5 acres of floor space, making it Macy’s largest suburban store at the time.343 The center also featured a three-story Sears-Roebuck department store that opened in 1951. In 1954, the completed shopping center was formally dedicated, with over 50 stores.344 Between the mid-1950s and 1970s, an Emporium department store, cinema, and additional shops were added, and Macy’s and Sears expanded.345 Originally, the Hillsdale Shopping Center was designed as an outdoor shopping center with wide integrated pedestrian pathways and storefronts set beneath broad canopies. It was expanded and redesigned as an enclosed shopping mall at the end of the post-World War II period, a nationwide trend (Figure 56).
Figure 56 Hillsdale Shopping Center c. 1950s
339 “Hillsdale Center,” Mall of Fame, accessed September 15, 2025, at https://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/2009/09/hillsdale-centersouth-el-camino-real.html. 340 “History of Hillsdale,” Hillsdale Reimagined, accessed September 20, 2025, at https://hillsdalereimagined.com/history-of-hillsdale/. 341 Mary Brown, Modern Architecture and Landscape Design, 1935-1970 Historic Context Statement, (San Francisco Planning Department, October 2011).
342 “Western Shopping Center,” House & Home (June 1952), https://www.usmodernist.org/HH/HH-1952-06.pdf. 343 “Western Shopping Center,” House & Home (June 1952), https://www.usmodernist.org/HH/HH-1952-06.pdf. 344 “Hillsdale Center,” Mall of Fame, accessed September 15, 2025, at https://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/2009/09/hillsdale-centersouth-el-camino-real.html. 345 “Hillsdale Center,” Mall of Fame, accessed September 15, 2025, at https://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/2009/09/hillsdale-centersouth-el-camino-real.html. 475 of 1110
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94 Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection Hillsdale Shopping Center served as a regional market while smaller shopping centers and strip malls embedded in neighborhoods or anchored alongside commercial corridors served a more localized customer base. In 1949, West 25th Avenue, west of El Camino Real to Hacienda Street was widened for an improved neighborhood commercial district to serve the Hacienda, Beresford, and Hillsdale neighborhood. By that time, it included Manor Theater and Tudor Revival-style shops and a parking tract at the corner of Mary Lou Lane and Flores Street. 346 Subsequent development introduced midtwentieth century commercial buildings alongside those from the pre-World War II period, and eventual development of the parking tract for residential use(Figure 57). 347 During the same period,
a residential shopping center was developed on 42nd and Olympic avenues adjacent to the growing San Mateo Knolls neighborhood. This commercial zone featured two strips of preexisting Tudor Revival-style shops similar to the pre-World War II commercial fabric along West 25th Avenue and newer central parking lot and clusters of surrounding shops (Figure 58).348 The Villa Hotel (now The Villa at San Mateo Apartments), a large property with integrated retail and restaurant uses, was built on an L-shaped site spanning from 4000 South El Camino Real to 41st Avenue in 1955-1956. Designed by Robert M. Sherman, the hotel, which incorporated a Googie architectural design, was built next door to the Villa Cartier restaurant (non-extant), which opened in 1925 and the Lanai Tiki Bar (non-extant), established in 1950. Together, the businesses operated as the Villa Square. In 1965, the restaurant was added. Designed by Armet & Davis, it first housed the Villa Coffee Shop (extant, Maverick Jacks; Figure 59 and Figure 60).349 Figure 57 Shopping District along West 25th Avenue with a mix of pre- and post-World War II Commercial Architecture
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
346 “South S.M. Meeting Maps Improvement,” The Times, May 17, 1949, https://www.newspapers.com/image/38905645/?match=1&clipping_id=182596869. 347 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1950. 348 “New Multi-Million Dollar Villa Hotel Opens Today,” The Times, August 13, 1956, 1-2A, https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/38885328/?match=1&terms=New%20Multi-Million%20Dollar%20Villa%20Hotel%20Opens%20Today%2C%E2%80%9D%20. 349 “New Multi-Million Dollar Villa Hotel Opens Today,” The Times, August 13, 1956, 1-2A, https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/38885328/?match=1&terms=New%20Multi-Million%20Dollar%20Villa%20Hotel%20Opens%20Today%2C%E2%80%9D%20. 476 of 1110
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Figure 58 Shopping Center at 42nd and Olympic Avenues
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
Figure 59 Commercial-Retail within the Villa Apartments at 4000 South El Camino Real Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
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96 Figure 60 Villa Hotel, 1957
Source: The Hotel Monthly, November 1957
Beyond shopping centers and strip malls, San Mateo’s mid-century commercial development included several Modern corporate-office buildings, bank branches, and storefront remodeling featuring the brick, concrete, and metallic materials prevalent in many American downtowns during the period. The bank branches were primarily constructed in a three-square-block downtown area north of Central Park and along or east of El Camino Real. The brick-clad bank building at 100 East 4th Street, originally a branch of American Trust Co. and was later incorporated into Wells Fargo Bank, was among the earliest post-World War II banks constructed in the downtown (Figure 61).350 350Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1950. 478 of 1110
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Figure 61 Wells Fargo Bank (Originally American Trust Co.) at 100 East 4th Avenue, 1981
Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection In 1950, Hibernia Bank, then among the West Coast’s oldest financial institutions, opened its first branch outside of San Francisco at present-day 195 East 4th Street (extant, altered). The building was designed to harmonize with the “suburban atmosphere prevailing in all new buildings along Fourth Avenue,” as reported in a local newspaper.351
Bank of America continued expanding in San Mateo after World War II. Beyond its original San Mateo location at 277 B Street, branches opened in Hillsdale at 2900 South El Camino Real (1947), Bayshore/19th Avenue at 1860 South Norfolk Street (1956), and the A.P. Giannini Memorial Branch at 300 South El Camino Real (1963) (Figure 62). This branch was designed in the New Formalist style by the architectural firms of Miller & Steiner and Wurster and Bernardi & Emmons. The façade, recessed within an arcaded plaza, features murals by artist Louis Macouillard and mosaics by Alphonso Pardinas of Byzantine Mosaics. Both depict A.P. Giannini’s career and the history of Bank of America.352
351 “Hibernia Bank to Open Doors,” The Times, January 2, 1950, 8, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1950- hibernia-bank/181192341/.
352 “The A.P. Giannini Branch of Bank of America Opens in San Mateo on Monday, March 11,” The Times, March 4, 1963, 6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/51899971/?match=1&clipping_id=181200629. 479 of 1110
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98 Figure 62 Bank of America’s A.P. Giannini Memorial Branch at 300 South El Camino Real
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
Another example of New Formalist design is the former American Savings & Loan branch building at 195 East 4th Street. Built in 1973 it features tapered concrete columns and double-height bays filled with curtain walls or marble panels (extant).
353 Both the Bank of America Branch and the former
American Savings & Loan buildings express modernist approaches to interpreting the classical forms and detailing of earlier bank buildings. Additional examples of bank branches constructed during the post-World War II period include 444 South El Camino Real (extant) and 491 South El Camino Real (extant).
Retail buildings from the post-World War II period also claimed a place in San Mateo’s downtown.
The building at 88 East 4th Avenue was completed in 1949 for prominent San Francisco Bay Area women’s clothing retailer Joseph I. Magnin (Figure 63).354 The Streamline Moderne-style building succeeded an earlier Joseph I. Magnin store at 43 3rd Avenue and was reported as the largest suburban store for women’s clothing in the nation at the time of its opening. The building was originally designed to house various departments in separate “shops” across a single floor, with a dramatic corner window, green marble-clad exterior, recessed planting boxes at each window, and brown- and magenta-striped awnings.355
353 San Mateo County Assessor data.
354 “New J. Magnin Store Best of Entire Chain,” The Times, February 27, 1950, 9. https://www.newspapers.com/image/38963917/?match=1&clipping_id=181182349 . 355 “New J. Magnin Store Best of Entire Chain,” The Times, February 27, 1950, 9. https://www.newspapers.com/image/38963917/?match=1&clipping_id=181182349. 480 of 1110
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Figure 63 Former Joseph I. Magnin Store at 88 East 4th Street Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
In 1952, a four-unit retail building was built at the northeast corner of East 4th Avenue and Ellsworth Avenue for the Algodon Company, a corporation of the Judge Aylett R. Cotton family. The company later redeveloped of a portion of the Antoine Borel estate as Borel Place. The building was designed by architects E. Jay Miller and Robert D. Steiner, who also designed Borel Place buildings, and was constructed by Oscar Cavanagh & Son. The building was located opposite the Levy Bros. department store (built 1952) and later redeveloped as Draeger’s market (extant). 356
Construction of the Algodon Company’s building at East 4th Avenue and Ellsworth Avenue occurred after the demolition of the George Bartlett residence, a pioneer and former San Mateo fire chief.
The redevelopment foreshadowed future commercial redevelopment in this area of San Mateo.
Portions of the Algodon building’s storefronts, canopy, and brick accent cladding along Ellsworth Avenue remain intact. The city’s mid-century bank branches and office buildings stood alongside department stores that were built during the first half of the twentieth century prior to the development of shopping centers. These buildings included the City of Paris at 130 2nd Street (extant), Levy Bros. at 55 3rd Street (extant), Loewe & Zwierlein at 317 B Street (extant), and J.C.
Penney & Co. at 200 East 3rd Street, and represent surviving pre-World War II downtown commerce.357
356 “From a Start on the Coastside in 1872 Levy Bros. Move into New $2,000,000 Store at 4th and Ellsworth, San Mateo,” Half Moon Bay and Pescadero Pebble, February 28, 1952, at https://www.newspapers.com/article/half-moon-bay-review-and-pescaderopebbl/181192750/. 357 Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo City Directory 1947-48, (Coast Directory Co. 1947), 407, at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/32701_1020601537_0731- 00401?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Fcl713&pId=1408135359.
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While most of San Mateo’s post-World War II bank buildings were one to two-stories, commercial architecture of the period also included several taller towers expressing varying traits of Modern design. These buildings typically served corporate occupancy and gained popularity during this period as San Mateo became the executive headquarters for national and regional companies, like Franklin Templeton Investments.358 Prominent office complexes were developed on the former Borel and Hayne estates; the former located on lands south of the downtown and the latter opposite Central Park.
The Hayne Estate at 5th Avenue and El Camino Real (opposite Central Park) was initially proposed for redevelopment as a luxury resort hotel.359 However, plans from 1953 were abandoned and the property was redeveloped in the early 1960s with an I. Magnin store and office high rise buildings.360 The buildings at 500 and 520 South El Camino Real and 85 West 5 th Avenue (extant) represent the
redevelopment of the former estate.
Borel Place Office Center, located northwest of the El Camino Real and Highway 92 interchange was constructed between 1962 and 1967. Developers Aylett B. Cotton and Eric B. Bovet, grandsons of financier and Borel estate namesake, Antoine Borel, planned construction around the estate’s trees to preserve portions of the wooded setting. The first three buildings in the complex were designed by local architects E. Jay Miller and Robert D. Steiner.361 The first building in the complex was completed around 1962 after construction of the 19th Avenue Freeway required partitioning of the Borel estate. The first two buildings were nearly fully occupied by 1966 when construction of a third building commenced, concurrent with planning for an eventual seven buildings. The architecture of the complex ranged from two-stories to taller mid-rise construction, with materials including redwood and pebble-dash intended to blend with the woodsy setting (Figure 64). Later buildings in this office park feature concrete or glass-clad exteriors, spanning the spectrum of regional Bay Area modernism to more overtly contemporary design, often referred to as Late Modern.362 358 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 171, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1971. 359 “Landmark to Make Way for Luxury Hotel,” The Times, May 2, 1953. 360 “Hayne Plan Passed; Work Begins Soon, The Times, December 19, 1961. 361 “Open Borel Offices,” The Times, August 31, 1962,
https://www.newspapers.com/image/52050931/?match=1&clipping_id=181199227; “Construction on Borel Unit Starts,” The Times, September 28, 1966, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1965-borel-place-5/181200248/; “New Building Due for Borel Place,” The Times, January 22, 1964, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51694924/?match=1&clipping_id=181200405. 362 “Borel Place Preserves the Century-Old Trees,” The Times, July 30, 1966, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52512482/?match=1&clipping_id=181198995. 482 of 1110
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Figure 64 Borel Place
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
An additional example of office construction includes 2555 Flores Avenue. It was completed in 1962 and designed by architect Vincent G. Rainey, who was known in the San Francisco Bay Area as a theater designer.363 Rainey’s design features a first-story lobby level with pointed arch windows and elevations featuring octagonal punched window openings and octagonal spandrel detailing running between each story (Figure 65).364
363 “$600,000 S.M. Building Set,” The Times, May 15, 1962, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1962-hillsdalepro/180356218/. 364 “$600,000 S.M. Building Set,” The Times, May 15, 1962, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1962-hillsdalepro/180356218/. 483 of 1110
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Figure 65 Commercial-Office Building at 2555 Flores Avenue Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
A greater concentration of mid- and high-rise office buildings were built downtown on sites adjacent to El Camino Real between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s. Examples include Mills Square Tower at 100 South Ellsworth Street, the former Crocker Bank building at 181 2nd Avenue (Figure 66), Heritage Bank of Commerce at 400 South El Camino Real, 444 South El Camino Real, 491 South El Camino Real, 520 South El Camino Real, and 4 West 4th Avenue (all extant). Within this group, styles include New Formalism and International with evident influence from architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, through elements like grid-like, exposed steel-fame exteriors and rectangular forms. 484 of 1110
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Figure 66 Former Crocker Bank Building, 1982
Source: San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Local History Collection By 1971, five hotels and 10 motels provided over 1,400 rooms. Several of the motels were located along the former Bayshore Highway, east of U.S. 101, and were heavily used for conventions and conferences held in the area.
365 In the 1970s, commerce in San Mateo grew, with a population of roughly 80,000 at the start of the decade, despite facing challenges from the nationwide inflation and energy crises. The Chamber of Commerce noted revenues tied to convention- and businessrelated visitation increased compared to 1950 numbers. This reflected a pattern of growth in commercial-office space in the city during post-World War II decades, during which time many companies established headquarters in San Mateo.366 Likewise, Silicon Valley emerged during this period and influenced the vast technology-related commerce throughout the region.367 365 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 171, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1971. 366 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 265.
367 “Silicon Valley: Building on a Cultural of Looking Forward,” Computer History Museum, 2025. https://computerhistory.org/stories/silicon-valley/.
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In 1973, Franklin Resources, Inc., a financial consultancy, relocated to San Mateo from its previous headquarters in New York City. The firm’s offices were within the mid-rise office building at Borel Place, now named Bovet Office Centre at 155 Bovet Road.368 Franklin Resources, Inc. has since become park of Franklin Templeton, which is based at a corporate office campus at 1 Franklin Parkway, developed on a portion of the Bay Meadows racetrack.
The Bay Meadows racetrack, as the only operating West Coast racetrack during World War II and into post-war decades, remained one of San Mateo’s largest employers between the late 1940s and late 1970s.369
9.3 Civic and Institutional Development
During the post-war period, San Mateo upgraded civic facilities to accommodate its growing population. Additionally, institutional uses, including medical and educational facilities, schools, libraries, fraternal organizations, and churches were all significantly expanded during this period.
In 1942, an 11-building training facility, the Merchant Marine Cadet Basic Training School at Coyote Point was rapidly constructed.370 Several thousand cadets graduated from the school and served in the Merchant Marines who operated ship fleets and delivered troops and materials during World War II. At the height of the war, in 1944, the United Service Organization (USO) established the TriCities USO at 3rd Avenue and El Camino Real, providing a recreational outlet for service people and their families (non-extant). The facility on El Camino Real remained active until 1946 when it was sold to the College of San Mateo, which operated from three campuses in the area. 371
Over the next decade and a half, the College of San Mateo used the former military buildings and adapted a surplus building for use by the San Mateo County Junior Museum. The college also developed Coyote Point Yacht Harbor and Coyote Point Marina later selling the property to San Mateo County in 1962. The college opened its existing, centralized campus west of downtown San Mateo in 1963.372 Coyote Point became part of the County’s regional park system in 1963, while Coyote Point Marina and the park lands were further developed by the late 1960s. Planning for a new Junior Museum began around 1973, coinciding with its renaming as Coyote Point Museum and ongoing park improvements.373
City Hall offices, located in a building connected to the San Mateo Fire Department’s headquarters at 1st Avenue and South Ellsworth Street (non-extant), were relocated in 1962 to the former headquarters of Mobil Oil at present-day 330 West 20th Avenue. The facility on West 20th Avenue brought City Hall outside the downtown and away from a cluster of civic and institutional buildings located along a two-block stretch of South Ellsworth Street including the fire department 368 “New Firm Moving to San Mateo Soon,” The Times, May 7, 1973, 25, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52040557/. 369 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 277.
370 James O. Clifford, Sr., “San Mateo County: A Training Ground in World War II,” La Peninsula, Vol. xliv, No. 2, 14-15; “Coyote Point Regional Park Dream Coming True,” The Times, August 7, 1973, 26, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52113917/?match=1&clipping_id=180287725. 371 San Mateo County Historical Association, Photo Record, “Bill Kyne Has Coffee with Soldiers at the Three Cities USO Canteen in San Mateo,” Notes, online, accessed September 2025, https://historysmc.pastperfectonline.com/photo/75623C2A-B48C-4A37-B87A069500411816. 372 Stanger, South of San Francisco, 206.
373 “A Name Change for the Museum,” The Times, July 5, 1973. https://www.newspapers.com/image/52067031/; “Coyote Point Regional Park Dream Coming True,” The Times, August 7, 1973,
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headquarters, Post Office, and an American Legion Hall.374 The City Hall building at 330 West 20th Street was remodeled and expanded in 1984.375
During this period, San Mateo’s citizens organized around several issues, including the fight to keep Sugarloaf Mountain as open space. In 1971, residents organized a grassroots campaign to save Sugarloaf Mountain from development by Cargus Corporation. After a protracted fight, a scaledback condominiums and office space development with reserved open space was approved. In 1978, the City expanded its parks with the opening of Laurelwood Park.376 Medical
Institutions including Mills Hospital expanded during the mid-twentieth century, and many modern medical buildings were constructed in San Mateo, particularly along North San Mateo Drive. Mills Hospital’s West Wing was completed in 1950, as a continuation of periodic expansion from the first half of the twentieth century.377 The Baywood Medical Building at 1 Baywood Avenue was constructed in 1957. It features several elements of Modern architectural design including horizontal massing, uniform rectangular fenestration, and a screened bezel around its windows (Figure 67).378 By 1950, North San Mateo Drive contained multiple dental and medical offices along the 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 blocks that were close to San Mateo Hospital. 379 By 1965, these blocks
contained even more offices with medical-office uses, indicating that San Mateo continued to hold a central position in regional medical services.
380 Buildings evidencing this pattern of post-World War II development include 101 North San Mateo Drive and 256 North San Mateo Drive (Figure 68).
Figure 67 Baywood Medical Building at 1 Baywood Avenue
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
374 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1950. 375 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 277.
376 Dana Yates, “Residents Keen of Keeping Open Space,” The Daily Journal, January 12, 2004, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/residents-keen-on-keeping-open-space/article_6ea5c0bf-d470-55ff-b90fa43a99eb4cb5.html. 377 Darold Fredericks, “Beginnings of Mills Hospital in San Mateo,” The Daily Journal, March 10, 2014, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/beginnings-of-mills-hospital-in-san-mateo/article_20f8d723-d7e2-509a-8b3d6902104cdf67.html. 378 “Building Permits,” San Mateo Times, September 5, 1957, https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/51882800/?match=1&terms=%22baywood%20medical%20building%22. 379 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1955, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1955. 380 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1965, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1965. 487 of 1110
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Figure 68 101 North San Mateo Drive
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
Schools
By 1948, San Mateo maintained four private or parochial schools and 13 public schools, ranging from elementary/grammar to high school level.381 By 1955, the three private or parochial schools were within the city, and the number of public schools grew to 22.382 The growth pattern aligned with overall population growth and the development of additional residential neighborhoods. By the 1960s, the post-war growth, lead to the creation of the San Mateo-Foster City School District.383 Racial segregation impacted San Mateo’s schools just as it impacted its residential neighborhoods.
As noted by the San Mateo County Historical Association:
Resistance to racial intolerance took place in San Mateo County during the 1960s, perhaps most notably at its new College of San Mateo campus. […] Beginning in 1959, Professor Rudolph Lapp offered classes in Black History. The College of San Mateo was the first institution of higher learning outside of the South to have such a course.384
In 1963, the California legislature passed the Rumford Fair Housing Act, which outlawed race-based housing discrimination and restrictive covenants. The real-estate industry responded by funding the Proposition 14 campaign to overturn the Rumford Act, arguing that owners should be able to sell, or refuse to sell, their houses to whomever they chose. Although Proposition 14 passed in 1964, in 1966 the California Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 14 violated the U.S. Constitution. This ruling was confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967, one year prior to the passing of the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968.385
Efforts to bus students to different schools throughout nearby schools materialized in the mid1960s. By that time, the racial makeup of elementary schools reflected the segregation in neighborhoods. Some schools were mostly Black or Asian, while other were mostly White. In 1966, a community conference to address the subject included approximately 700 people, and in December 381 Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo City Directory 1947-1948, Coast Directory Co., 421. 382 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1955, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1955, 1217. 383 Silicon Valley Community Foundation, “How Did We End Up With 54 School Districts in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties?” (Silicon Valley Community Foundation, May 2012), 7.
384 “Resistance at the College of San Mateo,” in Online Exhibits: San Mateo County’s African American History, accessed online September 8, 2025, at https://historysmc.org/exhibits/san-mateo-countys-african-american-history/. 385 Simister, The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County” 12; U.S. Federal Census 1930, at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 488 of 1110
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1966 an “Administrative Transfer Plan” was adopted.
386 As a result of implementation of the plan,
45 students from Lawrence and Turnbull Schools were selected as the first to be bused to 10 other schools as part of the desegregation process. Based on the success of this busing program, the San Mateo Elementary Teachers Associated passed a resolution to support the plan and called for desegregation in all city schools.387
Library
A modern San Mateo Public Library was constructed at 3rd Avenue and Dartmouth Road in 1969, and replaced the previous library at 2nd Avenue and San Mateo Drive, which was later demolished for the Mills-Peninsula Health Center’s parking lot. The 1969 library building was demolished in 2003 and replaced another updated library building in the same location. 388
Fraternal
The Benevolent Protective Order of Elks (Elks) Lodge No. 1112 was established in San Mateo in 1908 with 30 members. Originally based out of a building on B Street, the lodge’s membership grew to 3,300 by 1958. The existing Elks Lodge at 229 West 20th Avenue was constructed in 1954 and designed by architects E. Jay Miller and R.D. Steiner.389 Churches
During the post-World War II period, many of San Mateo’s oldest religious institutions continued serving their constituents, while the count of religious properties grew apace with the spread of new neighborhoods and the diversifying demography of the city. While many congregations remained rooted at preexisting locations, several undertook projects for new buildings or modernized existing sacred spaces after the World War II, sometimes continuing projects that had been halted due to Depression-era economics and/or wartime construction limitations. These religious properties appeared throughout the city, adjacent to commercial districts, in masterplanned neighborhoods where developers reserved sites for educational or religious properties, or in some cases on somewhat isolated sites. City directories listed 11 religious properties in San Mateo in 1948, 27 by 1955, and 38 by 1971.390
Long-time congregation St. Matthew Catholic Church constructed a modern sanctuary and hall at 1 Notre Dame Avenue between 1948 and 1953 and opened the existing church and rectory in 1966 (extant).391 During this time, St. Timothy Church at 1515 Dolan Avenue in San Mateo’s Shoreview 386 Simister, The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County” 12; U.S. Federal Census 1930, at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 387 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 259.
388 Gregory N. Zompolis, Images of America: San Mateo, (Arcadia Publishing, 2004), 113. 389 “Elks Have Millon Dollar Investment,” The Times, October 8, 1958, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52011902/?match=1&clipping_id=182593274; “San Mateo Elks Club Dedication Edition,” The Times, March 19, 1954, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51858385/. 390 Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo City Directory 1947-48, (Coast Directory Co. 1947), 404. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/32701_1020601537_0731- 00401?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Fcl713&pId=1408135359; Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1955, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1955, 1171. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/32701_1020601537_0729- 00006?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Fcl761&pId=1402607985; Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1971, (R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1971), vii. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/32701_1020601537_0725- 00012?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Fcl762&pId=1393539795.
391 “Later Parish History: Twentieth Century,” St. Matthew Catholic Church, accessed October 2025, at https://www.stmatthewparish.org/page.cfm?p=852. 489 of 1110
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neighborhood was opened as a mission church of St. Matthew Parish. The Gothic Revival-style church was built in 1954 (extant).392
The San Mateo Buddhist Temple at 2 South Claremont Street was constructed in 1952 as the first permanent facility serving Japanese Buddhists from San Mateo, neighboring Belmont, and San Carlos (Figure 69). The temple’s completion followed a World War II-related development pause at the property. The Temple facility was expanded in 1980 to provide an education wing and a new parking lot (extant).393
Figure 69 Japanese Buddhist Temple at 2 South Claremont Street Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
The Sturge Presbyterian Church at 25 South Humboldt Street was constructed in the 1950s, for a primarily Japanese congregation that celebrated the construction of Sturge Memorial Chapel on the same property just before World War II. The existing mid-twentieth century church building appears to have replaced the cottage entirely.394
The neighboring Community Baptist Church at 15 South Humboldt Street was established in 1948 and initially focused on serving San Mateo’s Chinese community (Figure 70). The church incorporated as the San Mateo Chinese Baptist Community Church in 1958. It became Community Baptist Church in 1962 (extant). Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking services were added in 1990 and 2002.395
392 Huneke Stained Glass, “Saint Timothy Catholic Church 1515 Dolan Avenue San Mateo,” 2018–2025, at https://www.hunekestainedglass.com/st-timothy.
393 “History of the San Mateo Buddhist Temple,” San Mateo Buddhist Temple, n.d., accessed October 2025, at https://sanmateobuddhisttemple.org/about-us/history/.
394 “Our History,” Community Baptist Church of San Mateo, online, n.d., accessed October 2025, at https://www.cbcsm.org/learn/history/.
395 “Our History,” Community Baptist Church of San Mateo, online, n.d., accessed October 2025, at https://www.cbcsm.org/learn/history/.
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Figure 70 Community Baptist Church (left) and Sturge Presbyterian Church (right) Source: TBD
The original Temple Beth El in San Mateo was developed between 1951 and 1952 to serve a growing community of Reform Jews, becoming the city’s first Synagogue.396 The 5-acre site at 1700 Alameda de las Pulgas was expanded with a sanctuary, fellowship hall, administrative, educational and library spaces, between 1955 and 1956 (extant).397
The First Presbyterian Church of San Mateo erected a modern sanctuary in 1958, with elements of Gothic Revival styling, on Hacienda Street where the street meets the West 25th Street commercial district (extant) (Figure 71).
398 The First Baptist Church at 2801 Alameda de las Pulgas and Grace Lutheran Church 2825 Alameda de las Pulgas were constructed on adjacent parcels near Beresford Park in 1960 and 1967, respectively (extant).399 Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, featuring an Expressionistic design that appears similar to an ark, was built in the San Mateo Knolls neighborhood in 1965 (extant) (Figure 72).
400 These churches offer additional examples of the
variety of contemporary ecclesiastical architecture developed in San Mateo during the post-World War II decades.
396 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 250.
397 “Beth El Group Pledges Funds,” The Times, February 13, 1956, https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/38870241/?match=1&terms=Beth%20El%20Group%20Pledges%20Funds%2C%E2%80%9D%20. 398 “The Beautiful New First Presbyterian Church of San Mateo,” The Times, January 17, 1958, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51862780/?match=1&clipping_id=182598153. 399 “New Units to Be Added to S.M. Church,” The Times, April 30, 1960, at https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times1960-san-mateo-fir/182210117/; “News of Our Churches: Dedication of Grace Lutheran Church Ready,” The Times, November 11, 1967, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52352087/?match=1&clipping_id=182596269. 400 “First Services Tomorrow at Hope Evangelical,” The Times, September 5, 1964, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51747173/?match=1&clipping_id=182601425.
Image to be updated with current
conditions photo
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Figure 71 Former First Presbyterian Church (Waypoint Church) Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
Figure 72 Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church
Source: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2025
9.4 Transportation Infrastructure
Post-World War II population growth and the increased prevalence of the automobiles in daily life, influenced the development of transportation infrastructure during this period. Much of this infrastructure supported travel at a regional scale: road, freeway, or rail. Additionally, development 492 of 1110
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in the downtown included major projects designed to accommodate vehicular traffic and parking demand.
The Bayshore Highway connected communities along the Peninsula’s eastern shore for nearly three decades and was reconstructed in the 1950s and designated as part of U.S. Highway 101, because the California Department of Highways and Public Works considered the four-lane highway, without a central median, accident prone. Improvements including a median and separation from surface streets began on the segment in San Francisco in 1950, and construction continued toward San José until 1962. The original Bayshore Highway, now parallels the Bayshore Freeway/U.S. 101 and is known as Bayshore Boulevard.401
Concurrently, streetcar service between San Francisco and San Mateo was gradually reduced, as ridership fell rapidly after the World War II. After incorporation into San Francisco’s Municipal Railway in 1944, the No. 40 interurban route’s service was reduced to shuttle service between San Mateo and Daly City, limited service to San Francisco, and “high school trippers” that served San Mateo and Burlingame High School students. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors terminated the route in 1948, and San Mateo County rejected and option to continue the route under its own management, resulting in termination and a final ceremonial trip from San Mateo’s Southern Pacific Depot in 1949.402
As the Bayshore Freeway was redeveloped regional planning for greater connection between San Francisco, Oakland, the Peninsula, North Bay, and East Bay sub regions also began. Several concepts for increased trans-bay connectivity began in the early twentieth century and included monumental projects like the construction of the San Francsico-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1937. Acknowledgement of rapid population growth and increased automobile use by the mid-twentieth century led a joint Army-Navy review board to conclude that additional trans-bay connection was needed to prevent San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge congestion in the near future.403 The State Legislature formed the BART Commission and then the San Francisco BART District in 1957. However, San Mateo County withdrew from the plan in 1961, citing potentially high costs of the new system and what was deemed as an adequate existing Southern Pacific commuter train service. Marin County withdrew one year later. In subsequent decades, BART connected San Francisco to nearby stations in northern San Mateo County, and eventually San Francisco International Airport.
