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2024-07-11 Historic Resources Board Agenda Packet
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD Regular Meeting Thursday, July 11, 2024 Council Chambers & Hybrid 8:30 AM Boardmember Mike Makinen Remote Call‐In Location:851 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301 Historic Resources Board meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate from home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in person. T h e m e e t i n g w i l l b e b r o a d c a s t o n C a b l e T V C h a n n e l 2 6 , l i v e o n YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen Media Center https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas are available at https://bitly.com/paloaltoHRB. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/96800197512) Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833 PUBLIC COMMENTS Public comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or an amount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Board and available for inspection on the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subject line. Spokespersons that are representing a group of five or more people who are identified as present at the meeting at the time of the spokesperson's presentation will be allowed up to ten (10) minutes at the discretion of the Chair, provided that the non‐speaking members agree not to speak individually. The Chair may limit Public Comments to thirty (30) minutes for all combined speakers. The Chair may reduce the allowed time to speak on Study Sessions and Actions Items to two (2) minutes or less to accommodate a larger number of speakers. PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not accepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting. CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. Three (3) minutes per speaker. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management. CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 1.Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments ACTION ITEMS Public Comment is Permitted. Applicants/Appellant Teams: Ten (10) minutes, plus ten (10) minutes rebuttal. All others: Three (3) minutes per speaker. 2.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI‐JUDICIAL. 431‐433 Kipling Street [24PLN‐00134]: Request for Historic Designation Reclassification, From a Local Historic Resource Category 4 to a Category 2. Environmental Assessment: Not a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines per Section 21065. Zone District: CD‐C (P) ‐ Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. For more information Contact the Project Planner Steven Switzer at Steven.Switzer@CityofPaloAlto.org. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker. 3.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of May 9, 2024 BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s). ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30, Firefox 27, Microsoft Edge 12, Safari 7. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Board. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. 1 Regular Meeting July 11, 2024 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARDRegular MeetingThursday, July 11, 2024Council Chambers & Hybrid8:30 AMBoardmember Mike Makinen Remote Call‐In Location:851 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA94301Historic Resources Board meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attendby teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in themeeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. T h e m e e t i n g w i l l b e b r o a d c a s t o n C a b l e T V C h a n n e l 2 6 , l i v e o nYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen MediaCenter https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas areavailable at https://bitly.com/paloaltoHRB. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/96800197512)Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance tohrb@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Board and available for inspection on theCity’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subjectline.Spokespersons that are representing a group of five or more people who are identified aspresent at the meeting at the time of the spokesperson's presentation will be allowed up to ten(10) minutes at the discretion of the Chair, provided that the non‐speaking members agree notto speak individually. The Chair may limit Public Comments to thirty (30) minutes for allcombined speakers. The Chair may reduce the allowed time to speak on Study Sessions andActions Items to two (2) minutes or less to accommodate a larger number of speakers.PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not accepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting. CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. Three (3) minutes per speaker. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management. CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 1.Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments ACTION ITEMS Public Comment is Permitted. Applicants/Appellant Teams: Ten (10) minutes, plus ten (10) minutes rebuttal. All others: Three (3) minutes per speaker. 2.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI‐JUDICIAL. 431‐433 Kipling Street [24PLN‐00134]: Request for Historic Designation Reclassification, From a Local Historic Resource Category 4 to a Category 2. Environmental Assessment: Not a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines per Section 21065. Zone District: CD‐C (P) ‐ Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. For more information Contact the Project Planner Steven Switzer at Steven.Switzer@CityofPaloAlto.org. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker. 3.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of May 9, 2024 BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s). ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30, Firefox 27, Microsoft Edge 12, Safari 7. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Board. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. 2 Regular Meeting July 11, 2024 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARDRegular MeetingThursday, July 11, 2024Council Chambers & Hybrid8:30 AMBoardmember Mike Makinen Remote Call‐In Location:851 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA94301Historic Resources Board meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attendby teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in themeeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. T h e m e e t i n g w i l l b e b r o a d c a s t o n C a b l e T V C h a n n e l 2 6 , l i v e o nYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen MediaCenter https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas areavailable at https://bitly.com/paloaltoHRB. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/96800197512)Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance tohrb@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Board and available for inspection on theCity’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subjectline.Spokespersons that are representing a group of five or more people who are identified aspresent at the meeting at the time of the spokesperson's presentation will be allowed up to ten(10) minutes at the discretion of the Chair, provided that the non‐speaking members agree notto speak individually. The Chair may limit Public Comments to thirty (30) minutes for allcombined speakers. The Chair may reduce the allowed time to speak on Study Sessions andActions Items to two (2) minutes or less to accommodate a larger number of speakers.PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted onlyby email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received,the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strongcybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are notaccepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting. CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. Three (3) minutes per speaker. AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management. CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS 1.Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments ACTION ITEMS Public Comment is Permitted. Applicants/Appellant Teams: Ten (10) minutes, plus ten (10) minutes rebuttal. All others: Three (3) minutes per speaker. 2.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI‐JUDICIAL. 431‐433 Kipling Street [24PLN‐00134]: Request for Historic Designation Reclassification, From a Local Historic Resource Category 4 to a Category 2. Environmental Assessment: Not a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines per Section 21065. Zone District: CD‐C (P) ‐ Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. For more information Contact the Project Planner Steven Switzer at Steven.Switzer@CityofPaloAlto.org. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker. 3.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of May 9, 2024 BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s). ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30, Firefox 27, Microsoft Edge 12, Safari 7. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Board. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. 3 Regular Meeting July 11, 2024 HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARDRegular MeetingThursday, July 11, 2024Council Chambers & Hybrid8:30 AMBoardmember Mike Makinen Remote Call‐In Location:851 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA94301Historic Resources Board meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attendby teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in themeeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. T h e m e e t i n g w i l l b e b r o a d c a s t o n C a b l e T V C h a n n e l 2 6 , l i v e o nYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen MediaCenter https://midpenmedia.org. Commissioner names, biographies, and archived agendas areavailable at https://bitly.com/paloaltoHRB. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/96800197512)Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance tohrb@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the Board and available for inspection on theCity’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subjectline.Spokespersons that are representing a group of five or more people who are identified aspresent at the meeting at the time of the spokesperson's presentation will be allowed up to ten(10) minutes at the discretion of the Chair, provided that the non‐speaking members agree notto speak individually. The Chair may limit Public Comments to thirty (30) minutes for allcombined speakers. The Chair may reduce the allowed time to speak on Study Sessions andActions Items to two (2) minutes or less to accommodate a larger number of speakers.PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted onlyby email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received,the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strongcybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are notaccepted.Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks,posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do notcreate a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated whendisplaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view orpassage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting.CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALLPUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. Three (3) minutes per speaker.AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONSThe Chair or Commission majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management.CITY OFFICIAL REPORTS1.Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and AssignmentsACTION ITEMSPublic Comment is Permitted. Applicants/Appellant Teams: Ten (10) minutes, plus ten (10) minutes rebuttal. All others: Three(3) minutes per speaker.2.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI‐JUDICIAL. 431‐433 Kipling Street [24PLN‐00134]: Request forHistoric Designation Reclassification, From a Local Historic Resource Category 4 to aCategory 2. Environmental Assessment: Not a project under California EnvironmentalQuality Act (CEQA) Guidelines per Section 21065. Zone District: CD‐C (P) ‐ DowntownCommercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. For more information Contactthe Project Planner Steven Switzer at Steven.Switzer@CityofPaloAlto.org.APPROVAL OF MINUTESPublic Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker.3.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of May 9, 2024BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS ANDAGENDASMembers of the public may not speak to the item(s). ADJOURNMENT PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to hrb@cityofpaloalto.org. 2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐ based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30, Firefox 27, Microsoft Edge 12, Safari 7. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Board, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions above. 4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Board. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 968 0019 7512 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. 4 Regular Meeting July 11, 2024 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: July 11, 2024 Report #: 2407-3204 TITLE Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review and comment as appropriate. BACKGROUND Attached is the HRB meeting schedule and attendance record for the calendar year. This is provided for informational purposes. If individual Boardmembers anticipate being absent from a future meeting, it is requested that it be brought to staff’s attention when considering this item. No action is required by the HRB for this item. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: 2024 HRB Meeting Schedule & Assignments AUTHOR/TITLE: Amy French, Chief Planning Official Item 1 Staff Report Packet Pg. 5 Historic Resources Board 2024 Meeting Schedule & Assignments 2024 Meeting Schedule Meeting Dates Time Location Status Planned Absences 1/11/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 1/25/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 2/8/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Canceled 2/22/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Canceled 2/23/2024 6:00 PM Hybrid Community Meeting 3/14/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Canceled 3/28/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 4/11/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Wimmer 4/25/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Canceled 5/9/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Pease 5/23/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Canceled 6/13/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 6/27/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Canceled 7/11/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 8/8/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 9/12/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 10/10/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 11/14/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 12/12/2024 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 2024 Subcommittee Assignments January February March April May June July August September October November December Item 1 Attachment A - 2024 HRB Meeting Schedule & Assignments Packet Pg. 6 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: July 11, 2024 Report #: 2405-3082 TITLE PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 431-433 Kipling Street [24PLN-00134]: Request for Historic Designation Reclassification, From a Local Historic Resource Category 4 to a Category 2. Environmental Assessment: Not a project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines per Section 21065. Zone District: CD-C (P) - Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District. For more information Contact the Project Planner Steven Switzer at Steven.Switzer@CityofPaloAlto.org. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Resources Board (HRB) take the following action: 1. Recommend the City Council reclassify the building from a ‘Contributing Building’ Category 4 resource to a ‘Major Building’ Category 2 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The HRB is requested to review a reclassification of 431-433 Kipling Street (APN 120-15-021), a mixed-use two-story building currently listed as a Category 4 resource on the City’s Historic Inventory. The owner is requesting reclassification and designation as a Category 2 resource on the City’s Historic Inventory (Attachment A). On March 19, 2024, the City’s consultant, Page & Turnbull, prepared a Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) (Attachment B). The HRE found the subject property eligible for elevation from a ‘Contributing Building’ Category 4 resource to a ‘Major Building’ Category 2 resource of regional importance on the City’s Historic Inventory. On May 8, 2024, the owner (Thoits Bros. Inc. via Hayes Group Architects) submitted a request for a reclassification to a Category 2 resource. The HRB is requested to recommend the reclassification. Specifically, the HRB may affirm that the building retains its integrity and determine the building’s consistency with the definition of Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 7 a Category 2 historic resource as a ‘Major Building’. As provided in Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) Section 16.49.040, the HRB may recommend the reclassification of historic resources to the City Council for approval, disapproval, or modification. BACKGROUND Site Development 431-433 Kipling Street is located on a parcel that is 50 feet wide by 112.5 feet deep and within the Downtown Commercial Community (CD-C) District with a Pedestrian Combining District (P). The property includes a two-story mixed-use building with a commercial unit on the first floor (addressed as 431 Kipling), and a residential unit on the second floor (addressed as 433 Kipling). The two-story mixed-use building provides a contrast to the larger commercial scale and higher density found on University Avenue and sections of Lytton Avenue and Cowper Streets. The two-story building, then a single-family residence, was built by George W. Mosher in 1901 for Hiland H. Holley. The ownership transferred to the Leonard family sometime between 1916 and 1919. Newspaper records from 1919 show that the owner, Maude B. Leonard, commissioned an addition to the residence, along with construction of a garage several months later. A 1924 Sanborn Map Company map corroborates the timing of the addition, however there is no footprint of a garage until later Sanborn maps. Despite this discrepancy, newspaper advertisements from 1920 indicate that the newly built garage featured a “cement floor, light, and water,” and could be rented, most likely for automobile storage. At this point, the earlier rear outbuilding had been removed. During the 1920s, the Leonard family occupied the lower unit at 431 while renting the upper floor to another family. Following this, around 1938 B.S. Gibson purchased the property and converted the lower unit to a commercial space for his window shade store “Gibson Shade Shop,” which remained in operation until the 1970’s when ownership transferred to James Alexander who also operated a window shade store, “Alexander’s Shade Shop.” In the 1980s, Thoits Bros. took ownership of the property. Since that time, the subject building’s first floor commercial unit has been occupied by a local wine bar, Vino Locale. No further documentation of alterations to the exterior were uncovered through a review of available building permits or planning records, however, through visual analysis it appears that a north-facing door was replaced more recently at the rear upper balcony. Builder George W. Mosher George Wilbert Mosher (1863-1939) was a prolific contractor and craftsman in the Palo Alto area who constructed hundreds of buildings in the formative years of the City of Palo Alto during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1884 George Mosher arrived in the City of Palo Alto as an already accomplished builder and craftsman. Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 8 Mosher was also the architect/builder on many other houses found throughout Palo Alto. Compared to those associated with a trained architect, they were generally more modest in size and design. They typically were one-story Square Cottages or two-story square boxes (as the Dames & Moore historic resources survey of 1997-2000 categorized them, see Attachment C), and various architectural styles that were popular during the period such as Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian, Shingle, and Mission Revival. The architectural detailing was usually simplified, or included a mix of elements from different styles, and might have been from pattern books or published designs with some modification by Mosher. A few, like the late 19th century Queen Anne houses at 533 Bryant Street, 228 Byron Street, 617 High Street, and 225 Emerson Street, appear to have more decorative elements and are good vernacular examples of the style. The Palo Alto Historic Inventory attributes several houses to Mosher as the builder, including: Two-Story Square Boxes: • 270 Channing Avenue (Category 4, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1905 • 617 High Street (Category 3, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1897 • Sloanker House, 334 Kingsley Avenue, Professorville Historic District (Category 2, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1903 • 431-433 Kipling Street (Category 4, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1901 • 1128 Webster Street (Category 4, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1894 • 1295 Wilson Street (Category 3, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1895 Square Cottages • 228 Byron Street (Category 2, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1896 • 225 Emerson Street (Category 2, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1893 • 411 Kipling Street (Category 4, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1902 • Bixby House, 533 (535) Bryant Street (Category 2, Palo Alto Historic Inventory), 1897 Mosher also constructed some commercial and institutional buildings such as the 1905 addition to Fraternal Hall, which was designed by Newsom & Newsom to add on to Samuel Newsom’s original 1898 building.1 Two-Story Square Box Building Type The Two-Story Square Box is a vernacular building type identified in the 1997-2000 Palo Alto Historic Survey, completed by Dames & Moore. It was one of three property types identified as potentially eligible for the National Register using the Multiple Property format. Two-Story Square Boxes were among the predominant forms of detached residences that housed middle- and working-class people during the early development of Palo Alto, ca. 1890-1910. 1 514 High Street / 140 University Avenue, Fraternal Hall, Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, accessed June 13, 2024 https://www.pastheritage.org/inv/invH/High514.html Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 9 Designs for these modest buildings were not usually the product of professional architects; rather local builders would construct a traditional residence from a pattern book or published design and modify various architectural features to personalize the building. Though the Dames and Moore survey does not provide a list of character defining features, eligibility criteria or integrity thresholds for the two-story square box property type, it does list a series of residences. While somewhat varied in their plans and architectural features, Two-Story Square Boxes typically have hipped, cross gabled, or front gabled roofs and are two-and-one-half stories tall. Front- or cross-gabled examples tend reflect a holdover of Victorian or vernacular Greek Revival influence, whereas examples with a hipped roof (also referred to as American Foursquares) typically reflect interpretations of the Prairie and Craftsman style. American Foursquare Building Type Within the larger architectural context, 431-433 Kipling Street can be classified as an American Foursquare house type with Craftsman stylistic influences. This house type was popular nationwide from about 1900 to 1920 and is sometimes also referred to as the “Prairie box” for its rectilinear massing and common use of wide, overhanging boxed eaves. As the name suggests, the Foursquare house type was typically built with four rooms of roughly equal size on each floor, without servant’s quarters or gender/glasses parlor spaces that often previously defined interior space of Victorian styles. Further, the compact square massing of the Foursquare made such house particularly well suited to small city lots and allowed for economical construction by local builders or homeowners from pattern books or kits. 431-433 Kipling Street exhibits many of the typical American Foursquare traits, as well as several variations. While it strongly embodies the essential cube-like massing, its primary façade organization uses the off-center porch and entry variation, as well as the “shirtwaist” characteristic in which the first and second floor are clad with separate materials and separated by a belt course. Otherwise, it embraces the text-book characteristics of height, hipped roof, and wood framing and cladding. The house is a more decoratively modest iteration of the typology, with few ornamental features aside from a wide plain belt course and simple Tuscan columns at the porch. ANALYSIS HRB Review of Historic Resources in the Downtown and Historic District Reclassification of 431-433 Kipling Street from a Category 4 to a Category 2 resource would not change the current historic review process and standards for exterior alterations. No exterior alterations are proposed at this time (Attachment E). Exterior modifications to the building or land use changes would be subject to meeting the CD-C(P) development standards in PAMC Chapter 18.18 and Historic Preservation Ordinance in PAMC Chapter 16.49. Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 10 Benefits of Historic Listing and Reclassification Reclassification from a Category 4 to a Category 2 resource at the local level would allow for participation in the Floor Area Bonus/Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program for qualifying rehabilitation projects. The bonus/TDR program is available for qualifying rehabilitation projects for local inventory Category 1 and 2 resources that are (a) zoned CD (Commercial Downtown) as set forth in PAMC Chapter 18.18, (b) zoned PF/City owned property, or (c) zoned Residential Transition (RT-35 and RT-50) in the South of Forest Area Phase 2 (SOFA 2)2 area. The applicant’s request to upgrade the local inventory category based on the attached evaluation does not propose a rehabilitation or ask for transfer of development rights (TDR) or a floor area bonus. On-site use of bonus area would require a historic rehabilitation project that would be reviewed for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (SOIS) and Architectural Review (AR) findings. Additionally, PAMC Chapter 18.18 defines historic rehabilitation for the purposes of bonuses and TDRs as follows: (b) As used in this chapter, “historic rehabilitation” means returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values. “Historic rehabilitation” shall remedy all the known rehabilitation needs of the building and shall not be confined to routine repair and maintenance as determined by the director of planning and development services. PAMC Section 18.18.080 governs the process to transfer bonus floor area to eligible non-historic receiver site(s) zoned CD (Downtown Commercial), while the SOFA 2 plan governs the floor area transfers from RT-35 and RT-50 properties within the SOFA 2 area. Per Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 18.18.070, a building that is in Historic Category 2 is eligible for the following bonuses: (a) Available Floor Area Bonuses (3) Historic Rehabilitation Bonus A building that is in Historic Category 1 or 2, and is undergoing historic rehabilitation, but is not in Seismic Category I, II, or III, shall be allowed to increase its floor area by 2,500 square feet or 25% of the existing building, whichever is greater, without having this increase count toward the FAR, subject to the restrictions in subsection (b). Such increase in floor area shall not be permitted for buildings that exceed a FAR of 3.0:1 in the CD-C subdistrict. (4) Combined Historic and Seismic Rehabilitation Bonus 2 SOFA 2 webpage link: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/planning-amp-development- services/file-migration/current-planning/forms-and-guidelines/south-of-forest-coordinated-area-plan-phase-2.pdf Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 11 A building that is in Historic Category 1 or 2, and is undergoing historic rehabilitation, and is also in Seismic Category I, II, or III, and is undergoing seismic rehabilitation, shall be allowed to increase its floor area by 5,000 square feet or 50% of the existing building, whichever is greater, without having this increase count toward the FAR, subject to the restrictions in subsection (b). Such increase in floor area shall not be permitted for buildings that exceed a FAR of 3.0:1 in the CD-C subdistrict. California Historical Resource Status Codes 431-433 Kipling Street is not listed in the Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD) database for Santa Clara County. The most recent update to the BERD database was in September 2022. 1978 Palo Alto Historic Inventory 431-433 Kipling Street is currently listed in the City of Palo Alto Historic Inventory as a Category 4: “Contributing Building.” It was surveyed for the Historic Resources Inventory and added to the local register in 1985 (Attachment C). Historic Resource Evaluation The attached HRE (Attachment B) considered the current historic status, provided a building description, and included a summary of historic context for the 431-433 Kipling Street property. Specifically, the HRE included an evaluation of the property’s individual eligibility for listing on the California Register of Historic Resources (CRHR). The HRE report, dated March 19, 2024, found 431-433 Kipling Street individually eligible for CRHR listing under Criterion 2, Criterion 5, and Criterion 6: •Criterion 2 (The structure or is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation) 431-433 Kipling Street is an excellent extant example of the Two-Story Square Box housetype in Palo Alto’s Downtown North neighborhood. The Two-Story Square Box is a Palo Alto residential house type that mixed familiar forms and finishes of the Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, and sometimes vernacular Greek Revival. The subject building is an early extant example of this important building type and is also a unique variation featuring a hipped roof, simple Tuscan columns, and a flat front façade, instead of the more common front or cross-gabled roof and projecting bay window. •Criterion 5 (The architect or building was important) George W. Mosher was a builder-of-merit who made important contributions to the early built environment of Palo Alto. While Mosher’s works are considered more modest in size and design compared with other architect-designed residences from the same period, he built and designed numerous Two-Story Square Box house types and was the builder for several larger high style residences in Palo Alto. The subject building is an important Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 12 extant example of George W. Mosher’s contributions to the high-quality housing stock built in Palo Alto’s early period of development. •Criterion 6 (The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship) 431-433 Kipling Street showcases the high level of craftsmanship and architectural design implemented by builder-of-merit George W. Mosher. Elements of the façade that meet the definition of Criterion 6 include original wood windows with one-over-one double- hung sashes, ogee lugs, an original transom with checkered mullions, the use of a “Shirtwaist” belt course and flared shingle siding, and high-quality tongue-and-groove siding. Criteria for Designation and Historic Resource Category Definitions 431-433 Kipling Street currently meets the criteria for designation that are set forth in the City’s historic preservation ordinance, PAMC Chapter 16.49.040 (b) (Attachment D). PAMC Section 16.49.020 (b) provides definitions for the four inventory Categories. A Category 4 building is defined as follows: Category 3 or 4: "Contributing building" means any building or group of buildings which are good local examples of architectural styles and which relate to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or permanent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate additions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden facades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco A Category 2 building is defined in the PAMC Section 16.49.020(b) as follows: Category 2: "Major building" means any building or group of buildings of major regional importance, meritorious works of the best architects or an outstanding example of an architectural style or the stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained. Seven Aspects of Integrity 431-433 Kipling Street retains a high degree of all seven aspects of integrity, which effectively explain why, where, when, and how this property is significant. The seven aspects that define integrity are location, setting design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. The integrity assessment is outlined as follows3: 3 Excerpt from the Historic Resource Evaluation conducted by Page and Turnbull, Inc. on March 19, 2024, page 37- 39. Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 13 Setting 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of setting. The subject building is a surviving property within a residential block of Kipling Street that has retained the majority of its original early twentieth century housing stock, despite commercial development of Palo Alto’s downtown core over time. The surrounding properties that neighbor 431-433 Kipling Street are relatively unaltered and together express a high level of integrity of setting. Design 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of design. There have been minimal alterations to the subject building since 1919 when a large addition was added to the rear of the building. The residence retains its original form as a Two-Story Square Box building type with Craftsman, Colonial Revival and American Foursquare character-defining features that include Tuscan columns, checkered mullions, and differentiation from the first and second floors through the use of separate cladding. Location The subject property retains integrity of location. The subject building has remained situated at its location of original construction since 1901. Materials 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of materials. Aside from a replacement door at the upper rear façade and construction of an early rear addition to the building in 1919, very few (if any) of the original features appear to have been altered, removed, or replaced. The primary exterior building materials include original tongue-and-groove and shingle siding, wood windows and doors, and exposed rafters. Workmanship 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of workmanship. Features providing evidence of period workmanship and construction methods include original wood windows with one-over-one double hung sash and ogee lugs, checkered mullions, tongue-and-groove wood and shingle siding, and a prominent belt course. While the Two-Story Square Box building type is more modest than other contemporaneous high style house types, the subject property reflects a high level of workmanship in the decorative detailing and materiality of the building. Feeling 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of feeling. The building retains the feeling of its original design and materiality as constructed in 1901 by George W. Mosher, as its design, materiality, and workmanship remain highly representative of its original Two-Story Square Box aesthetic. There have been minimal alterations to the subject building overall, and an early addition to the rear in 1919 does not diminish the residence’s street facing form, height, massing, or materiality such that its feeling is impaired. Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 14 Association 411 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of association. The building’s association to local builder-of-merit George W. Mosher continues to be represented through its retention of the building’s original materials and its Craftsman/American Foursquare design/typology characteristics. The subject building was originally constructed as a residence and is situated in a largely residential setting with other properties of similar scale along neighboring blocks of Lytton Avenue, Cowper Street, and University Avenue. Since its original construction, the building has functioned as a single-family residence, followed by duplex residential use, and from ca. 1938 onwards as a mixed-use building with a commercial retail space on the first floor and a second- story residential unit. While the property’s original use has changed over time, the exterior of the building has not been altered to reflect these changes, and the building still reflects its original residential appearance. Therefore, integrity of association has been maintained. Staff Recommendations Staff concurs with the findings of the Page and Turnbull, Inc. evaluation and supports the 431- 433 Kipling Street owners in their request to upgrade the Local Inventory reclassification from a Category 4 to a Category 2 resource. 431-433 Kipling Street appears eligible for elevation to Category 2: A "Major Building" of regional importance on the Palo Alto Historic Buildings Inventory. The subject building is a meritorious work of an important local builder George W. Mosher and is an outstanding extant example of the Two-Story Square Box house type within Palo Alto’s urban core. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 21065, the maintenance of historic designation of a property or reclassification of historic designation of a property is not a project because it will not cause a direct change to the physical environment nor a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Although the proposed reclassification would make the property eligible for a historic rehabilitation floor area bonus under PAMC 18.18.070, there is no associated application on file for a historic rehabilitation, and any future project would be separately analyzed under CEQA. PUBLIC NOTIFICATIONS, OUTREACH & COMMENTS Notice of this HRB hearing appeared in the Daily Post on June 28, 2024, which is 13 days in advance of the meeting. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS In addition to the recommended action, the HRB may: 1. Continue the reclassification request for further discussion. 2. Deny the reclassification request and the property will remain a Category 4 resource. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Location Map and Request Letter Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 15 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Attachment C: 431-433 Kipling DPR Form Attachment D: PAMC Section 16.49.040 (b) Attachment E: Project Plans AUTHOR/TITLE: Steven Switzer, Historic Preservation Planner Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 16 LY T T O N A V E N U E WA V E R L E Y S T R E E T COW P E R S T R E E T KIP L I N G S T R E E T UN I V E R S I T Y A V E N U E COWPER STR E E T LAN E 3 0 PC- 4 2 9 6 37.5' 105 . 5 ' 37.5' 105.5' 37.5' 105 . 5 ' 37.5' 105.5' 93.0' 105 . 5 ' 168.0' 112 . 5 ' 168. 0 ' 112.5' 40.0' 112 . 5 ' 40.0' 112.5'50.0' 112 . 5 ' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112 . 5 ' 50.0' 112.5' 36.0' 95.0' 36.0' 95.0' 39.0' 37.5' 18.0' 75.0' 57.0' 112.5' 107.0' 50.0' 107. 0 ' 50.0'107.0' 25.0' 107. 0 ' 25.0' 20.0' 50.0' 130.0' 100 . 0 ' 125 . 0 ' 37.5' 25.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112 . 5 ' 14.0'17.5'36.0' 130.0' 130.0' 50.0' 130. 0 ' 50.0' 50.0' 218 . 0 ' 50.0' 218.0' 45.0' 112 . 5 ' 45.0' 112.5' 45.0' 105 . 5 ' 45.0' 105.5' 110.0' 100 . 0 '110 . 0 ' 100.0' 110.0' 25.0' 110 . 0 ' 25.0' 110.0' 110. 0 ' 50.0' 50.0' 72.5' 75.0' 72.5' 80.0' 30.0' 80.0' 85.0' 85.0' 10.0' 50.0' 10.0' 50.0' 83.0' 62.5' 118.0' 62.5' 118 . 0 ' 118.0' 100 . 0 ' 118 . 0 ' 100.0' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 262 . 5 ' 225.0'225 . 0 ' 130. 5 ' 225.0' 93.0' 112 . 5 ' 93.0' 112.5' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 100 . 0 ' 112.5'53.0' 112 . 5 ' 53.0' 112.5' 65.0' 140. 0 ' 65.0' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 100.0' 112 . 5 ' 225 . 0 ' 130. 5 ' 225.0' 225 . 0 ' 130. 5 ' 225.0' 225 . 0 ' 130. 5 ' 225.0' 7-11 463 480 530 405 431 433 437 440 332 360 473 - 479 425 415 - 4 1 9 460 - 476 436 - 452 489 - 499 347 - 359 411 421 425 419 405 450 423 443 451 463 440 480 499 430 431 444 441439 423 453 361 457 451 465 420 430 342 340 338 450 This map is a product of the City of Palo Alto GIS This document is a graphic representation only of best available sources. Legend Assessment Parcel Palo Alto Assessment Parcel Outside Palo Alto abc Road Centerline Small Text (TC) Current Features Districts Sidewalk Edge (RF) abc Dimensions (AP) Tree (TR) Road Edges (OG) abc Building Roof Outline (BL) Address Label Points (AP) 0'50' Attachment A Location Map 431-433 Kipling St CITY OF PALO ALTOINCORPORATED CAL I F ORN I A P a l o A l t o T h e C i t y o f APR I L 1 6 1 8 9 4 The City of Palo Alto assumes no responsibility for any errors. ©1989 to 2016 City of Palo Alto sswitze, 2024-06-24 08:38:18 (\\cc-maps\Encompass\Admin\Meta\View.mdb) Item 2 Attachment A: Location Map and Request Letter Packet Pg. 17 May 1, 2024 City of Palo Alto Department of Planning & Community Environment 250 Hamilton Avenue, 5th floor Palo Alto, CA 94303 Re: 431 Kipling Street Project Description To Planning Staff and HRB Members: Attached is Hayes Group Architect’s submittal package for 431 Kipling Street for a request to elevate the local historic listing classification. The project applicant is Hayes Group Architects on behalf of our client, Thoits Bros. This package includes an electronically submitted plan set, including the site plan, floor plan, roof plan, elevations and photos of the existing building. Also included is a Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by the city’s consultant, Page & Turnbull. 1. EXISTING CONDITIONS The building site is midblock on Kipling Street, in downtown north Palo Alto, in the CD-C(P) zoning district, adjacent to other historic properties of similar age and scale. The building, constructed in 1901 by GW Mosher, a prominent builder, is a “Two-Story Square Box” building type with Craftsman and Colonial Revival stylistic elements. It is listed as a Category 4 (“contributing building”) Historic Resource in the local historic inventory. The building’s original use was as a single-family residence but is now a mixed- use duplex which includes a ground floor commercial space and upper floor residential unit. (address 433 Kipling Street) 2. PROPOSED PROJECT We are proposing to elevate the historic status on the local inventory from Category 4, “contributing building” to Category 2, “major building”. According to the city commissioned Page & Turnbull Historic Resource Evaluation, dated March 19, 2024, 431 Kipling appears eligible for elevation to Category 2: A “Major Building” of regional importance in the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. The subject building meets Criterion 2, 5 and 6 of the seven Criteria for Designation. In addition, in order for a building or landscape to qualify for listing under any local, state or national historic registry it must possess significance under at least one of the criteria described above and retain integrity. Page & Turnbull has concluded that the subject property retains integrity of Location, Setting, Design, Materials, Workmanship, Feeling and Association. Item 2 Attachment A: Location Map and Request Letter Packet Pg. 18 We look forward to a staff review and scheduling of an HRB hearing for the elevation of this major building. Please call me at (650) 365-0600x115 if you have any questions. Sincerely, Ken Hayes, AIA Principal encl: Page & Turnbull HRE dated 03/19/2024 cc: John Shenk, Thoits Bros Item 2 Attachment A: Location Map and Request Letter Packet Pg. 19 431-433 KIPLING STREET HISTORIC RESOURCE EVALUATION (HRE) PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA [16252B.32] PREPARED FOR THE CITY OF PALO ALTO March 19, 2024 Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 20 This page intentionally left blank. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 21 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL i March 19, 2024 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Summary of Findings ................................................................................................................................. 2 II. EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS ............................................................................................................. 2 National Register of Historic Places ......................................................................................................... 2 California Register of Historical Resources ............................................................................................. 2 California Historical Resource Status Codes ........................................................................................... 3 Palo Alto Historic Inventory ....................................................................................................................... 3 Palo Alto Historic Survey Update .............................................................................................................. 4 III. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................ 5 Primary (South) Façade .............................................................................................................................. 6 West Facade ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Rear (North) Facade.................................................................................................................................... 8 East Façade ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Garage ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Site Features .............................................................................................................................................. 15 Surrounding Neighborhood .................................................................................................................... 16 IV. HISTORIC CONTEXT ....................................................................................................................... 17 Palo Alto History ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Downtown North Neighborhood ........................................................................................................... 19 George W. Mosher, Builder ..................................................................................................................... 21 American Foursquare Building Type ...................................................................................................... 26 V. SITE HISTORY .................................................................................................................................. 28 Site Development & Construction Chronology..................................................................................... 28 Known Ownership and Occupant History ............................................................................................. 31 VI. EVALUATION .................................................................................................................................. 34 Palo Alto Historic Inventory ..................................................................................................................... 34 Integrity ...................................................................................................................................................... 36 VII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 40 VIII. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 41 IX. APPENDIX - PREPARER QUALIFICATIONS .................................................................................... 43 Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 22 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 1 March 19, 2024 I. INTRODUCTION This Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) has been prepared at the request of the City of Palo Alto for the property at 431-433 Kipling Street (APN 120-15-021) to determine whether 431-433 Kipling Street, which is currently a Category 4 building in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory, is eligible for elevation within the Palo Alto Historic Inventory as a Category 2 resource. The subject property is 50 feet wide by 112.5 feet deep with a primary building that fronts Kipling Street and an ancillary garage building that is set back in the northeast corner of the parcel (Figure 1). The primary building of the subject property is a mixed-use duplex with a commercial unit on the first floor (addressed as 431 Kipling), and a residential unit on the second floor (addressed as 433 Kipling). The subject block is located in the Downtown North neighborhood of Palo Alto in a commercial CD-C (P) zoning district, and is bounded by Cowper Street to the north, Lytton Avenue to the west, University Avenue to the east, and Kipling Street to the south.1 The building was constructed by prominent local builder G.W. Mosher for Hiland H. Holley for use as a residence and was completed in 1901. 431-433 Kipling Street exemplifies the early Palo Alto “Two-Story Square Box” building type with stylistic elements of Craftsman and Colonial Revival. Figure 1. Aerial view of 431-433 Kipling Street, indicated by yellow dashed line. Source: Google Earth, 2022. Edited by Page & Turnbull. 1 Due north is skewed to the west, but for simplicity and ease of reading cardinal directions will be used. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 23 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 2 March 19, 2024 Methodology This report follows a standard outline used for Historic Resource Evaluation reports, and provides a summary of the current historic status, a building description, and a historic context for 431-433 Kipling Street. The report includes an evaluation of the property’s individual eligibility for elevation to a Category 2: “Major Building” in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. Page & Turnbull prepared this report using research collected at various local repositories, including Palo Alto Development Services, Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA), as well as online sources including Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com. Key primary sources consulted and cited in this report include Palo Alto building permit applications, city and county directories, and historical newspapers. Page & Turnbull staff conducted a site visit to 431-433 Kipling Street on February 22, 2024. All photographs within this report were taken at that time, unless otherwise noted. Summary of Findings 431-433 Kipling Street is eligible for elevation within the Palo Alto Historic Inventory from a Category 4: “Contributing Building” to a Category 2: “Major Building” of regional importance. II. EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS The following section examines the national, state, and local historic status currently assigned to the commercial building at 431-433 Kipling Street. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (National Register) is the nation’s most comprehensive inventory of historic resources. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service and includes buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts that possess historic, architectural, engineering, archaeological, or cultural significance at the national, state, or local level. 431-433 Kipling Street is not currently listed in the National Register. California Register of Historical Resources The California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) is an inventory of significant architectural, archaeological, and historical resources in the State of California. Resources can be Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 24 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 3 March 19, 2024 listed in the California Register through a number of methods. State Historical Landmarks and National Register-listed properties are automatically listed in the California Register. Properties can also be nominated to the California Register by local governments, private organizations, or citizens. The evaluative criteria used by the California Register for determining eligibility are closely based on those developed by the National Park Service for the National Register of Historic Places. 