While planning for BART was underway in the 1960s, the 1929 San Mateo-Hayward Bridge was replaced with a new bridge constructed between 1961 and 1967. Its steel girders were built across the Bay in Richmond, California by Murphy Pacific Bridge Builders. The bridge received an award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for Outstanding Civic Engineering Achievement in 1968.404
In 1971, Amtrak took over operation of the nation’s intercity passenger trains and rerouted its Coast Daylight line from a terminal in San Francisco to one in Oakland; Southern Pacific’s Del Monte line was also discontinued. This resulted in limited commuter train passenger service between San Francisco and San José.
405 In 1977, one year after San Mateo’s historic Southern Pacific Depot was demolished for a parking structure, Southern Pacific petitioned the State Public Utilities Commission 401 Eva Knowles, “Highway 101,” FoundSF the San Francisco Digital History Archive, accessed September 10, 2025, https://www.foundsf.org/Highway_101#:~:text=The%20portion%20of%20the%20freeway,runs%20parallel%20to%20U.S.%20101. 402 Ward Hill, Historic Architecture Evaluation Report: 30 Ingold Road, Burlingame, CA. March 2020, https://cms6.revize.com/revize/burlingamecity/Appendix%20H_HAER.pdf; Walter Rice, Ph.D. and Emiliano Echeverria, San Francisco’s 40- line,” The Museum of the City of San Franciso, n.d., accessed September 2025, at https://sfmuseum.org/hist10/interurban.html. 403 “A History of BART: The Concept is Born,” San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, 2025, at https://www.bart.gov/about/history. 404 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 254.
405 “Early Milestones,” Caltrain, accessed September 10, 2025, https://www.caltrain.com/earlymilestones. 493 of 1110
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and the Interstate Commerce Commission to discontinue its Peninsula Commute Service.406 Months of negotiation with San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) led to an agreement under which Southern Pacific provided commuter service, and public agencies covered most of the operating costs.407 State Route 92, completed in 1964, connected San Mateo to Half Moon Bay and Highway 380, further improving the city’s connection to neighboring communities. The project, however, was not without controversy. Conservation groups interested in preserving coastlines were opposed to connecting the coast to the Peninsula’s communities.408 While moving residents, workers, and tourists were factors in shaping expanding regional transportation networks, additional parking capacity in the downtown remained a major concern.
As regional shopping centers drew increasing traffic and offered the convenience of abundant parking, downtown commercial districts sought solutions to retain patronage to local businesses. In 1955, the City’s Central Parking District was created following nearly two decades of studies and debate over approaches to parking.409 Bounded by Railroad Avenue, El Camino Real, 2nd Avenue, and B Street, the envisioned district included a larger parking lot or structure at its center, which required razing buildings including a former Elks Lodge, several retail shops, and at least one dwelling. By 1962, a stretch of mid-block surface-level parking existed, indicating some clearance had been completed.410 By 1964, plans for the parking district evolved to include a 60-space lot at 2nd Avenue and El Camino Real, a large garage structure at center, and a separate underground parking garage. In November 1964, the first section of the Central Parking Garage, a thru-block structure extending through three city blocks between 3rd and 4th avenues, opened to the public.
An underground parking structure was built in tandem with and below new tennis courts at Central Park.411 Development of the Central Parking Garage continued into 1965, as the structure was extended southwestward beyond San Mateo Drive and its upper level of parking was finished (Figure 73).
412
406 “Early Milestones,” Caltrain, accessed September 11, 2025, https://www.caltrain.com/earlymilestones. 407 “Early Milestones,” Caltrain, accessed September 11, 2025, https://www.caltrain.com/earlymilestones. 408 Hynding, From Frontier to Suburb, 321.
409 “City Council Creates District for Parking,” The Times, June 16, 1954, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1954- sm-city-counc/181843684/.
410 Norton, Pearl, “Aerial View of Downtown San Mateo, 1962,” San Mateo County Historical Association online database, catalog number 2015.001.02926A, at https://historysmc.pastperfectonline.com/photo/CFF2FDA1-2E29-4AB9-9C19-411966263130. 411 “Grand Opening! Great New Parking Facilities in Dynamic Downtown San Mateo,” The Times, November 16, 1964, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1964-grand-opening/182027956/. 412 “Drive-in Ceremony Opens New Parking,” The Times, November 16, 1964, https://www.newspapers.com/image/51765763/?match=1&clipping_id=182028548. 494 of 1110
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Figure 73 Downtown San Mateo 1979
Source: San Mateo Public Library, Local San Mateo History Collection
9.5 Industrial Development
During the mid-twentieth century, San Mateo retained several local nurseries, where the cut flower industry maintained a strong presence during decades leading up to World War II. City directories indicate most nurseries were located on lands adjacent to El Camino Real or Bayshore Highway, where intensive residential development continued throughout the post-World War II period.413 The Pederson & Arnold Company at 4th Avenue and South Claremont Street and the neighboring San Mateo Lumber Co. at 501 South Claremont Street (extant) continued to operate lumber milling and lumber yard facilities. Additional lumber yards including Foley & Boettcher at 19 Bayshore Highway and Horne & Winfrey at 2701 El Camino Real supported the local construction industry.414 These lumber yards, and additional industrial properties including a few iron and sheet metal works and light-manufacturing plants were located along the U.S. 101 corridor, including on frontage roads South Amphflett Boulevard, North Amphflett Boulevard, and adjacent to the Southern Pacific Railroad corridor further to the west.
As indicated by the relatively limited industrial development in San Mateo during post-World War II decades, San Mateo became a center of commerce along the Peninsula, where corporations from several industries established headquarters or regional offices, rather than an industrial hub. 413 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1948, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1948, 416. 414 Polk’s San Mateo City Directory, 1948, R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1948, 414, 418. 495 of 1110
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9.6 Cultural and Ethnic Groups
African Americans
In the years before World War II, San Mateo’s small African American population was generally concentrated east and north of downtown in the city’s Central neighborhood.415 The Black population grew during the war when many came to the area to work in shipyards in South San Francisco. Discriminatory real estate practices made it nearly impossible for African Americans to settle in many Bay Area communities, causing many to settle in San Mateo’s Central neighborhood.416 The African American population grew in the years following World War II.
Based on 1950 Census records, San Mateo’s African American community continued to reside primarily in the area east of Railroad Avenue, west of the Bayshore Freeway/U.S. 101, and north of San Mateo Creek (roughly 2nd Avenue). While this area was apparently racially integrated, with several White, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino residents appearing on 1930, 1940, and 1950 census schedules, it remained one of the few areas where African Americans and Asian Americans were allowed to live in San Mateo. In an interview with La Peninsula, African American San Mateo resident, Basil Emery explained, “to the west of the 101 freeway, to the east of the railroad tracks, and then Poplar to the north and 3rd was to the south. That was [the neighborhood] we could buy in.”
417
In addition to limited housing opportunities, African Americans faced difficulties with employment opportunities during this period. During World War II, a Mr. Cullen ran the San Mateo city dump and “was the second Black employee of the city, the first one having been a janitor for the Police Department,” as noted by scholar Eve Simister in La Peninsula. 418 While some fair employment
practices protests were successful, others appear to largely have resulted in the mere appearance of change. For example, when negotiations and promises were made by the Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo and the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, actual implementation was minimal.419 By the 1960s, the city, like the rest of the country, experienced civil unrest. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luter King, Jr. in April 1968, a thousand high school and college students marched on City Hall. In response to the dialogue following King’s death, East Park and the soon-to-beconstructed East Park Recreation Center at present-day 725 Monte Diablo Avenue were renamed in honor of the late civil rights leader.420 As part of the effort in renaming the park, Reverand Rufus Cooper of the nearby St. James A.M.E. Zion church, conveyed the support of his congregation and expressed the “hope that the park and center will not be segregated in any way.”421 A 1969 415 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 143.
416 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 224.
417 Simister, “The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County,” 9; U.S. Federal Census 1930, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 418 Simister, “The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County,” 9; U.S. Federal Census 1930, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/92975710. 419 Elysha Paluszek, Mary Ringhoff, Andrew Goodrich, Stacy Farr, Caitlyn Ewers, Morgan Quirk (Architectural Resources Group), Sian Winship, Alexandria Perlman (Historic Resources Group), “National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form:
African Americans in California, 1850-1974,” California Office of Historic Preservation, Draft 2024, at https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/CA_Multiple%20Counties_African%20Americans%20in%20CA%20MPDF_DRAFT.pdf. 420 “King Center Now Named Officially,” The Times, September 17, 1968, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52064955/?match=1&clipping_id=182100151. 421 “King Center Now Named Officially,” The Times, September 17, 1968, https://www.newspapers.com/image/52064955/?match=1&clipping_id=182100151. 496 of 1110
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newspaper article reported the recently opened King Recreation Center served Black, White, and Asian residents, with amenities including meeting spaces.422 In the summer of 1969, City Council formed the 25-member Human Relations Commission to assist in reinforcing state and federal anti-discrimination laws. They addressed complaints of youth against police, individual cases of housing discrinimination, and employment issues. Into the 1970s, the model of public involvement in the Human Relations Commission was repeated in the Public Works Commission, the Youth Advisory Council, the Greater Downtown Commission, and the Housing Advisory Appeals Board.423
Chinese
World War II was a major turning point for the Chinese residents in the United States and more broadly for Asian American and Pacific Island communities. The United States viewed the Republic of China, who had been at war with the Empire of Japan since 1937, as an ally, following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
In 1943, exclusionary legislation limiting Chinese immigration was repealed. New legislation enabled additional opportunities for Chinese immigrants to enter the country, or for those already in the country to gain citizenship.424 The Magneson Act enabled Chinese residents in the United States to become naturalized citizens, which was previously limited to free, White immigrants, based on legislation from 1790. The Magneson Act set an annual immigration limit for Chinese immigrants at 105, based on the Immigration Act of 1924.425 The War Brides Act of 1945 allowed Chinese women to immigrate as new brides or to reunite with husbands who had been members of the armed services. This led to a demographic shift in Chinese communities, which had historically been largely male. The immigration quota tied to the Immigration Act of 1924 was repealed with the Immigration Act of 1965, which greatly increased immigration from China, in addition to other Asian countries.426Additionally, second and third generation English-speaking Chinese Americans and educated Chinese immigrants sought opportunities to establish careers and residence beyond local Chinatowns.
In San Mateo, the cluster of Chinese and Japanese-used buildings located on South Railroad Avenue between 1st and 2nd Avenue prior to World War II, was largely no longer identified with Chinese and Japanese uses by 1950. Several buildings formerly associated with the Chinese and Japanese populations were demolished, while a smaller group of stores and dwellings, including a Chinese laundry, remained (Figure 74).427 This local pattern aligned with wider trends of shrinking Chinatowns and Japantowns, due to relocation of residents, redevelopment, and clearance due to perceived blight.
422 “New Center is Popular,” The Times, May 12, 1969, 10, https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/52467428/?match=1&terms=New%20Center%20is%20Popular%2C%E2%80%9D%20. 423 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 261.
424 Albert A. Acena, “Chinese Americans in San Mateo County,” La Peninsula Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 2015, 3 425 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (Washington D.C.: US Department of Interior, National Park Service, 2024), 30. 426Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995,” 29–31. 427 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1950. 497 of 1110
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Figure 74 1950 Sanborn Map Depicting Area of Former Chinese and Japanese Stores Source: Sanborn Map Company 1950
After World War II, the Civil Rights Movement and immigration reform led to major changes in immigration policy, including a shift to geographic region-based quotas, allowing for greater numbers of immigrants. Racial and ethnic discrimination was also abolished.428 San Mateo County’s Chinese population doubled from just under 2,500 to over 5,000 between 1960 and 1970.429 Ah Sam Florist at 28th Avenue and El Camino Real continued to operate through the Great Depression and World War II, including taking over the lease of The Towne Florist, a Japaneseowned business faced with the forced relocation of its proprietors during the war. The former Japanese business was eventually acquired by Ah Sam Florist owners but was closed in 1949 with focus reverting to the Ah Sam Florist business. Ah Sam Florist continued to expand after the war, with acquisition of additional land behind their store where greenhouses, lathhouses, parking, and a warehouse were developed beginning in 1953.430
Japanese
The United States’ entry into World War II marked a turning point for the future of federal immigration policy and opened up opportunities for some Asian immigrants; however, the war was significantly impactful to Japanese communities in across the nation. The West Coast had long been an important region for the settlement and formation of Japanese immigrant communities, with 428 Albert A. Acena, “Chinese Americans in San Mateo County,” La Peninsula Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 2015, 4. 429 Albert A. Acena, “Chinese Americans in San Mateo County,” La Peninsula Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 2015, 4. 430 Nellie W. Leong, “Ah Sam,” La Peninsula Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 2015, 19. 498 of 1110
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over 50 Japantowns across California alone. By the interwar years, Japanese people significantly contributed to agriculture across the state as rice growers in Northern California, at coastal vegetable farms, and as laborers and proprietors working in the cut flower industry in the Bay Area, including chrysanthemum farms in San Mateo.431
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese sentiment and federal policy resulted in the forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans, halting the growth of Japanese communities in the Western United States. Less than three months after the attack, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which governed conditions for enemy aliens, including all individuals of Japanese descent, including American citizens, as well as non-citizen Italian and German residents. Between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. government incarcerated over 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry, first in temporary assembly centers adapted from facilities at racetracks and fairgrounds before sending to War Relocation Centers in isolated areas of the West Coast, two of which were in California.432 During this period, Attorney General Earl Warren actively prompted the creation of maps detailing landholdings of Japanese and Japanese-Americans county-by-county. These maps were sent to important officials to convince them of the danger the community posed to the state. The maps created for San Mateo show Japanese land ownership largely concentrated in the city’s central neighborhood, east of the railroad tracks (Figure 75). In San Mateo, evacuation orders given to Japanese and Japanese-American residents on May 3, 1942 required them to report to the Masonic Temple Building at 100 North Ellsworth.433 In response to the order, the San Mateo County JACL released a statement saying, “today, as evacuation orders affect Japanese aliens and American citizen Japanese, the sorrow at the thought of leaving their homes is eased by the knowledge that by cooperation and sacrifice, they are aiding the United States war effort.”434 On May 9, 1942, the last busload of San Mateo County Japanese residents was transported to Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno.435
431 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (Washington D.C.: US Department of Interior, National Park Service, 2024), 36–39. 432 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995,” 38. 433 “State of California, Civilian Exclusion Order No. 35, San Mateo County,” accessed October 1, 2025, at https://digitalcollections.archives.csudh.edu/digital/collection/p16855coll4/id/5966/. 434 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 77. 435 San Mateo Chapter JACL, 1872-1942: A Community Story, 77. 499 of 1110
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Figure 75 1942 “San Mateo Land Occupied by Japanese”
Source: The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Some cultural institutions stored the belongings of those incarcerated, and in some cases later served as hostels for returning members; however, not all property was secured. Many lost their possessions, places of business, and residences. After the war ended, many sought residency beyond their pre-war communities, including in the Eastern and Midwestern states. While some arranged for their properties to be held and secured by sympathetic neighbors or friends, others lost their businesses or returned to find their housing occupied by wartime workers who had settled in the Bay Area to support shipbuilding and other wartime industries. In San Mateo, the Yamaguchi family apparently returned from internment in Topaz to find their house and belongings intact (Figure 76).436 Altogether, California lost nearly 10,000 residents of Japanese descent from its prewar population of nearly 94,000, per the 1950 Census. During the period of incarceration, San Mateo’s Japanese Protestant congregation affiliated with Sturge Memorial Cottage offered and turned over their facility to local Chinese. After the war, Chinese and Japanese religious properties expanded along South Humboldt Street.437
436 Japanese War Relocation Collection, The Bancroft Library Archive, accessed October 1, 2025, at https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/105854?v=uv#?xywh=-123%2C-58%2C1694%2C1225&cv=1. 437“Page & Turnbull, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995,” 41; “S.M. Japanese Offer Church For Chinese Use,” The Times, April 3, 1942, 1. https://www.newspapers.com/image/51851670/. 500 of 1110
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Figure 76 Mrs. Saiki Yamaguchi and Susan Yamaguchi at the Tanaka House, 38 Eldorado, 1945
Source: University of California, Berkeley, Japanese War Collection Sanborn maps from 1950 show that the former Japantown, located alongside Chinatown, as nonextant. The one-story apartment building and gathering area, referred to as the Nagaya by the Japanese community appeared on the 1920 Sanborn map as “Japanese,” and contained several dwellings, a shed, and a more recently built garage for automobiles.438 By 1950, the Nagaya was redeveloped with residential buildings. After World War II, the first permanent facility for Japanese Buddhists in San Mateo was constructed in 1952.
An active member of San Mateo’s Buddhist congregation was Yoshiko Yamanouchi (1895–1973), wife of Tetsuo Yamanouchi (1878–1936) who founded Imperial Laundry at 214 First Avenue. 438 Sanborn Map Company, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1950. 501 of 1110
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Following his death, she continued to run the family laundry business until her family returned to San Mateo at the end of World War II. In 1957, following her retirement, Yoshiko Yamanouchi purchased property at 1007 East 5th Avenue to build a new house. The Ranch Style house was designed by William H. Rowe and built by Hugh H. MacDonald. Following completion of the house, Yamanguchi oversaw the construction and design of a traditional Japanese style garden implemented by renowned landscape architect Nagao Sakurai. The garden was expanded in 1968 with a contemporary Japanese garden by Kodo Matsubara and construction of the Katsura Building, inspired by the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. It is connected to the house via a raised walkway (ryoka), which is fronted at the streetside by a Japanese style gateway. In addition to its traditional and contemporary Japanese landscape, the property (extant) is a significant example of post-war Japanese American life in San Mateo and is associated with the life of early San Mateo Japanese resident Yoshiko Yamanguchi.
439
Nagao Sakurai’s work is also present in San Mateo’s Central Park. Restrictions on Japanese immigration eased in the 1950s and 1960s and the concept of sister cities became popular to foster connections between different cultures. In California, there are over 75 sister-city relationships with Japanese cities.440 In 1963, San Mateo proposed a sister city affiliation with Toyonaka, a city in the Osaka Prefecture. The relationship helped to reinvigorate an earlier effort by the San Mateo Gardeners’ Association, made up of mostly Japanese-Americans, to landscape and maintain a garden in a public location. Following the creation of the relationship with Toyonaka, a one-acre site in Central Park was selected for a Japanese Garden.441 An organization was formed to raise funds, and Nagao Sakurai was hired to design it. Construction was mostly carried out by volunteers and Toyonaka donated a five-story pagoda for the garden.442 The Japanese Garden (extant) opened in 1966.
Filipino
On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the Philippines, several hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. As the United States entered World War II, it created Filipino military regiments, and many Filipinos residing on the West Coast enlisted. In 1946, the Luce-Cellar Act was passed, and granted citizenship eligibility to persons of Asian Indian and Filipino descent. On July 4, 1946, President Harry Truman proclaimed Philippine independence and signed the Treaty of General Relations, which relinquished U.S. sovereignty, dating to 1898, over the Philippines. While this policy still enabled the United States to maintain presence in the Philippines, a second wave of Filipino immigration to the United States followed, with some 33,000 Filipinos emigrating by 1965.443 Whereas previous period of Filipino immigration primarily included single males, the wave of postWorld War II immigration included many women and children, including brides and families of Filipino servicemen with U.S. citizenship. Many Filipinas came to the United States for nursing training as participants of the Exchange Visitor Program of the State Department, “whose general objective was to promote a better understanding of the U.S. abroad through the exchange of people, education, and skills, received a monthly stipend for their work at U.S.-sponsored 439 Denise Bradley and Ward Hill, “Yoshiko Yamanhoushi House,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2023). 440 Denise Bradley and Ward Hill, “Yoshiko Yamanhoushi House,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2023). 441 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 230.
442 “Central Park Centennial Exhibit,” San Mateo Arboretum Society, accessed October 15, 2025, at https://www.sanmateoarboretum.org/centennialexhibit.html. 443 Page & Turnbull, “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders In California, 1850-1995” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, 2024), 66 502 of 1110
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institutions”.444 The Exchange Visitor Program offered foreign nursing graduates an opportunity for two-year postgraduate study and clinical training in U.S. hospitals. The program significantly transformed the American nursing labor force, including hospital staff in San Mateo County.
Additionally, the 1965 Immigration Act (Immigration and Nationality Act) set the stage for a major increase in immigration by removing preexisting quotas allowing 20,000 people per year from each country in the Eastern Hemisphere. Between 1970 and 1980, San Mateo County’s Filipino population more than quadrupled from over 5,000 to over 24,000.445 Tongan
The Kingdom of Tonga has been an independent nation and a member of the British Commonwealth since 1970. After World War II, Tongans began immigrating increasingly to New Zealand, Australia, and the United States to pursue educational and employment opportunities.446 Immigration to the United States was influenced by the Immigration Act of 1965. Since the 1960s, Tongans have settled throughout the Bay Area with relatively high populations in San Mateo and neighboring San Bruno and East Palo Alto. As noted by scholars Cathy A. Small and David L. Dixon, “The first Tongan migrants were young single men, and occasionally women, who left home […] to earn high overseas wages that would help feather nests back in Tonga.” 447 As these migrants established permanence, they supported their family’s migration, leading to the formation of Tongan communities in Australia, New Zealand, and in the United States. While a relatively small community relative to the city’s overall population, San Mateo’s Tongan community remains one of the largest in California and the United States.
Latino
California experienced small waves of Latino immigration, primarily from Mexico, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century. An estimated 10,000 Mexicans came to California during the Gold Rush.
While many returned home after the Gold Rush, others decided to stay in the United States, with an estimated 8,000 Mexicans settling in California during this period. Similar to other immigrant populations, Mexican immigrants worked in the state’s early railroad industry and its agricultural economy. As a result of limitations on Asian immigration during that period, there was a growing reliance on Mexican labor.448 In the following decades, the improved connection between Mexico and California, especially by rail made immigration more fluid. In 1910, the Mexican Revolution began, resulting in increased violence and instability, and persuading many to relocate to the United States as a means of improving their situation.449
In the early twentieth century, most Mexicans migrating to the United States originated from central and southern Mexico and traveled by rail to border towns and settled in Texas and California. Once in California, common settlement locations included the Imperial Valley and San Joaquin Valley, becoming significant ethnic groups in those communities. The primary urban area for Mexican settlement was Los Angeles. Other California cities attracted Mexican populations, 444 Page & Turnbull. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in California, 1850-1995, 66. 445 Albert A. Acena, “’Invisible Minority’ No More: Filipino Americans in San Mateo County,” La Peninsula Vol. XXXVII, No. 1, (Summer 2008), 17.
446 Cathy A. Small and David L. Dixon, “Tonga: Migration and the Homeland,” February 1, 2004, The Online Journal of the Migration Policy Institute, at https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/tonga-migration-and-homeland. . 447 Cathy A. Small and David L. Dixon, “Tonga: Migration and the Homeland,” February 1, 2004, The Online Journal of the Migration Policy Institute, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/tonga-migration-and-homeland. 448 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California: National Register of Historic Places Context Statement, (California Office of Historic Preservation, 2015), 3. 449 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 4. 503 of 1110
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including nearby San Francisco and San Jose, but in smaller numbers.450 During World War II, attitudes toward Mexican labor changed, as war efforts resulted in labor shortages. In an effort to relieve the labor shortages the United States and Mexico created a guest worker program officially called the Emergency Farm Labor Agreement, known as the Bracero Program, in 1942. The agreement allowed Mexican farm workers to enter and work in the United States legally for limited amounts of time. The program was hugely successful and was extended for 22 years, resulting in lasting effects for the U.S. economy.451 It was not uncommon for workers to arrive on the program, stay after the end of their contract, find work in the country, and settle. In increasing numbers, those who found work moved to cities.452
During the post-war period, California’s economy was boosted by the military spending in research, technology, and defense during the Cold War. The influx of capital along with the availability of large acreages of land contributed to a major development boom in the state. It also stimulated the demand for labor in manufacturing, the service industry, and construction.453 In 1965, the U.S. immigration policy was overhauled, and strict quotas were set for the number of authorized immigrants from different regions of the world. This, in combination with the end of the Bracero Program and limited economic opportunities in Mexico, resulted in an increase in unsanctioned migrations as the second half of the twentieth century continued. The continued demand for labor caused a spike in legal and illegal immigration during the 1970s and 1980s.454 By the 1970s, the makeup of the Latino immigrant population became more diverse, with more populations from Central America. Before the 1970s, immigrant populations from Central American were small and mostly from the upper and middle classes from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Some Central American workers came to the United States through the Bracero Program by pretending to be Mexican because the program was limited to Mexican workers. Those who stayed in this region, settled in a San Francisco barrio neighborhood developed by the 1920s within San Francisco’s Mission District. In the mid-twentieth century American companies invested heavily in Central American countries, establishing manufacturing facilities and plants. When the global economy stagnated in the 1970s, Central American workers transferred their skills to manufacturing jobs in the United States.455 During this period, many Central American immigrants found work as domestic labor, too. During this period, South American immigration to the area did not materialize in the same magnitude as Mexican and Central American immigration. In San Mateo, by 1980, the city had the state’s 14th highest concentration of Mexican immigrant population.456 450 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 6. 451 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 9. 452 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 10 453 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 10. 454 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 10. 455 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 11. 456 California Office of Historic Preservation, Latinos in the Twentieth Century California, 11. 504 of 1110
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10 Modern San Mateo (1980–2025)
The continued development of San Mateo during the modern period, or recent past, is largely defined by its proximity to the expansion and growth of Silicon Valley’s technology industry.
10.1 Residential Development
This period is marked by more limited residential development than in the decades following World War II due to several factors, including rising interest rates, economic shifts in the construction industry, land use and zoning policies, and the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. Proposition 13 is an amendment to the California Constitution that established limitations on the tax rate and assessment increase for real property according to base year values.457 The assessed value of a property is limited to a 2 percent annual increase and reassessment on base year values when there is a change in ownership or new construction occurs.458 Historically, however, market values of real estate have increased more than 2 percent a year. When house values increase by more than 2 percent a year, homeowners gain from remaining in the same house because their taxes are lower than they would be on a different house of the same value. A widely accepted consequence of this law is reduced property tax revenue and a tendency for owner-occupiers to not sell their houses, thereby reducing the turnover of owner-occupied houses.459 The city’s residential building stock is characterized by older developments in mostly single-family neighborhoods. Approximately 73 percent of houses in the city were built before 1979.460 Residential development slowed in the two decades before 1980 and continued on a more dramatic downward trend between 1980 and 1999.461 People remaining in their owner-occupied houses, coupled with the slowing of residential development in the city, contributed to the rising cost of housing in the city in recent years. The cost of housing has been further affected by the health of the local economy. Since 1980, the Silicon Valley’s technology sector has been a driving economic force in the local economy and stimulated population growth. The city’s population was approximately 80,000 by the late 1980s, a four-fold increase from 1940, and grew to over 95,000 by late 1990s.462 The influx of capital and scarcity of housing contributed to the rising cost of housing and the city’s poverty rate. During the 10-year period between 1970 and 1980, the average value of a house in San Mateo increased 307.4 percent and has continued to rise. 463
More recent residential developments have generally trended away from single-family only neighborhoods common during San Mateo’s suburbanization and post-war expansion to more 457 Office of the Assessor, County of Santa Clara, “Understanding Prop 13,” accessed October 10, 2025, at https://www.sccassessor.org/faq/understanding-proposition-13. 458 Office of the Assessor, County of Santa Clara, “Understanding Prop 13,” accessed October 10, 2025, at https://www.sccassessor.org/faq/understanding-proposition-13. 459 Nada Wasi and Michelle J. White, “The Lock-In Effect on California’s Proposition 13, The National Bureau of Economic Digest, April 2005, https://www.nber.org/papers/w11108.
460 City of San Mateo, Strive San Mateo: General Plan 2024, 30, 2024, accessed July 20, 2025, at https://strivesanmateo.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024/03/StriveSanMateo_GP2040_Adopted_3-18-2024_Web.pdf. 461 City of San Mateo, Housing Element of the General Plan 2023-2031, Appendix A: Needs Analysis, H-A-34-35, April 2024, accessed July 20, 2025, https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/87526/APPENDIX-A---Needs-Analysis?bidId=. 462 Housing Element of the General Plan 2023-2031, April 2024, 7, City of San Mateo. https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/94606/2023-2031-City-of-San-Mateo-Housing-Element; Chapter 4.2 Population/Housing/Employment in City of San Mateo General Plan Update EIR: Draft Environmental Impact Report, (City of San Mateo, July 27, 2009), at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/5212/4_2-Population-Hsg-Emp?bidId=. 463 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 275.
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multifamily housing. Major developments since the 1980s included housing within the mixed-use development for Mariner’s Island, which brought the city’s easternmost neighborhoods and a mix of multifamily housing types alongside Foster City and the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge/Highway 92 corridor. Other development included Edgewater Isle and Harbortown. Edgewater Isle was condominium developed between 1984 and 1987 by the Anden Group/O’Brien & Hicks developers.
Marketed to emphasize its bayside location, original floorplans for the North Association were named Capri, Malibu, Del Mar, and Newport. The South Association, also called the Cove, had nature-based named floor plans like the Peninsula, the Windward, and the Landing.464 Harbortown and Mariner’s Isle were developed in 1979–1981 by Mairner’s Isle Associates and are comprised of condominiums and townhouses. Harbortown was designed by architect Rodney Friedman and used a cluster pier design inspired by New England fishing villages.465 In 1981, the San Mateo Redevelopment Agency organized. The agency subsidized building out apartments in vacant spaces above ground-floor commercial uses, supported façade improvements, and provided loans for seismic retrofitting of unreinforced masonry buildings. 466 In 1989, Rotary Club’s Rotary Hacienda, a low-income elderly housing complex, was constructed on Hacienda Boulevard between 27th and 28th streets (extant). It was constructed with redevelopment funds, contributions from the Rotary Club of San Mateo, and with the help of federal tax credits.467 Infill residential development of former commercial properties, such as Bay Meadows racetrack, includes a combination of multifamily, townhouse, and adjacent corporate offices since the early 2000s. The first phase of Bay Meadows redevelopment was funded by redevelopment funds. However, the Redevelopment Agency, along with some 400 other similar agencies across the state were dissolved through statewide legislation in 2012, restraining the availability of redevelopment funds.468 Despite the loss of redevelopment funds, additional residential construction has occurred through development of formerly commercial or industrial properties through different financing options.
Recent residential developments focused on transit-oriented opportunities such as San Mateo’s three existing Caltrain stations. Recently constructed examples include Kiku Crossing (2025), Montara (2020), and Station Park Green (2018).
469
10.2 Commercial Development
In 1982, the Hillsdale Shopping Center expanded with a Nordstrom and a Mervyn’s store, as well as a second-story addition.
470 It became an enclosed shopping mall following a nationwide trend of converting outdoor shopping malls to indoor with airconditioned destinations. During this time, the downtown was “creeping along,” as stated by former Mayor Claire Mack. The downtown struggled with attracting visitors and competing with new shopping center developments that catered to the 464 “Original Sales Brochure and Floor Plans,” Edgewater Isle, accessed October 1, 2025, at https://edgewaterisle.com/sales/brochure/. 465 Micheal Uppergrave, “Multifamily Housing That’s Custom-Fit to Site,” Housing Vol 50, No 6. (November 1980): 60, at https://www.usmodernist.org/HH/HH-1980-11.pdf.
466 State of California Department of Finance, “Redevelopment Agency Dissolution,” Official Website of the State of California, 2025, at https://dof.ca.gov/programs/redevelopment/.
467 “Federal Tax Credits Give Boost to Housing Project for Elderly,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, April 23, 1989, https://www.newspapers.com/image/845891571/?match=1&terms=rotary%20hacienda. 468 State of California Department of Finance, “Redevelopment Agency Dissolution,” Official Website of the State of California, 2025, at https://dof.ca.gov/programs/redevelopment/.
469 Housing Element of the General Plan 2023-2031, (City of San Mateo, April 2024), 44, https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/94606/2023-2031-City-of-San-Mateo-Housing-Element; City of San Mateo, Housing Element of the General Plan 2023-2031, Appendix E: Review of Prior Element, H-E-4, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/93177/APPENDIX-E---Review-of-Prior-Element?bidId=. 470 Al Morch, “Downtown San Mateo: Everything’s Waiting For You,” San Francisco Examiner, May 19, 1995, https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Downtown-San-Mateo-Everything-s-waiting-for-you-3154855.php. 506 of 1110
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city’s suburban neighborhoods. As a result, the downtown’s commercial core stagnated in growth and redevelopment.
471
Franklin Resources, Inc., a financial consultancy, experienced greater success in the 1980s. After relocating to San Mateo in 1973, the company expanded to 1,700 employees, making it the largest employer in the city.472 The company grew through mergers in the 1990s and 2000s and relocated to the 1 Franklin Parkway office complex located on a portion of the former Bay Meadows Racetrack.
The Bay Meadows racetrack entered its final decades of operation in the 1980s, ultimately closing in the early 2000s. By the end of the 1980s, Bay Meadows had more than 600 employees and was second to only San Francisco International Airport in contributing to the county’s tax base.473 However, attendance at races declined due to the popularity of remote betting. Between 2006 and 2007, the facility’s owner failed to secure an extension on required replacement of dirt track with required synthetic track materials, which ultimately spelled closure of the facility in 2008.474 The former site of Bay Meadows continues to undergo redevelopment with office, residential, and recreational uses.
Along the city’s eastern perimeter, Mariners Island Shopping Center, later renamed Fashion Island, opened in 1982 adjacent to the Interstate 280 and State Route 92 interchange off San MateoHayward Bridge. A project of Southern California-based developer Ernest Hahn, the shopping center was developed to compete with Hillsdale Shopping Center. Fashion Island originally featured a Bullock’s store, Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penney, and Liberty House as anchor tenants, with over 100 additional stores. However, the shopping center faced steep competition from the expanding Hillsdale Shopping Center and the demise of several anchor tenants, including Liberty House and Bullock’s, by the mid-1980s. In 1995, Sandhill Properties of San Mateo acquired the property and redeveloped Fashion Island as Bridgepoint Shopping Center.475 Commercial office development grew during this period, mostly outside of the residential neighborhoods and along the city’s transportation corridors including State Route 92, Highway 101, El Camino Real, and in the Bay Meadows racetrack development. A notable commercial development from this period is the Century Centre project at 1400 Fashion Island Boulevard (extant) constructed by developer Joaquin De Monet between 1985 and 1986, an early commercial office development on Fashion Island.
476
10.3 Civic and Institutional Development
The city’s public services were expanded during this time. The San Mateo Fire Department updated all their existing facilities in 1989 to accommodate women firefighters.477 On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake hit San Mateo, causing millions of dollars in property damage, but no loss of 471Morch, “Downtown San Mateo: Everything’s Waiting For You.” 472 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 267.
473 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 266.
474 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 266.
475 "June closing set for Oakland Liberty House store," Oakland Tribune, April 20, 1984, https://www.newspapers.com/image/758430566/?clipping_id=180274461; “Federated to sell Bullock's store,” San Francisco Examiner, September 23, 1986, https://www.newspapers.com/image/461365444/?clipping_id=180274644; Eve Mitchell, “Fashion Island plan gets approval,” San Francisco Examiner, September 17, 1996; Marshall Wilson, “Building on Fashion Island Failure / San Mateo's Bridgepointe attracts host of major stores,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 1, 1997, https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Building-on-FashionIsland-Failure-San-Mateo-s-2792974.php. 476 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 267.
477 Jeff Brile ed., San Mateo Fire Department 1887-1990, (San Mateo Fire Department, 1990), 33. 507 of 1110
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life.478 In 2017, the San Mateo Police Department replaced their building at 200 South Delaware with a new state-of-the art facility, housing the city’s emergency services and dispatch facilities.479 In 2006, after a comprehensive public outreach effort, the city replaced its main library at the corner of Dartmouth Road and Third Avenue with a new, energy-efficient facility with ample space for collections and improved access to technology.480 The San Mateo Arboretum Society, who has occupied the old Kohl pumphouse in Central Park since 1977, has undertaken several improvements to the facility.481 In 1985, architect Leonard Michaels of Leonard Michaels Associates was recognized with an award by the American Institute of Architects San Mateo chapter for the then 20-year-old Central Park Recreation Building.482 Park improvements in the city continued in the following years.
In 2000, the former East Third Avenue landfill was redeveloped for Seal Point Park, as part of a regional trend to close and redevelop the Bay Area’s shoreline landfills with parks. 483 Today, San
Mateo has 35 parks and 81 percent of San Mateo residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, which is higher than the national average.484
In 2005, the San Mateo County Expo Center completed a $3 million renovation and was renamed the San Mateo County Event Center of the San Franciso Peninsula. The 1930s facility was updated with teleconferencing capabilities, event space, and new exhibit space.485 At Coyote Point, the Coyote Point Museum was constructed by Spencer Associates with exhibit specialist Gordon Ashby.
486 Though the museum nearly closed in 2006 due to financial difficulties, fundraising efforts were successful and it was rebranded CuriOdyssey in 2011.487
10.4 Cultural and Ethnic Groups
Since 1980, San Mateo has continued to diversify. The population grew from 77,561 residents in 1980, 85 percent of which was White, to 85,486 residents in 1990, by which time the city’s Asian/Pacific Islander population had increased to represent 13 percent of the city’s population.488 Between 1980 and 1990, the city’s Hispanic/Latino population grew from 9 to 15 percent. 489
By 2020, San Mateo’s population had grown to 105,661 residents in 40,263 households. The population was 38 percent White, 26 percent Asian, and 26 percent Hispanic/Latino.490 The city’s Hispanic/Latino population is mostly concentrated in the North Central neighborhood. While the 478 Jeff Brile ed., San Mateo Fire Department 1887-1990, (San Mateo Fire Department, 1990), 33. 479 Dana Yates, “Police Station Groundbreaking Set,” The Daily Journal, July 12, 2017, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/policestation-groundbreaking-set/article_03bab3c5-4902-56fc-965c-192b414026a0.html. 480 David Zugnoni, “Library Celebrates First Anniversary,” The Daily Tribune, September 8, 2007, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/library-celebrates-first-anniversary/article_c090c34e-5921-5dd1-b5ce-84f2a568d86c.html. 481 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 275.
482 “Around the State: San Mateo,” Architecture California, July/August 1985, 10. https://www.usmodernist.org/aiaca/aiaca-1985-07-
08.pdf.
483 “Park to Replace Landfill,” The Daily Journal, November 15, 2000, https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/park-to-replacelandfill/article_a63d82e9-4e7a-5616-a606-3a3b577c63ae.html; United States Environmental Protection Agency, “25 Years of RCRA:
Building on Our Past to Protect Our Future,” (2002), at https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/10000MAO.PDF?Dockey=10000MAO.PDF. 484 “San Mateo, CA,” Trust for Public Land, accessed October 1, 2025, at https://www.tpl.org/city/san-mateo-california. 485 “San Mateo Renovates, Renames Expo Center,” Trade Show Executive, December 15, 2005, at https://tradeshowexecutive.com/sanmateo-renovates-renames-expo-center/. 486 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 277.
487 “History,” CuriOdyssey, accessed October 15, 2025, at https://curiodyssey.org/about/history/. 488 “San Mateo, Decennial Census Data,” Bay Area Census, accessed October 9, 2025, at https://census.bayareametro.gov/historicaldata/1980/san_mateo; 489 “San Mateo, Decennial Census Data,” Bay Area Census, accessed October 9, 2025, at https://census.bayareametro.gov/historicaldata/1990/san_mateo. 490 “Population: San Mateo,” Bay Area Census, accessed October 15, 2025, at https://census.bayareametro.gov/population?location=san_mateo. 508 of 1110
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rest of the city’s population grew 8 percent between 1990 and 2000, the North Central neighborhood experienced an 18 percent growth.491 By 2010, the North Central neighborhood was comprised by a majority Hispanic/Latino population.492 The city’s expanding Asian and Hispanic/Latino populations resulted in an influx of Asian and Hispanic/Latino owned businesses, markets, and restaurants.
10.5 Transportation Infrastructure
In the recent past the city’s transportation infrastructure has grown. The railroad continues providing access to the surround areas, and continues to be an important link for commuters and residents alike. On July 1, 1980, Caltrans assumed responsibility for the management of the Peninsula Commute Service, formerly controlled by Southern Pacific Railroad. Caltrans continued management of the service until 1992 when the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board assumed operation of Caltrain and contracted with Amtrak to operate the commuter service.493 Today the city has three Caltrain stations—Downtown, Hayward Park, and Hillsdale. In 1999, Hayward Park Station opened at 401 Concar Drive, south of the original location, which was known as Leslie Station prior to 1936.494 In addition to Caltrain, the city’s public transit includes bus service provided by SamTrans. SamTrans operates express bus service at the U.S. 101/State Route 92 park-and-ride lot, which was developed in 1987.
495
Vehicular motorways have expanded in recent years. The State Route 92/U.S. 101 interchange linking the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge with 19th Avenue and College of San Mateo was completed in 1982–1985.496 Today, U.S. 101 (Bayshore Freeway), State Route 92 (J. Arthur Younger Freeway), and State Route 280 all provide regional access to the community. Within the city, arterials like El Camino Real, San Mateo Drive, Hillsdale Boulevard, Norfolk Street, and Alameda de las Pulgas are the major thoroughfares for vehicular travel. In more recent years, the city has improved and expanded its bike networks to connect neighborhoods to schools, parks, and train stations.
10.6 Industrial Development
Since 1980, San Mateo’s economy shifted from agriculture, manufacturing, and retail and financial services toward professional services, mostly related to the region’s technology economy. In the 1990s and 2000s, the rise of the technology and information economy has driven the region’s economy. Between 2010 and 2019, available jobs based in San Mateo grew by 33 percent, with nearly 53,000 people employed in the city as of 2024. Professional services and technology account for 20 percent of jobs in San Mateo.
497 In addition to the major healthcare providers in San Mateo, several technology companies are based in or have headquarter facilities in the city. With the increase in professional and business economy, house values and local wages have markedly 491 City of San Mateo, “North Central Community Based Transportation Plan,” (City of San Mateo, 2010), Appendix B, 17, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/7805/Appendices-Appendix-B-Chapter-1?bidId= 492 City of San Mateo, “North Central Community Based Transportation Plan,” (City of San Mateo, 2010), Appendix B, 17, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/7805/Appendices-Appendix-B-Chapter-1?bidId= 493 Caltrain, “Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report: Fiscal Years Ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, at https://www.caltrain.com/media/8106/download?inline. 494 City of San Mateo, “Hayward Park Caltrain Station Parking Lot (401 Concar Dr.),” 2025, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/4545/Hayward-Park-Station. 495 Chapter 4.4 Transportation and Circulation in City of San Mateo General Plan Update EIR: Draft Environmental Impact Report, July 27, 2009, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/5214/4_4-Transportation?bidId=. 496 Postel, San Mateo: A Centennial History, 267.
497 Housing Element of the General Plan 2023-2031, April 2024, 20, City of San Mateo, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/94606/2023-2031-City-of-San-Mateo-Housing-Element. 509 of 1110
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increased. Investment in construction in San Mateo more than doubled in the 1970s and the trend continued in the early 1980s.498
498 Housing Element of the General Plan 2023-2031, April 2024, 20, City of San Mateo, at https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/94606/2023-2031-City-of-San-Mateo-Housing-Element. 510 of 1110
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11 Architectural Styles
This section describes architectural styles that contribute to the character of San Mateo’s built environment. The identified styles are arranged in chronological order of their approximate periods of popularity during periods of the city’s development, while acknowledging some examples of each style may have been built outside of their periods of popularity. Additionally, buildings within the city may incorporate features of more than one style, reflecting the tastes of the owner, design professional, and approaches to building construction that evolved through the periods studied in this historic context statement.
Buildings appearing in this section are included as local examples of particular architectural styles that retain many of the style’s character-defining features. However, inclusion of a building in this section does not necessarily indicate that it meets the historic significance and integrity requirements for eligibility.
11.1 Gothic Revival (Carpenter’s Gothic)
The Gothic Revival began in eighteenth-century England as medieval houses were remodeled and new houses with Gothic features, such as pointed-arch windows, steep gable roofs, carved bargeboards, and embattlements (a feature derived from castles) were constructed. The style was used for houses in the United States primarily between the 1840s and 1860s, as house designers (not necessarily professional architects), including Andrew Jackson Davis and later Andrew Jackson Downing, influenced the development of the Carpenter Gothic sub-style. Davis built a Gothic Revival style house in Maryland in 1832 and authored Rural Residences in 1837. The book included plans for houses and helped introduce the style. He influenced Andrew Jackson Downing, who published and more intensively promoted several pattern books in the 1840s, which carpenters and builders used in constructing houses for clients. Although some examples of Gothic Revival/Carpenter Gothic houses were built in cities, these houses were in most cases built in rural areas at the time of construction, as the style was promoted as suited to rural areas where integration with natural landscapes played an important role in housing design. In the United States, Greek Revival and Italianate style were more commonly applied to houses constructed during the prime years of the Gothic Revival style’s use.499
499 Virginia Savage McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, 266–280.
Image to be replaced with local
example
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Period of Significance: 1840s–1860s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Typically one- to two-and-a-half stories in height
▪ Building footprints are square, rectangular, or L-shaped, sometime with projecting bays ▪ Roofs are gable with steep pitches and often include a center cross gable, or in rare cases two or three cross gables
▪ Eaves overhang the building footprint, with gabled ends often trimmed with carved bargeboards/vergeboards (commonly referred to as “gingerbread”) ▪ Exterior finishes include smooth stucco (sometimes scored to mimic stone), or wood siding in horizontal or vertical (board-and-batten) configurations ▪ Windows are typically double-hung with wood sashes (2-over-2 glazing is most common); other glazing patterns such as intersecting muntins (diamond-shaped) are more rare ▪ Pointed-arch gable windows are common
▪ Front porches with brackets at frame corners
▪ Bracketed eaves
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11.2 Folk National
The Folk National style broadly captures variations of traditional, vernacular residential architecture built in the United States between the mid-nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The expansion of railroad networks in the United States during the mid-1800s, along with the introduction of balloon framing, increased the efficiency of supply chains and brought building materials to lumber yards in developing communities. As stylistic trends evolved during the late 1800s, local builders, artisans and carpenters, constructed vernacular residences that incorporated traditional gable-front, gable-front-and-wing, pyramidal, and other one- or two-story variants.500 Period of Significance: 1870s–1900s
Associated Property Types: Residential
Character-Defining Features:
▪ Typically one- to two-stories in height
▪ Building footprints are rectangular, or L-shaped (gable-front-and wing) ▪ Roofs have moderate overhangs and are typically not ornamented with brackets or bargeboards/vergeboards
▪ Front porches are common and sometimes recessed into a corner ▪ Exterior finished with wood siding
▪ Windows are typically wood, with double-hung sashes and often one-over-one glazing ▪ Exteriors feature little to no ornamentation, but may feature some molded wood trim 500 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 133–147. 513 of 1110
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11.3 Folk Victorian
During San Mateo’s first few decades, vernacular construction methods, which relied on the skills local builders, artisans and carpenters, and regionally available materials, were adapted to build residences, commercial buildings, and other structures that were not necessarily representative of an architectural style. Folk Victorian is a late nineteenth century vernacular trend that featured houses of one- to two-story heights, simple floor plans ranging from square, rectangular, to Lshapes, and roofs with gable or hip (sometimes pyramidal) forms. Exteriors were often finished with horizontal wood siding, board-and-batten, or stucco. Although some detailing was common, such as a decorative bargeboard on a gabled end, or spindlework or scroll-cut brackets at porches, ornamentation was limited when compared to high-style examples of Italianate, Stick, or Queen Anne style architecture. Some very early surviving examples of residential architecture in San Mateo can convey aspects of Folk Victorian architecture. However, the representation of this building approach in the present-day is dependent on the degree of alteration vernacular buildings have been subject to over time.501
Period of Significance: 1870s–1900s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Typically one- to two-stories in height
▪ Building footprints are square, rectangular, or L-shaped, sometime with a projecting bay ▪ Recessed front porches are common
▪ Exterior finished with wood siding (horizontal or board-and-batten) or stucco ▪ Windows are typically wood, with one-over-one or two-over-two glazing ▪ Ornamentation is limited, but may include bargeboards or spindlework at porches ▪ Roofs appear in gable, hip (sometimes pyramidal) forms 501 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 396–405. 514 of 1110
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11.4 Italianate Style
During San Mateo’s early settlement, more elaborate examples of country houses included the Italianate Style, a popular Victorian era style. American Italianate houses were inspired by Northern Italian farmhouses. The style was first adapted by English architects and became known in the United States through English pattern books. During the style’s popularity it was considered appropriate for a rural setting because of its asymmetry and picturesque characteristics. Some of its elements are drawn from Classical detailing and the Gothic Revival style. The style includes a range of expressions from single family houses to modest Flat-Front Italianate commercial buildings. Some early surviving examples of residential architecture in San Mateo can convey the Italianate Style, but the representation of this building approach in the present-day is dependent on the rarity of surviving examples and the degree of alteration surviving examples may have been subject to over time.
Period of Significance: 1860s–1880s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Typically one- to two-stories in height
▪ Rectangular massing and form
▪ Horizontal exterior wood cladding
▪ Roof with gently sloping sides and deep eaves
▪ Tall and slim window openings, often rounded at the top ▪ Columned entryways
▪ Decorative brackets below the roofline
▪ Bay windows
▪ Balustraded balconies and verandas
▪ Ornamental features like wood corner quoins imitating stone, wood water tables, and wood pediments
515 of 1110
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11.5 Queen Anne
The Queen Anne style was introduced to the United States in 1876, during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, after it originated and was named in England by a group of architects including Richard Norman Shaw. This style was used most frequently in Southern California between approximately 1885 and 1895. Although named for Queen Anne, buildings constructed in this style did not strongly mimic those built during Queen Anne’s reign in the 1700s. Rather, Queen Anne style buildings had more similarity to those built during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign but typically lacked stone and brick materials associated with Elizabethan architecture. The Queen Anne style buildings introduced to the United States by England during the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, featured half-timbering and patterned masonry that was tied into the growing Arts and Crafts Movement. As the style was popularized in the United States, varying forms and subtypes incorporated elements of Victorian period architecture, representing a culmination of styles such as Italianate, Stick, and Eastlake, while also adding Classical details such as columns Palladian windows, swags, and garlands. The style also combined rectangular or square plans with projecting bays featuring circular, rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal footprints to create varied compositions.
Additionally, roof forms often combined intersecting or layered gables, dormers, and steeply pitched towers. Exteriors were finished with horizontal wood siding and molded trim, but also regularly featured shingles of varying profile as primary cladding materials or as accents at gabled ends or projecting bays. The style was introduced by architects but was popularized through pattern books and mail-order catalogs providing example plans, which could be delivered across expanding rail networks. The Queen Anne style remained popular into the 1890s, but was succeeded by a return to Neoclassical and Craftsman styles by the turn of the twentieth century.502 Period of Significance: 1876–1890s
Associated Property Types: Residential
Character-Defining Features:
▪ One- to three-stories height
▪ Asymmetrical façade composition
502 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 344–370; Anne Greening and Elena Moore, Victorian Era Styles (1870-1910), San Francisco Planning Department, 2022, at https://citypln-mextnl.sfgov.org/SharedLinks.aspx?accesskey=a4419d21510fea07d658880f76f2fd18d7316a7921cf41c4baca421190542a30&VaultGUID=A4 A7DACD-B0DC-4322-BD29-F6F07103C6E0; Grimes, Teresa et al. “Sub-theme: Queen Anne, 1885-1905” from Survey Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, July 2019, 16-21 at https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/1481fba6-c496-495c-804ec56fd98b7f48/Late19thandEarly20thCenturyResidentialArchitecture_1885-1910.pdf. 516 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 135
▪ Rectangular or square plan with projecting wings or bays ▪ Gable or hip roofs with intersecting or layered cross gables ▪ Exteriors with varied textured (wood siding, shingles, molded trim, sometimes accented with brick or stone)
▪ Front porch, often in a wrap-around configuration
▪ Double-hung windows with wood sash, often with smaller square panes surrounding a larger central pane
▪ Rounded corner towers or angled project bays with angled or boxed profiles 517 of 1110
City of San Mateo
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136
11.6 American Colonial Revival
The American Colonial Revival style appeared throughout the United States from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century and reinterpreted traditional architectural motifs of the American Colonial era that spanned parts of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Architecture in North American colonies often adopted the construction methods, materiality, and aesthetic preferences of the nations who colonized areas now within the United States. The American Colonial Revival style is primarily associated with domestic architecture in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions, but also appeared on the West Coast with less frequency, where Spanish colonial influence played a major role in the development of regional architecture. The American Colonial Revival style draws heavily on English and Dutch influences. The Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia of 1876 and the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago of 1893 popularized the American Colonial Revival style on a national scale. Both expos used colonial architecture in their displays as a way of idealizing the colonial era as a time when everything was simpler and purer. This desire for the past turned into an enthusiasm for all forms of colonial nostalgia, ranging from clothing to furniture.
By the turn of the twentieth century, this trend matured as a distinct style that was more faithful to eighteenth-century American colonial architecture. Between 1910 and 1930, the percentage of new houses built in this style in the United States was around 40 percent. Elements of this style were applied to Minimal Traditional houses constructed between the 1930s and 1950. Likewise, American Colonial Revival styling is applied to new construction in the twenty-first century.503 Period of Significance: 1880s–1930s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Rectangular plan
▪ Primarily feature brick cladding, usually with secondary stucco or concrete exterior surfaces, and terracotta or cast stone ornament at the base
▪ Flat roofs with parapets or hip roofs, typically with clay tiles and overhanging eaves ▪ Tripartite vertical organization (base, shaft, capital) 503 Teresa Grimes and Elysha Paluszek, “Theme: American Colonial Revival, 1895-1960,” from Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, December 2015, 3–22. https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/d26d7637-d6da-4466-aa74-992d63a284dc/American%20Colonial%20Revival%2012-2-15_0.pdf. 518 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 137
▪ Façade characterized by symmetry or regularity
▪ Belt courses and cornices
▪ Molded window surrounds and hoods
▪ Classically inspired ornament
519 of 1110
City of San Mateo
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11.7 Classical Revival
The Classical Revival style draws inspiration from many Classical architectural sources, including ancient architecture of Greece, Rome, and Italian architecture constructed during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. During the late nineteenth century, the profession of architecture matured and relied increasingly on academic influences and training, which included study of historical approaches to design. Some architects studied at institutions such as the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France, where they learned formal principles of design. The institution is also associated with the development of Beaux Arts Classicism, or the Beaux Arts style, which resulted in very formal and often monumental designs; for example, San Francisco’s City Hall. While Classical Revival style shares some aspects with the Beaux Arts style, Classical Revival style buildings incorporate classical architectural vocabulary with simpler approaches intended to adapt features such as columns, porticos, entablatures, and cornices to a variety of building scales: single-family residences, apartment buildings, banks, schools, etc.504
Period of Significance: 1890s–1920s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Symmetrically balanced primary elevation with rectangular massing ▪ Primary elevation dominated by full-length porch with roof supported by classical columns ▪ Entries typically have elaborate doors with decorative surrounds based on Greek Revival, Federal, or Georgian designs
▪ Rectangular multipane double hung windows, topped with broken pediment detailing ▪ Ornamental and decorative elements include columns, cherubs, fluting, and boxed-eave cornices with dentils
504 Elena Moore et al., Progressive Era & Early Revival Styles (c. 1890-c. 1930), San Francisco Planning Department, January 18, 2023, 37–
39. 520 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 139
11.8 Renaissance Revival
The earliest interpretations of the Renaissance Revival style in the United States date to the second half of the nineteenth century and consist mostly of architect-designed residences that were inspired by Italian architecture of the sixteenth century. By the 1890s, more detailed documentation on Italian architecture was available, and therefore, Renaissance Revival architecture tended to more accurately replicate aspects of the architecture that it was influenced by than the earlier Italianate architecture of the 1860s and 1870s. By the 1920s, the style was also used to design highrises, commercial buildings, and civic buildings in downtowns, with several examples in the Bay Area. After 1930, the style’s popularity declined. In San Mateo, most of the best examples of the Renaissance Revival style are downtown commercial buildings constructed during the 1920s, though commercial and institutional properties also represent the style. 505 Period of Significance: 1890s–1920s
Associated Property Types: Commercial, Residential
Character-Defining Features:
▪ Houses are typically two to three stories, sometimes with a raised basement ▪ Tripartite composition of base, shaft, and capital
▪ Recessed entrances
▪ Rusticated first story, with typically smooth stucco or brick exterior above ▪ Details including quoins at corners, molded window surrounds and hoods, and sometimes columns
505 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 496–509. 521 of 1110
City of San Mateo
Historic Context Statement
140
11.9 Mission Revival
The Mission Revival style is an architectural style that was influenced by romanticism surrounding former Spanish missions, churches, and other adobe buildings constructed during the colonial period. Many of these buildings were in poor condition by the late nineteenth century but served as symbols of California’s early settlement by Europeans. They inspired architects, corporations, and institutions who sought architecture that was could be considered authentically Californian. The application of Spanish colonialist architectural motifs also was a way of developing a regional style that varied from other parts of the country. Until this point, West Coast architects had adopted East Coast styles, not embracing their own history and surroundings until the Mission Revival style.
Furthermore, as interest in Victorian-era styles (such as Italianate and Queen Anne) was surpassed by the growing Arts and Crafts Movement that emphasized basic forms and an appreciation for natural materials, the architecture of the Spanish colonial period was rediscovered. The style developed and spread through California, the American Southwest, and eventually as far as the East Coast, as it was adopted by institutions and corporations who sought architecture that was identifiable with California. Spanish colonial buildings also received attention through the publication of literature and art in the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries. For instance, several railroad companies selected Mission Revival style for many railroad depots, which brought the style into many California communities as transcontinental travel increased.506 After 1915, the Mission Revival style was eclipsed by the more widespread Spanish Colonial Revival style. The Mission Revival style also influences architecture of the recent past and present day, with elements such as stucco, tiled roofs, arcaded facades, and shaped parapets appearing often as a regional vernacular (or design language).507
Period of Significance: 1890s–1910s
Associated Property Types: Commercial
Character-Defining Features:
▪ Espadaña: a curved or scalloped gable end or parapet extension that functions as an extension of the gabled end wall above the roof line, with openings for bells ▪ Corner towers
506 Karen J. Weitze, California’s Mission Revival, (Hennesy & Ingalls, Inc., 1984), David Gebhard 1967, Los Angeles Department of City Planning 2016, McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 2013. 507 Karen J. Weitze, California’s Mission Revival, (Hennesy & Ingalls, Inc., 1984), David Gebhard 1967, Los Angeles Department of City Planning 2016, McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 2013. 522 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 141
▪ Stucco exterior
▪ Clay/terracotta tile roofs
▪ Wide, overhanging eaves
▪ Rounded arches and arcades
▪ Verandas, patios, and courtyards
▪ General lack of ornamentation, often limited to applied tiles or cast plaster motifs ▪ Star-shaped, or quatrefoil (four-leaf) window openings, or openings with such shape in parapets 523 of 1110
City of San Mateo
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11.10 Craftsman
A style driven by a search for the “simplicity” of pre-industrial times, the Craftsman style was greatly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement. The style emphasized natural materials and craftsmanship associated with construction and design. The bungalow became a typically singlestory, mass-produced house grouped in middle class neighborhoods. The Craftsman style incorporated elements of Swiss, Japanese, and English architecture and the philosophies of the Arts and Crafts Movement to create site-specific buildings that were modest in form while still embracing craftsmanship and artistic tradition. By the start of World War I, the style declined in popularity due to a change in tastes. Nonetheless, bungalows relying less on wood materiality and more so on economical stucco exteriors were built in high numbers during the 1920s.508 In San Mateo, the Craftsman tradition is expressed in many bungalows, an often low-cost form of the style.