431-433 Kipling Street is not currently listed in the California Register. California Historical Resource Status Codes Properties listed or under review by the State of California Office of Historic Preservation are listed within the Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD) and are assigned a California Historical Resource Status Code (Status Code) of “1” to “7” to establish their historical significance in relation to the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) or California Register of Historical Resources (California Register).2 Properties with a Status Code of “1” or “2” are either eligible for listing in the California Register or the National Register, or are already listed in one or both of the registers. Properties assigned Status Codes of “3” or “4” appear to be eligible for listing in either register, but normally require more research to support this rating. Properties assigned a Status Code of “5” have typically been determined to be locally significant or to have contextual importance. Properties with a Status Code of “6” are not eligible for listing in either register. Finally, a Status Code of “7” means that the resource has not been evaluated for the National Register or the California Register, or needs reevaluation. 431-433 Kipling Street is not listed in the BERD database for Santa Clara County. The most recent update to the BERD database was in September 2022. Palo Alto Historic Inventory The City of Palo Alto’s Historic Inventory lists noteworthy examples of the work of important individual designers and architectural eras and traditions as well as structures associated with important events in the history of the city, state, or nation. The inventory is organized under the following categories: Category 1: An “Exceptional Building” of pre-eminent national or state importance. These buildings are meritorious works of the best architects, outstanding examples of a specific architectural style, or illustrate stylistic development of architecture in the United States. 2 California State Office of Historic Preservation, Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), Santa Clara County, updated September 2022. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 25 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 4 March 19, 2024 These buildings have had either no exterior modifications or such minor ones that the overall appearance of the building is in its original character. Category 2: A “Major Building” of regional importance. These buildings are meritorious works of the best architects, outstanding examples of an architectural style, or illustrate stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained. Category 3 or 4: A “Contributing Building” which is a good local example of an architectural style and relates to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion or other factors. A contributing building may have had extensive or permanent changes made to the original design, such as inappropriate additions, extensive removal of architectural details, or wooden façades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco. 431-433 Kipling Street is currently listed in the City of Palo Alto Historic Inventory as a Category 4: “Contributing Building.” It was surveyed for the Historic Inventory and added to the local register in 1985. Palo Alto Historic Survey Update Between 1997 and 2000, a comprehensive update to the 1979 Historic Inventory was undertaken by historic preservation firm Dames & Moore.3 The goal of this update was to identify additional properties in Palo Alto that were eligible to the National Register. This effort began with a reconnaissance survey of approximately 6,600 properties constructed prior to 1947. The reconnaissance survey produced two Study Priority lists. Approximately 600 properties were identified as Study Priority 1, indicating they appeared individually eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion C (Architecture). Approximately 2,700 properties were identified as Study Priority 2, representing those properties that did not appear individually eligible to the National Register under Criterion C (including common local building types) but retained high integrity. 4 As 431-433 Kipling Street was already listed on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory at the time of the Palo Alto Historic Survey Update, it was not documented in the Palo Alto Historic Survey Update. 3 Dames & Moore, Michael Corbett, and Denise Bradley. “Final Survey Report – Palo Alto Historic Survey Update: August 1997- August 2000.” Prepared for the City of Palo Alto Planning Division, February 2001. 4 Ibid., 2-5. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 26 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 5 March 19, 2024 III. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION The subject property at 431-433 Kipling Street is a two-story, two-unit building with a basement in Palo Alto’s Downtown North neighborhood (Figure 2). It is situated on a flat, rectangular parcel on the north side of Kipling Street. The building features a compound plan with a larger rectilinear building block facing Kipling Street and smaller rectilinear rear addition (built in 1919) attached to the northwest corner of the main block. It is constructed of wood framing and cladding with a hipped roof and composite shingles, along with overhanging open eaves and exposed rafter tails. A water table at the base of the first floor is located above a lower section of wide wood plank tongue- and-groove siding. The first floor is clad with tongue-and-groove clapboard siding and vertical wood panels at each corner, and the upper floor is separated by a belt course and clad in painted shingle siding. Above the belt course, the shingles flare outward slightly. All windows and doors are original with wood casing and frames unless otherwise noted, and most windows are one-over-one double- hung sash with ogee lugs, which will be referred to as “typical windows” throughout this description. The tops of all first-floor windows abut the belt course. Figure 2: Oblique view of 431-433 Kipling Street. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 27 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 6 March 19, 2024 Primary (South) Façade The primary (south) façade of 431-433 Kipling Street fronts Kipling Street and features an asymmetrical fenestration (Figure 3). The main entrance to the lower unit (431 Kipling) is recessed within a covered porch, which is aligned to the right (east) side of the façade and accessed by a set of poured concrete steps with a wood handrail on either side. The porch has low side walls clad in shingles and is capped by a hipped roof with two Tuscan columns and a simple wood beam frieze. To the right of the recessed entrance, a second entrance to the upper unit (433 Kipling) is located flush with the primary façade. Both front doors are wood with divided-lite glazing and face south to Kipling Street. At the first floor, the primary façade features a large picture window and multi-lite transom divided into small square lites. The second-floor features two, evenly spaced typical windows. Figure 3: Primary façade of 431-433 Kipling Street. West Facade The west façade of 431-433 Kipling Street features an asymmetrical fenestration along a main volume and a rear addition projecting west (Figure 4). The west façade faces a portion of enclosed patio space and a driveway belonging to the neighboring property at 421 Kipling Street. At the south Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 28 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 7 March 19, 2024 end of the first floor, there is a pair of fixed windows, each with nine lites (Figure 5). Moving north, there are two typical windows obscured from view by a tree. Along the south- and west-facing walls of the rear addition, there are two and four typical windows (Figure 6). The second floor features two typical windows along the main volume of the west façade, one of which is obscured by the same tree (Figure 7). Along the south- and west-facing walls of the second floor of the rear addition, there are two and four typical windows, respectively (Figure 8). Figure 4: Oblique view of the west façade, looking east. Figure 5: First floor of the west façade on the main volume, looking southeast. Figure 6: First floor fenestration of west façade of the rear addition volume, looking east. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 29 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 8 March 19, 2024 Figure 7: Oblique view of the second-floor windows along the west façade, looking east. Figure 8: Oblique view of the west façade rear block, looking south. Rear (North) Facade The rear (north) façade features an asymmetrical fenestration and faces an enclosed backyard patio (Figure 9). Much of the rear façade is obscured by a large wood frame staircase that provides access to the upper residential unit (Figure 10). At right (west), a portion of the rear addition projects further north past the rest of the rear façade (Figure 11). Figure 9: Context view of rear north facade, looking southwest. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 30 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 9 March 19, 2024 Figure 10: Oblique view of the east side of the rear façade, looking at the staircase attached to the rear façade, looking southwest. Figure 11: Oblique view of the western portion of the rear façade, including the rear addition, looking west. At the grade level of the rear facade, centrally located stairs descend to a basement door (Figure 12). At the furthest right (west) side of the projecting section of the rear addition, there is basement level opening with screen covering (Figure 13). Above the basement door on the first floor level, there are two typical windows (Figure 14). Beneath the staircase, there is a small window (Figure 15). To the right (west), there is a screened porch at the base of the rear addition, with a wood screen door facing southeast. The porch is constructed of wood frame with tongue-and-groove siding cladding the lower half and screened panels between vertical wood posts (Figure 16 and Figure 17). At the first floor of the rear façade of the projecting section of the rear addition, there are two typical windows and one smaller window with a single lite (Figure 18 and Figure 19). Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 31 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 10 March 19, 2024 Figure 12: Stairs to the basement at rear façade, located centrally on the eastern portion of the main volume. Looking southwest. Figure 13: Opening at basement level of rear façade, located at the furthest western side of the rear addition volume. Looking southwest. Figure 14: Windows above the stairs to the basement, located centrally on the eastern portion of the main volume. Rear north façade, looking southwest. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 32 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 11 March 19, 2024 Figure 15: Rear façade, beneath the staircase. Looking south. Figure 16: Rear screened porch. Looking west. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 33 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 12 March 19, 2024 Figure 17: North façade of the rear screened porch. Figure 18: Steps to basement from rear south façade. Figure 19: Oblique view of the rear north façade, looking west. At the left (east) side of the rear façade, there is a small, fixed window with a single lite and a typical window (Figure 20). A wood frame staircase that is clad with vertical wood plank siding leads to a small balcony. Two single-leaf wood doors with glazing open to the balcony and are located in north- and east-facing walls (Figure 21). The second floor of the projecting rear addition contains two typical windows and one smaller window with a single lite (Figure 22). Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 34 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 13 March 19, 2024 Figure 20: Oblique view of the rear north façade, looking west. Figure 21: Detail view of doors facing rear second floor balcony. Figure 22: Oblique view of the rear façade of the addition block. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 35 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 14 March 19, 2024 East Façade The east façade of 431-433 Kipling Street features an asymmetrical fenestration and features a central projecting bay at the first floor that supports a covered balcony at the second floor (Figure 23). At the basement level, there is one small, fixed window with a single lite. At the first floor, there are four typical windows; three located within the south- and east-facing walls of the projecting bay and one located further north, along with a single-lite window (Figure 24). At the second floor, there are five typical windows and a set of multi-lite glazed French doors that open to the covered balcony (Figure 25). The balcony is enclosed by solid sidewalls clad in shingles. Figure 23: Oblique view of east façade, looking north. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 36 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 15 March 19, 2024 Figure 24: Detail view fenestration at northern section on the east façade, looking north. Figure 25: Detail view of upper floor fenestration at northern section on the east façade, looking northwest. Garage A garage is situated in the rear northeast corner of the subject parcel (Figure 26). It is one story in height and clad with the same tongue-and-groove wood siding used on the main residence. The roof is hipped with composite shingles and has minimally overhanging eaves with exposed rafters. The primary entrance to the garage faces south and features two garage doors with vertical wood siding and two windows, each with three lites. The west façade of the garage is partially obscured from view but appears to feature a window with four lites (Figure 27). Figure 26: Primary façade of the rear garage, looking north. Figure 27: Oblique view of the rear garage, looking east. Site Features The property has both front and rear patio spaces used by the first-floor commercial tenant. The rear patio of the subject property is enclosed by a wood plank fence and features outdoor patio seating (Figure 28). The front patio of the subject property is enclosed by a wood plank fence with lattice trim and features outdoor patio seating (Figure 29). Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 37 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 16 March 19, 2024 Figure 28: Patio seating in the backyard. Figure 29: Patio seating in the front patio. Surrounding Neighborhood The subject block is located in the Downtown North neighborhood of Palo Alto and borders the commercial corridor of University Avenue to the east. Overall, buildings in the Downtown North area along University Avenue include mixed-use retail, offices, hotels, restaurants, and a theater (Figure 30). Sections of extant early twentieth century housing, such as the subject property along Kipling Street, have survived commercial development and provide a contrast to the larger commercial scale and higher density of University Avenue and sections of Lytton Avenue and Cowper Streets (Figure 31). Figure 30. Commercial buildings along University Avenue near the subject property. Figure 31. Context view of neighboring early twentieth century residential housing stock with 525 University Avenue visible in the background. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 38 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 17 March 19, 2024 IV. HISTORIC CONTEXT Palo Alto History The earliest known settlement of the Palo Alto area was by the Ohlone people. The region was colonized in 1769 as part of Alta California. The Spanish and Mexican governments carved the area into large ranchos which contained portions of land that became Palo Alto including Rancho Corte Madera, Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas, Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito, and Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito.5 These land grants were honored in the cession of California to the United States, but parcels were subdivided and sold throughout the nineteenth century. The current city of Palo Alto contains the former township of Mayfield, which was located just southwest of Alma Street, and was established in 1855. Starting in 1876, the railroad magnate and California politician Leland Stanford began to purchase land in the area for his country estate, and in 1882 he purchased an additional 1,000 acres adjacent to Mayfield for his horse farm.6 Stanford’s vast holdings became known as the Palo Alto Stock Farm. On March 9, 1885, Stanford University was founded on land of the Palo Alto Stock Farm through an endowment act by the California Assembly and Senate. Originally looking to connect Stanford University as a part of the already established town of Mayfield, Stanford asked residents of Mayfield to make the town a temperance town. Their refusal in 1886 caused Stanford to found the town of Palo Alto with aid from his friend, Timothy Hopkins of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Hopkins purchased and subdivided 740 acres of private land, that was known initially as University Park (or the Hopkins Tract) (Figure 32).7 This land was bounded by the San Francisquito Creek to the north and the railroad tracks and Stanford University campus to the south. A new train stop was created along University Avenue and the new town flourished in its close connection with the university. University Park, under its new name of Palo Alto, was incorporated in 1894. 