The popular sub-type, the California Bungalow, was constructed between 1910 and 1925. Common bungalow typologies include a front or side gable roof with a projecting porch or a hipped roof cottage, which often features a central dormer. Also seen in San Mateo is the Classic Box variation, which has a boxy design with a square footprint and is usually two stories with a hipped roof, central dormers, and a projecting front porch.
Period of Significance: 1890s–1930s
Associated Property Types: Residential
Character-Defining Features:
▪ One- to two-story height
▪ Exteriors typically clad with shingles or wood siding; stucco exteriors were increasingly common from mid-1910s to 1920s
▪ Low pitched gabled roofs with wide and overhanging eaves, sometimes with flared, Japaneseinfluenced profiles ▪ Exposed structural or decorative wood roofing elements: roof beams, rafters, brackets, braces ▪ Broad front porches spanning the half or full width of the building ▪ Square or tapered (pyramidal) columns, typically constructed of wood or stone ▪ Stone (“river rock”) or brick accent materials
508 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 567–578; Teresa Grimes, “Arts and Crafts Movement, 1895-1930” from Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, June 2016, at https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/18037253-197d-483a-8b13-c85fcd553fe8/ArtsandCraftsMovement_1895-1930.pdf. 524 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 143
▪ Wood casement windows, almost always grouped in pairs or as larger tripartite (“picture”) windows
▪ Single- and double-hung wood windows, often with multipane sash over single-pane sash 525 of 1110
City of San Mateo
Historic Context Statement
144
11.11 Spanish Colonial Revival
The Spanish Colonial Revival is an architectural style prevalent in California, which was inspired by the growing interest in the vernacular architecture of Andalusia in Southern Spain in the 1900s. The Spanish Colonial Revival style incorporates details inspired by Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic, or Renaissance architecture, as well as roof tiles common to historical construction in the Mediterranean region. The style’s form fit California’s warm climate and was greatly adaptable to a variety of size and site conditions. The 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego introduced the style to a wide audience, and along with attention paid to European architecture during World War I, encouraged its popularity. Houses in this style were constructed with side-gabled, crossgabled (L-), or compound plans featured gabled and hip roof forms. Exteriors were typically smooth of moderately textured stucco with ornamentation reserved for columns (often separating windows), paneled wood doors with elaborate surrounds, gable vents set behind patterned screens or grilles or made of cylindrical pipe. More so than detail, the picturesque composition of the building itself was emphasized, with features such as porches, small balconies, towers or turret bays, and prominent focal windows appearing in strong examples of the style.509 Period of Significance: 1915–1930s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Stucco exteriors, usually smooth, but sometimes with moderate texture ▪ Low-pitched gable and/or hip roofs with little to no eave overhang ▪ Clay roof tiles
▪ Arched windows and openings
▪ Occasional tower used as a vertical accent
▪ Enclosed outdoor spaces
▪ Wrought iron railings for balconies and window grilles (rejas) ▪ Picturesque massing, comping rectangular and cylindrical masses ▪ Asymmetrical façades
509 Daniel Prosser, “Subtheme: Spanish Colonial Revival 1912-1942” from Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, November 2018, 14-25, at https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/097f6db5-feee-43f5-a448- fd140763de90/MediterraneanandIndigenousRevivalArchitecture_1893-1948.pdf. 526 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 145
▪ Mix of large focal windows and smaller rectangular windows ▪ Attic vents consisting of small-diameter red clay pipes, or set behind patterned screens (cut into façade)
▪ Distinctly shaped and capped chimneys
527 of 1110
City of San Mateo
Historic Context Statement
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11.12 Tudor Revival
The Tudor Revival style is an eclectic mixture of English building traditions of the Tudor, Elizabethan, and Jacobean eras, drawing inspiration from housing types ranging from cottages to large mansions.
Historians have also referred to the style as “Jacobethan” given its historical influences. In the United States, the style emerged as an adaption of Tudor, Elizabethan, and Jacobean features to Queen Anne style houses, eventually evolving to more faithfully revive English historical styling. It is often identified by steeply pitched gable roofs and distinct half-timbered surfaces, where stucco or brick fill wall areas between visible timber beams. Through explicit reference to English country architecture, the flexible and easily adaptable style with great versatility in floor planning was a popular choice for middle class houses in the late 1920s and 1930s, possibly accounting for around 25 percent of houses built during the 1920s. Like the Queen Anne style that preceded it in popularity in the United States, the Tudor Revival style also relied on asymmetry, intersecting and projecting roof forms in creating picturesque massing. Other common, prominent features included massive chimneys, leaded-glass or wood casement windows in single, paired, and other multiple sash configurations, stained glass, and arched openings at entrances.510 Period of Significance: 1890s–1930s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial
Character-Defining Features:
▪ One- to three-story height
▪ Varied plans, steeply-pitched cross-gabled roofs
▪ Half-timbering at the exterior, often on the face of projecting bays or gabled ends ▪ Brick or stucco primary cladding with brick or stone accents ▪ Large, elaborate chimneys often crowned by decorative chimney pots ▪ Entrances with arched openings
▪ Hand-hewn detailing on wood beams framing porches or entrances ▪ One or more groupings of wood or metal casement windows usually in groups of three or more ▪ May have rectangular or diamond-shaped panes
510 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 448–474. 528 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 147
11.13 French Eclectic
Similar to other revival styles, French Eclectic drew on inspiration from the architecture, history, and literature of preindustrial periods in Europe. Primarily used in single-family residential neighborhoods, it is often the least decorative of the residential revival styles, and often only involved the application of one or two design elements on an otherwise minimalist building.
Inspired by rambling French farmhouses, it became popular in the United States after World War I.
Variations of the style are called “French Norman” or “French Provencial”, and uses combinations of materials including stucco, half-timbering, stone, and wood-shingle to suggest development over time. More complex examples of the style feature a prominent tower entry at the primary elevation.
Period of Significance: 1920–1940
Associated Property Types: Residential
Character-Defining Features:
▪ One- to two-story height
▪ Irregular massing and fenestration
▪ Horizontal massing
▪ Roofs with long pitches, may be steeply pitched, hipped, clipped ▪ Stucco, brick, and stone exteriors
▪ Half-timbering
▪ Dormers
529 of 1110
City of San Mateo
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148
11.14 Art Deco
Art Deco, which takes its name from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925, was a short-lived response to modernism that quickly spread to the United States. American architects designed elaborate buildings that broke from the rigid structure of the Beaux Arts classical tradition. Art Deco captured the spirit of modernity, while still incorporating expensive and sophisticated forms and materials in a way that exuded a sense of luxury and splendor. At the time, the recent discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, in part, prompted a cultural fascination in nonWestern design, leading Art Deco architects to draw inspiration from Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, or pre-Colombian cultures, including the Maya of Central America. Some buildings were designed with features such as shaped parapets, zig-zag shaped detailing, and ornate cornices or other elements that showcased Art Deco styling, while some buildings simply featured applied ornamentation that lent buildings with generally less distinctive forms a bit of Art Deco flair. Further development of the style was truncated by the Great Depression and its ostentatious and wealthy silhouettes quickly faded away from American architecture.511 Period of Significance: 1925–1930s
Associated Property Types: Commercial, Institutional
Character-Defining Features:
▪ One- to three-story height
▪ Varied plans, steeply-pitched cross-gabled roofs
▪ Half-timbering at the exterior, often on the face of projecting bays or gabled ends ▪ Brick or stucco primary cladding with brick or stone accents ▪ Large, elaborate chimneys often crowned by decorative chimney pots ▪ Entrances with arched openings
▪ Hand-hewn detailing on wood beams framing porches or entrances ▪ One or more groupings of wood or metal casement windows usually in groups of three or more ▪ May have rectangular or diamond-shaped panes
511 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 580–585. 530 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 149
11.15 Streamline Moderne
After the Art Deco style entered the American architectural scene in the mid-1920s, the harsh realities of the Great Depression subdued the sense of optimism associated with the years immediately after World War I. Despite economic downturn, scientific and technological advancements continued to be made during the interwar years between the early 1920s and early 1940s, forming what has been described as the American Machine Age. Design professionals sought methods of balancing design with economic constraints and influenced by the design of Modern machines (cars, planes, trains, steamships). The Streamline Moderne style took the principles emphasized by industrial designers such as Norman Bel Geddes (the “father of streamlining”) and replaced the geometric and exotic aspects of Art Deco with smooth exteriors, curved forms, and an emphasis on horizontal lines that lent architecture a sense of movement. More affordable materials, such as glass block, aluminum, and stainless steel, were incorporated into Streamline Moderne designs, and favored over more expensive materials that contributed to earlier Art Deco designs.
With the onset of World War II and related limitations on building construction, the Streamline Moderne style’s period of popularity came to a close. By the mid-1940s, newly emergent trends in Modern architecture took hold.512
Period of Significance: 1930s–1940s
Associated Property Types: Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Residential Character-Defining Features:
▪ Horizontal massing and emphasis, including ribbon windows or speed stripes that lead the eye along the exterior
▪ Rounded corners and curved surfaces
▪ Flat or nearly flat roof, sometimes with a flat parapet that is trimmed with plaster or metal coping
▪ “Speed stripes” at wall surfaces or on canopies that appear at entrances or over services areas (for example at gas stations)
▪ Horizontal moldings and continuous sill courses
▪ Smooth stucco cladding
512 Katie E. Horak et al., “Sub-theme: Streamline Moderne, 1935-1945,” from Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Los Angeles Department of City Planning, August 2021, 65–78, at https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/4f67bd39-631a-4f26-9a52-cd5809a66655/LA_Modernism_1919-1980.pdf. 531 of 1110
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Historic Context Statement
150
▪ Windows with metal sash, often casements, sometimes arranged in ribbons, but typically with horizontal orientation
▪ Windows are often punched into walls, with no exterior casing or surrounds ▪ Unadorned wall surfaces and with minimal ornamentation 532 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 151
11.16 Minimal Traditional
Fueled by the economic constraints of the Great Depression and the subsequent housing shortage of the immediate post-war era, the Minimal Traditional architectural style was a deliberate design and construction trend intended to create simple, economic, single-family residences for the masses. In the Federal Housing Administration’s 1940 version of Planning Small Houses, the word “simple” appears frequently in descriptions of the exterior design of the Minimal Traditional house.
Efficient floor plans and speedy construction enabled the mass production of these houses: first between 1940 and 1945 as houses for relocating wartime production-plant workers and then between 1946 and 1949 for returning servicemen promised affordable housing through the G.I. Bill.
Instant suburban communities appeared across the country, sometimes only using subtle variations of building prototypes replicated over and over to house thousands. By about 1950, Ranch houses began to replace Minimal Traditional Style houses, as post-war prosperity facilitated the building and financing of larger homes.513
Period of Significance: 1930s–1950s
Associated Property Types: Residential
Character-Defining Features:
▪ Low or moderately pitched roof, often gabled or hipped ▪ Small, usually single-story massing
▪ Roof eaves with little to no overhang
▪ Double-hung windows
▪ Minimal decorative or architectural detail, often incorporating some traditional Colonial Revival or Classical elements (column, dentil, pedimented front door) ▪ Principal subtypes include gable and wing roof, side gabled roof (also commonly called Cape Cod), hipped roof, and front gabled houses
513 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 586–595. 533 of 1110
City of San Mateo
Historic Context Statement
152
11.17 Ranch Style
“Ranch House” is a broad term that refers to a property type and an architectural style most often applied to residential buildings. Examples of Ranch houses appeared in limited numbers prior to the 1920s, while the 1930s through 1970s were the predominant years of the type’s construction.
Ranch houses and Ranch styling were influenced by nineteenth-century vernacular residences in the American West and Southwest. Haciendas built in Southern California and wood-frame houses built by early American pioneers in Northern California, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States informed the style’s development. Haciendas featured adobe walls, low-pitched shed or gable roofs, and decorative wood windows grilles (rejas) or lattices (celosias) and featured asymmetrical plans that opened to an interior courtyard, which drew on Spanish precedents. Early American farmhouses were also typically asymmetrical in plan, with front porches, board-and-batten siding, and wood shake (long shingle) roofs. By the early 1900s, architects in California were designing houses drawing on these influences. William Wurster, an influential Bay Area Modernist architect, designed an early Ranch house in Scotts Valley, Santa Clara County known as the Gregory Farmhouse, which was featured in Sunset magazine. These early examples in the style preceded the influential work of architect Cliff May, who is strongly linked with the Ranch house’s popularization.
The ranch houses designed between the 1920s to 1940s were often architect-designed, custom houses on relatively large sites. After World War II, Ranch houses gained popularity as publications such as Sunset magazine and its related Western Ranch Houses, as well as House Beautiful and House and Garden. As the style was further publicized, developers began to favor it for massproduced suburban communities. Into the 1970s, the style was adapted to commercial and institutional functions such as motels, gas stations, supermarkets, churches, civic buildings, and schools. Circa 1975, the Ranch style’s popularity declined due to a scarcity of expansive buildable land resulting from the previous decade’s suburbanization of many areas and a growing desire for more formal and traditional styles.514
Period of Significance: 1930s–1950s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
514 Katie E. Horak et al., “Theme: The Ranch House 1930-197,” from Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Citywide Historic Context Statement, December 2015, 4-26, at https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/1acefe03-5615-425f-9182- d58a79014901/The_Ranch_House%2C_1930-1975.pdf; McAlester, A Field Guide to Modern American Houses. 597–611. 534 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 153
▪ Low or moderately pitched roof, often gabled or hipped ▪ Small, usually single-story massing
▪ Roof eaves with little to no overhang
▪ Double-hung windows
▪ Minimal decorative or architectural detail, often incorporating some traditional Colonial Revival or Classical elements (column, dentil, pedimented front door) ▪ Principal subtypes include gable and wing roof, side gabled roof (also commonly called Cape Cod), hipped roof, and front gabled houses
535 of 1110
City of San Mateo
Historic Context Statement
154
11.18 Mid-Century Modern
The term Mid-Century Modern is a broad classification used to describe a variety of post-World War II architectural and design styles that adapted the International Style, which was among the preWorld War II architectural styles important to the development of Modern architecture. The decades after World War II brought about the United States’ longest period of continuous growth and the rise of Mid-Century Modernism as the dominant mode of post-war architecture. The style embraced new technology and materials, the philosophy of indoor-outdoor living, and stylized clean simplicity. Found in a wide assortment of building types, the lack of ornament and inclusion of historical detailing was extremely versatile, and designers could meet the needs of almost any client. Mid-Century Modern architecture has been applied to residential building types, is often seen in California downtown districts that saw extensive post-World War II expansion or redevelopment, and was also adapted to institutional and industrial buildings, typically with more restrained forms. Beyond new construction during the post-World War II period, Mid-Century Modern architectural elements were also used in designing additions to earlier buildings, or for example, in modernizing features such as storefronts, entrances, and exterior cladding. These patterns were seen in many communities in California, as downtowns that emerged during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries adapted to broader planning and developmental patterns, such as embracing the automobile (and related parking needs) and incorporating signage that could be seen by passing car traffic. A very exuberant sub-style of Mid-Century Modern architecture is the Googie style, made famous by California roadside commercial buildings with attention-getting rooflines and signage.515
Period of Significance: 1940s–1960s
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Exposed wood, concrete, and or/or steel structural components, especially posts and beams ▪ Simple geometric volumes
▪ Unornamented wall surfaces
▪ Flat, cantilevered roofs
515 Mary Brown, San Francisco Modern Architecture and Landscape Design 1935-1970 Historic Context Statement, San Francisco Planning Department, 2011, 121–125, at
https://sfplanninggis.org/docs/Historical_Context_Statements/Modern%20Architecture%20Context%20adopted%20Jan%202011.pdf. 536 of 1110
Architectural Styles
Historic Context Statement 155
▪ Wide overhanging eaves common but not required
▪ Use of bright or contrasting colors
▪ Spandrel glass in floor to ceiling windows
▪ Open floor plans
▪ Integration with the outdoors through overhanging trellises, pergolas, atriums, and planters ▪ Horizontal massing
▪ Upper stories framed by projecting boxes
▪ Stucco siding
▪ Vertical corrugated siding
▪ Stacked Roman brick cladding
▪ Stone veneer cladding
▪ Projecting trellis
▪ “Googie” style variations typically have projecting roof forms (butterfly, zigzag) and roadside signage
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11.19 New Formalism
New Formalism is an American architectural style that combined updated classical elements with modernist forms and technologies. First appearing in Edward Durrell Stone’s American Embassy in New Delhi in 1954, New Formalism broke from the minimalism of the modernist International style and worked classical forms, proportions, and motifs into the style. Focusing on monumental forms, the style takes liberties with the aesthetics and philosophies of the past, while adapting the technology and features of the present into massive forms often used in the context of civic and institutional buildings. New Formalism represents a radical and historically oriented departure from the rigid culture of the modernist movement through the embracing of classical precedents.516 Period of Significance: 1954–1970s
Associated Property Types: Commercial, Institutional
Character-Defining Features:
▪ Large volumes
▪ Rectangular massing
▪ Strictly symmetrical facades that use full height colonnades ▪ Formally landscaped plaza
▪ Classically derived details such as arches, columns, and entablatures ▪ Modern-inspired details such as honeycomb screens, shell forms, and folded plates ▪ Often three or more stories in height
▪ Integrated parking lot: subterranean or above grade
▪ Flat roof, usually with a heavy and extending overhand ▪ Set on a podium
516 McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 654–692; Katie E. Horak et al.“Sub-theme: New Formalism, 1960-1975” from Survey LA:
Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Citywide Historic Context Statement. August 2021, 190–201, at https://planning.lacity.gov/odocument/4f67bd39-631a-4f26-9a52-cd5809a66655/LA_Modernism_1919-1980.pdf. 538 of 1110
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11.20 Bay Tradition Regional Styles
The Bay Tradition (also known as Bay Area Regional Tradition) developed in three phases between the late nineteenth century and mid-twentieth century. These styles are regional interpretations and began with the First Bay Tradition between the 1880s and 1920s. This style adapted the East Coast Shingle style to the Bay Area’s climate and brought an eclectic mix of forms to residential and institutional architecture that varied from the formality of the Classical Revival and Beaux Arts. The First Bay Tradition featured the natural materials (shingles and shakes) of the Shingle style and asymmetry. It was common to see houses with brick bases and shingles exteriors with limited classical or Gothic-influenced ornamentation.
The Second Bay Tradition developed during the growth of the Modern Movement, from the 1930s to the 1950s. Buildings with clean, Modern forms were clad with wood siding (horizontal or vertical), or shingles, often flat roofs, and adapted to emphasize indoor-outdoor connection within the site, or to adapt to complex site conditions. The Third Bay Tradition emerged in the 1960s and if typically traced to The Sea Ranch development along the coast of northern Sonoma County. Also clad in wood materials, this third iteration of region style often feature forms that were similar to barns, with gable or pitched roofs. More so than the First and Second Bay Traditions, the Third Bay Tradition became favored for use in multifamily residential architecture, such as condominium developments and in some cases campus housing.
Period of Significance: First Bay Tradition (1890s–1920s), Second Bay Tradition (1930s–1950s), Third Bay Tradition (1960s–1970s)
Associated Property Types: Residential, Commercial, Institutional Character-Defining Features:
▪ Exposed wood, concrete, and or/or steel structural components, especially posts and beams ▪ Simple geometric volumes
▪ Unornamented wall surfaces
▪ Flat, cantilevered roofs
▪ Wide overhanging eaves common but not required
▪ Use of bright or contrasting colors
▪ Spandrel glass in floor to ceiling windows
▪ Open floor plans
▪ Integration with the outdoors through overhanging trellises, pergolas, atriums, and planters 539 of 1110
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12 Architects, Landscape Architects,
Developers, and Builders
12.1 Architects
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12.2 Landscape Architects
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12.3 Developers
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12.4 Builders
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Guidance for Assessing Significance
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13 Guidance for Assessing Significance
13.1 Designation Criteria
13.1.1 National Register of Historic Places
The NRHP was authorized by Section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act and is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. The NRHP is the official Federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. NRHP properties have significance to the history of their community state, or the nation. Properties which are listed in or have been formally determined eligible for listing in the NRHP are automatically listed in the CRHR. Per 36 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 60.4, a property is eligible for listing in the NRHP if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
Criterion A: Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history
Criterion B: Is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past Criterion C: Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of installation, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction
Criterion D: Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history Integrity
In addition to meeting at least one of the above designation criteria, resources must also retain integrity. The National Park Service recognizes seven aspects or qualities that, considered together, define historic integrity. To retain integrity, a property must possess several, if not all, of these seven qualities, defined as follows:
Location: The place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred
Design: The combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property
Setting: The physical environment of a historic property Materials: The physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property Workmanship: The physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory
Feeling: A property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time
Association: The direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property
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Certain properties are generally considered ineligible for listing in the NRHP, including cemeteries, birthplaces, graves of historical figures, properties owned by religious institutions, relocated structures, or commemorative properties. Additionally, a property must be at least 50 years of age to be eligible for listing in the NRHP. The National Park Service states that 50 years is the general estimate of the time needed to develop the necessary historical perspective to evaluate significance. Properties which are less than 50 years must be determined to have “exceptional importance” to be considered eligible for NRHP listing.
13.1.2 California Register of Historical Resources
The CRHR was established in 1992 and codified by PRC Sections 5024.1 and Title 14 Section 4852.
The CRHR is an authoritative listing and guide to be used by state and local agencies, private groups, and citizens in identifying the existing historical resources of the state and to indicate which resources deserve to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from substantial adverse change (Public Resources Code, 5024.1[a]). The criteria for eligibility for the CRHR are consistent with the NRHP criteria but have been modified for state use in order to include a range of historical resources that better reflect the history of California (Public Resources Code, 5024.1[b]). Unlike the NRHP however, the CRHR does not have a defined age threshold for eligibility; rather, a resource may be eligible for the CRHR if it can be demonstrated sufficient time has passed to understand its historical or architectural significance. Furthermore, resources may still be eligible for listing in the CRHR even if they do not retain sufficient integrity for NRHP eligibility. Generally, the OHP recommends resources over 45 years of age be recorded and evaluated for historical resources eligibility.
A property is eligible for listing in the CRHR if it meets one of more of the following criteria:
Criterion 1: Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history and cultural heritage
Criterion 2: Is associated with the lives of persons important to our past Criterion 3: Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values
Criterion 4: Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history
13.1.3 San Mateo Historic Preservation Ordinance
Under Development
13.2 Property Types and Designation Criteria
Under Development
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References
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14 References
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Brown, Mary. San Francisco Modern Architecture and Landscape Design, 1935-1970 Historic Context Statement. San Francisco Planning Department, October 2011.
The Bulletin. “Glazenwood to Have Many New Modern Homes.”August 4, 1923. https://www.newspapers.com/image/996126290/?match=1&terms=Glazenwood%20to%2 0Have%20Many%20New%20Modern%20Homes.
_____. “San Mateo City Hall Contracts Awarded.” February 17, 1914. https://www.newspapers.com/image/994878855/?match=1&terms=%22san%20mateo%20 city%20hall%22.
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Byrd, Brian, et al. “San Francisco Bay-Delta Regional Context and Research Design for Native American Archaeological Resources, Caltrans District 4.” Sacramento: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), 2017. https://dot.ca.gov.
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Sacramento: California Department of Parks and Recreation, 1995. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1054/files/manual95.pdf. _____. Latinos in the Twentieth Century California: National Register of Historic Places Context Statement. California Office of Historic Preservation, 2015.
California Revealed. “First Methodist Church, San Mateo, California.” Accessed October 7, 2025. https://californiarevealed.org/do/4e8d03c8-9127-453a-8084-9bc051073373.
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Chang, Michael. 150 Years of Chinese Lives in the Santa Clara Valley. Cupertino Historical Society, 1997.
The Churchman. Advertisement. “Laurel Hall, San Mateo, Cal.” August 11, 1877.
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Cintel, Jeff. “Downtown San Mateo Historical Tour.” April 1991.
City of San Mateo. City of San Mateo Historic Building Survey Final Report. San Mateo, CA: City of San Mateo, 1989. https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/47850/HistoricBuilding-Survey-1989. _____. Amending Chapter 27.66 Regarding Historic Preservation. Ordinance No. 1995-13. San Mateo, CA: City of San Mateo, 1995.
____.. Downtown San Mateo Historic Self-Guided Walking Tour. April 2019. https://dsma.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/03/DT-Historic-Tour-Final.pdf. _____. Establishing the Downtown Historic District. Ordinance No. 124. San Mateo, CA: City of San Mateo, 1993.
_____. North Central Community Based Transportation Plan. 2010. https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/7805/Appendices-Appendix-BChapter-1?bidId=. _____. San Mateo General Plan 2040. San Mateo, CA: City of San Mateo, 2024. https://strivesanmateo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Community-Design_5-31-24.pdf. _____. “History of San Mateo Ballot Measures 1921–1930.” Accessed October 9, 2025. https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/92532/History-of-San-MateoBallot-Measures-1921-1930.
Clifford, James O., Sr. “San Mateo County: A Training Ground in World War II.” La Peninsula, Vol.
XLIV, No. 2, 14-15.
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Coast Directory Co. “Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo City Directory 1947-48”. 1947. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2469/images/32701_1020601537_073 1-00401?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Fcl713&pId=1408135359.
Congregational Church of San Mateo. “A Little Background.” Accessed October 2025. https://ccsmucc.org/welcome/#background.
Community Baptist Church of San Mateo. “Our History.” Accessed October 2025. https://www.cbcsm.org/learn/history/.
CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point. “A History of Coyote Point.” Accessed October 10, 2025. https://curiodyssey.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/History.pdf.
The Daily Journal. “San Mateo Union High School District.” September 6, 2025. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/san-mateo-union-high-schooldistrict/article_8157473e-b8bc-4864-8a63-2895d2d658e4.html. _____. “Meet Me in San Mateo on the #40 Line.” April 2, 2025. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/meet-me-in-san-mateo-on-the-40- line/article_935cab68-4572-53a6-a0f1-5143ac452322.html.
Dallas, S.F. “The Hide and Tallow Trade in Alto California, 1822–1848.” PhD diss., Indiana University, 1955.
Ellis, Larry W. In Search of Home: A Case Study on the Housing Inequities in San Mateo County, California. PhD diss., Union University & Institute, 221.
Federal Housing Administration. Technical Bulletin No. 5: Planning Neighborhoods for Small Houses.
Washington, DC: Federal Housing Administration, 1936.
Field, Les W., and Alan Leventhal. “What Must It Have Been Like! Critical Considerations of Precontact Ohlone Cosmology as Interpreted through Central California Ethnohistory.” Wicazo Sa Review 18, no. 2 (2003): 95–126.
Find a Grave. “Robert J. ‘Big Bob’ Wisnom.” Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87334134/robert_j-wisnom.
First Church of Christ, Scientist. “About Our Church.” Accessed October 7, 2025. http://www.cschurchsanmateo.org/about-our-church/.
Fredericks, Darold. “Evolution of the County Hospital.” San Mateo Daily Journal, April 1, 2025. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/evolution-of-the-countyhospital/article_8d14e9f2-28a8-541b-a249-46d2d6021a00.html.
Fredricks, David. “Life of the San Mateo House.” The Daily Journal, March 3, 2014.
Greening, Anne, and Elena Moore. Victorian Era Styles (1870-1910). San Francisco Planning Department, 2022.
Grimes, Teresa, et al. “Sub-theme: Queen Anne, 1885-1905.” In Survey Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement. Los Angeles Department of City Planning, July 2019.
Grimes, Teresa, and Elysha Paluszek. “Theme: American Colonial Revival, 1895-1960.” In Survey LA:
Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Citywide Historic Context Statement. Los Angeles Department of City Planning, December 2015.
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Hill, Ward. Historic Architecture Evaluation Report: 30 Ingold Road, Burlingame, CA. March 2020. https://cms6.revize.com/revize/burlingamecity/Appendix%20H_HAER.pdf.
Huneke Stained Glass. “Saint Timothy Catholic Church 1515 Dolan Avenue San Mateo.” 2018-2025. https://www.hunekestainedglass.com/st-timothy.
G.W. Williams Co. “About Sunnybrae.” Accessed October 14, 2025. https://www.gwwilliams.com/timeline-history/sunnybrae/.
Horak, Katie E., et al. “Sub-theme: Streamline Moderne, 1935-1945.” In Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Citywide Historic Context Statement. Los Angeles Department of City Planning, August 2021.
_____. “Sub-theme: New Formalism, 1960-1975.” In Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Citywide Historic Context Statement. Los Angeles Department of City Planning, August 2021.
Hynding, Alan. From Frontier to Suburb: The Story of the San Mateo Peninsula. Palo Alto: Star Publishing Company, 1982.
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Jones, Barbara L. “Mythic Implications of Faunal Assemblages from Three Ohlone Sites.” Master’s thesis, San Francisco State University, 2010.
Kneese, George A. Official Map of San Mateo County 1927. 1927. David Rumsey Map Collection. https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~330400~90098928:Offici al-Map-of-San-Mateo-County-Ca.
Knowles, Eva. “Highway 101.” FoundSF: The San Francisco Digital History Archive. https://www.foundsf.org/Highway_101#:~:text=The%20portion%20of%20the%20freeway,r uns%20parallel%20to%20U.S.%20101
Kroeber, Alfred L. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 78.
Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1925.
Leong, Nellie W. Ah Sam.” La Peninsula Vol. XLIII, No. 2, 2015.
Leventhal, Alan, and Diane DiGiuseppe. “Analysis of the Stone, Bone and Shell Artifacts from CA-SCL869.” In Final Report on the Burial and Archaeological Data Recovery Program Conducted on a Portion of a Middle Period Ohlone Indian Cemetery, Katwáš Ketneyma Waréeptak (The Four Matriarchs Site) CA-SCL-869, Located at 5912 Cahalan Avenue, Fire Station #12 San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. 2009.
Levy, Joan. “Hillsborough’s Former City Hall a Reminder of the Past.” The Daily Journal, January 15, 2007.
_____. “Chinese Fish Camps Once Lined the Bay.” July 10, 2019. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/chinese-fish-camps-once-lined-thebay/article_467654f4-6677-5264-a474-7dbb6c08265a.html _____. “We Could Have Been a Contender at the Oscars.” October 2, 2006. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/we-could-have-been-a-contender-at-theoscars/article_88ef319a-1224-5a7d-b60c-c2ab9d2314f4.html 548 of 1110
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_____. “Noted African-Americans in Early County History.” February 9, 2004. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/noted-african-americans-in-early-countyhistory/article_63ee461e-8ed9-11e9-89b2-0759222fabe1.html Levy, Richard. “Costanoan.” In Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, edited by R.
F. Heizer, 485–495. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1978.
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McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.
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Klar, 99–124. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2007.
Moore, Elena, et al. Progressive Era & Early Revival Styles (c.1890-c1930). San Francisco Planning Department, January 18, 2023.
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Murtagh, Heather. “Baywood Celebrates Historic Status.” The Daily Journal, June 12, 2017. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/baywood-celebrates-historicstatus/article_dbc45706-26c2-57d4-82bb-ca25aaedd29d.html.
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Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1997b. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NRB16A-Complete.pdf. _____. National Register Bulletin 16B: How to Complete the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1999. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/NRB16B-Complete.pdf. _____. “Places of World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area.” Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/places-of-world-war-ii-in-the-san-francisco-bayarea.htm#:~:text=The%20San%20Francisco%20Bay%20Area's,the%20SS%20Red%20Oak%2 0Victory
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_____. “World War II Harbor Defenses.” Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/world-war-ii-harbor-defenses.htm. _____. “World War II Shipbuilding in the San Francisco Bay Area.” Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/world-war-ii-shipbuilding-in-the-san-francisco-bayarea.htm.
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_____. Historic Resource Study for Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Mateo County.
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Prosser, Daniel. “Subtheme: Spanish Colonial Revival 1912-1942.” In Survey LA: Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey Citywide Historic Context Statement. Los Angeles Department of City Planning, November 2018.
Redwood City Standard. “County Law Makers.” June 5, 1902.
Redwood City Tribune. “Instruments on File.” November 15, 1923. _____. “Parrott Estate Distribution in Part is Sought.” January 27, 1925. https://www.newspapers.com/image/841853146/?match=1&terms=Parrott%20Estate%20 Distribution%20in%20Part%20is%20Sought.
_____. “San Mateo Bridge Due to Be Ready Before July, 1929; Here are Facts, Figures.” January 4, 1928. https://www.newspapers.com/imageview/841934976/?match=1&terms=san%20mateo%20hayward%20bridge. _____.. “School Bond Bid Rejected.” September 21, 1938. https://www.newspapers.com/image/841854346/?match=1&terms=School%20Bond%20Bi d%20Rejected.
_____. “Wouldn’t You Rather Live In…Fiesta Gardens…in Sunny San Mateo.” August 3, 1955. https://www.newspapers.com/article/redwood-city-tribune-redwood-citytribun/180890440/.
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Ringler, Donald P. San Mateo, USA: The Golden Years. San Mateo Bicentennial Committee, 1975.
R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers. Polk’s San Mateo City Directory 1948. 1948. _____. Polk’s San Mateo City Directory 1955. 1955.
_____. Polk’s San Mateo City Directory 1971. 1971.
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22. _____. “Laurel Hill College.” May 29, 1891.
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_____.“Miscellaneous Items.” July 22, 1895.
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San Francisco Chronicle. “Abby Parrott’s Estate Exceeds Five Millions.” October 18, 1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1235165103/?match=1&terms=Abby%20Parrott%E2 %80%99s%20Estate%20Exceeds%20Five%20Millions.
_____. “Casa Baywood to be Ready Mar. 20.” March 2, 1929. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1237302385/?match=1&terms=Casa%20Baywood%2 0to%20be%20Ready%20Mar.%2020%2C%E2%80%9D.
_____. “Del Cerrito, Latest Word in Apartments, Opens Today.” May 10, 1930. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1237350449/?match=1&terms=Del%20Cerrito%2C% 20Latest%20Word%20in%20Apartments%2C%20Opens%20Today.
_____.“Suburban Tract Building Active.” January 28, 1922. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1235198032/?match=1&terms=%22suburban%20tra ct%20building%20active%22.
_____.“Visitors Will Have Final Opportunity to See Model Home This Week.” May 24, 1930. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1237358000/?match=1&terms=%22san%20mateo%2
2. The San Francisco Examiner. “Contract Award to Smash Peninsula Chinese Wall.” August 10, 1924. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1235459138/?match=1&terms=State%20Action%20 On%20New%20Road%20Cause%20Of%20Joy.
_____. “Peninsula’s Big Floral Fiesta Opens.” October 12, 1935. https://www.newspapers.com/image/457996476/?match=1&terms=%22floral%20fiesta%2 2%20%22japanese%22.
_____ “Peninsula Hotel Burns Down When Water Fails.” June 26, 1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/457919047/?match=1&terms=%22peninsula%20hote l%20burns%20down%22.
_____. “Sales at Baywood Park Have Passed Million Dollar Mark.” September 24, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/457932529/?match=1&terms=Sales%20at%20Baywo od%20Park%20Have%20Passed%20Million%20Dollar%20Mark.
Saint Matthew Catholic Church. “History.” Accessed October 3, 2025. https://www.stmatthewparish.org/about/history. _____.History: Early Days.” Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.stmatthewparish.org/page.cfm?p=778. _____. “Later Parish History: Twentieth Century.” Accessed October 2025. https://www.stmatthewparish.org/page.cfm?p=852.
Sanborn Map Company. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Beresford, San Mateo County, California, 1927.
Sanborn Map Company. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1888.
_____. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1891. _____. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1897. _____. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from San Mateo, San Mateo County, California, 1920, revised 1950.
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References
Historic Context Statement 171
The San Mateo Arboretum Society. “100 Years of Central Park.” Accessed October 19, 2025. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HJPSrdkZ4NrNX3pE8jNfz_o5AmvEYE2E/view.
San Mateo Buddhist Temple. “History of the San Mateo Buddhist Temple.” Accessed October 2025. https://sanmateobuddhisttemple.org/about-us/history/.
San Mateo County Genealogy. “Bishop Armitage Orphanage.” Accessed October 8, 2025. https://legacy.sfgenealogy.org/sanmateo/history/smorphan.htm.
San Mateo County Historical Association. Photo Record, “Bill Kyne Has Coffee with Soldiers at the Three Cities USO Canteen in San Mateo.” Notes.
https://historysmc.pastperfectonline.com/photo/75623C2A-B48C-4A37-B87A069500411816.
San Mateo Times. Advertisement for Aragon Tract. September 9, 1933. https://www.newspapers.com/image/38862312/?match=1&terms=aragon%20tract. _____ “Aragon Enjoys Active Month.” September 14, 1935. https://www.newspapers.com/image/51681539/?match=1&terms=Aragon%20Enjoys%20A ctive%20Month.
_____ “Aragon Tract Will Open to Public Sunday.” August 24, 1929. _____ “Beresford Votes Union to San Mateo by Big Majority.” August 28, 1929. https://www.newspapers.com/image/51674915/?match=1&terms=Beresford%20Votes%20 Union%20to%20San%20Mateo%20by%20Big%20Majority.
_____. “City Hall is Nearly Empty.” August 16, 1940.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/38862185/?match=1&terms=san%20mateo%20fire% 20department%20headquarters.
_____. “E.L. Norberg is Architect for New High School Plan.” March 5, 1926. https://www.newspapers.com/image/51637841/?match=1&terms=%22norberg%22%20%2 2san%20mateo%20high%22.
_____. “Fire Protection Needed.” March 27, 1931.
_____ “Legal Notice.” May 23, 1940.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/38860990/?match=1&terms=%22legal%20notice%22 .
_____.“Tree Planting Starts in Sunnybrae Tract.” March 18, 1939. https://www.newspapers.com/image/38660966/?match=1&terms=Tree%20Planting%20St arts%20in%20Sunnybrae%20Tract.
Schick, Grant W. “The Ohlone and the Oak Woodlands: Cultural Adaptation in the Santa Clara Valley, Research Manuscript No. 4.” Master’s thesis, Santa Clara University, 1994.
Semes, Robert Louis, The Reverend. Of These Stones: An Historical Sketch of the Church of Saint Matthew San Mateo, California 1865–1990. San Mateo, CA: Church of Saint Matthew, 1990.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation. “How Did We End Up With 54 School Districts in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties?” May 2012. https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/resources/54-schooldistricts-san-mateo-and-santa-clara-counties.
Simister, Eve. “The African American Great Migration and San Mateo County.” La Peninsula, Vol.
XLIV, No. 1, 4, 12.
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Skowronek, Russell K. “Sifting the Evidence: Perceptions of Life at the Ohlone (Costanoan) Missions of Alta California.” Ethnohistory 45, no. 4 (1998): 675–708.
Small, Cathy A., and David L. Dixon. “Tonga: Migration and the Homeland.” The Online Journal of the Migration Policy Institute. February 1, 2004. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/tongamigration-and-homeland.
So, Samson. “Finding a Family: Congregational Church of San Mateo Celebrates 150 Years.” San Mateo Daily Journal, May 24, 2014. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/finding-afamily-congregational-church-of-san-mateo-celebrates-150-years/article_46267c25-c0dc5056-b545-ed8549479893.html.
Stanger, Frank M. South from San Francisco: The Life Story of San Mateo County. San Mateo, CA: San Mateo County Historical Association, 1963.
_____. Levy Bros: A Centennial History, 1872-1972. Stanger, 1972.
St. James A.M.E. Zion Church. “Our History.” 2024.
https://www.stjamessanmateo.org/about/#history.
The Times. “$600,000 S.M. Building Set.” May 15, 1962. https://www.newspapers.com/article/thetimes-the-times-1962-hillsdale-pro/180356218/. _____.“Advertisement for Fiesta Gardens Swimming Pools and Recreation Center.” October 8, 1955. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1955-fiesta-garden/180888993/. _____. “Center Opens at Los Prados.” December 4, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/article/thetimes-the-times-1965-los-prados-sh/180892864/. _____. “Construction on Borel Unit Starts.” September 28, 1966. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1965-borel-place-5/181200248/. _____. “Coyote Point Regional Park Dream Coming True.” August 7, 1973. https://www.newspapers.com/image/52113917/?match=1&clipping_id=180287725. _____. “Look to Lauriedale for a Completely New Living Idea.” October 29, 1964. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1964-lauriedale-ad/180827468/. _____. “South S.M. Meeting Maps Improvement.” May 17, 1949. https://www.newspapers.com/image/38905645/?match=1&clipping_id=182596869. _____. “Southward the Course of Progress Makes Its Way.” August 16, 1940. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-the-times-1940-san-mateokno/180894262/.
Trade Show Executive. “San Mateo Renovates, Renames Expo Center.” December 15, 2005. https://tradeshowexecutive.com/san-mateo-renovates-renames-expo-center/.
Trust for Public Land. “San Mateo, CA.” Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.tpl.org/city/sanmateo-california.
United States Census Bureau. Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, California, San Mateo Precinct 24/25.
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References
Historic Context Statement 173
United States Department of State, Office of the Historian. “Lend-Lease and Military Aid to the Allies in the Early Years of World War II.” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/lendlease#:~:text=the%20full%20notice.- ,Lend%2DLease%20and%20Military%20Aid%20to%20the%20Allies%20in%20the,the%20war %20until%20December%201941.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. 25 Years of RCRA: Building on Our Past to Protect Our Future. 2002.
https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/10000MAO.PDF?Dockey=10000MAO.PDF.
University of California, Santa Barbara. San Mateo [aerial photograph], Flight C-674, Frame 1 and Frame 2, October 1, 1929.
Uppergrave, Micheal. “Multifamily Housing That’s Custom-Fit to Site.” Housing Vol 50, No 6. (November 1980), 60.
Veltman, Chloe. “How 3 Hawaiian Teen Princes Brought Surfing to the Mainland.” National Public Radio, August 31, 2025. https://www.kucb.org/2025-08-31/how-3-hawaiian-teen-princesbrought-surfing-to-the-mainland.
Weigel, Samantha. “Uncovering History in San Mateo: St. John’s Cemetery Has Lineage of Caretakers, Formative Family.” The Daily Journal, October 31, 2014.
Weitze, Karen J. California’s Mission Revival. Hennesy & Ingalls, Inc., 1984.
Yates, Dana. “Park to Replace Landfill.” The Daily Journal, November 15, 2000. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/park-to-replace-landfill/article_a63d82e9- 4e7a-5616-a606-3a3b577c63ae.html.
_____. “Police Station Groundbreaking Set.” July 12, 2017. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/police-station-groundbreakingset/article_03bab3c5-4902-56fc-965c-192b414026a0.html. _____. “Residents Keen on Keeping Open Space.” January 12, 2004. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/residents-keen-on-keeping-openspace/article_6ea5c0bf-d470-55ff-b90f-a43a99eb4cb5.html.
Zompolis, Gregory N. Images of America: San Mateo. Arcadia Publishing, 2004. 555 of 1110
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Rincon Consultants, Inc.
66 Franklin Street, Suite 300
Oakland, California 94607
510-834-4455
Engagement Summary
Version 2 Updates are in Purple Text
Overview
The City of San Mateo is in the process of developing a Citywide Historic Context Statement and updating its Historic Preservation Ordinance. To inform this work, the City developed an Outreach and Engagement Strategy focused on multiple entry points for community participation and offering a range of opportunities for residents, organizations, and interested parties to share input and perspectives that inform the update process. Through the engagement conducted thus far, community members have shared their views of the future of historic preservation in San Mateo and identified places and themes that hold historical and cultural interest.
The project started in February 2025, with outreach initiated in the summer, and will extend through Spring 2026. To date, the project team has conducted a City Council Study Session, two three focus groups, one community workshop, online outreach, and three mobile workshops. These activities correspond to the first two three engagement phases:
x Project Launch and Early Focus Groups, and
x Community Storytelling and Draft Development, and
x Release of Draft Documents for Review
The project is now entering the Release of Draft Documents for Review Feedback on Drafts phase, during which additional community feedback will continue to refine and strengthen the draft materials.
In addition to defined engagement events, the City has received numerous emails and comments from community members, demonstrating San Mateo’s strong interest and investment in shaping the future of historic preservation.
Summary of Participation and Activities
The City implemented a multi-faceted strategy that combined digital communications, printed materials, and in-person events to raise awareness and invite participation in the project. The approach emphasized accessibility and visibility by creating multiple entry points for residents, stakeholders, and organizations to learn about the project and share their input.
Participant Identification and Outreach Methods
Participants were reached through a blend of targeted outreach and citywide communications:
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2 x Targeted invitations for workshops and website participation were sent to members of neighborhood associations, local preservation advocates, cultural organizations, and prior participants in planning and preservation efforts.
x Broader community participation was encouraged through general City communications including e-blasts, newsletters, and social media posts.
x Mobile workshop pop-up locations were strategically selected to engage residents from different parts of the city and to reach people who might not typically participate in formal meetings.
Community Engagement Activities
The City hosted several opportunities for direct community participation:
x City Council Study Session
x Two Three virtual focus groups with targeted stakeholder audiences x One virtual community workshop open to all residents
x Three in-person mobile workshops held at community events and public spaces x A Digital Time Capsule, an online interactive platform to collect stories and historic information from the community
These activities built momentum across engagement phases, beginning with focused discussions among key stakeholders, followed by broader community engagement through workshop events.
Outreach and Communications
To sustain visibility throughout the engagement period, the project team coordinated a range of digital and physical outreach tools, including:
x Three project e-blasts distributed through City email lists x Three e-blasts announcing the release of draft documents for review and promoting the draft review workshop
x Creation of a project webpage on the City’s website
x Draft documents uploaded to the project webpage
x Two City newsletter features highlighting project milestones x Three social media posts through City channels
x A project postcard promoting the Digital Time Capsule – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish x A project fact sheet summarizing background and goals – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish x A workshop flyer advertising the first community workshop – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish x A workshop flyer advertising the draft review workshop – provided in English/Chinese/Spanish x Installation of collateral materials and information boards in four static locations throughout the city, including City Hall, the Main Library, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, and the Senior Center.
x Distribution of flyers and postcards at the Central Recreation Center Table 1 provides a summary of the events held thus far and the estimated number of participants. 558 of 1110
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3 Table 1: Engagement Activity Metrics
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development community
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4 Comparison to Outreach & Engagement Strategy Goals
The Outreach and Engagement Strategy established participation goals of:
x Reaching at least 20 attendees per workshop
x Collecting 50 Digital Time Capsule contributions
x Engaging 8-10 participants per focus group
x Expanding email sign up list from a baseline of 36 subscribers by 10% To date, the project has exceeded goals for community workshops, reaching approximately 137 residents through the first workshop and subsequent mobile workshop events. Pivoting from a second traditional workshop to a series of mobile workshops proved effective in diversifying the voices heard in this round of engagement.
The project’s email list has grown from 36 to 90 178 subscribers, far surpassing the growth target and demonstrating strong interest in staying informed as the project advances. To date, the Digital Time Capsule has received 11 community posts and 13 reactions, marking early but meaningful online participation. The first two focus groups were intentionally smaller in scale, providing opportunities for key stakeholder groups, including representatives from Less Red Tape and the San Mateo Heritage Alliance, to share their perspectives directly. The third focus group reached its goal of engaging at least 8 members involved in the business and development community.
Activities Overview
The engagement program included a mix of focus groups, a community workshop, mobile workshops, and digital engagement. Each activity was designed to gather input on key themes while ensuring that participation opportunities were accessible, inclusive, and interactive.
Focus Groups
The City hosted two virtual focus groups in July 2025 with residents representing different viewpoints and experiences related to historic preservation in San Mateo. The City hosted a third virtual focus group in December 2025 with members of the business and development community. Each session lasted approximately one hour and was facilitated by the consultant team with support from City staff.
Discussions were recorded for note-taking purposes only and analyzed thematically to identify shared concerns, priorities, and ideas. The full analysis for each focus group is attached to this report as Appendix A, with summaries provided below.
Focus Group #1: Residents Cautious of Preservation Efforts Participants, primarily from or interested in the Baywood neighborhood, discussed concerns about the fairness and transparency of historic designation processes and their impact on property rights. They emphasized the need for owner consent, clear and objective design standards, and predictable procedures for evaluating historic resources.
While participants expressed frustration with perceived inconsistencies and costs of compliance with historic preservation regulations, they also supported developing a Historic Context Statement so long as it could not be used to justify new designations without consent. The discussion highlighted the importance of education and communication to promote public confidence in the process and ultimate project deliverables.
Key Takeaways:
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5 x Desire for transparency, owner consent, and local control x Concern about financial and procedural burdens
x Conditional support for a context statement focused on education, not regulation Focus Group #2: Residents Supportive of Preservation
This group emphasized the importance of preservation in maintaining San Mateo’s character and identity. Participants called for stronger implementation tools, professional oversight, and clearer design compatibility standards to ensure consistency between planning and building review.
They also encouraged a more inclusive approach to preservation that recognizes cultural and social histories, as well as opportunities to align preservation with housing, sustainability, and equity goals through adaptive reuse and education.
Key Takeaways:
x Preservation seen as essential to community identity
x Need for stronger tools, standards, and professional oversight x Support for inclusive, educational, and adaptive approaches Focus Group #3: Business/Development Community
Participants stressed the need for clear, practical guidance and flexibility in the ordinance to avoid stifling development. They expressed concerns about economic and business viability due to uncertainty and rigid rules that can make projects financially unfeasible.
They also called for updates to plans and surveys to reflect current architectural trends and economic conditions while still honoring historic character. Additionally, participants noted that overlapping planning documents create friction and lack clarity, and they expressed a strong desire for an integrated, unified regulatory framework.
Key Takeaways:
x Need for flexibility and clear, practical guidance in the ordinance x Preservation of cultural identity while encouraging creative modernization x Establish a clear hierarchy among the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Downtown Specific Plan, and other zoning codes
Overall Observations
Together, the two three focus groups reflect a spectrum of perspectives, from those seeking flexibility and property rights protection to those prioritizing stronger safeguards for historic resources and inclusiveness to ensure the context statement reflects San Mateo’s diverse communities. Both All groups underscored the need for clarity, transparency, and education, reinforcing the City’s goal of developing balanced policies that protect community character while maintaining fairness and trust.
Community Workshop
The first community workshop, Preservation and Regulation 101, introduced residents to the City’s Historic Policy Update process and built a shared foundation for future discussions. The virtual event aimed to educate participants on key preservation concepts, including historic context statements, 561 of 1110
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6 ordinance structure, and the relationship between preservation and development, while collecting early feedback on community priorities. Spanish interpretation was available during the meeting.
The session combined a presentation on preservation laws and local regulations with three interactive activities designed to encourage reflection and discussion. The activities are summarized below, with compiled contributions available in Appendix B.
Warm Up: I Can’t Imagine San Mateo Without…
Participants began by sharing short reflections on what defines San Mateo’s character and what aspects of the city they most value. Common responses included references to beautiful neighborhoods, Central Park, trees, and the diverse community and historical figures of San Mateo.
Participants highlighted beloved places such as the Japanese Tea Garden, the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, and the Downtown Historic District.
Digital Time Capsule: People, Places, and Events
The next activity invited participants to identify people, places, and events they believe future generations should remember about San Mateo. Submissions highlighted well-known local institutions such as San Mateo’s schools, Talbot’s Toys, and Draeger’s Market, as well as community figures like Claire Mack, Tom Brady, and members of the city’s Japanese community. Participants also highlighted beloved everyday places that hold personal or collective meaning, including the Central Library, Downtown San Mateo Post Office, B Street, and Bay Meadows. The exercise linked historical storytelling with the technical goals of the context statement, which include highlighting patterns of development, centralizing historical information, providing a consistent framework for evaluating a property, and offering a more robust picture of San Mateo’s history -- capturing the city’s lived experience alongside its architectural heritage.
Preservation Priorities Exercise
In small breakout groups, participants discussed four key themes shaping preservation policy:
flexibility for homeowners, protection of historic landmarks, cultural equity and representation, and transparency and predictability. Using a “Preservation Dollars” framework, groups were asked to allocate limited resources across these priorities, sparking discussion about trade-offs and shared values. Most groups emphasized transparency and predictability as their top priority, followed closely by protection of historic landmarks and cultural representation. The activity revealed broad community interest in clearer processes and more inclusive recognition of San Mateo’s heritage.
Participation and Outcomes
Approximately 42 residents attended the workshop, representing a range of neighborhoods and interests. An exit survey was provided via the virtual platform; however, only seven participants provided responses, limiting the usefulness of the results for a broader analysis of representation. The virtual format also presented challenges: some attendees experienced technical difficulties, and several expressed a preference for a more traditional Q&A format rather than the interactive activities used. We incorporated this feedback into our planning for the second workshop, which led us to shift to a series of in-person mobile workshops designed to provide more direct interaction and opportunities for real-time questions and discussion.
Key takeaways included:
x Broad recognition of San Mateo’s cultural and architectural diversity x Desire for transparent, consistent, and educational preservation processes 562 of 1110
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7 x Support for inclusive storytelling and representation in the Historic Context Statement x Interest in balanced policies that protect heritage while allowing reasonable flexibility for property owners
Full results from group activities and whiteboard outputs are included in Appendix B.
Mobile Workshops
Following the first community workshop, the City shifted from a traditional meeting format to a series of mobile workshops, sometimes referred to as “pop-ups,” designed to reach residents in familiar, everyday settings. This pivot reflected lessons from early engagement. While the virtual workshop successfully built understanding among those already interested and was available to residents who may not feel safe or comfortable attending a gathering in person, broader participation required meeting people where they are.
The mobile format provided more accessible, casual opportunities for conversation and participation, particularly for residents who may not attend formal meetings or have limited time to engage online.
As shown in Table 1, offering touchpoints at varying times of day helped reach residents with differing schedules. Rather than convening another single event, the City opted for multiple small-scale, inperson touchpoints that collectively expanded reach and visibility across the community.
Activities and Content
Each pop-up featured a set of multilingual (English, Chinese, and Spanish), visually oriented displays introducing the two components of the Historic Policy Update, the Historic Context Statement and the Historic Preservation Ordinance, along with printed postcards with QR codes linking to the project website and Digital Time Capsule. Staff and consultants were present to answer questions, collect input, and provide educational context about the project.
The core activity invited participants to respond to the same people, places, and events prompts introduced during the virtual workshop. Using sticky notes, attendees shared the names of individuals, landmarks, and local stories that they felt best represented San Mateo’s heritage. This approach allowed the team to continue building the community narrative started online and identify recurring themes across engagement formats.
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8 Outcomes and Observations
The mobile workshops generated meaningful one-on-one conversations about the City’s history, identity, and preservation goals. Many participants used the opportunity to learn about the broader Historic Policy Update effort and how it connects to housing, land use, and community character policies under other City efforts.
The mobile workshop format proved effective in:
x Broadening participation to include residents encountered in public spaces rather than through formal events;
x Reinforcing education on the City’s preservation framework; and x Gathering qualitative feedback that complemented earlier workshop and digital engagement results.
These events demonstrated the value of informal, interactive outreach in maintaining visibility for the project and building trust through direct dialogue. The mobile workshop materials and results are available in Appendix C.
Online Engagement
Digital engagement opportunities ensure that residents can participate in the Historic Policy Update at their own pace and through familiar online platforms. The City’s Project Website and Digital Time Capsule served as the primary interactive tools, inviting community members to sign up for updates and share stories, memories, and reflections about the people, places, and events that define San Mateo’s identity.
As of November 2025, the Digital Time Capsule has received 11 posts and 13 reactions, representing a small but insightful sample of community input. The content reflects a wide range of input, from neighborhood landmarks and local businesses to historic photos of families and homes, that will inform the Historic Context Statement.
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9 Beyond the Time Capsule, the City maintained a consistent online presence to keep residents informed throughout the process. Project updates were shared through the City’s website, email and print newsletters, and social media channels, helping to build awareness and invite continued participation in upcoming project phases. Together, these tools provided accessible entry points for engagement and helped sustain visibility and transparency between live events.
Upcoming Engagement
The next community workshop is scheduled for January 21st, 2026, and will be a two-hour draft review session. Participants will review the Draft Historic Context Statement and Draft Historic Preservation Ordinance with a historic preservation expert, with ample opportunities to ask questions throughout the session.
A second City Council Study Session is scheduled for January 26th, 2026, and will focus on reviewing the draft documents.
In February, two focus groups are planned: one with members of the Youth Activities Commission and another with residents from underrepresented communities. The City will continue to distribute e-blast updates to the project email list, providing information on the project, key dates, and opportunities for public feedback.
Key Takeaways
Community input from the focus groups, workshop, mobile pop-ups, and digital engagement activities revealed a consistent set of priorities centered on trust, transparency, and inclusivity in the City’s historic preservation efforts. Participants expressed a strong desire for clear, fair, and predictable processes that balance property owner rights with the shared value of protecting San Mateo’s neighborhood character.
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San Mateo Historic Policy Update Effort
10 Across all activities, residents emphasized the importance of broadening preservation narratives to include the city’s cultural, social, and architectural diversity. Many encouraged the City to recognize not only landmark properties, but also everyday places that hold community meaning, such as gathering spaces like Central Park, local businesses, and institutions that reflect San Mateo’s evolving identity. Participants also identified the need to align preservation with housing goals. A recurring theme across all engagement formats was the need for education and clear communication to improve public understanding of how historic preservation works and have confidence that the process is fair and objective.
These insights have directly informed the Historic Context Statement and Historic Preservation Ordinance update. Detailed summaries and raw data from all engagement activities are included in the appendices.
Attachment List:
x Appendix A: Focus Group Summaries
x Appendix B: Workshop Responses
x Appendix C: Mobile Workshop Responses
x Appendix D: Digital Time Capsule
x Appendix E: Public Comments
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Appendix A
Focus Group Summaries
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Focus Group 1 – Thematic Analysis
Community Group: Less Red Tape
Date: July 9, 2025
Location: Virtual
Facilitators: Kassandra Gale and JulieAnn Murphy
Overview
This document presents a thematic analysis of the first focus group conducted as part of the San Mateo Historic Policy Update effort. The session included residents affiliated with the Less Red Tape group, primarily from the Baywood neighborhood. The discussion centered on concerns related to historic preservation, property rights, and the implications of state and local designation processes.
Emergent Themes
Distrust in the Historic Designation Process
Participants repeatedly expressed skepticism about how historic designations are determined. x Quotes:
o “We think the whole thing is being weaponized against us in Baywood.” o “They will find a way of making Baywood historic when it doesn’t have the attributes.” o “The drive-by assessment by Page and Turnbull is grossly inaccurate.” x Sub-themes:
o Inconsistent application: Reference to Glazenwood being treated as historic without formal designation.
o Lack of site-specific knowledge: Concerns about “drive-by” assessments and lack of permit review.
o State-level rubber-stamping: Perception that the State approves nearly all nominations without scrutiny.
o Consultant bias: Belief that consultants are hired to justify preordained outcomes.
This theme reflects a deep concern about fairness, transparency, and accuracy in the designation process.
Demand for Owner Consent and Local Control
A strong, consistent demand emerged for affirmative, written consent before any property is designated historic.
x Quotes:
o “No home would be included… without individual consent.” o “No third-party nominations.”
o “Why not 100% approval like an HOA?”
x Sub-themes:
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2 o Affirmative consent vs. passive inclusion: Strong opposition to opt-out or assumed consent models.
o Third-party nominations: Rejection of any process that allows non-owners to initiate designations.
o Consent thresholds: Suggestions for 80% or 100% thresholds before a district nomination can proceed.
This theme emphasizes personal agency and property rights as central to participants’ values.