5 Ward Winslow and Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto: A Centennial History (Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993), 12-17. 6 Ibid, 35. 7 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030 (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017), 16, accessed online November 30, 2020, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 39 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 18 March 19, 2024 Figure 32. Detail of “Official Map of Santa Clara, California” by Herrmann Brothers, 1890. Note that University Park on this map is present day Palo Alto. Source: Library of Congress. In its early years, Palo Alto was a temperance town where no alcohol could be served. The residents were mostly middle and working class, with a pocket of University professors clustered in the neighborhood deemed Professorville. The development of a local streetcar in 1906 and the interurban railway to San Jose in 1910 facilitated access to jobs outside the city and to the University, encouraging more people to move to Palo Alto.8 In July 1925, Mayfield was officially annexed and consolidated into the city of Palo Alto.9 Like the rest of the nation, Palo Alto suffered through the Great Depression in the 1930s and did not grow substantially. World War II brought an influx of military personnel and their families to the Peninsula; accordingly, Palo Alto saw rapid growth following the war as many families who had been 8 Dames & Moore, “Palo Alto Historic Survey Update,” 1-4. 9 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 16. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 40 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 19 March 19, 2024 stationed on the Peninsula by the military, or who worked in associated industries, chose to stay. Palo Alto’s population more than doubled from 16,774 in 1940 to 52,287 in 1960.10 Palo Alto’s city center greatly expanded in the late 1940s and 1950s, gathering parcels that would house new offices and light industrial uses and lead the city away from its “college town” reputation. Palo Alto annexed a vast area of mostly undeveloped land between 1959 and 1968. This area, west of the Foothill Expressway, has remained protected open space. Small annexations continued into the 1970s, contributing to the discontinuous footprint of the city today. Palo Alto remains closely tied to Stanford University; it is the largest employer in the city. The technology industry dominates other sectors of business, as is the case with most cities within Silicon Valley. Palo Alto consciously maintains its high proportion of open space to development and the suburban feeling and scale of its architecture.11 Downtown North Neighborhood The current Downtown North neighborhood is located in the northern portion of the original University Park tract platted by Timothy Hopkins. It was the core part of the early city, along with today’s University South neighborhood. The neighborhood is bounded by Alma Street to the south, San Francisquito Creek to the west, Middlefield Road to the north, and University Avenue to the east. University Avenue, which has historically been the main commercial corridor in Palo Alto, divides the Downtown North and University South neighborhoods. The 1895 Sanborn Map Company map illustrates that stores were located along University Avenue and were particularly concentrated at its southwestern end, near the railroad, where a large lumberyard stood. Residences were scattered along the street just east and west of University Avenue on Hamilton and Lytton Avenues. A few churches, hotels, and boarding houses also stood among many vacant lots. The future location of the subject building is shown in Figure 33. 10 “City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County,” Bay Area Census, accessed August 27, 2019, http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/PaloAlto50.htm. 11 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 11-20. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 41 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 20 March 19, 2024 Figure 33. 1895 Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. map of Palo Alto showing the street layout within the core of the city. The future location of the subject property is marked by the red star (Kipling Street had not been platted). Source: Digital Sanborn Maps, San Francisco Public Library By 1901, Palo Alto had grown beyond its original core. Houses filled the lots on the blocks around the railroad, while scattered residential development extended up to and beyond Middlefield Road. Institutions, such as schools and Palo Alto’s first public library, had been built in the area. As noted earlier, the development of the streetcar long University Avenue in 1906, and later the interurban rail in 1910, helped spur commercial development. The relocation of displaced San Francisco residents following the 1906 earthquake to surrounding towns such as Palo Alto also resulted in increased residential and commercial development. During the first decade of the twentieth century, the residential area of Downtown North appears to have been built out with one- and two-story Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 42 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 21 March 19, 2024 residences, but as the downtown commercial area prospered and expanded, and the University Avenue corridor became a desirable location for the growth of Palo Alto’s commercial interests.12 In the post-World War II period, Palo Alto’s population boomed and the city annexed more land, resulting in the construction of additional smaller commercial hubs which dissipated some of the concentration of commercial activity on University Avenue and Downtown North. During this period, some of the commercial development along University Avenue spread out onto perpendicular streets toward Lytton, replacing earlier residential buildings. George W. Mosher, Builder George Wilbert Mosher (1863-1939) was a prolific contractor and craftsman in the Palo Alto area who constructed hundreds of buildings in the formative years of the City from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries.13 Born in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1863, Mosher grew up working on the family farm and in a plaster quarry that his father owned and operated near the town of Windsor. To support the family further, Mosher began apprenticing in carpentry and shipbuilding at the age of 12. He moved to Portland, Maine about five years later in 1880, and continued to work in the shipbuilding trade throughout the state. In March of 1884, Mosher and his brother Edgar left the Atlantic coast for California. Upon arrival in San Francisco, California, Mosher began working for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company constructing bridges. In 1887, Mosher returned to Nova Scotia to marry his wife, Helena, whom he brought back to California. Upon returning to California, Mosher resigned from his position at the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and moved to the town of Mayfield, California to accept a position constructing Stanford University in 1892. Shortly after, he moved to Palo Alto and established himself as the town’s first contractor and builder. His brothers, Charles and James, also immigrated to California and worked alongside their brother. George Mosher was already an accomplished builder and craftsman when he arrived in Palo Alto. Mosher firmly established himself in the construction of residences of varying scale and grandeur and is responsible for the construction of up to 300 homes within the city. He built several houses designed by various architects and identified in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory, including 14: 12 The 1924 Sanborn Map shows a variety of uses including a mixture of dwellings, stores, institutional, and light industrial uses. 13 The following information was collected from the George W. Mosher Collection, Palo Alto Historical Society. The collection primarily consists of assorted clippings from the Palo Alto Times (1894-1939), although other unidentified materials were present. Additional sources outside this collection will be cited accordingly. 14 Information gathered from entries at Palo Alto Stanford Heritage website, which compiled data from the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 43 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 22 March 19, 2024 • Squire House, 900 University Avenue (National Register, Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 1), architect: T. Paterson Ross, 1904 (Figure 34) • Thoits House, 119 Bryant Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), 1897 • 301 Coleridge Avenue (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 4), architect: William Crim, 1925 • 425 Embarcadero Road, Professorville Historic District (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), architect: A.W. Smith, 1907 (Figure 35) • Wing House, 345 Lincoln Avenue (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), designer: A.B. Clark, 1893 • 353 Melville Avenue (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 3), architect: H.L. Upham, 1897 • 1432 Webster Street, (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 3), architect: Mary D. Thomas, 1914 Figure 34. National Register-listed Squire House at 900 University Avenue (1904), architect T. Paterson Ross, builder George W. Mosher. Source: Palo Alto Stanford Heritage Figure 35. 425 Embarcadero (1907), A.W. Smith, builder George W. Mosher. Source: Google Maps Mosher also designed many houses found throughout Palo Alto. Compared to buildings associated with a trained architect, Mosher’s designed buildings were generally more modest in size and design. They typically were one-story square cottages or two-story square boxes (as the Dames & Moore historic resources survey of 1997-2000 categorized them), and various architectural styles that were popular during the period such as Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian, Shingle, and Mission Revival. The architectural detailing was usually simplified, or included a mix of elements from different styles, and might have been from pattern books or published designs with some modification by Mosher. A few, like the late nineteenth century Queen Anne houses at 533 Bryant Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 44 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 23 March 19, 2024 Street, 228 Byron Street, 617 High Street, and 225 Emerson Street, appear to have more decorative elements and are good vernacular examples of the style. The Palo Alto Historic Inventory attributes several houses to Mosher as the builder, including: Two-Story Square Boxes: • 270 Channing Avenue (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 4) 1905 • 617 High Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 3), 1897 (Figure 36) • Sloanker House, 334 Kingsley Avenue, Professorville Historic District (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), 1903 • 431-433 Kipling Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 4), 1901 • 1128 Webster Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 4), 1894 (Figure 37) • 1295 Wilson Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 3), 1895 Square Cottages • 228 Byron Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), 1896 (Figure 38) • 225 Emerson Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), 1893 • 411 Kipling Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 4), 1902 • Bixby House, 533 (535) Bryant Street (Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category 2), 1897 (Figure 39) Mosher also constructed some commercial and institutional buildings such as the 1905 addition to Fraternal Hall, which was designed by Newsom & Newsom as an addition to Samuel Newsom’s original 1898 building.15 15 “514 High Street / 140 University Avenue, Fraternal Hall,” Palo Alto Historic Inventory, Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, accessed May 19, 2017, http://www.pastheritage.org/inv/invH/High514.html. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 45 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 24 March 19, 2024 Figure 36. 617 High Street (1897), builder George W. Mosher. Source: Palo Alto Stanford Heritage, ca.1986 Figure 37. 1128 Webster Street (1894), builder George W. Mosher. Source: Palo Alto Stanford Heritage Figure 38. 228 Bryon Street (1896), builder George W. Mosher. Source: Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. Figure 39. 535 Bryant St, builder George W. Mosher. Source: Google Maps 2023. In addition to his role as a prominent builder in Palo Alto, Mosher was very involved in the early municipal governance of the city. He was first elected in 1898 as town trustee, and in 1909 he was elected councilman, a position he would hold over the following decade. He and his wife moved to Eureka, California for a brief period following 1919, but they returned to Palo Alto a few years later, Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 46 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 25 March 19, 2024 where Mosher was once again elected as a councilman in 1929. He continued to hold that position and played an important role in the development of Palo Alto until his death in May of 1939. Two-Story Square Boxes The Two-Story Square Box is a vernacular building type identified in the 1997-2000 Palo Alto Historic Survey, completed by Dames & Moore. It was one of three property types identified as potentially eligible for the National Register using the Multiple Property format. According to the survey, Two- Story Square Boxes were among the predominant forms of detached residences that housed middle- and working-class people during the early development of Palo Alto, ca. 1890-1910. It states: Distinct from the one-story square cottage in the early development of the city is another common building type, the 2-story square box. These are two-story wood frame structures that are square or rectangular in plan and appear square from the street. They are variously ornamented with Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Renaissance, and Prairie Style details. Next to the square cottages, these were the most common building type in the early years of Palo Alto until the bungalow was built in large numbers after 1906. Some of these were large houses. Others were built as rooming houses, flats, or duplexes and were designed to resemble single family houses. Collectively, together with the square cottages, these buildings strongly convey the character of Palo Alto in its early years.16 The historic context included in the Dames & Moore survey noted that the early houses in Palo Alto were predominantly variations of Square Cottages or Two-Story Square Boxes. The designs for these modest buildings were not usually the product of professional architects; rather local builders would construct a traditional residence from a pattern book or published design and modify various architectural features to personalize the building.17 The Dames & Moore survey does not provide a list of character-defining features, eligibility criteria, or integrity thresholds for the Two-Story Square Box property type. It does list a series of residences throughout the city that the survey identified as Two-Story Square Boxes eligible for the National Register. While somewhat varied in their plans and architectural features, Two-Story Square Boxes typically have hipped, cross gabled, or front gabled roofs and are two-and-one-half stories tall. Front- or cross-gabled examples tend reflect a holdover of Victorian or vernacular Greek Revival influence, whereas examples with a hipped roof (also referred to as American Foursquares, refer to following context section) typically reflect interpretations of the Prairie and Craftsman style. For most Two-Story Square Boxes in Palo Alto, the main entrance is often located within an off-centered 16 Dames & Moore, “Final Survey Report – Palo Alto Historical Survey Update: August 1997-August 2000,” prepared for the City of Palo Alto Planning Division (February 2001), 5-7. 17 Dames & Moore, 1-2. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 47 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 26 March 19, 2024 recessed porch with simplified balustrade and columns. The primary façade can also feature an angled bay and/or a projecting volume with its own front-gabled roof. Hipped dormer windows are sometimes found at the front hip of the main roof. While ornamentation and decorative features added to these buildings were usually inspired by the popular architectural styles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these features were often modest and contributed to overall vernacular composition. The proliferation of the Two-Story Square Box as a primary residential building type in early Palo Alto resulted in a large number of these house types that remain extant. Examples can be found throughout the Palo Alto neighborhoods of University Park, University South, Downtown North, and Professorville. American Foursquare Building Type Within the larger architectural context, 431-433 Kipling Street can be classified as an American Foursquare house type with Craftsman stylistic influences. This house type was popular nationwide from about 1900 to 1920 and is sometimes also referred to as the “Prairie box” for its rectilinear massing and common use of wide, overhanging boxed eaves. The American Foursquare house type is characterized by the overall two-story box form with hipped roof; however common variations include full or partial width porches, hipped dormers, and modest architectural detailing including understated Classical or Colonial Revival, Prairie, or Craftsman ornament. Along with the bungalow house type, the Foursquare was one of the earliest house types to be produced on a commercial scale and marketed for single-family occupancy in streetcar suburbs nationwide along with more rural towns that had access to rail. As the industrial revolution allowed for increased production of materials and new modes of transportation, the building industry was transformed, and new house types were introduced to a burgeoning class of consumer. It was a house that embodied a departure from the elaborate ornament and asymmetrical massing of previous Victorian styles, placing an emphasis instead on straight lines, simplified internal layouts, and affordable materials and labor costs. As its name suggests, the Foursquare house type was typically built with four rooms of roughly equal size on each floor, without servants’ quarters or gendered/classed parlor spaces that often previously defined interior spaces of Victorian styles. Furthermore, the compact square massing of the Foursquare made such houses particularly well suited to small city lots and allowed for economical construction by local builders or homeowners from pattern books or kits. The typical character-defining features of the American Foursquare style include: Two-and-a-half stories Simple, cube-like shape with four-room floorplan on both stories Low hipped roofs with broad, deep overhanging eaves and central hipped dormers Prominent front porches, usually spanning the width of the front facade, supported by simple posts or columns Wood-frame construction Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 48 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 27 March 19, 2024 Wood clapboard or shingle siding Although these characteristics are most indicative of the house type, common variations also arose, including: Half-width porches with off-center entries, but symmetrical fenestration on the second story Bay windows, typically shallow and associated with the dining room Brick or stucco cladding Two different siding types at first and second story levels; often clapboard and shingle, sometimes referred to as a “shirtwaist” example 18 The house at 431-433 Kipling Street exhibits many of the typical American Foursquare traits, as well as several variations. While it strongly embodies the essential cube-like massing, its primary facade organization uses the off-center porch and entry variation, as well as the “shirtwaist” characteristic in which the first and second floor are clad with separate materials and separated by a belt course. Otherwise, it embraces the text-book characteristics of height, hipped roof, and wood framing and cladding. The house is a more decoratively modest iteration of the typology, with few ornamental features aside from a wide plain belt course and simple Tuscan columns at the porch. 18 Rosemary Thornton, “American Foursquare, 1890-1930,” The Old House Web (blog), n.d. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 49 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 28 March 19, 2024 V. SITE HISTORY Site Development & Construction Chronology The subject building at 431-433 Kipling Street was constructed in 1901 for Hiland H. Holley. The two- story house was built by George W. Mosher. Newspaper records from the Palo Alto Times indicate that in April of 1901, Mosher had commenced construction on a “cottage” for H.H. Holley on Marguerite Street (Marguerite was renamed to Kipling in 1908).19 Prior to the construction of the subject property in 1901, the area that today comprises Palo Alto’s Downtown North was still mostly rural (Figure 40). Figure 40. The subject block of Kipling Street (formerly Marguerite) ca.1900, Source: Palo Alto Historical Association. By 1901, the surrounding parcels on the subject block had been platted and mostly built out with one- and two-story wood frame buildings (Figure 41). The 1901 Sanborn map shows the original address of the subject property as 427 and shows the building’s original rectilinear footprint with an open-air front porch, a projecting bay at the right (east) side, and a small outbuilding in the rear yard. Hiland Holley died in 1904, and his wife Mary Holley took over ownership of the property until her death in 1916.20 Around 1907, city directories indicate that 431 Kipling was occupied by one or more student tenants, thus implying that Mary Holley converted the upper floor of the residence to 19 “Locals,” Palo Alto Times, April 5, 1901, 2. 20 “Former Palo Alto Woman Dies in South,” Daily Palo Alto Times, October 13, 1916. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 50 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 29 March 19, 2024 a second unit for her personal occupancy in the years immediately following her husband’s death.21 It is likely that at this time between 1904 and 1907 that the second front door at the right (east) was added within the covered entry porch. By 1908, the remaining empty parcels on the subject block were infilled with mostly one- and two-story wood frame buildings. At this time, the subject building retained its original footprint (Figure 42). Figure 41: Sanborn Perris Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1901. Page 5. The future location of the subject property is outlined in red. Source: Historical Information Gatherers. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 42: Sanborn Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1908. Page 11. The subject property is outlined in red. Source: Historical Information Gatherers. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Following the death of Mary Holley in 1916, ownership transferred to the Leonard family sometime between 1916 and 1919. In 1919, newspaper records show that owner Maude B. Leonard commissioned an addition to the residence, along with construction of a garage several months later. A 1924 Sanborn Map Company map corroborates the timing of the addition to the rear of the building, however there is no footprint of a garage until later Sanborn maps (Figure 43).22 Despite this discrepancy in documentation, newspaper advertisements from 1920 indicate that the newly built garage featured a “cement floor, light, and water,” and could be rented, most likely for automobile storage.23 At this point, the earlier rear outbuilding had been removed. During the 1920s, the Leonard family occupied the lower unit at 431 while renting the upper floor to another family. Around 1938, B.S. Gibson purchased the property and converted the lower unit to a commercial space for his window shade store “Gibson’s Shade Shop,” which he operated until the 1970s when ownership transferred to James Alexander, who also operated his own window shade store known 21 “Proof Sheets of Palo Alto Directory,” Peninsula Times Tribune, December 13, 1907, 5. 22 “Building Improvements for Year in Palo Alto Total Half Million,” Daily Palo Alto Times, January 2, 1919, 1; “Building Continuing,” San Jose Mercury News 97, no. 34 (August 3, 1919). 23 “For Rent,” Daily Palo Alto Times, September 28, 1920, 7. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 51 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 30 March 19, 2024 as Alexander’s Shade Shop. A Sanborn map from 1948 shows the footprint of the subject remained unchanged from 1924, however a new garage building was added to the rear (Figure 44). In the 1980s, Thoits Bros took over ownership of the property. The subject building’s commercial unit has been occupied by a local wine bar, Vino Locale, since the 1980s. No further documentation of alterations to the exterior were uncovered through a review of available building permits or planning records, however, through visual analysis it appears that a north-facing door was replaced more recently at the rear upper balcony. Figure 43: Sanborn Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1924. Page 12. The subject property is outlined in red. Source: Historical Information Gatherers. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 44: Sanborn Perris Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1948. Page 12. The subject property is outlined in red. Source: Historical Information Gatherers. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 45. Inventory photograph of 431-433 Kipling Street, 1985. Source: Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 52 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 31 March 19, 2024 The following table provides a timeline of construction activity at 431-433 Kipling Street, based on building permit records documented in archival newspapers and the Palo Alto Historical Association. Permits available at Palo Alto Development Services were reviewed, but were limited to sign installation, interior work, or landscaping, and did not include alterations to the exterior envelope of the building. TABLE 1. PERMIT HISTORY FOR 431-433 KIPLING STREET. Date Filed Permit App. # Owner Contractor/ Architect Work 1/2/1919 - Maude B. Leonard Unknown Addition to residence for $3,600 24 8/3/1919 - Maude B. Leonard Unknown Construction of a garage for $300 25 Known Ownership and Occupant History The following tables provide a summary of the ownership and occupancy history of 431-433 Kipling Street, beginning with the year of construction for the ownership table; and beginning with 1907 for the occupancy tables. Owner and occupant information was sourced from the Palo Alto Historical Association, newspaper articles, city directories, and other public records available through Ancestry.com. Any years not listed are attributed to gaps in occupancy or lack of available information in city directories. TABLE 2. OWNERSHIP HISTORY FOR 431-433 KIPLING STREET. Date(s) Owner(s), relationship to head of household in parenthesis Occupation 1901-1904 Hiland Hall Holley Mary E.S. Holley (wife) Marble Dealer and oil well owner 1904-1916 Mary E.S. Holley 1919-1938 Leonard family Maude B. Leonard Jennie Leonard (grandmother) Ralph Shaw (grandson) Ca.1938-1968 B.S. Gibson Owner of Gibson’s Shade Shop ca.1973-1978 James Alexander Owner of Alexander Shade Shop Ca.1981-present Thoits Bros Real estate development company 24 “Building Improvements for Year in Palo Alto Total Half Million.” 25 “Building Continuing.” Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 53 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 32 March 19, 2024 As stated within the prior section on Site Development & Construction Chronology, the building was built and occupied as a single-family residence from its construction in 1901 until 1907. From 1901 to 1904, the building was occupied by Hiland and Mary. Following Hiland’s death in 1904, Mary lived alone until 1907, when she divided the building into two units in order to take on lodgers. The following two tables include the occupancy of each unit beginning with 1907. TABLE 3. KNOWN OCCUPANT HISTORY FOR 431 KIPLING STREET (LOWER RESIDENTIAL AND LATER COMMERCIAL UNIT) Date(s) Occupant(s) Occupation 1907 A.R. Vance Student 1910 Helen B. O’Neil Mrs. D.A. Smith Olive M. Smith Erma Rider Grace Herrick Teacher - Student Teacher Teacher 1919-1939 Maude B. Leonard Jennie Leonard Ralph Shaw 1939 Lee M. and Laura Brown Mechanic Ca.1938-1955 Gibson’s Shade Shop Window shade retailer 1974-1978 Alexander’s Shade Shop Window shade retailer ca.1981-present Vino Locale Wine bar TABLE 4. KNOWN OCCUPANT HISTORY FOR 433 KIPLING STREET (UPPER RESIDENTIAL UNIT) Date(s) Occupant(s) Occupation 1907-1916 Mary E. Holley 1919 Mr. and Mrs. S. Widasky 1926 John Schwartz 1933 Mrs. Adele McFarland Bookkeeper 1955 Lillian I. Shriver 1955-1965 Mrs. Ethel McDonald 1959 Robert Chisman 1965 Mrs. Bessie Hodes 1970 Mrs. Gloria Ramsdell Grace L. McCabe BIOGRAPHY OF HILAND H. AND MARY E. HOLLEY, OWNER-OCCUPANTS Hiland Hall (1832-1904) and Mary Elizabeth Sykes Holley (1837-1916) were the original owners and occupants of 431-433 Kipling Street. Hiland Holley was born in Dorset, Vermont and fought in the Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 54 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 33 March 19, 2024 Civil War with the 19th Vermont regiment before marrying Mary Elizabeth (also a native of Vermont) in 1867. While living in Vermont, Hiland worked as a marble dealer. At some point in the late nineteenth century, the Holley family moved to California, where Hiland began work in the oil industry and eventually purchased several oil wells. Hiland was known as a notable early resident of Palo Alto, and his two sons enrolled in the newly established Stanford University. After Hiland’s death in 1904, Mary subdivided the house into upper and lower units and continued to occupy the upper unit at (433 Kipling) until her death in 1916. 26 26 “Veteran Passes Away,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, December 14, 1904, 8. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 55 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 34 March 19, 2024 VI. EVALUATION Palo Alto Historic Inventory The Palo Alto Historic Inventory is the official list of sites, structures and districts designated by the City Council as possessing significant historical and/or architectural value. Originally adopted in 1979, the Palo Alto Historic Inventory has been updated and added to over time. Any individual or group may propose designating a historic structure, site or district to the Inventory according to the procedure found in the Historic Preservation Ordinance (Municipal Code Section 16.49.040). Properties nominated for designation are reviewed by the Historic Resources Board who then issue a recommendation to City Council. City Council then decides on the nomination based on the provided recommendation. The following Criteria for Designation, along with the definitions of historic categories and districts in Section 16.49.020, is used to designate historic structures, sites and districts to the historic inventory: 1. The structure or site is identified with the lives of historic people or with important events in the city, state or nation; 2. The structure or is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation; 3. The structure or site is an example of a type of building which was once common, but is now rare; 4. The structure or site is connected with a business or use which was once common, but is now rare; 5. The architect or building was important; 6. The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship. Properties listed in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory are organized under the following Historic Categories: • Category 1: An "Exceptional Building" of pre-eminent national or state importance. These buildings are meritorious works of the best architects, outstanding examples of a specific architectural style, or illustrate stylistic development of architecture in the United States. • Category 2: A "Major Building" of regional importance. These buildings are meritorious works of the best architects, outstanding examples of an architectural style, or illustrate stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 56 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 35 March 19, 2024 • Category 3 or 4: A "Contributing Building" is a good local example of an architectural style and relates to the character of a neighborhood grouping in scale, materials, proportion, or other factors. 431-433 Kipling Street, which was previously listed as a Category 4 building, does appear eligible for elevation to Category 2: A "Major Building" of regional importance in the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. The subject building meets the following Criteria for Designation: • Criterion 2 (The structure or is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation); 431-433 Kipling Street is an excellent extant example of the Two-Story Square Box house type in Palo Alto’s Downtown North neighborhood. The Two-Story Square Box is a Palo Alto residential house type that mixed familiar forms and finishes of the Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, and sometimes vernacular Greek Revival. The subject building is an early extant example of this important building type and is also a unique variation featuring a hipped roof, simple Tuscan columns, and a flat front façade, instead of the more common front or cross-gabled roof and projecting bay window. • Criterion 5 (The architect or building was important) George W. Mosher was a builder-of-merit who made important contributions to the early built environment of Palo Alto. While Mosher’s works are considered more modest in size and design compared with other architect-designed residences from the same period, he built and designed numerous Two-Story Square Box house types and was the builder for several larger high style residences in Palo Alto. The subject building is an important extant example of George W. Mosher’s contributions to the high-quality housing stock built in Palo Alto’s early period of development. • Criterion 6 (The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship. 431-433 Kipling Street showcases the high level of craftsmanship and architectural design implemented by builder-of-merit George W. Mosher. Elements of the façade that meet the definition of Criterion 6 include original wood windows with one-over-one double-hung sashes, ogee lugs, an original transom with checkered mullions, the use of a “Shirtwaist” belt course and flared shingle siding, and high-quality tongue-and-groove siding. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 57 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 36 March 19, 2024 431-433 Kipling does not appear to meet Criterion 1, as the building was part of a period of residential development in downtown Palo Alto but is not significant within this context or individually representative of this broader development trend. The subject building also does not appear to meet Criterion 3, as it is an example of the common Two-Story Square Box house type, which has many extant examples and would likely not be considered rare. Lastly, the subject building does not appear to meet Criterion 4, as its early use as a rental house would not be considered rare today. In conclusion, 431-433 Kipling Street meets Criteria 2, 5, and 6 in consideration for eligibility as a Category 2: “Major Building.” Integrity To qualify for listing in any local, state, or national historic register, a property or landscape must possess significance under at least one evaluative criterion as described above and retain integrity. Integrity is defined by the California Office of Historic Preservation as “the authenticity of an historical resource’s physical identity evidenced by the survival of characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of significance,” or more simply defined by the National Park Service as “the ability of a property to convey its significance.”27 In order to evaluate whether the subject property retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance, Page & Turnbull used established integrity standards outlined by the National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Seven variables, or aspects, that define integrity are used to evaluate a resource’s integrity—location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. A property must possess most, or all, of these aspects in order to retain overall integrity. If a property does not retain integrity, it can no longer convey its significance and is therefore not eligible for listing in local, state, or national registers. The seven aspects that define integrity are defined as follows: Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred; 27 California Office of Historic Preservation, Technical Assistance Series No. 7: How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register of Historical Resources (Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing, September 4, 2001), 11; and National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1995), 44. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 58 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 37 March 19, 2024 Setting addresses the physical environment of the historic property inclusive of the landscape and spatial relationships of the building(s); Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of the property; Materials refer to the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form the historic property; Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory; Feeling is the property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time; and Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and the historic property. LOCATION 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of location. The subject building has remained situated at its location of original construction since 1901. SETTING 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of setting. The subject building is a surviving property within a residential block of Kipling Street that has retained the majority of its original early twentieth century housing stock, despite commercial development of Palo Alto’s downtown core over time. The surrounding properties that neighbor 431-433 Kipling Street are relatively unaltered and together express a high level of integrity of setting. DESIGN 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of design. There have been minimal alterations to the subject building since 1919 when a large addition was added to the rear of the building. The residence retains its original form as a Two-Story Square Box building type with Craftsman, Colonial Revival and American Foursquare character-defining features that include Tuscan columns, checkered mullions, and differentiation from the first and second floors through the use of separate cladding. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 59 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 38 March 19, 2024 MATERIALS 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of materials. Aside from a replacement door at the upper rear façade and construction of an early rear addition to the building in 1919, very few (if any) of the original features appear to have been altered, removed, or replaced. The primary exterior building materials include original tongue-and-groove and shingle siding, wood windows and doors, and exposed rafters. WORKMANSHIP 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of workmanship. Features providing evidence of period workmanship and construction methods include original wood windows with one-over-one double hung sash and ogee lugs, checkered mullions, tongue-and-groove wood and shingle siding, and a prominent belt course. While the Two-Story Square Box building type is more modest than other contemporaneous high style house types, the subject property reflects a high level of workmanship in the decorative detailing and materiality of the building. FEELING 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of feeling. The building retains the feeling of its original design and materiality as constructed in 1901 by George W. Mosher, as its design, materiality, and workmanship remain highly representative of its original Two-Story Square Box aesthetic. There have been minimal alterations to the subject building overall, and an early addition to the rear in 1919 does not diminish the residence’s street facing form, height, massing, or materiality such that its feeling is impaired. ASSOCIATION 431-433 Kipling Street retains integrity of association. The building’s association to local builder-of- merit George W. Mosher continues to be represented through its retention of the building’s original materials and its Craftsman/American Foursquare design/typology characteristics. The subject building was originally constructed as a residence and is situated in a largely residential setting with other properties of similar scale along neighboring blocks of Lytton Avenue, Cowper Street, and University Avenue. Since its original construction, the building has functioned as a single-family residence, followed by duplex residential use, and from ca. 1938 onwards as a mixed-use building with a commercial retail space on the first floor and a second-story residential unit. While the property’s original use has changed over time, the exterior of the building has not been altered to reflect these changes, and the building still reflects its original residential appearance. Therefore, integrity of association has been maintained. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 60 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 39 March 19, 2024 Overall, 431-433 Kipling Street retains all seven aspects of integrity necessary to convey its historic significance and support its elevation to a Category 2 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 61 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 40 March 19, 2024 VII. CONCLUSION This HRE finds that 431-433 Kipling Street appears eligible for elevation to Category 2: A "Major Building" of regional importance on the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. The subject building is a meritorious work of an important local builder George W. Mosher and is an outstanding extant example of the Two-Story Square Box house type within Palo Alto’s urban core. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 62 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 41 March 19, 2024 VIII. REFERENCES Published Works & Reports California Office of Historic Preservation. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 7: How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register of Historical Resources. Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing, September 4, 2001. California Office of Historic Preservation. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 8: User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory. Sacramento: California Office of State Publishing. November 2004. National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington, D.CA.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1995. Newspapers & Periodicals “Building Continuing.” San Jose Mercury News 97, no. 34 (August 3, 1919). “Building Improvements for Year in Palo Alto Total Half Million.” Daily Palo Alto Times, January 2, 1919, “For Rent.” The Peninsula Times Tribune, September 8, 1920, 7. “For Rent.” Daily Palo Alto Times, September 28, 1920, 7. “Former Palo Alto Woman Dies in South.” Daily Palo Alto Times, October 13, 1916. “Instruments on File with Recorder.” Daily Palo Alto Times, March 22, 1922, 9. “Locals.” Palo Alto Times, April 5, 1901, 2. “Look Up Your Friends’ Names.” Daily Palo Alto Times, January 10, 1910, 7. “Proof Sheets of Palo Alto Directory.” Peninsula Times Tribune, December 13, 1907, 5. “Veteran Passes Away.” The Peninsula Times Tribune, December 14, 1904, 8. Public Records California State Office of Historic Preservation, Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), Santa Clara County, updated September 2022. Archival Records 443 Kipling Street, ca. 1900. c 1900. Guy Miller Archives. Palo Alto Historical Association. https://cdm16865.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/PAHA/id/6986/rec/10. Linda Northway. 431-433 Kipling Street, 1985. 1985. Guy Miller Archives. Palo Alto Historical Association. https://cdm16865.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/PAHA/id/7061/rec/1. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 63 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 42 March 19, 2024 Internet Sources “Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records,” 1993 1774. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61378/images/TH-1-17785-90009- 18?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=LdJ144&_phstart=successSource&pId=10 64493. Rosemary Thornton. “American Foursquare, 1890-1930.” The Old House Web (blog), n.d. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 64 Historic Resource Evaluation 431-433 Kipling Street 16252B.32 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 43 March 19, 2024 IX. APPENDIX - PREPARER QUALIFICATIONS This Historic Resource Evaluation was prepared by Page & Turnbull of San Francisco, California. Page & Turnbull staff responsible for this report include: Christina Dikas, Principal-in-charge; Barrett Reiter, project manager; and Samantha Purnell, Cultural Resources Planner, primary author, all of whom meet or exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Historic Architecture, Architectural History, or History. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 65 This page intentionally left blank. Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 66 Imagining change in historic environments through design, research, and technology 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 523 WEST 6TH STREET, SUITE 1013 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, 90014 TEL 213-221-1200 2600 CAPITOL AVENUE, SUITE 120 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, 95816 TEL 916-930-9903 75 EAST SANTA CLARA STREET, SUITE 900 SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95113 TEL 408-320-7911 Item 2 Attachment B: HRE by Page & Turnbull Packet Pg. 67 Statt! of California --The Resources Agency fJE.Pl\flTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION ':-HSTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY IDENTIFICATION Cat. IV C, Hrnno,, ""me: ~ ::,er C: 0 ~ UTM :, "' Lat § ~ Adm T2 -- Site Mo. Yr. Q R --SHL __ Lon Era ___ Sig ___ __ T3 Cat HABS HAER Fed -- --------------------------------------- 7. 111'.tonc nanw, if known:-------------------------------------- :,1,,, .. 1 01 "''"I add11:ss 431-433 KiQling (405 Kipling Group) Cit v: ___ P_a_l_o __ Al_t_o ________ _ ZIP: _____ _ County: ___ S_a_n_t_a __ C_l_a-r_a~--- 4. Present owner, if known: __ Th_o_i_t_s_B_r_o_.s_. __________ Address: __ PO __ B_o_x_2_1 ________ _ City: _P_a_l_o_A_l_t_o_,_C_a_l_i_· f ________ ZIP: ____ _ Ownership is: Public □ Private ~ 5. Present Use: Corrnnercial Original Use: ___ R-"'e_s_i_d_e_n_t_i_a_l __________ _ Other past uses:-------------------------------------- DESCRIPTION 6. Briefly describe \he present physical appearance of the site or structure_ and describe any major alterations from its original condition: · A simplified shingle and clapboard two-story 11 Four-square,11 with side bay at the right and enlarged rear section at the left. Because fenestration is rel atively sparse, the large f.ront window with checkerboard grid of mullions at the top is particularly noticeable. The second eritry door (433) is probably an alteration. One of the group of early Palo Alto houses surviving in the commercial zone. · 7. Locational sketch map {draw and label site and surr·eunding streets, roads, and prominent landmarks): ~ NORTH ., ........ r "'V'l I£->......,, 11 Ii,.\ 8. Approximate property size: Lot size {in feet) Frontage __ 5_0 __ _ Depth __ ll_2~'°~5 __ or app1 ox. ,1c11ia11e 9. Condition: {check one) a. Excellen.t 0 b: Good [!j c. Fair 0 d. Deteriorated O e. No longer in existence 0 a. Altered '· iv1 b. Unaltered? r-lJ · 10. Is the feature ~ 11. Surroundings: {Check more than one if necessary) a. Open land □ b. Scattered buildings □ C. Densely built-up 0 d. Residential □ e. Commercial [i] f. Industrial □ g. Other □ ---------·- 12. Threats to site: a. None known □ b. Private development [] c. Zoning [!] d. Poblic Work 5 project [] C. Vandali~m [ -1 f. Othm I I 13_ Date(s) ui enclosed 1>hotO!J'ilJ1hh) Item 2 Attachment C: 431-433 Kipling DPR Form Packet Pg. 68 431-433 Kipling The following (Items 14-19) are for structures only. 4 P11mmy exterwr bu1ldm9 material: a. Stone [-l b. Brick 0 c. Stucco [] d. Adobe [] e. Wood f. Other [ I ----------------- 15. Is the structure: a. On its original site? [i] b. Moved? D c. Unknown? D Year ot initial construction 1901 This date is: a. Factual [xj b. Estimated [] 17. Architect (if known):---------------------"'------------------ 18. l3u,ltler (if known): *G.W. Hosher or Gustav Laumeister1Ht- Related features: a. Barn [] b. Carriage house 0 c. Outhouse □ d. Shed(s) □ e. Formal garden(s) 0 f. Windmill [ I g. Watertower/tankhouse 0 h. Other □-------------i. None (] SIGNIFICANCE B1 iofly ... 1.1 IP h 1sl<>rn:al and/or architeclural importanc11 {include dates, events. and persons associated with the site when known): of a group of early Palo Alto residences surviving in the corranercial zone. Like the house at 4ll Kipling, built for Mr. and Mrs. Hiland H. Hollyi after his death,' JVirs. Holly remained in the residence until 1916. Mrs. Gideon (Jane C.) and her daughte:r; Maude Belle Leonard,occupied the house from 1916-32; Maude was a graduate of Whitman College and the University of California school of art. By 1938 the buildirig had become the Shade Shop of B .• s. Gibson., and remains in corrmercial use. Mam th,ime o! the historic resource: (Check only one): a. Architecture f] b. Arts & Leisure D c. Economic/Industrial [] d. Exploration/Settlement g. Religion [] h. Social/Education 0 □ e. Government LJ f. Military LJ 22. Sources: List books, documents, suiveys, personal interviews, and their dates: P.A. City Directories; ,frlf4/5/01, ~/28/01, *1/3/02, 3/23/42 1983 Historic Resources Board 23. Date form prepared: By (name): __________________________ _ Address 2,50 Hamilton Ave City ___ P_a_lo_A_l_t_o_.L,2 _C_a. ______ 9:...4.;.:;3_0_1 __ ZIP: Phone: ___________ _ Organization: _______________________ _ (State Use Only) Item 2 Attachment C: 431-433 Kipling DPR Form Packet Pg. 69 16.49.040 Designation of historic structures/sites. (a) Procedure for Designation of Historic Structures/Sites or Districts. Any individual or group may propose designation as a historic structure/site or district. Such proposals shall be reviewed by the historic resources board, which will make its recommendation to the council. Designation of a historic structure/site or district must be approved by the city council. The procedure for such designation is as follows: (1) Any proposal for designation shall be filed with the department of planning and development services and shall include the following data: (A) The address and assessor's parcel number of the site or boundaries of the proposed district; (B) A description detailing the structure/site or district's special aesthetic, cultural, architectural, or engineering interest or value of a historic nature; (C) A description of the historical value of the structure/site or district; (D) A description of the current condition of and any known threats to the structure/site or district; (E) What restoration, if any, would be necessary to return the structure/site or district to its original appearance; (F) Sketches, drawings, photographs or other descriptive material; (G) Other supporting information. (2) Each proposal shall be considered by the historic resources board at a public hearing within sixty days of the receipt of the proposal. In any case where an application for a planning or building permit affecting the exterior of a building is pending concurrently with a proposal for designation, the recommendation of the historic resources board shall be made within twenty days of receipt of the proposal. (3) Notice of the time, place and purpose of the hearing shall be given at least twelve days prior to the date of the hearing by publication at least once in a newspaper of general circulation, or by mail to the applicant, to the owner or owners of the property, and to the owners of property within three hundred feet of the site. (4) The historic resources board shall recommend to the city council approval, disapproval or modification of an application for designation. (5) The