Fear of Financial and Practical Burdens
Participants described the cost, complexity, and impracticality of maintaining or modifying historic homes.
x Quotes:
o “It costs a lot of money… extremely difficult, extremely time-consuming.” o “Trying to pick it up and put a new foundation under it would be worse than tearing it down.” x Sub-themes:
o Cost of compliance: Preservation described as 4-5 times more expensive than rebuilding. One participant said, “I will never do that again.”
o Structural feasibility: Examples of homes with foundational issues or extensive modifications that are impractical to preserve.
o Time and complexity: Preservation seen as time-consuming and technically difficult. o Impact on resale and inheritance: Concerns about burdening future owners or heirs.
This theme reveals a pragmatic concern about the real-world implications of preservation.
Desire for Clear, Protective Ordinances
Participants want specific, enforceable local rules that protect homeowners from unintended consequences.
x Quotes:
o “We want ordinances that give us the maximum flexibility.” o “What kind of protections can the city give us so we’re not lost?” o “Objective design standards… that trumps CEQA.”
x Sub-themes:
o Objective design standards: Proposed as a way to balance flexibility with neighborhood character.
o Appeals process reform: Frustration with perceived “unlimited appeals” and lack of finality. o Flexibility within designation: Questions about whether homeowners can rebuild in different styles.
o Examples from other cities: Huntington Beach cited as a model for more permissive policies.
This theme reflects a proactive interest in shaping policy to reflect community needs. 569 of 1110
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3 Confusion and Need for Clarity
There was frequent mention of uncertainty and lack of understanding about how designations work and what they mean.
x Quotes:
o “We don’t understand the process.”
o “All the uncertainty of it is very troubling.”
o “We want to know what our right is to challenge a contributor status.” x Sub-themes:
o Terminology confusion: Terms like “contributor” and “non-contributor” were not well understood, and participants wanted to know how these labels affect their rights. o Process opacity: Participants didn’t know how decisions were made or who had authority. “We don’t understand the process” was a recurring sentiment. o Desire for education: Several participants asked for clearer criteria and examples of what qualifies as historic.
This theme highlights a gap in communication and education between officials and residents.
Conditional Support for Historic Context Statement
Participants showed interest in local history, but only if the context statement is not used to justify unwanted designations.
x Quotes:
o “There is value there… pulling the history together will be very interesting.” o “As long as that’s not a starting point for somebody to make a nomination.” o “We’re not anti-history.”
x Sub-themes:
o Interest in local history: Participants were genuinely curious about San Mateo’s past— mentioning schools, estates, parks, and notable residents. o Fear of misuse: The context statement was seen as a potential “launchpad” for unwanted designations. “As long as that’s not a starting point for somebody to make a nomination…” o Desire for caveats: Participants wanted explicit language stating that the context statement cannot be used to justify designations without consent. o Examples of valuable history: Mention of schools, estates, parks, and local celebrities.
This theme reflects a nuanced position: appreciation for history, but concern about how it’s applied.
Social Division and Emotional Strain
Participants described emotional distress and neighborhood conflict resulting from the historic designation debate.
x Quotes:
o “This has been tearing our neighborhood apart.”
o “People wouldn’t even look each other in the eye.”
o “You’ve got frightened people on this call.”
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4 x Sub-themes:
o Neighborhood conflict: Participants described how the historic designation debate had “torn the neighborhood apart.”
o Loss of trust: Some felt betrayed by neighbors or advocacy groups. “People wouldn’t even look each other in the eye.”
o Urgency and fear: The tone was often anxious, even combative. “We’re already at war here,” one participant said.
This theme underscores the human and relational cost of policy decisions.
Contextualization
Ordinance Reform as a Tool for Protection
x Participants view the ordinance update as their primary line of defense against unwanted designations and restrictions.
x The update must address classification clarity, appeals processes, and design flexibility, especially for neighborhoods like Baywood that are already under scrutiny.
Context Statement as a Double-Edged Sword
x While the historic context statement is intended as a planning and educational tool, participants fear it could be used to justify future designations.
x The city must clearly define the purpose and limits of the context statement to avoid further erosion of trust.
Community Engagement and Trust Building
x The focus group itself is part of the city’s community engagement strategy, but the emotional tone of the discussion reveals deep mistrust.
x The update process must go beyond technical revisions and include relationship repair, transparent communication, and ongoing dialogue.
Economic and Practical Realities
x The ordinance must account for the financial and logistical burdens of preservation, especially in older neighborhoods like Baywood.
x Policies that ignore these realities risk being seen as punitive or elitist.
Need for Education and Clarity
x Participants’ confusion about terms like “contributor” and “non-contributor” underscores the need for plain-language explanations in both the ordinance and public materials. x The update effort should include educational components to demystify the process and criteria.
Social Cohesion and Neighborhood Health
x From the participants perspective, the Baywood case illustrates how historic preservation efforts can fracture communities when not handled with care.
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5 x The policy update must be sensitive to social dynamics, offering voluntary pathways and conflict resolution mechanisms.
Historic Examples
Buildings and Structures
x St. Matthew’s Catholic Church – located on the border of Baywood; noted for its architectural and historical significance.
x Former Mayor’s House on Delaware – possibly already historic; mentioned as a point of interest. x Gatehouse of the Parrott Estate – near Crystal Springs Lake; described as a quaint, surviving structure from the estate
Parks and Natural Features
x Arroyo Park – near Baywood, along Crystal Springs Creek; noted for its charm and a historical anecdote about a famous person staying there.
x Crystal Springs Creek – Runs through Arroyo Park and the Parrott Estate area x Crystal Springs Lake – Near the Parrott Estate gatehouse Schools
x San Mateo High School – Attended by notable figures like Merv Griffin and Lynn Swann. x Serra High School (Junípero Serra High School) – Originally located at the site of St. Bartholomew’s; later moved to 20th Avenue.
x Aragon High School – Mentioned in the context of local school history.
Estates and Historical Areas
x Parrott Estate – A large historical estate that extended into Hillsborough; includes the gatehouse and was once owned by Elon Musk.
x Tobin Clark Estate – Mentioned in relation to the location of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church.
Commercial and Cultural References
x Downtown San Mateo – Referenced for its historical shops and commercial evolution. x Hillsdale / Bohannon Family – Noted for their role in San Mateo’s development, especially in the Hillsdale area.
Notable People and Residences
x Tom Brady’s Childhood Home – Suggested as potentially historic. x Merv Griffin’s Childhood Home – Also suggested as potentially historic. x Lynn Swann – Mentioned as a notable alumnus of San Mateo High School. x Barry Bonds – Attended Serra High School.
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Focus Group 2 – Thematic Analysis
Community Group: San Mateo Heritage Alliance
Date: July 16, 2025
Location: Virtual
Facilitators: Kassandra Gale and JulieAnn Murphy
Overview
This document presents a thematic analysis of the second focus group conducted as part of the San Mateo Historic Policy Update effort. The session included residents affiliated with the San Mateo Heritage Alliance group. The discussion centered on community experiences with historic preservation, challenges in current policies and processes, and ideas for making preservation more inclusive, effective, and aligned with broader city goals.
Emergent Themes
Sense of Place and Community Identity
Participants emphasized the emotional and aesthetic value of San Mateo’s historic neighborhoods, expressing concern that new development is eroding the city’s unique character. x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “San Mateo was known as the City of Beautiful Homes and City of Trees” o “A lot of people are just really tired of the same retail chains, no matter where they go. San Mateo really is unique. It has a unique asset, and we should be doing everything we can to protect it and value it for the value it has for the community.” o “I think that’s why there is such high value in a lot of these neighborhoods—because they are unique, and they’ve been well taken care of for decades.” x Sub-themes:
o Nostalgia for past eras: Participants referenced specific decades as benchmarks for neighborhood character.
o Visual coherence: Concerns about mismatched signage and architectural scale disrupting the city’s aesthetic.
o Loss of uniqueness: Fear that new development is making neighborhoods feel generic.
Frustrations with the Preservation Process
Participants described procedural gaps and inconsistencies in how preservation is implemented, particularly between planning and permitting stages.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “There’s always the gap between when planning approves something and building permits it.
And the building department is often left out of the learning.” o “Having the ordinance require building staff to understand more.” x Sub-themes:
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2 o Process breakdowns: Disconnect between planning and building departments. o Loss of institutional knowledge: Perception that staff support has declined over time. o Ambiguity in rules: Ordinance seen as unclear or inconsistently applied.
Call for Stronger Tools and Oversight
Participants advocated for clearer standards, enforcement mechanisms, and professional oversight to ensure preservation goals are met.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Need a mechanism that’s not a guideline, that’s a standard, to require compatible building.” o “The oversight body should have educated people, architectural historians, and regulatory specialists that understand the city’s current regulations and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for rehabilitation.”
o “I think we need a different tool.”
x Sub-themes:
o Accountability mechanisms: Desire for both incentives and penalties. o Professionalization: Oversight should be led by experts, not generalists. o Clarity and consistency: Need for enforceable standards for compatibility.
Concerns About Development Pressures
Participants expressed anxiety about the pace and nature of development, especially when it threatens historic structures or neighborhood cohesion. x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “It looks like a lot of these neighborhoods, frankly, are becoming profit centers.” o “Prometheus owns individually eligible buildings which is a threat to the downtown.” o “These developers come and go. They take what they can, and they’re off to the next communities.”
x Sub-themes:
o Loss of historic assets: Specific sites cited as at risk. o Unbalanced growth: Concern that development is outpacing preservation. o Support for adaptive reuse: Seen as a compromise between growth and conservation.
Education and Public Awareness
Participants highlighted the need for broader public understanding of preservation and more visible recognition of historic and cultural assets.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “These are values that really matter. The education has to be there.” o “We need consistency of signage in the downtown historic district.” x Sub-themes:
o Community stewardship: Education as a tool for cultivating care and responsibility. o Cultural visibility: Signage and storytelling to honor diverse histories. o Transparency and trust: More open processes to build public confidence. 574 of 1110
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3 Inclusive and Cultural Preservation
Participants emphasized the importance of expanding preservation efforts to include cultural and social histories, particularly those of underrepresented communities. x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Our city is 130 years old, we have historic resources across the city, in all neighborhoods.” o “We would like to see more plaques and signs to reflect some of the ethnic communities here in San Mateo.”
x Sub-themes:
o Beyond buildings: Emphasis on intangible heritage and lived experiences. o Equity in recognition: Inclusion of marginalized communities in preservation narratives. o Redefining significance: Broader criteria for what is worth preserving, reflecting diverse cultural values.
Alignment with Broader City Goals
Participants saw opportunities to integrate preservation with housing, sustainability, and equity goals, rather than treating them as competing priorities.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Adaptive reuse – protecting historic downtowns, encourage and maintaining front facades?” o “From an environmental standpoint, you’re tearing down—and a lot of times, most of the time— they’re throwing away amazing timber and tiles.”
x Sub-themes:
o Adaptive reuse as a bridge: Supports both housing and environmental goals. o Preservation as sustainability: Reuse of materials and embodied energy. o Policy alignment: Desire for integrated planning across city departments.
Contextualization
Acknowledge the Emotional and Cultural Significance of Historic Resources x Refine to emphasize the community-wide emotional impact, not just individual attachment, reinforcing the need for preservation as a shared value. x Highlight the importance of communicating both the risks of loss and the benefits of preservation in clear, relatable terms.
Rebuild and Sustain Public Trust with Transparent, Empowering Policies x Expand to include ongoing engagement mechanisms beyond ordinance adoption, such as advisory committees, or regular public reporting.
x Stress the need for clarity in decision-making processes to avoid perceptions of arbitrary or biased enforcement.
Establish Clear, Enforceable Design Compatibility Standards x Stress integrating preservation as a key strategy to maintain community character amid housing expansion pressures.
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4 x Encourage flexible, innovative approaches such as adaptive reuse and context-sensitive infill to achieve dual goals.
Center Community Interests to Mitigate Developer Influence x Specify mechanisms like community benefit agreements or enhanced public review to ensure developers are accountable.
x Recommend policies that support local investment and partnerships to build long-term neighborhood stewardship.
Strengthen Legal Frameworks with Clear Protections and Enforcement x Emphasize closing loopholes with explicit, codified standards rather than relying on discretionary guidelines.
x Include provisions for monitoring, reporting, and penalties to ensure consistent enforcement.
Preserve and Enhance the Social and Economic Fabric Connected to Historic Places x Highlight the role of preservation in supporting economic vitality through small businesses and tourism.
x Suggest incorporating strategies to improve public spaces and pedestrian infrastructure that complement historic character.
Places Referenced
Buildings and Structures
Individually eligible buildings owned by Prometheus
Referenced as part of a concern about development pressures and the need for better tools to protect historic assets.
Important Buildings for Ethnic Communities
x Chingley Laundry at South Claremont and 1st Avenue
x Noah’s Diner
Good examples of façade maintenance or rebuilds that maintain the original architectural style x Saint Matthew’s Hotel
x Belmont Building on 4th Avenue
x West part of the 100 block of 3rd Avenue
x Casa Baywood
x 5456 North Ellsworth
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5 Parks and Natural Features
Heritage trees
Mentioned in the context of preservation guidelines and the desire to protect natural features that contribute to neighborhood character
Historic Areas
Historic downtowns
Discussed in relation to adaptive reuse and maintaining front facades.
B Street
Cited as an example of a historically significant area being affected by development, with concerns about it being “split.”
Commercial and Cultural Areas
Retail sameness and signage in downtown
Examples of how commercial development is undermining historic character and visual coherence.
Plaques/signage for ethnic communities
Suggested as a way to honor cultural history and increase visibility of underrepresented narratives. 577 of 1110
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Focus Group 3 – Thematic Analysis
Community Group: Business/Development Community
Date: December 11, 2025
Location: Virtual
Facilitators: Kassandra Gale and JulieAnn Murphy
Overview
This document presents a thematic analysis of the third focus group conducted as part of the San Mateo Historic Policy Update effort. The session included business owners and members of the development community. The discussion centered on community experiences with historic preservation, challenges in current policies and processes, and ideas for improving preservation to be more practical, inclusive, and aligned with city goals.
Emergent Themes
Need for Clear, Practical Guidance
Participants repeatedly emphasized the importance of clarity in the Historic Preservation Ordinance and related processes, noting that ambiguity and conflicting codes discourage investment and slow projects.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Provide a roadmap, and then everyone knows what can and or can’t be done” o “Needs to be really clear…give clear guidelines to the staff.” o “Create supplemental application materials that make it clear on, like a checklist on what’s required.”
x Sub-themes:
o Lack of transparency: Developers struggle with unclear timelines and requirements. o Desire for practical tools: Checklists, flowcharts, and FAQs were suggested. o Frustration with overlapping plans: Participants want integration of zoning, design standards, and historic ordinances.
Flexibility vs. Rigidity in Historic Preservation
Participants expressed concern that overly rigid rules could stifle creativity and economic vitality, advocating for adaptive reuse and modern design elements that respect historic character. x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “You have to be really careful when you write the ordinance not to stifle cool development.” o “There has to be some kind of flexibility there.”
o “Allow modern additions like rooftop lounges or glass elevators if they complement historic intent.”
x Sub-themes:
o Adaptive reuse: Support for creative modernization within historic contexts. o Avoiding “freeze-dried” preservation: Participants want interpretation, not replication. 578 of 1110
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2 o Economic pragmatism: Flexibility seen as essential for attracting tenants and revitalizing downtown.
Conflicts Between Codes and Standards
Participants highlighted systemic issues where ADA compliance and Historic Building Code requirements clash, creating barriers to renovation and occupancy. x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “ADA code and Historic Code have no ability to harmonize” o “The language is vague, and it leaves a lot of authority with the local building official.” o “Every tenant walked away, and it is still vacant to this day.” x Sub-themes:
o Regulatory tension: Lack of harmonization between accessibility and preservation standards. o Local discretion: Outcomes depend heavily on building officials’ interpretation. o Business impact: Code conflicts can lead to abandoned projects and vacant properties.
Economic and Business Viability Concerns
Participants stressed that uncertainty and rigid rules increase costs and deter investment, making projects financially unfeasible.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Prevents offices or businesses from coming to the area.” o “Wherever clarity doesn’t exist… we have to hold a more significant contingency.” o “Ordinance should not kill business development.”
x Sub-themes:
o Risk management: Developers factor in contingencies when rules are unclear. o Ordinance as an economic tool: Preservation policies must consider financial realities. o Tenant attraction: Flexibility and clarity are key to revitalizing commercial spaces.
Outdated Plans and Ordinances
Participants noted that existing plans and surveys are decades old and fail to reflect current architectural trends or economic conditions.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Maybe it’s time for another survey?”
o “The old downtown plan… doesn’t necessarily age with time.” o “Signage ordinance feels outdated—why can’t we have neon signs?” x Sub-themes:
o Aging standards: 1989 survey and design guidelines no longer align with today’s needs. o Cultural evolution: Desire for modern aesthetics alongside historic character. o Regulatory refresh: Calls for updating signage and façade rules to encourage vibrancy.
Community Information and Clarity
Previous residential historic resources designation efforts have sparked tension and misinformation, creating social friction and uncertainty for the current project. 579 of 1110
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3 x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Some neighbors don’t talk to other neighbors because of this.” o “I can’t separate fact from fiction.”
o “People think they won’t be able to remodel their homes.” x Sub-themes:
o Polarization: Strong opinions for and against historic districts. o Knowledge gaps: Misunderstandings about what designation entails. o Need for education: Clear communication to dispel myths and reduce conflict Desire for Coherence Across Multiple Plans
Participants questioned how various planning documents interact and called for integration to reduce complexity.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “How do these different plans… play together?”
o “There are multiple plans and guidelines that govern how a project gets done.” x Sub-themes:
o Fragmentation: Overlapping documents create inefficiency. o Hierarchy confusion: Lack of clarity on which plan takes precedence. o Consolidation: Strong desire for a unified regulatory framework.
Aesthetic and Cultural Identity
Participants valued San Mateo’s historic character but also wanted vibrancy and modernization to keep downtown appealing.
x Quotes and Paraphrases:
o “Make downtown cool.”
o “Respect existing architecture.”
o “Allow creative signage and storefronts.”
x Sub-themes:
o Preservation of charm: Maintain scale and sense of place. o Modern vibrancy: Incorporate contemporary design elements. o Cultural branding: Historic identity as an economic and social asset.
Contextualization
Provide Clear, Practical Guidance
x Develop explicit, codified standards supported by user-friendly tools such as checklists, timelines, and flowcharts.
x Consolidate overlapping plans (zoning, design standards, historic ordinances) into a single roadmap to reduce confusion.
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4 Embed Flexibility While Preserving Historic Character x Allow adaptive reuse and modern design elements that complement historic intent, such as rooftop additions or creative façades.
x Include language that permits deviations when they meet preservation goals and enhance economic vitality.
Resolve Conflicts Between Codes
x Create clear pathways for reconciling ADA compliance with Historic Building Code requirements. x Provide training for local officials on flexibility provisions and negotiation under the California Historic Building Code.
Support Economic Viability
x Incorporate economic impact considerations into ordinance revisions to avoid creating financial disincentives.
x Streamline approval timelines and clarify appeal processes to reduce risk and encourage investment.
Modernize Outdated Standards
x Update design guidelines and signage rules to reflect contemporary aesthetics while maintaining cultural identity.
x Refresh historic surveys and context statements to align with current architectural trends and community needs.
Foster Community Understanding and Reduce Division
x Launch educational campaigns to clarify what historic designation means for property owners. x Provide transparent communication tools to dispel myths and reduce neighborhood tensions.
Integrate Multiple Planning Documents
x Establish a clear hierarchy among the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Downtown Specific Plan, and other zoning codes.
x Develop a unified guidance resource that explains how these plans interact during project review.
Preserve Cultural Identity While Encouraging Vibrancy
x Highlight the role of historic character in shaping San Mateo’s unique sense of place and economic appeal.
x Encourage creative signage, storefront improvements, and public space enhancements that complement historic architecture.
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5 Places Referenced
Downtown San Mateo
B Street
x Context: Participants noted it as the area “where it’s at” for historic character and referenced past city-led work (e.g., the Vendome Hotel renovation).
Vendome Hotel
x Mentioned as a significant historic resource the city previously “redid,” signaling precedent for citybacked preservation and reuse.
Baywood Theater (former San Mateo Theater)
x Case study raised about its modernized façade and questions on whether such updates would still be approved under the revised ordinance.
x Highlights tension between preservation and contemporary design.
Benjamin Franklin Hotel / Ben Franklin Building (downtown) x Brought up in the context of ground-floor use (retail expectations vs. other uses) and ideas for rooftop activation and a glass elevator as a modern addition that distinguishes new from old while animating the street.
Medical Arts Building (downtown)
x Referenced regarding painting and refresh processes and how guidance can conflict or lack clarity, used as an example of the need for straightforward procedural steps.
Wisdom Hardware > First Watch/Baywatch storefronts (B Street area) x Noted in an architectural reminiscence tied to earlier renovations (e.g., moment frame addition) and storefront transformations--useful as a micro-case of historic-era commercial ground floors evolving.
Old City Hall on the plaza
x Discussed as a site where participants imagined more creative ground-floor interventions, while respecting the historic narrative (including existing interpretive art on the façade).
Other San Mateo districts and landmarks (beyond downtown) Glazenwood/Hayward Park
x A historic neighborhood referenced by residents; involved in recent incidents with the entry pillars at 9th Avenue (one toppled by a vehicle)
x Raised questions about responsibility and replacement in the right-of-way; relevant to ordinance clarity and maintenance protocols.
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6 Baywood Historic District (residential)
x Repeatedly cited as an area where misconceptions about historic designation affect neighbor relations and remodel expectations.
25th Avenue Business District
x Perceived by participants as having a “walk back in time” architectural feel – suggested to be included in citywide context and guidance.
37th Avenue and 41st Avenue Corridors
x Mentioned as additional commercial areas with historic elements that merit consideration in the context statement and potential ordinance impacts.
External examples informing local discussion (outside San Mateo) San Carlos Depot/Depot Café (San Carlos train station plaza) x Cited as a cautionary tale: multiple prospective tenants walked away due to unresolved conflicts between ADA requirements and historic code, underscores the need for reconciliation pathways in San Mateo’s ordinance.
Vine Street Victorians (Paso Robles)
x A participant’s 1888 local-register Victorian home used to illustrate a pragmatic approach: interior modernization was feasible while the city focused on exterior review, reinforcing the value of flexible, common-sense preservation practices.
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Appendix B
Workshop Responses
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Rincon Consultants, Inc.
66 Franklin Street, Suite 300
Oakland, California 94607
510-834-4455
Appendix C
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Chavez Supermarket
592 of 1110
Night on B Street
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Farmer’s Market
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Rincon Consultants, Inc.
66 Franklin Street, Suite 300
Oakland, California 94607
510-834-4455
Appendix D
Digital Time Capsule
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Padlet Instructions
Welcome to the San Mateo Digital Time Capsule! Help us preserve our community’s history by sharing:
Photos of signixcant places, events, or moments in San Mateo Stories and memories of community life
Historical documents or artifacts
Personal reyections about our city
Press the + in the bottom right corner to add your post! San Mateo, CA
Peninsula Hotel
1904
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1935 Snow Storm
1511 Palm Ave, San Mateo, CA
Victorian Day in the Park
By Joseph Sherman
1985
3rd Avenue at ECR and San Mateo Drive
By Joseph Sherman
1983
'83 took off with reeling in all juvenile educational test awards sports events parades people lifting heights to CA State Capital Educational Department picture dedicated to State Education for future San Mateo Medical Ofxce on acre 3rd Avenue and San Mateo Drive.
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Almond Roca Brown & Haley Pepsi!
3955 South El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA
1985
Station Park Green
Michael Art and Craft
K Mart please return these title
companies back to SMTO. 94402
430 Station Park Circle, San Mateo, CA
2018
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November 5, 2021, Unitarian Universalists of San
Mateo Congregational Building, 300 E. Santa Inez Ave.
(southeasterly corner of N. Ellsworth St.). Displayed is the Progress Pride yag, with 11 representational colors, as created in 2018 by Oregon-based designer Daniel
Quasar. Also displayed is the "Black Lives Matter -
Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo" banner.
Unitarian Universalists of San
Mateo Sanctuary (Constructed 1905)
The Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo (UU San
Mateo or UUSM) have met in the historic Sanctuary
of the former Methodist Church campus at 300 E.
Santa Inez Ave. (corner of N. Ellsworth) since 1952.
Constructed in 1905, the Sanctuary building
withstood the 1906 Earthquake - intact, and, as
of September 2025, is the longest continuouslyserving place of worship in the City of San Mateo.
Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo is "A religious
community of open hearts and open minds, working
together to transform ourselves and the world." -
Source: uusanmateo.org website, September 2025.
300 East Santa Inez Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94401
2021
Grace Lutheran Church
The history of Noah Ark built by the US Army 1944-1945
the memories are held at Golden Gate National Cemetary
2825 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo, CA
1942
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Pictured on the San Mateo Drive frontage of the
historic home and retail shop next door (occupied by
Nouvelle Vogue Bridal Boutique), the members of the
walking group from the Unitarian Universalists of San
Mateo pose mid-walking-tour, October 23, 2022.
29 N. San Mateo Drive, Corner of St.
Andrews Dr., and 27 N. San Mateo Dr.
Starting in 2020, during the Pandemic, many of the
congregational members of Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo (and their friends) joined together for walks - many of which originated at our Sanctuary at 300 E. Santa Inez Ave., just north of the historic Downtown of San Mateo.
The Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo (UU San
Mateo or UUSM) have met in the historic Sanctuary
on the former Methodist Church campus at 300 E.
Santa Inez Ave. (corner of N. Ellsworth) since 1952.
Constructed in 1905, the Sanctuary at 300 E.
Santa Inez withstood the 1906 Earthquake.
As of September 2025, the UUSM Sanctuary
is the longest continuously-hosting place of
worship in the City of San Mateo.
29 North San Mateo Drive, San Mateo, CA
2022
1975 downtown walking tour
pamphlet shows original "town" lines
Downtown, San Mateo, CA
1975
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900 Fourth Ave.
The Feely family in their rental on 900 Fourth
Ave., later changed to Grant Street. They
moved there in 1940 and rent was $50 a month.
1st Avenue and B Street - Courtesy of
Hasuko Yamanouchi Watanuki Collection
In 1908, Tetsuo Yamanouchi opened the Imperial Laundry at 218 - 1st Avenue San Mateo. The space was rented from
the Wisnoms a pioneer San Mateo family. In addition to the family of xve children, the laundry also employed as many as seven other people. The Yamanouchi home was at the
corner of 1st Ave and Ellsworth Street. Tetsuo Yamanouchi had been educated and trained as a Zen Buddhist priest in Japan, and he became the spiritual leader in 1909. The living room of the home was the beginning of the San Mateo
Buddhist Church. His wife Yoshiko organized the Buddhist Sunday School, the Buddhist Women’s Association, and the Young Buddhist Association. When the small congregation outgrew the living room, an adjacent storefront on 1st
Avenue was rented for $40 a month by Tetsuo
Yamanouchi. When Tetsuo Yamanouchi died in 1936, his
wife Yoshiko took over the laundry business and
successfully operated it until the family returned to San Mateo at the end of World War II. It was unusual in those times for the wife to take over a business, but Yoshiko was determined the business would go on.
In 1940, the business was moved from its original location to a new facility at 46 B Street.
During World War II, the family was incarcerated in Topaz, Utah. The business was leased by friends during the war.
Hasuko and Masashi Max Watanuki, the daughter and sonin-law took over the management of the business after the war and the name of the business was changed to BluWhite Laundry because the connotation of the word “imperial” may have been perceived as a negative. The
name likely came from the appearance of the building
which was white with blue trim. The new building was
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designed by William H Rowe and built by Hugh H.
MacDonald.
Yoshiko Yamanouchi remained active in the San Mateo
Buddhist Temple and in her Buddhist and Civic life.
Imperial Laundry in 1909 - Courtesy of
Hasuko Yamanouchi Watanuki Collection
See 1st Avenue and B Street post
1909
Yoshiko Yamanouchi House -
Historic District - Katsura Walkway
In December 2023, the Yoshiko Yamanouchi House at 1007
East 5th Avenue San Mateo was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places at the local level of signixcance under Criteria A & B in the areas of Ethnic
Heritage/Asian/Japanese and social History/Woman’s
History for its association with a prominent member the Issei generation in San Mateo’s Japanese American
Community, from early 20th century to today.
The picture below is the Yoshiko Yamanouchi House
Historic District which has nine contributors: The
Entrance Gate, House, Katsura Building, Katsura Garden, Katsura Walk-way, Storage Room and Pump House, Patio
and Swimming Pool, West Side Garden. The Japanese style Hill and Pond and Garden was completed in 1958 by
landscape designer Nagao Sakurai. The second structure
and garden on this site was completed in 1968, by architect and designer Kodo Matsubara, scholar of Japanese sukiyastyled architecture. The Yoshiko Yamanouchi House is one of only three properties nationwide spotlighted in the
recent National Register publication “Best Practices
Review.”
An added note: After the completion of the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden at the Yoshiko Yamanouchi House, Nagao
Sakurai assisted the Japanese gardeners who built the
Japanese Tea Garden in Central Park in San Mateo.
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Time_Capsule___San_Mateo__Samaritan_House.pdf
San Mateo Samaritan House
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Rincon Consultants
San Mateo Historic Policy Update Effort
Appendix E
Public Comments
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1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2025 8:31 AM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Kassandra Gale; Margo Nayyar
Cc: Sung Kwon; Somer Smith
Subject: [EXT] FW: Less Red Tape's official response to the SMHA's restarting of the Baywood Historic District
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Sharing as an FYI. I’ll let you know how tonight’s Council discussion goes. Here’s a link to the CC meeting agenda if you want to look at the draft letter to OHP and other comments that have come in. https://sanmateo.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=9448 Thanks,
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director | Community Development Dept.
330 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403
650-522-7207 | [email protected]
From: Andrew Ryan
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2025 4:02:21 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]>; Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>; Christina Horrisberger <[email protected]> Subject: Less Red Tape's official response to the SMHA's restarting of the Baywood Historic District Dear City Council and City Manager,
Less Red Tape has received confirmation this week that the SMHA has restarted the Baywood National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination at the OHP this week. While we don’t know yet exactly what was filed, this act by the SMHA is a clear breach of the deal we reached to pursue a local process in lieu of the state-level NRHP process. In light of this development, and the City Council’s special session on Mar 17 2025 to discuss sending a letter to the OHP asking them to defer the Baywood nomination, we would like to ask three things from the City:
1. Not one penny spent on the Rincon contract or a local historic district process until the SMHA withdraws the Baywood nomination. When I got up in front of City Council in January and called the SMHA “bad actors,” some criticized me, saying the SMHA was cooperating with the City. We knew better. The SMHA never intended to stop their application. The SMHA simply wants unchecked power to create
historic districts around the city as cheaply and easily as possible. Trying to negotiate with or appease the SMHA is a waste of time and money. What is the point of developing a local process if the SMHA will keep subverting it by going directly to the state?
2. City cooperation with Less Red Tape on opposing the Baywood nomination. 605 of 1110
2 We have been fighting this since the beginning, pouring thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars of our own money. We have worked closely with members of the City Council, City staff, and developed strong grassroots networks throughout the city. We have made great progress, but in conjunction with the City, we can, together, be a much more effective force. Having the unified opposition of the municipal government and the affected homeowners will be very powerful. Indeed, the only historic district nomination to ever be pulled by the OHP, in Alameda, was such a case. If this is amenable to the Council, we can discuss what forms this collaboration might take.
3. Councilmember Lisa Diaz Nash must formally absent herself from the March 17 special session as part of her “recusal,” or else formally end her pretense at recusing herself.
As you know, Councilmember Nash has been “recusing” herself from votes specifically related to the Baywood historic district. We use quotes because she has been an active participant in discussions, and her ardent support for the district is documented in PRA requests. While Nash has no legal reason to recuse, at least according to the City Attorney, she has tried to appear “neutral” on the matter by claiming to "recuse" herself. Since the March 17 special session is solely dedicated to Baywood, Lisa Diaz Nash should not attend in any capacity, much less cast a vote. Alternatively, she can end her phony “recusal” and stop this farce.
Thank you for listening. We are deeply concerned about these new developments and wish to try to move forward in a constructive way. We want peace among our neighbors and historic preservation done the right way: with consent and input from local residents about what is worth preserving and how to preserve it. The SMHA are bullies and bad actors who are exploiting a weak set of state laws to attempt to enact their own agenda.
Thank you,
Andrew Ryan on behalf of Less Red Tape, a Baywood community organization * PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 606 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 12:48 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Margo Nayyar; Kassandra Gale
Cc: Somer Smith; Sung Kwon
Subject: [EXT] FW: Planning Department procedures for Historic Districts CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Sharing for awareness. Any thoughts on his assessment of how CEQA applies? Thanks.
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Andrew Ryan
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 12:32 PM
To: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Cc: Christina Horrisberger <[email protected]>; Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>; Sung Kwon <[email protected]>; City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Planning Department procedures for Historic Districts Hi Zachary,
Thank you for your response. However, I believe there are a few misunderstandings that we hope the City can clarify.
First, it seems we both agree that Glazenwood is not a formally adopted historic district and is not protected under any City ordinance. This is a good starting point. Surely you can see why we are deeply concerned that if Rincon’s work is allowed to proceed, even if it does not specifically identify new historic districts, the results of Rincon’s work could be easily used by the City to create new de facto historic districts, just like the City has done with Glazenwood.
Regarding CEQA, I would like to clarify the process for identifying historic resources. Under CEQA, there are three types of “historic resources,” each with specific requirements:
1. Mandatory Resource / CEQA Guideline 15064.5(a)(1): A mandatory resource must either be "listed in, or determined to be eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission." Glazenwood has neither been listed nor determined eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission, so this provision is inapplicable.
2. Presumed Resource / CEQA Guideline 15064.5(a)(2): A presumed resource must be specifically identified in a local register as "officially designated or recognized as historically significant by a local government" pursuant to a local ordinance or resolution (PRC Sec. 5020.1(k)). As we agree, Glazenwood has not been formally designated as a district by the City of San Mateo. Moreover, since Glazenwood’s survey is over five years old, it cannot be included in the State Historic Resources Inventory in its current form. Therefore, this provision also does not apply. 607 of 1110
2 3. Discretionary Resource / CEQA Guideline 15064.5(a)(3): This provision allows the lead agency to determine, on a case-by-case basis, that a property not listed on a local register and not found eligible for the California Register can still be considered a historic resource for CEQA purposes.
However, this determination must be “supported by substantial evidence,” and such decisions can be appealed to the City Council. The City cannot simply presume that any property in Glazenwood qualifies as a historic resource. Each property must be individually evaluated, and the determination must be backed by substantial evidence. If the Planning Department makes such a determination, it could be subject to appeal.
Therefore, when the City states that it “currently has two identified districts” in its Historic Resources handout, this is inaccurate. To the extent the City has authority to apply historic resource standards to Glazenwood, it can only assert such authority under CEQA and because it has not been formally listed locally and/or deemed eligible by the State Historical Resources Commission.
Thank you for your attention to these points. I look forward to discussing this further. I am available to meet in person or virtually, whatever works for you.
Best regards,
Andrew Ryan
On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 10:49 AM Zachary Dahl <[email protected]> wrote:
Morning Andrew,
I’m following up on your earlier email inquiry. The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance is only used when a property is formally designated as a resource or a district. However, the status of “eligible” means that a property hasn’t been designated by the City but that it meets certain criteria (like age and historical importance) that make it a candidate for listing at the state and/or national level, or for local historic designation. This means that the City could consider it for local designation but that it also has to be evaluated under CEQA when a project on the property is proposed. Also, there’s no such thing as “formally eligible.” A property either does, or does not, meet the criteria for being eligible, and this is based on an evaluation using the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources standards.
With regards to Glazenwood, you are correct that staff has not be able to find any record that it was locally designated as a historic district, so it is not an officially designated historic district. However, based on the documented information and evidence on the Glazenwood Neighborhood, including in the City’s past General Plan, it does meet the criteria for being an eligible historic district. Thus, this information has to be considered when a project is proposed that is subject to environmental review. Also, as has been communicated previously to LRT and at public meetings, Rincon is working on the preparation of a Citywide Historic Context Statement, but this work does NOT include identification of potential historic districts.
City Council and City Attorney included as a BCC.
608 of 1110
3 Thank you.
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director | Community Development Dept.
330 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403
650-522-7207 | [email protected]
From: Andrew Ryan
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2025 12:17 PM
To: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Cc: Frank Elliott City Mgr <[email protected]>; City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]>
Subject: Planning Department procedures for Historic Districts
Dear Mr. Dahl,
As the local historic designation process proceeds, we urge the City to affirm that restrictions for historic districts and individual historic resources will apply only to those areas that are officially recognized as being “formally eligible” or “listed” on a local, state, or federal registry, starting with Glazenwood.
Glazenwood currently has no legal historic district status at the federal, state, or local levels. Yet, the City of San Mateo’s Planning Department treats it as if it were listed as “eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.” The Planning Department has simply adopted an opinion and turned that opinion into code enforcement, which is not how the law is supposed to work. The ambiguous status enforced by the City benefits neither the City nor homeowners, but merely adds unnecessary expense, delays, and uncertainty to development and remodeling projects.
We respectfully request that the City instruct the San Mateo Planning Department to immediately cease treating Glazenwood—and similarly, Baywood—as part of a Historic District.
For reference, on page 32 of the “1989 Historic Building Survey” conducted by the City, Glazenwood is noted as "appears eligible for nomination as a National Register district.” However, merely stating that Glazenwood “appears eligible” confers no legal status as a historic district and no legal “eligibility” status, as “eligibility” is a specific legal status with regards to the National Register of Historic Places which can only be granted by the Department of the Interior. Numerous other individual properties in San Mateo are also in this same “gray area” status.
Should the City decide to pursue a local, state, or federal process to formally designate Glazenwood as a historic district, per the Council’s direction in January 2025 that any local process include affirmative homeowner consent, we request that the residents of Glazenwood be asked to provide affirmative consent for such a designation.
As demonstrated by the issues in Baywood, lacking strong community support can lead to significant conflicts among neighbors and within the broader community. Historic district status can confer certain rights but also imposes considerable obligations on residents and the City, and therefore should be implemented only with careful deliberation.
As the local process moves forward—and as Rincon identifies potential historic districts through their context statement work—we request that the planning department apply historic district procedures only to those areas that are officially recognized.
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4 We welcome the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss this matter in more depth.
Regards,
Andrew Ryan
A member of Less Red Tape, a Baywood community organization https://lessredtape.com
* PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. * PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 610 of 1110
From: Andrew Ryan
To: Zachary Dahl; Alex Khojikian; Christina Horrisberger; Frank Elliott; Historic Policy; Somer Smith Subject: Please take the SMHA propaganda out of the City"s "Historic Policy Update Effort FAQs" Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 9:48:18 AM
The City website is a new, separate entry for "Historic Policy Update Effort FAQs" -- https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/97533/FAQs-Historic-PreservationOrdinance -- on the city's historic policy web site (https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/4877/Historic-Policy-Update-Effort) that contains misinformation and missing information.
We ask that you thoroughly review this FAQ and remove all misinformation, errors, and halftruths. Leaving this misinformation up confuses residents Specifically:
1. Remove all information about "historic districts" from this FAQ and keep it strictly about the mechanics of the development of the new ordinance. There is already a Historic Districts FAQ on your website which is decent and factual.
2. One piece of misinformation is in the question "Would being in a historic district change my property value?". The answer implies that being in a historic district increases your property values. The truth is -- and you know this -- no one knows for sure, it's much more complicated, and this answer doesn't go into any of the many negatives of being in a historic district that DEFINITELY come along with being in a historic district. Implying that being in a historic district raises property value is straight up SMHA propaganda.
3. Another piece of misinformation is in the question "Who decides what is historic?" Nowhere in this answer is "Owner Consent" mentioned, yet the City Council has reaffirmed TWICE now that owner consent will be a mandatory part of the ordinance.
4. Still another piece of misinformation is in the question "Will I still be able to renovate my house if it is designated as historic?". The answer here is incomplete and wrong, and more clearly answered in your other FAQ under the entry "Are there added permits or construction requirements that could increase costs for a proposed project affecting a contributor to a historic district?"
5. Yet another piece of misinformation: under the question "Will this affect what kinds of buildings or businesses are allowed in the future?" the answer states "Preservation focuses on the physical character of buildings and neighborhoods, not land use." We all know this is false, so stop printing the SMHA's propaganda. You'll never be able to rezone a historic district.
If this FAQ was written by Staff, then we have a serious training and knowledge problem inside City Hall.
If this FAQ was written by Rincon, then we are in big trouble because they are supposed to be the "experts."
I believe you have people inside City Hall who know what's up, but for whatever reason you're deliberately choosing to take the SMHA's side here every time and try to ignore what the people, and the City Council, have told you that they want. 611 of 1110
612 of 1110
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1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2025 8:54 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Kassandra Gale; Somer Smith; Joanna Winter; Sung H. Kwon; Margo Nayyar
Subject: [EXT] FW: Why is a "complete Mills Act program" being developed without Council or public involvement???
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Passing along for awareness.
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2025 3:40 PM
To: Prasanna Rasiah <[email protected]>; Christina Horrisberger <[email protected]>; Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Why is a "complete Mills Act program" being developed without Council or public involvement??? FYI- see below.
AK
Alex Khojikian
City Manager | City Manager’s Office
330 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403
650-522-7002 | [email protected]
From: Andrew Ryan
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2025 3:38 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]> Subject: Why is a "complete Mills Act program" being developed without Council or public involvement??? Council, you were recently given this update by staff on the Mills Act program, which currently gives away $52,000/year to two multimillionaire homeowners. Buried in this update was the phrase "staff is working with Rincon to develop a complete Mills Act Program that addresses the process for designation and ongoing administration to maintain compliance".
This update from staff (see below for complete update) is very concerning because neither the City Council nor the general public have been asked to give ANY direction as to the fate of the Mills Act in San Mateo. What changes are being proposed? Why are changes being made? Who benefits? Does San 614 of 1110
2 Mateo even need to have a Mills Act (legally, it is not required), and if it does, who should benefit from it and why?
For that matter, what happened to any of the Historic Policy Update Effort community outreach? With regard to ongoing administration of existing Mills Act properties, the contracts are quite clear with regard to what needs to be done by the City, the problem has been the City's negligence and inaction over the last 30 years. No consultant's report can fix that.
Council: It's time to ask City staff some hard questions about the Mills Act. Even better, cancel the two existing contracts and shut this "Welfare For Millionaires" program down.
Andrew Ryan
Baywood homeowner
P.S. Here is the update given to council:
Mills Act Program - The City has two active properties with Mills Act (Historic Preservation) Agreements.
Staff is currently engaged with the owners of both properties (70 de Sabla Rd. and 37 E. Santa Inez Ave.) to prepare updated workplans that detail property maintenance and preservation activities over the next ten years, as required by their agreements. Initial windshield surveys of the sites show that both are in compliance with the requirements of the agreements and well maintained with historic characteristics intact. Staff anticipates that the updated workplans will be completed in September, followed by detailed property inspections. As part of the Historic Policy Update, staff is working with Rincon to develop a complete Mills Act Program that addresses the process for designation and ongoing administration to maintain compliance. No new Mills Act applications will be accepted until the program has been developed and the Historic Policy Update Effort has been completed. * PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 615 of 1110
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616 of 1110
From: Zachary Dahl
To: Joanna Winter; Somer Smith; Kassandra Gale; JulieAnn Murphy; Margo Nayyar Cc: Sung H. Kwon
Subject: FW: The "Historic Policy Update" is a disaster in slow-motion, will you help? Date: Monday, October 20, 2025 6:38:28 PM
Passing along for awareness.
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Chantal Eaton <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2025 1:21 PM
To: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>; Sung H. Kwon <[email protected]>; Mary Way <[email protected]>
Cc: Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>; Prasanna Rasiah <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: The "Historic Policy Update" is a disaster in slow-motion, will you help? Hi Zach and team,
Please see the comments below.
Kind regards,
Chantal
From: Andrew Ryan
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2025 1:12 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]> Cc: Frank Elliott Chris Kusber <[email protected]> Subject: The "Historic Policy Update" is a disaster in slow-motion, will you help? Councilmember Cwirko-Godycki (and others), how would you feel if the City were to spend $300K on a new set of flooding ordinances, and both the City staffer in charge as well as the firm creating those ordinances (1) never met with Shoreview residents and (2) did not include any specifics about how flooding would be handled specifically in the Shoreview neighborhood? You’d be very disappointed and angry, I’d expect.
Well, that’s exactly what the Planning department under Zach Dahl is doing with our Historic Policy Update. Just like “flooding risk,” “Historic Risk” is not distributed equally in San Mateo. The primary neighborhoods at risk for historic designation are:
1. Baywood: already nominated for the National Register of Historic Places, under very high risk of being turned into a 444 home historic district against neighborhood consent
617 of 1110
2. Glazenwood: already considered a historic district by the City, even though this is an error in the San Mateo General Plan, and the City is refusing (why?) to change designation
3. San Mateo Park: Even older than Baywood, contains many possibly individually historic homes as well as the historic medians designed by John McClaren of Golden Gate Park fame
A proper education and outreach plan would involve meeting directly and consistently with residents of these neighborhoods to give them clarity on how their rights and obligations as homeowners will be affected if they are designated historic.
Yet, none of those meetings have occurred.
Even worse, when my colleague Frank Elliott recently met with Mr. Dahl, he was told that, assuming Baywood is eventually placed on the National Register, Mr. Dahl has no idea how homes in Baywood will be treated under City law and expects bureaucrats at the OHP in Sacramento to guide us! If that’s true, how is that better than the status quo, and what is San Mateo spending money on here exactly?
Council, are you really telling us that we are spending all this money and residents are getting no additional clarity or input about what we can and can’t do with our homes? This is outrageous. The Council is heading for yet another expensive disaster if we do not engage in more outreach and give property owners in this city more clarity.
The three questions I’m asking you to ask yourselves and ask Staff:
1. Why has there not been direct neighborhood outreach to the neighborhoods at greatest risk of being declared historic?
2. Do we even have the right person from the City leading this effort, or should we find a replacement for Mr. Dahl?
3. Is the City really getting any value for its money from Rincon, or do we need to reexamine our commercial relationship and contractual compliance with them? If the Council takes action now, I think we can correct this situation. No laws have been made or changed, and there is still time to engage with key stakeholders. But if you fail to act, I can guarantee that you are creating big problems for years to come that will come back to haunt city residents and future governments and cause more acrimony and even larger expenses.
Andrew Ryan
Baywood Homeowner
618 of 1110
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619 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 8:57 AM
To: Kassandra Gale; JulieAnn Murphy
Cc: Sung H. Kwon; Joanna Winter; Somer Smith; Margo Nayyar Subject: [EXT] FW: San Mateo Park participation in historic ordinance outreach (info + hosting offer)
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Morning JulieAnn and Kassandra,
Sharing an email from the San Mateo park Association. Let us know what thoughts/response you have to his email, and then we will provide a response at the end of the week when we’re all back from CalAPA.
Thanks!
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Zachary Dahl
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 8:47 AM
To: Chris Kusber
Cc: SMPNA Board of Directors <[email protected]>; Somer Smith <[email protected]>; Sung H. Kwon <[email protected]>; Joanna Winter <[email protected]> Subject: RE: San Mateo Park participation in historic ordinance outreach (info + hosting offer) Morning Chris,
Thanks for reaching out about the historic policy update effort. Myself and the Planning team are out of the office attending training sessions at the annual state planning conference for the first half of this week. But I have shared your email with our staff and consultant team, and we will provide a more detailed response to you and the SMPNA Board at the end of the week.
City Council moved to BCC.
Have a nice Monday.
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Chris Kusber
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2025 9:01 PM
To: Lisa Diaz Nash <[email protected]>; City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]>; Clerk <[email protected]>; Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>; Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>
620 of 1110
2 Cc: SMPNA Board of Directors <[email protected]> Subject: San Mateo Park participation in historic ordinance outreach (info + hosting offer) Dear City Council, City Clerk, Mr. Dahl, and Mr. Khojikian, On behalf of the San Mateo Park Neighborhood Association (SMPNA), thank you for your continued work on City ordinances and for your efforts in keeping the community informed.
Over the past week, we’ve heard from San Mateo Park residents who are eager to learn more about the historic ordinance process, updates, and how to participate. In that spirit - and true to our mission to share information with our community - we’re reaching out to request a few details and to offer our help.
Specifically, could you please share:
x Schedule & format – Dates, times, locations, and formats for the upcoming pop-up events and the three planned stakeholder focus groups.
x Communications & notification – The City’s planned outreach (channels, timing, and any mailers) so we can share and potentially amplify, as needed. x Timeline & next steps – Key milestones over the coming months, anticipated dates for a draft ordinance and the citywide historic context statement, and how public input will shape revisions before Council consideration.
We’d also be happy to host. SMPNA can help coordinate a City-led event in San Mateo Park - either as one of your pop-ups or as a dedicated, in-person neighborhood session focused on learning and input. We’re happy to handle logistics (venue coordination, on-site volunteers) and to promote the event through our email list, website, and social channels to help ensure broad, welcoming participation.
Our goal is simple: to be a reliable vessel of information so Park neighbors can learn, ask questions, and share feedback constructively.
If helpful, our board is meeting next Monday, 10/6, and can be made available to compare calendars and discuss dates and logistics.
Thank you for your partnership and for all you do for our community.
Chris
Chris Kusber
President
San Mateo Park Neighborhood Association
sanmateopark.org
* PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have 621 of 1110
3 received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 622 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 5:11 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Margo Nayyar; Kassandra Gale
Cc: Sung H. Kwon; Somer Smith
Subject: [EXT] FW: Historic Policy Study Session, June 2, 2025 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
From: Connie Weiss
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 12:21 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]> Subject: Historic Policy Study Session, June 2, 2025
Dear Mayor Newsom and City Council Members,
Thank you for addressing San Mateo’s ordinance for historic resources. Like many of you, my love for San Mateo is rooted in its beautiful historic architecture and is a key reason why San Mateo is such a highly desirable place to live.
There have been several “generations” of the City Council working on the General Plan over the years; even with widely diverse opinions of each Council body, it is resoundingly clear that they believed historic architecture was important to preserve throughout each of the General Plan iterations.
In revising the ordinance, the City should respect the expertise of our state and national historic bodies, which have processes developed over many years.
The City ordinance should flow easily from the state process so homeowners of historic homes will understand how the processes work together for a cohesive policy.
While it seems magnanimous to include owner consent in the City’s ordinance, it is actually duplicative of the state process. We should not challenge a process that has taken years to put together with something that sounds good, but has no real value for San Mateo, and actually defeats the purpose of what the General Plan is trying to accomplish.
And for me, an owner of a historic home, I have already had to acquiesce to the City when we remodeled our home in 2017. We made several changes to our plans without complaint as we agreed that it was important for our home to continue to align with the rest of the neighborhood. Our consent was not an option; the requirement was complied with.
There are two Heritage Sycamore trees in our front yard. These trees are not ours; they are the City’s. Even though they are on our property, we have no options as to their care, we are tasked by the City to care for them, which we willingly do because it is so important to the overall look and feel 623 of 1110
2 of this gorgeous neighborhood. We have never been allowed to opt-out or consent on this, although it is a costly requirement, and we never expect to be given choices by the City.
With respect to the General Plan, Council should not consider the Planning Commission as the governing body for the ordinance as this body has a reputation for unilaterally opposing historic preservation because of the false notion that it prevents housing. A more balanced body of leaders needs to be identified to truly carry out the work the General Plan prescribes.
Thank you,
Connie Weiss
San Mateo Resident
* PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 624 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2025 2:41 PM
To: Kassandra Gale; JulieAnn Murphy; Margo Nayyar
Cc: Somer Smith; Sung H. Kwon
Subject: [EXT] FW: Please: Require 80% Homeowner Consent for Historic District Designation CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
FYI
From: crystal hayling
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 10:16 AM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]> Subject: Please: Require 80% Homeowner Consent for Historic District Designation
Dear City Councilmembers,
Thank you for your leadership in developing a historic preservation policy that aims to balance the value of our city’s history with the rights of individual homeowners.
As you consider this important issue, I urge you to adopt a policy requiring at least 80% of homeowners to explicitly consent before designating any neighborhood as a historic district. This kind of lasting change to property rights and land use should only proceed with clear and overwhelming support from those directly affected.
Even our residential parking permit program requires 67% support—surely, historic designation, with its far greater implications for homeowners, warrants a higher threshold.
Please ensure that homeowner voices remain central to decisions that shape the future of our neighborhoods.
Warmest regards,
Crystal Hayling
Baywood neighborhood
I'm using dictation! Please excuse typos.
* PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is 625 of 1110
2 confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 626 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 5:11 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Kassandra Gale; Margo Nayyar
Cc: Sung H. Kwon; Somer Smith
Subject: [EXT] FW: Historic Policy Study Session, June 2, 2025 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
From: >
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 12:42 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]> Cc: Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>
Subject: Historic Policy Study Session, June 2, 2025
Honorable Mayor and Council Members:
I have concerns regarding the Historic Ordinance Staff Report, specifically the recommendation to add the responsibilities of creating the changes to, administering, and managing the Historic Preservation Ordinance and its operational aspects to the Planning Commission.
I am also concerned, as is city staff, about individual property owners being allowed to opt out of designation by the city as a Historic Resource and thus not be held to any associated requirements. A staff clearly reports, it is not a simple matter and has long-term considerations.
I am concerned that if the City Council grants to the Planning Commission the powers and responsibilities to update the Historic Ordinance, and administrate the operation of the ordinance, it could easily lead to extreme ethics issues.
The Staff Report states:
In summary, identifying the reviewing authority to review and apply the provisions of a historic preservation Ordinance is a vital component and can be achieved through establishing a separate review body or embedding the responsibilities with an existing reviewing body. Given the City’s current mix of Committees and Commissions, tasking an existing body with these responsibilities would make the most sense right now.
Thus, staff recommends utilizing the Planning Commission as the City’s local review body for the Historic Preservation Ordinance.
I base this concern on the well-documented behavior of some current members of the Planning Commission. x One commissioner has been involved, as an acolyte and award recipient, from a well-funded local/state/national special interest organization that opposes Historic District designations.[1] x The #1 candidate recommendation for fill a soon to be vacant Planning Commission seat self-proclaimed, “I am a YIMBY”[2], during the interview for the seat.
x One current Planning Commissioner has spoken during “Public Comments” strongly and angrily opposing the destination of Baywood as a Historic District.
627 of 1110
2 x A current Planning Commissioner has an extremely critical Letter to the Editor, published in the San Mateo Daily Journey, again opposing Historic District designation and stating extremely misleading information.[3] As part of our city leadership, the facts certainly should have been known to this commissioner.
I strongly believe that sufficient and demonstrated bias against Historic Districts is present, and could continue, in the Planning Commission. This would undoubtedly result in the residents of San Mateo not being served as required by the city’s charter or the rules/Code of Conduct.
Please consider the staff’s concerns about allowing property owners to opt in or out of being subject to the Historic Preservation Ordinance. I find it hard to grasp the concept that an individual can decide what laws they care to comply with. Currently there are many enforced rules, with penalties for violations, which are for the public good. Some are for safety such as the fire sprinkler retrofit requirements, but others are simply bothersome and expensive to comply with.
Can an individual simply write city hall and opt-out? The City Council should equally apply the Historic Preservation Ordinance as any other law, without an opt-out/opt-in option. I firmly believe that doing anything else would invite ethics issues
I recognize the purpose of commissions is to create a system of city governance that includes qualified residents, not necessarily experts in the subject matters coming before a commission. The revision of the Historic Preservation Ordinance as well as the administration of the ordinance clearly requires a higher level of subject matter knowledge than simple interest in the quality of life in our city. It will take significant study of historic architecture, the history of the city, and state and federal standards and regulations. It will take someone with some level of positive enthusiasm about historic preservation to be effective and have enough knowledge to perform the required duties and make judgments without bias.
My concern is that the ordinance, if not developed with great care, could lead to ethics and Code of Conduct violations.
If it can be predicted, it may be avoided. The bias of some members of the current Planning Commission is clearly a call for caution.
I know San Mateo residents are encouraged by the recent efforts of our City Council to regain trust, this is one of the first tests to prove you are serious about it.
[1] The special interest organization’s opposition to designation of Historic Distracts is well-discussed as part of their tenets. 2 The YIMBY organization’s opposition to designation of Historic Distracts is well-discussed as part of their tenets. 3 https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters to editor/san-mateo-s-priorities-need-recalibration/article 277bc350- e26e-4d53-a43f-c77890518Ư5.html
Respectfully,
Dave Cohen
San Mateo Resident
628 of 1110
3 * PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. [1] The special interest organization’s opposition to designation of Historic Distracts is well-discussed as part of their tenets. [2] The YIMBY organization’s opposition to designation of Historic Distracts is well-discussed as part of their tenets. [3] https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/san-mateo-s-priorities-need-recalibration/article_277bc350- e26e-4d53-a43f-c77890518Ư5.html
629 of 1110
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643 of 1110
From: Alex Khojikian
To: Prasanna Rasiah; Zachary Dahl; Christina Horrisberger Subject: FW: Action Alert: Speak up against NIMBYs
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 9:16:59 PM
Attachments: image001.png
image002.png
fyi
Alex Khojikian
City Manager | City Manager’s Office
330 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403
650-522-7002 | [email protected]
From: Danielle Cwirko-Godycki <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 9:09 PM
To: Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Action Alert: Speak up against NIMBYs
fyi
From: Douglas Handerson <
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 1:11 PM
To: Nicole Fernandez <[email protected]>; Lisa Diaz Nash < Danielle Cwirko-Godycki <[email protected]>; Rob Newsom <[email protected]>; Adam Loraine <[email protected]> Subject: Fwd: Action Alert: Speak up against NIMBYs
This misrepresents items on agenda, and unnecessarily enflames the discussion, yes?? Perhaps ask staff to clarify in Noticing and Agenda Report, so Council and local residents' limited time is better focused on the actual, more basic subject matter? ---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Peninsula for Everyone <[email protected]> Date: Wed, Jan 15, 2025, 04:00
Subject: Action Alert: Speak up against NIMBYs
To: <d >
Ne t Tu s wi l be i ot l
644 of 1110
645 of 1110
646 of 1110
647 of 1110
648 of 1110
3) City staff, city council, and the public are not experts about how this proposed historic work might create exposure to CEQA lawsuits. Nor are historians. I request that if this RFP goes forward, an expert land use attorney (active in CEQA lawsuits) is engaged, to make sure the impact on property rights are balanced against the goals of architectural historians.
Thank you,
Frank Elliott
649 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 12:32 PM
To: Margo Nayyar; JulieAnn Murphy; Kassandra Gale
Cc: Sung H. Kwon; Somer Smith
Subject: [EXT] FW: It's not consent - It's understanding the consequences of Historic Designation.
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
FYI
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Frank Elliott
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 11:58 AM
To: Rob Newsom <[email protected]>; Danielle Cwirko-Godycki <[email protected]>; Adam Loraine <[email protected]>; Nicole Fernandez <[email protected]>; Lisa Diaz Nash <[email protected]>; Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>; Prasanna Rasiah <[email protected]>; Danielle Cwirco-Godycki ; Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Subject: It's not consent - It's understanding the consequences of Historic Designation.
Consent is the key issue—because we’re wary of added restrictions on our property. We are insisting, because we are afraid.
I support celebrating San Mateo’s history, and we should do that in ways that are inclusive and noncontroversial. But under state law, the consequences for property owners are unclear. Many believe it limits remodel options, increases CEQA risk, blocks SB 9, etc. Others say that’s false.
Councilmember Diaz-Nash, you’ve told me—and hundreds of others—that a state finding of historic status can pose no risk, and that local ordinances can prevent new burdens. I’ve challenged that. I hope you’re right, but we should settle that question before taking another step.
Baywood will likely be found historic at the state level—without owner consent.
Council, before spending another dollar, please direct Rincon to draft ordinances that impose minimal or no burdens in cases like Baywood, and have them reviewed by a CEQA attorney. You don’t have to adopt them—just show the option exists.
Other neighborhoods deserve clarity. And until we fully understand the impact on remodel and demolition rights, 100% consent must remain.
Staff: Make sure your process outlines how the community will be able to weigh in on the topic of property restrictions, for the new ordinances. So far your summary report is silent on this topic. 650 of 1110
2 Thank you.
* PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 651 of 1110
652 of 1110
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658 of 1110
State of California x Natural Resources Agency Gavin Newsom, Governor
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Julianne Polanco, State Historic Preservation Officer
1725 23rd Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95816-7100
Telephone: (916) 445-7000 FAX: (916) 445-7053
[email protected] www.ohp.parks.ca.gov
Armando Quintero, Director
July 18, 2025
In reply refer to: UAID: NRHP_2023_Baywood_Histori_0038 VIA EMAIL with enclosure
VIA USPS mail without enclosure
Frank Elliott
Subject: Baywood Historic District
Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places
San Mateo, San Mateo County, California
Your request for reclassification of 419 Jackson Street Dear Mr. Elliott:
The nomination belongs to the applicant. Therefore, any changes must be directed to the applicant and preparer, who are copied on this message. Should they make changes to the nomination, they would provide the amended nomination to our office for review.
The materials you submitted electronically with your request for reclassification are enclosed for electronic transmittal to the applicant and preparer.
Sincerely,
Amy H. Crain
State Historian II
Enclosure
Cc: Laurie Hietter, President, San Mateo Heritage Alliance (via email with enclosure) Barrett Reiter, Architectural Historian, Page & Turnbull (via email with enclosure) 659 of 1110
660 of 1110
Historic District FAQ – What Homeowners Need to Know
(Draft Proposal for City Website / Public Materials)
Q: If my home is in a historic district, what does that mean for projects? It means your project may be reviewed under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (see attached for more detail). If your plans follow those standards, they are usually approved. If they don’t, your project could be delayed, conditioned, or even denied — and in some cases, a neighbor or outside group can file a legal CEQA challenge.
Q: What kinds of projects are usually safe (approved if done in-kind or in a compatible way)?
x Interior work: Kitchens, baths, wiring, plumbing, HVAC — all okay. x Roof replacement: Using the same materials, pitch, and color. x Windows/doors: Replacing in the same style, size, and material. x Rear additions: Smaller additions at the back of the home, designed to match. x Garage doors: Replacing with a similar paneled or carriage-style door. x Porches: Repairing or restoring to original design.
x ADUs: Small, rear-yard units that match the house in scale and style. x Solar panels: Allowed if placed out of sight (rear roof slope). California law may extend more flexibility.
x Routine maintenance: Painting, gutters, fences, landscaping (as long as compatible). x Demolition of a non-contributor, presuming the replacement is consistent with the historical character of the neighborhood.
Q: What kinds of projects are most likely to be challenged or denied? x Demolition: Tearing down a contributing home. (Note: Contributor status is identified in the district nomination. While that classification can be challenged, it is generally treated as controlling.)
x Major additions: Adding a full second story to a one-story ranch/bungalow. x Roof changes: Altering rooflines, materials, pitches, or adding big front-facing dormers. x Facade changes: Removing porches, enclosing entries, or altering street-facing elevations.
x Windows/doors: Installing vinyl/aluminum windows, oversized picture windows, or modern glass/steel front doors.
x New openings: Adding/removing prominent windows or doors on the front façade; frontfacing French/sliding doors. x Garage doors: Modern flush steel or glass-paneled doors that change the streetscape. x Exterior materials: Replacing wood siding with stucco, stone veneer, or synthetic finishes.
x Large/visible solar panels: On front or street-facing roof slopes. x Oversized ADUs: Units that dominate the lot or alter the character of the street. x Landscaping/site changes: Removing historic walls, site layouts, or mature trees that define district character.
661 of 1110
Historic District FAQ – What Homeowners Need to Know
Q: Why does this matter?
x If your project strays from DOE standards, staff may require you to hire a historic consultant (several thousand dollars), revise plans, or go through extended CEQA review.
x If staff are not satisfied with the historian’s report, they may require a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before advancing the project. An EIR can take a year or more and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. x A neighbor or outside group can also challenge your project under CEQA, even if the City approves it. If you lose that challenge, you will be obligated to pay the challengers’ legal fees.
x These factors can lead to months or years of delay and tens of thousands (or more) in added costs.
Q: How can I reduce risk?
x Stay as close as possible to DOE standards for visible changes. x Keep large additions or modern elements to the rear or less-visible sides. x Use materials that match the original character of your home and district. x Talk to City staff early and ask what elements are considered “character-defining.” 662 of 1110
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ĖťƅϟϙϙIċϙôŽôŘƅťēĖIJČϙſĖťēĖIJϙÍϙēĖŜťĺŘĖèϙîĖŜťŘĖèťϙĖŜϙîĖŜèŘôťĖĺIJÍŘƅϟϟϟϟϙIťДŜϙ ÍϙſĖîôϙĺŕôIJϙîĺĺŘϙċĺŘϙèēÍīīôIJČôŜϠϙîôīÍƅŜϠϙÍIJîϙÍîîôîϙèĺŜťŜϟϙ 663 of 1110
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667 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 5:01 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Margo Nayyar; Kassandra Gale
Cc: Sung H. Kwon
Subject: [EXT] FW: Community supported historic preservation CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
FYI
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Gene Alston
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 4:49 PM
To: Rob Newsom <[email protected]>; Danielle Cwirko-Godycki <[email protected]>; Adam Loraine <[email protected]>; Nicole Fernandez <[email protected]>; Lisa Diaz Nash <[email protected]>; Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>; Prasanna Rasiah <[email protected]>; Danielle Cwirco-Godycki ; Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Subject: Community supported historic preservation
Dear Mayor Newson and Councilmembers,
I urge you to follow through on the previous commitment to include a clear homeowner consent requirement (above 80% affirmative consent) in any update to the Historic Preservation Ordinance, especially for creating historic districts.
As your own staff report shows, cities like Glendale and South Pasadena require homeowner support before designating districts. San Mateo should do the same.
Requiring consent is not a legal mandate, but it is good policy. A consent-based process ensures that historic preservation is achieved through collaboration, not coercion.
Without consent, as the report also clearly outlines, residents could face costly permit hurdles, CEQA reviews, or resale complications, without ever agreeing to be part of a historic district.
Preservation should be a partnership, not an imposition. Please protect property rights and require homeowner consent for any future historic district designations.
Thank you for your leadership on this issue,
Gene Alston
Baywood Homeowner
* PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 668 of 1110
669 of 1110
670 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 5:06 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Margo Nayyar; Kassandra Gale
Cc: Sung H. Kwon; Somer Smith
Subject: [EXT] FW: Public Comment on Special Meeting Agenda Item 1: Historic District CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Jeremy Levine
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 4:28 PM
To: Rob Newsom <[email protected]>; Adam Loraine <[email protected]>; Nicole Fernandez <[email protected]>; Lisa Diaz Nash <[email protected]>; Danielle Cwirko-Godycki <[email protected]>; City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]> Cc: Alex Khojikian <[email protected]>; Prasanna Rasiah <[email protected]>; Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment on Special Meeting Agenda Item 1: Historic District Good evening city council members. Thank you to staff and the council for your work navigating the complexities of historic preservation.
In order to ensure historic preservation harmonizes with the housing needs of current and future San Mateo residents, HLC supports the following components of any historic ordinance:
x Affirmative consent by the owner for any property to be designated history, and supermajority (2/3) affirmative consent of all property owners included within a proposed district, with the costs for officially acquiring such consent to be born by the applicants seeking to create a historic resource.
x Allow ADUs and duplexes to be built ministerially within historic districts x Embed decision-making authority in the planning commission rather than creating an independent commission
x Clarify the criteria for listing a historic resource to be more specific and tailored to the needs of San Mateo than the broad, easily abused California Register of Historic Resources Criteria. HLC can provide suggestions for language as the process evolves.
The council should set a high bar for the standards of historic preservation to ensure San Mateo can honor its heritage without smothering its future. As the staff report notes, "CEQA restrictions apply whether a resource is determined to be eligible for or actually listed on the CRHR. These CEQA restrictions require environmental review to determine whether a proposed development project may have a “substantial adverse change” in the significance of the resource." Historic preservation will only 671 of 1110
2 maintain its integrity so long as it clearly emphasizes making history accessible for all, not making housing more difficult to build.
Thank you for your consideration,
Jeremy
--
Jeremy Levine (he • him)
Policy Manager
Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
2905 El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
www.hlcsmc.org
650.242.1764
Facebook • Twitter • LinkedIn • Instagram • Become A Member! * PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 672 of 1110
673 of 1110
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677 of 1110
1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Laurie Hietter
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2025 1:43 PM
To: Kassandra Gale; Gillian Balk; JulieAnn Murphy
Cc: Zachary Dahl; Lisa Vande Voorde; Laurie Watanuki; Tom Lease; Maxine Terner Subject: [EXT] Feedback and Suggestions from the Recent Historic Preservation Workshop Attachments: Points for Focus Group.docx; SMHA Important people, places and events in SM.docx CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Dear Kassandra, Gillian, and JulieAnn, and Zach,
Thank you for hosting an insightful and engaging workshop on historic preservation last night. Your clear explanation of the movement’s origins, the rationale for preservation, and the details of regulations and design review processes was incredibly valuable. The real-world examples of successful historic preservation in residential neighborhoods were particularly compelling and helped illustrate the practical benefits for our community. This information is essential for empowering San Mateo residents to make informed decisions about our shared heritage.
I have a few suggestions to further enhance future workshops. First, regarding the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), I recommend clarifying its application to historic preservation projects. There’s a common perception, included in the LRT website’s FAQs, that renovations in historic districts face a “4X increase in time and money” or even “5-10X more.” However, in San Mateo most home renovations qualify for Categorical Exemptions under CEQA. For example, in San Mateo, even major renovations and significant additions in the Glazenwood Historic District have been processed under these exemptions. Providing specific examples or data on typical timelines and costs could help dispel misconceptions and reassure homeowners.
The breakout sessions were a creative way to foster discussion, though some logistical challenges arose. In my group (Group 1), the post-it notes and text boxes were difficult to read due to their small scale, making it hard to fully participate in the activity. The moderator’s assistance in recording our ideas was greatly appreciated. To ensure broader input, I’ve attached a list of people, places, and events significant to San Mateo’s history that I couldn’t fully share during the session due to these constraints.
I’d also like to inquire about the outcomes of the focus group discussions. Will you be sharing a summary of the stakeholder groups identified and their comments? I’m particularly interested in understanding the range of perspectives expressed. Additionally, I’ve attached a written response to the topics we discussed, as the focus group time felt too brief to cover everything thoroughly.
I was disheartened to hear some attendees, particularly those opposed to historic preservation, reiterate their objections despite the workshop’s comprehensive presentations and the focus group discussions. While I respect their perspectives, it is important to recognize that they do not represent the entirety of San Mateo’s community. I’ve heard from residents who feel intimidated by the vocal opposition and are hesitant to participate in these discussions. Additionally, some community members, including myself, were unable to attend sessions due to travel or scheduling conflicts. We appreciate that the meetings are available on the City's website.
Finally, I’d like to emphasize that historic preservation and housing goals can coexist. Adaptive reuse projects, such as the St. Matthews Hotel and the Belmont building, demonstrate how preservation can support increased housing while maintaining community character. Highlighting more local 678 of 1110
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P.O. Box 146 San Mateo, CA 94402
www.smheritage.org
POINTS FOR HISTORIC POLICY UPDATE FOCUS GROUP
WHAT POLICIES ARE WORKING?
1. 10 years ago there was much more City focus on maintaining neighborhood character in remodeling.
2. Single-family design guidelines were more like standards and encouraged maintaining character of nearby architecture.
3. The updates to the City’s website are a big improvement.
4. The ordinance’s designation of contributors in historic districts is effective in protecting the Downtown.
5. The Downtown storefront maintenance program was effective in improving the downtown storefronts. This was done through Community Development in the past.
6. Duplex Design Guidelines and Small Multi-Family Design Guidelines exist, which should be followed to maintain character of nearby architecture.
7. The new Mi Rancho Market building on B Street took the art-deco style architecture and signage design from the original Blu-White Laundry building. We should do more of that in the Downtown.
SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS
1. Expand ordinance to address the Yoshiko Yamanouchi Historic District and historic districts throughout the City.
2. Identify a clear process for how properties in an out of a historic district are treated.
3. Provide education to the Building Department and Community Development staff to ensure appropriate procedures are followed for building and other permits.
4. Provide Building and CDD staff with a checklist for historic preservation.
5. Designate an educated staff person to address historic preservation.
6. Identify measures and procedures that will preserve neighborhood architecture if not in a historic district.
7. Conduct a survey to identify important resources—update the 1989 Historic Building Survey.
8. Identify protection measures for properties 100 years old or older.
9. Identify what would make a heritage home in San Mateo.
10. Prohibit horizontal fences in pre-war era neighborhoods.
11. Develop a sign ordinance for the Downtown Historic District for more consistency and compatibility with the architecture. Examples might include:
a. Prohibit plastic signs
b. Use traditional materials and fabrication (that would have been available in the 1920s and ‘30s).
12. Define maintenance to include repainting peeling paint, fading signs, repairing cracks, cleaning sidewalks.
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2 13. Ensure the updated ordinance recognizes and includes contributors as part of existing and future historic districts as historic resources, and that the ordinance applies to them as well as individually-eligible properties.
14. Include provisions for how historic properties in existing and future historic districts are maintained, altered, and/or developed. These provisions should apply to contributors as well.
15. Provide guidelines to ensure new developments adjacent to historic districts be compatible in terms of architecture and scale.
16. The new ADU’s and detached garages with Single Family homes should match the architectural style, color, materials of the primary home.
17. Consider context and require new development projects to blend in better architecturally with the older residential neighborhoods and the Historic Downtown.
18. The Downtown could use a maintenance program to assist some owners with their storefronts.
WHAT COULD BE MORE EQUITABLE OR EFFECTIVE IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION?
1. Update the Mills Act process to reflect current rules and don’t charge exorbitant fees.
2. Publicize the Mills Act program to assist homeowners in older neighborhoods to rehabilitate and maintain their homes.
3. Educate the equity priority communities about the benefits of historic preservation and available grant funding.
4. Assist and encourage homeowners in equity priority neighborhoods to preserve and maintain their properties.
5. Educate and coordinate with the Downtown library’s community liaisons (African-American, Iranian American, Japanese American, Hispanic, etc.)
6. Use qualified individuals instead of the Public Relations Commission for oversight.
7. Make the process as clear and transparent as possible.
HOW PRESERVATIONI MIGHT BETTER REFLECT THE FULL HISTORY AND IDENTITY OF
THE CITY
1. More plaques and signs to reflect the Japanese-American laundries (Blu-White, etc.), AfricanAmerican diner (Noah’s), etc. The Ching Lee Laundry display is a good example—would love to see more.
2. Install a sign to welcome people to the Downtown Historic District, markers on the district street signs, etc.
3. The new Mi Rancho Market building on B Street took the art-deco style architecture and signage design from the original Blu-White Laundry building. We should do more of that in the Downtown.
4. Ensure new buildings in the Downtown reflect the Objective Design Standards and are compatible with nearby architecture.
5. Consider the historic nature of the shopping districts in San Mateo and protect their historic nature—25th Avenue, 37th Avenue, 42nd Avenue, etc.
PRIORTIES FOR PROTECTION
1. Protect the few remaining buildings built before 1900 (or pre-war)
2. Historic Downtown
3. Hillsdale train station building
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3 4. Japanese gardens (in Central Park and private homes)
5. Bank of America building and mural at 3rd and El Camino
6. Redevelopment of the Masonic Building on Ellsworth to housing KEY POINTS TO INCLUDE IN ORDINANCE—INITIAL IDEAS
1. Compatibility of architecture and with surroundings
2. Contributors must continue to be defined as historic resources
3. Ongoing education of City staff and community
4. Consider requiring compatible signage and materials (e.g., traditional materials rather than plastic) for new signs in the Downtown Historic District (see other historic downtown sign ordinances)
5. Maintenance must include maintaining materials of facades (no peeling paint, repair cracks)
6. Consent should be consistent with other City practices (majority)
7. Discourage removal of historic elements from buildings
8. Encourage using high-quality materials (e.g., not architectural foam, foam trim, or foam molding that degrades quickly)
9. Ensure members of the reviewing authority have appropriate backgrounds and include at least one architectural historian
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P.O. Box 146 San Mateo, CA 94402
www.smheritage.org
IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN SAN MATEO’S HISTORY
x Juan Bautista DeAnza Expedition
x John Parrott Family
x Robert Wisnom Family
x Borel Family
x Alvinza Hayward—gold mining millionaire, 800 ac estate x Doc Reybold—early developer (Mitch Postel has information) x David Bohannon
x Takahashi Family
x Yamanouchi Family
x A.P. Giannini
x Dr. James Hutchinson
x Claire Mack
Celebrities with San Mateo Connections
x Merv Griffin—talkshow host, media mogul
x Barry Bostwick--actor
x Keith Carradine--actor
x Kris Kristofferson—singer/songwriter
x Tom Brady—football player lived on Portola and went to Serra High School x Greg Gutfeld-comedian/talkshow host
x Michael Trucco--actor
x Dennis Haysbert (5 seasons of the show 24)
x Alicia Silverstone—went to SM High School
x Neal Schon (Journey)
IMPORTANT PLACES IN SAN MATEO’S HISTORY
1. Location of the Mission hospice
2. Pony Express stop
3. Rail station
4. B Street and then 3rd Avenue early development that occurred after the Parrot and de Guigne estates were sold
5. Bay Meadows
6. St. John’s Cemetery
7. Carnegie Library
8. Peninsula Studios
9. Noah’s Diner
10. San Mateo Bank
11. St. Matthew’s Catholic Church
12. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
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2 13. San Mateo Buddhist Temple (founded in 1909)
14. Japanese Christian Church (established in 1924), which later became Sturge Presbyterian Church
15. Hillsdale Mall
16. Pederson and Arnold Lumber
17. Ah Sam’s
18. Baywood Elementary
19. San Mateo High School
20. Central Park
21. Baywood, San Mateo Park, Hayward Park, Aragon neighborhoods Music
Pacific Recording Studios, also known as Pacific Recorders, located at 1737 S El Camino Real. x Founded: The studio was founded in 1968 by Paul Curcio, co-founder of the band the Mojo Men.
x Significant location in the development of the San Francisco sound, hosting recordings by many notable artists, including:
o Santana
o The Grateful Dead
o The Doobie Brothers
o Moby Grape
o Taj Mahal
o Santana.
The Grateful Dead's Aoxomoxoa LP and Santana's debut album were both recorded here.
Technological Innovation
Pacific Recording was the first 16-track studio in the Bay Area, utilizing an Ampex MM-1000 16-track recorder. The chief engineer, Ron Wickersham, also designed and built the mixing console for the studio.
San Mateo County Fairgrounds
Many famous bands played at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds IMPORTANT EVENTS IN SAN MATEO’S HISTORY
x Juan Bautista DeAnza Expedition camp on San Mateo Creek in 1776 with Franciscan priests x In 1793, Franciscan friars from nearby Mission San Francisco de Asís (also known as Mission Dolores) established an outpost at San Mateo Creek to support the mission's activities, including livestock herding and food production. The outpost was called the mission hospice x Pony Express station
x Rail station in first peninsula railroad from San Mateo to San Jose x San Mateo becomes a city in 1894
x Alvinza Hayward estate sold—Hayward Park developed
x Peninsula Hotel burned down—Glazenwood developed
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3 x John Parrott heirs sell his estate in April 1927, allowing the Baywood commuter suburb and downtown to develop
x Carnegie Library built
x Street car service begins
x Bay Meadows Race Track opens
x Hillsdale Mall opens
x Bay Meadows is demolished and redeveloped
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1 JulieAnn Murphy
From: Zachary Dahl <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 5, 2025 9:16 PM
To: JulieAnn Murphy; Kassandra Gale; Margo Nayyar
Cc: Sung H. Kwon; Somer Smith
Subject: [EXT] FW: Yoshiko Yamanouchi House Historic District & Imperial Laundry CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Rincon Consultants. Be cautious before clicking on any links, or opening any attachments, until you are confident that the content is safe .
Passing along this email for our time capsule.
Zachary Dahl, AICP
Director, Community Development
From: Laura W
Sent: Saturday, October 4, 2025 5:20 PM
To: Time Capsule <[email protected]>
Cc: Laurie Hietter >; Zachary Dahl <[email protected]> Subject: Yoshiko Yamanouchi House Historic District & Imperial Laundry To the Rincon Consultants.
I would like to submit these photographs to the time capsule.
Photos 1 & 2 - Imperial Laundry - on 1st and B Street
In 1908, Tetsuo Yamanouchi opened the Imperial Laundry at 218 - 1st Avenue San Mateo. The space was rented from the Wisnoms a pioneer San Mateo family. In addition to the family of five children, the laundry also employed as many as seven other people. The Yamanouchi home was at the corner of 1st Ave and Ellsworth Street. Tetsuo Yamanouchi had been educated and trained as a Zen Buddhist priest in Japan, and he became the spiritual leader in 1909. The living room of the home was the beginning of the San Mateo Buddhist Church. His wife Yoshiko organized the Buddhist Sunday School, the Buddhist Women’s Association, and the Young Buddhist Association. When the small congregation outgrew the living room, an adjacent storefront on 1st Avenue was rented for $40 a month by Tetsuo Yamanouchi. When Tetsuo Yamanouchi died in 1936, his wife Yoshiko took over the laundry business and successfully operated it until the family returned to San Mateo at the end of World War II. It was unusual in those times for the wife to take over a business, but Yoshiko was determined the business would go on.
In 1940, the business was moved from its original location to a new facility at 46 B Street.
During World War II, the family was incarcerated in Topaz, Utah. The business was leased by friends during the war. Hasuko and Masashi Max Watanuki, the daughter and son-in-law took over the management of the business after the war and the name of the business was changed to Blu-White Laundry because the connotation of the word “imperial” may have been perceived as a negative. The name likely came from the appearance of the building which was white with blue trim. The new building was designed by William H Rowe and built by Hugh H.
MacDonald.
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2 Yoshiko Yamanouchi remained active in the San Mateo Buddhist Temple and in her Buddhist and Civic life.
Photo 3 - Yoshiko Yamanouchi House - Historic District - Katsura Walk-way In December 2023, the Yoshiko Yamanouchi House at 1007 East 5th Avenue San Mateo was listed on the National Register of Historic Places at the local level of significance under Criteria A & B in the areas of Ethnic Heritage/Asian/Japanese and social History/Woman’s History for its association with a prominent member the Issei generation in San Mateo’s Japanese American Community, from early 20th century to today.
The picture below is the Yoshiko Yamanouchi House Historic District which has nine contributors: The Entrance Gate, House, Katsura Building, Katsura Garden, Katsura Walk-way, Storage Room and Pump House, Patio and Swimming Pool, West Side Garden. The Japanese style Hill and Pond and Garden was completed in 1958 by landscape designer Nagao Sakurai. The second structure and garden on this site was completed in 1968, by architect and designer Kodo Matsubara, scholar of Japanese sukiya-styled architecture. The Yoshiko Yamanouchi House is one of only three properties nationwide spotlighted in the recent National Register publication “Best Practices Review.”
An added note: After the completion of the Japanese Hill and Pond Garden at the Yoshiko Yamanouchi House, Nagao Sakurai assisted the Japanese gardeners who built the Japanese Tea Garden in Central Park in San Mateo.
Laurie Watanuki
1007 East 5th Avenue
San Mateo, CA
Photo 1 Photo of 1st Avenue and B Street - Courtesy of Hasuko Yamanouchi Watanuki Collection Photo 2 Photo of the Imperial Laundry in 1909 - Courtesy of Hasuko Yamanouchi Watanuki Collection.
Photo 3 Photo Courtesy of Laurie Watanuki
Bibliographical references:
1.Bradley, Denise & Ward Hill - Historic Resources Evaluation Report for 1007 East 5th Avenue San Mateo, CA.
2.Best Practices Review - Nominating Properties for Cultural Significance under Criterion A. Issue 6 January 2024.
3.Building a Community. The story of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County. Gayle K. Yamada, Dianne Fukami.
Photo 1
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4 689 of 1110
5 * PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return email and delete this message along with any attachments from your computer. Thank you. 690 of 1110
From: Martin McTaggart
To: Zachary Dahl
Cc: Christina Horrisberger; Alex Khojikian
Subject: FW: 6/2/25 CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION: Historic Policy Update Effort & Preservation Ordinance Date: Monday, June 2, 2025 2:44:48 PM
From: Lisa Vande Voorde
Sent: Monday, June 2, 2025 2:40 PM
To: City Council (San Mateo) <[email protected]>; Clerk <[email protected]>; Rob Newsom <[email protected]>; Lisa Diaz Nash <[email protected]>; Danielle Cwirko-Godycki <[email protected]>; Nicole Fernandez <[email protected]>; Adam Loraine <[email protected]> Subject: 6/2/25 CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION: Historic Policy Update Effort & Preservation Ordinance
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
I want to start by saying how pleased I am that the City is going forward with updating the Historic Preservation Ordinance. It has been a long-time coming, and already positive strides have been made. The Historic Policy Update Effort on the City website is a great start in terms of educating the public. The nascent FAQ section already dispels misinformation about historic resources being spread by Less Red Tape, and the Digital Time Capsule is a great way to both make the community more aware of the history of San Mateo, and participate in sharing its historic past through personal photos and memories of what makes San Mateo so special.
That said, I’d like to provide my input on the questions you are being asked to address at tonight’s Study Session, and hope that my points will be considered as you make your decision:
Should staff proceed with drafting updates to the Historic Preservation Ordinance to identify the enabling authority, establish a reviewing body (the Planning Commission), provide procedures for designation or resources, recognize the economic effects of designation, describe appeals and enforcement provisions and include a set of concise definitions? I do NOT agree with establishing the Planning Commission as the review body. The Planning Commission has a very poor record when it comes to protecting historic resources in our City. Not only that, several Planning Commissioners have gone on record in public comment at City Council meetings, in LTEs and comments in the San Mateo Daily Journal, and on social media platforms including Nextdoor, Facebook, Instagram, and X expressing their views against historic preservation. At least three of the five members of the current Planning Commission consider themselves YIMBYs – an organization known to advocate against historic preservation. Given this track record, this critically important task should go to another reviewing body, such as a commission or small committee consisting of members with expertise in historic preservation, planning, and historic consulting. While it may work in other cities, designating the already biased Planning Commission of OUR city 691 of 1110
is like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Should the criteria for a local historic designation conform to the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) requirements, or should additional criteria be included to acknowledge the city’s unique history and development?
I would like to see a combination of BOTH the CRHC requirements, AND additional criteria. This would better serve our close to 200 year-old history and our close to 100- year old homes that contribute so much to the character and feel of our neighborhoods.
Should the Historic Preservation Ordinance include a mechanism to designate historic districts locally? If yes, should owner support be required and at what level? Yes, the ordinance should include a mechanism to designate local historic districts.
However, I do NOT support owner consent. It is the JOB and the RESPONSIBILITY of the CITY to identify, preserve, and protect historic resources. It is NOT the responsibility of the PROPERTY OWNER. Furthermore, cities have long held the power to regulate land use under zoning laws and preservation ordinances. Requiring homeowner consent could set a precedent that weakens local authority over planning and land-use decisions.
What form of owner consent should be included in the Historic Preservation Ordinance – affirmative/expressed consent, owner veto, or protest provisions? And, should the owner consent requirement apply to all local designations or just to historic districts? As stated above, NO form of owner consent should be included in the Historic Preservation Ordinance. It is the duty of our City to identify, protect, and preserve our historic resources. That duty applies to a PROPERTY, not the OWNER of the property.
Owners change hands, the property and its historic value to the community lasts forever.
Local designations, historic districts and designation of individual historic structures protect architecture and cultural history that belong to the broader community, not just individual homeowners.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide public input, and I hope you find it valuable as you determine the direction you are asked to take on behalf of not just our City, but for our historic resources that cannot speak for themselves.
Sincerely yours,
Lisa Vande Voorde
San Mateo Resident
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72935831v1
A Limited Liability Law Partnership Including Corporations / Los Angeles • San Francisco • Orange County Daniel Freedman
[email protected]
1900 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90067-4308
(310) 203-8080 (310) 203-0567 Fax
www.jmbm.com
Ref: 84281-0001
January 20, 2025
Mayor Newsom, Deputy Mayor Loraine and
Hon. Members of the San Mateo City Council
City of San Mateo
San Mateo City Hall
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
Re: Historic Policy Update Effort Professional Services Agenda Item No. 10.
Hearing Date: January 21, 2025.
Dear Hon. Members of the City Council:
Our office represents Less Red Tape (“LRT”), a coalition of San Mateo homeowners and residents who object to the establishment of historic districts without homeowner consent. In prior correspondence LRT objected to the scope of work contained in the Historic Policy Update Request for Proposals (“RFP”), and urged the City to first prepare an updated Historic Preservation Ordinance, and thereafter proceed with the hiring of historic preservation consultants to assist with preparing historic context statements that are consistent with the scope of the updated ordinance.
The intent of this request was to allow the City Council to first establish the scope of an ordinance (i.e., whether consent is required, whether single-family districts are included, etc.), and then prepare historic context statements that match that scope. LRT still believes this is the right path and can be accomplished without an outside historical consultant.
If council wishes to move forward on the agenda item and cannot de-couple the ordinance portion, then LRT urges the City Council to proceed with Option 1 – subject to certain conditions. The recommended conditions are as follows:
(1) Consent Based Ordinance: Any ordinance prepared or proposed in connection with this RFP shall require property owner consent prior to the City surveying, designating, or listing a property as a resource on any local register, survey or list. (2) Single-Family Residential Exclusion: No Historic Context Statements or surveys shall be performed, proposed or considered as part of this Historic Policy Update for 693 of 1110
January 20, 2025