city council may approve, disapprove or modify a recommendation for designation and, in any case where an application for a planning or building permit is pending concurrently with the proposal for designation, such decision shall be made within thirty days of the recommendation, if any, of the historic resources board. (6) After approval of the designation of a structure/site or district, the city clerk shall send to the owners of the property so designated, by mail, a letter outlining the basis for such designation and the regulations which result from such designation. Notice of this designation shall also be filed in the building department and the department of planning and development services files. (b) Criteria for Designation. The following criteria, along with the definitions of historic categories and districts in Section 16.49.020, shall be used as criteria for designating additional historic structures/sites or districts to the historic inventory: (1) The structure or site is identified with the lives of historic people or with important events in the city, state or nation; (2) The structure or site is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation; Item 2 Attachment D: PAMC Section 16.49 Packet Pg. 70 (3) The structure or site is an example of a type of building which was once common, but is now rare; (4) The structure or site is connected with a business or use which was once common, but is now rare; (5) The architect or building was important; (6) The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship. (Ord. 5494 § 3, 2020: Ord. 3721 § 1 (part), 1986) Item 2 Attachment D: PAMC Section 16.49 Packet Pg. 71 ATTACHMENT E Directions to review Project plans online: 1. Go to: https://paloalto.buildingeye.com/planning 2. Search for “431 Kipling Steet” and open record by clicking on the blue dot 3. Review the record details on the left side and open the “more details” option 4. Use the “Records Info” drop down menu and select “Attachments” 5. Open the attachment named “C1_431 Kipling_Plans (Drawing Set).pdf” and dated 05/08/2024 to review the plan set Item 2 Attachment E: Project Plans Packet Pg. 72 Item No. 3. Page 1 of 1 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: July 11, 2024 Report #: 2407-3205 TITLE Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of May 9, 2024 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Historic Resources Board (HRB) adopt the attached meeting minutes. BACKGROUND Attached are minutes for the following meeting: •May 9, 2024 ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: HRB 5.09 Minutes AUTHOR/TITLE: Amy French, Chief Planning Official Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 73 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Call to Order/Roll Call Present: Chair Alisa Eagleston-Cieslewicz; Vice Chair Samantha Rohman; Board Members Caroline Willis and Margaret Wimmer Absent: Board Members Gogo Heinrich, Michael Makinen and Christian Pease Margaret Wimmer Public Comment Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions City Official Reports 1. Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments Chief Planning Official Amy French reported that on April 22, 2024, the City Council placed sixteen properties, including three City properties, on the City’s local inventory. Two additional properties will be heading to the Council consent calendar in August with any other property owners who are interested in putting their properties in the inventory. Four members are present in the chamber, so the current meeting can continue. On May 13, the Council will be given the opportunity to decide whether or not to reduce the Board to five members from seven, and other modifications including reducing the meetings to one meeting per month. The goal is to attract candidates and not have to spend as many Staff resources on multiple recruitments. The open recruitment will close on June 2, 2024, and it is possible that the interviews of the candidates and placement would take place before the June 13, 2024, meeting. Ms. French thought that it would be appropriate to have the bylaws discussion on June 13, 2024, after Council action to allow for modifications to be made accordingly. The CLG Annual Report filing deadline and grant deadline was pushed to June 7, 2024. She introduced the new Historic Planner, Steven Switzer. Board Member Willis inquired about the recommendation on the consent calendar concerning Council approval of meeting frequency and the composition of HRB members. Ms. French stated that it was on the consent calendar, which means that the Council does not need to have a public hearing. People can speak to the public hearing if desired, but it would take three Council members to pull it off the consent calendar and hold a discussion. Board Member Willis sought clarification that the action is to modify the ordinance in that way. Ms. French explained that the packet contains a staff report detailing the changes, which include reducing the Board from seven to five members, adjusting the qualifications to align with CLG requirements, and reducing the meetings to once a month. Board Member Willis expressed her disagreement with certain aspects of the proposal, particularly the lack of requirement for a board member to own a historic property. She emphasized the importance of accountability and questioned whether this point would be part of the Council’s decision. Ms. French suggested that the Council has the option to remove it from the consent calendar and schedule for a future public hearing for further discussion. However, she clarified that it cannot be removed from HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD MEETING DRAFT MINUTES, May 9, 2024 Council Chamber & Virtual Zoom 8:30 A.M. Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 74 City of Palo Alto Page 2 the consent and discussed on the same night. She believed that this addition was intended to reduce obstacles for Board applicants. Board Member Willis felt that it was somewhat of an overreaction. She questioned whether the Board could revisit the decision to meet only once a month after six months. Ms. French responded that any element of the Municipal Code could potentially be modified. She explained that bylaws could include provisions beyond what the code stipulates, but any changes would require active Council involvement. She also mentioned that special meetings are always an option and can be scheduled at any month of the year, as per the current code, which states that it is at the Chair’s discretion. Vice Chair Rohman echoed Board Member Willis’s concern about removing the code requirement. She inquired if it was possible to remove it from the Council’s consent calendar to allow the Board to make changes. Ms. French clarified that only the Council could decide to remove it. The HRB could advocate for the agenda removal, but there might be a lack of a quorum depending on the remaining members. Chair Alisa Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked if the Board felt strongly about the requirement for a homeowner of a Category 1 or Category 2 property, whether it could be reintroduced as a separate item at a later date. Ms. French confirmed that this was possible. If the Board wished to retain the piece about ownership of a Category 1 or 2 property, that could be considered either by the full Board or a less-than-full quorum. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz stated that if there was enough Board interest in the one fix-it item, they could revisit it and make the appropriate changes. Board Member Wimmer referred to the ordinance stating that the Board could be reduced from seven members to five. She asked whether an exception could be included stating that in an event where recruitment does not result in seven members, the Board could operate with five members temporarily until the full Board is recruited Ms. French responded by stating that this matter pertains to the Title 2 Administrative Code of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, and as such, the number of members likely needs to be either five or seven. Action Items 2. 201 Alma Street, Tower Well Park: Park Name Discussion per City Council Direction Staff: Amy French, Steven Switzer, Kristen O’Kane Public comments: Herb Borock Ms. French stated that Kristen O’Kane from the Community Services Department attended the Council meeting in March. The Council approved the name “Tower Well Park” and asked the HRB and Parks and Recreation Commission to consider renaming it to Frederick Eyerly’ Tower Well Park. The Council also proposed that the City nominate the park to the National and California Registers, given its eligibility status from the 1997-2001 survey and its Category 1 inventory placement. On November 8, 2023, the City of Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA) suggested “Tower Well Park” as the new park’s name, considering the significant historic landmark on the property. A speaker highlighted that the site was previously named after Fred Eyerly, based on HRB’s recommendations. The HRB is now tasked to discuss this name. Ms. O’Kane mentioned that the staff is open to any suitable name for the site, which will be presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission and then the Council for finalization. A formal dedication and ribbon- cutting ceremony will follow, marking the first new park dedication in Palo Alto in a long time. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz invited comments from the public. Herb Borock stated that he provided a copy of his recommendation to Council for the March 4, 2024, meeting that appeared in the March agenda packet. He noted that the Council introduced the first name Frederick, but the former Mayor’s name was Fred. He expressed concern about the Council’s rule-breaking tendencies, which might discourage people from applying for boards and commissions. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz invited comments from the Board members. Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 75 City of Palo Alto Page 3 Board Member Wimmer questioned the necessity of dedicating the site to a specific person. Ms. O’Kane clarified that while many parks in the City are named after individuals, it is not a requirement. The current name is Tower Well Park, and the Council has initiated a conversation to possibly change it to Fred (or Frederick) Eyerly Tower Well Park. Board Member Willis expressed her preference for a shorter name like ‘Tower Well’ and questioned the implications of renaming it to ‘Fred Eyerly Tower Well Site’. She wondered if the change would affect signage, education, or other aspects. Ms. O’Kane clarified that a sign matching the City’s park signage would be installed at the park, which is designated as parkland in the Municipal code. The decision to name the park after Mr. Eyerly rests with the governing bodies. Vice Chair Rohman inquired about the presence of any existing signage acknowledging Fred Eyerly. Ms. O’Kane confirmed the existence of one such sign. Vice Chair Rohman felt this was sufficient recognition for Mr. Eyerly and did not see the need to rename the entire park after him. Board Member Willis suggested that the Board could recommend to the Council that the name change would be acceptable. However, she believed that retaining the name ‘Tower Well Site’ might better highlight the site’s historical significance. Board Member Wimmer concurred, adding that the naming suggestion seemed to originate from a single community member. She proposed that if the park were to be dedicated to an individual, the City should solicit suggestions from the wider community. She expressed concern that naming the park after Mr. Eyerly could potentially mislead people about his connection to the site or the tower. Vice Chair Rohman agreed, noting that the suggestion of a male name, presumably of a cisgender white man, could perpetuate the ‘great men of history’ model. She suggested that the City should consider more inclusive options for its landmarks and names. While not opposed to naming the park after an individual, she felt that this warranted further discussion and exploration of alternatives. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked if the Board needed to make a formal motion. Ms. French believed that the minutes adequately captured the Board’s sentiment but sought Ms. O’Kane’s opinion on whether a motion would facilitate the process. Board Member Willis offered to make a motion for the Board to defer the decision to the Council. MOTION Motion by Board Member Willis that the HRB defer to Council to name the Tower Well site in a way that commemorates the building, while also acknowledging that the Council has the discretion to dedicate it to any individual that they deem appropriate. Ms. French suggested that the motion could be more assertive about what the site should not be named and what it does not require. Board Member Willis argued for a small motion that would resonate with the Council, noting that detailed minutes of the HRB’s discussion would be available if the Council wished to review them. Board Member Wimmer proposed an amendment to the motion, stating that the HRB does not support the renaming of Tower Well Park as outlined in the agenda item. Ms. French inquired if there was interest in referencing PAHA’s process, as they had previously considered the name. Vice Chair Rohman suggested that the motion could state that the HRB agrees with PAHA’s recommendation and then forward that name to the Council. Board Member Willis responded that she would second this motion. MOTION AMENDED Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 76 City of Palo Alto Page 4 Motion by Vice Chair Rohman that the HRB concurs with the PAHA recommended naming Tower Well Park and recommends that naming to Council. Board Member Wimmer expressed concern that supporting the motion might imply endorsement of the entire proposal, including the suggested name, which the Board does not agree with. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz interpreted the motion as expressing the Board’s preferred name for the site. Ms. French asked if the Board wanted to add ‘and forward this preference to Council’ to the motion to emphasize it as a preference. Board Member Willis felt the motion was sufficiently strong given the current circumstances. She noted that the Board might support a name change if more background information and name options were provided. She emphasized that the current name, ‘Tower Well’, honors the site’s historical significance, which the Board finds most appropriate. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz suggested explicitly stating that the Board prefers ‘Tower Well Park’ over the proposed ‘Fred or Frederick Eyerly Tower Well Park’. Vice Chair Rohman clarified the motion under discussion: ‘The HRB recommends naming the site ‘Tower Well Park’, not ‘Fred Eyerly Tower Well Park’.’ MOTION AMENDED Motion by Board Member Willis that the HRB concurs with the PAHA recommended Tower Well Park naming, as opposed to the proposed Fred Eyerly Tower Well Park. Board Member Willis suggested that the motion be slightly modified because the way it was phrased makes Tower Well Park sound like a description. It should be stated that the name of the park should be Tower Well Park rather than having Mr. Eyerly’s name associated with it. Board Member Wimmer suggested stating that the HRB does not support renaming the park at this time. Ms. French restated the friendly amendment under discussion – “The HRB recommends retaining the Tower Well Park name presented by Council, rather than adding Fred Eyerly to the name.” Board Member Willis said the “Fred” part might need to be left out because it is unclear whether it should be “Fred” or “Frederick.” Board Member Wimmer responded that the Board should go with what was presented, which was “Frederick.” Board Member Willis remarked that she does not like perpetrating inaccurate things. Ms. French said she could see modifying to say that HRB recommends retaining the name Tower Well Park rather than adding Mr. Eyerly’s name to that. Ms. O’Kane advised that the PAHA Board supports adding Fred Eyerly rather than Frederick Eyerly to the name. It was not the original recommendation, but they would support it if that was the desired direction of the HRB. Ms. French restated the friendly amendment under discussion – “HRB recommends retaining the name Tower Well Park rather than adding Mr. Eyerly’s name to the park name.” MOTION AMENDED Motion by Board Member Willis that the HRB recommend retaining the name Tower Well Park rather than adding Mr. Eyerly’s name to the park name. Seconded by Vice Chair Rohman, the motion carried (4-0-3) 3. Tailored Mills Act Program Recommendation to City Council Staff: Amy French Public Comment: Herb Borock Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 77 City of Palo Alto Page 5 Ms. French presented the staff report regarding the Tailored Mills Act Program. The staff recommended that the HRB resume discussions on a draft policy for processing requests for historic property preservation agreements under the State of California’s Mills Act property tax abatement program. The approach could include a request for the City to present a primer on historic preservation, a letter to the Council requesting the establishment of a Tailored Mills Act program, and exploration of resource use, timelines, and administrative components such as audits. Ms. French provided a timeline of HRB efforts and work plans over the years and summarized the Mills Act, its establishment, importance, and the Council’s understanding of its value for preservation. She noted that in May 2017, the Council decided to halt further Mills Act applications until appropriate policies and procedures were adopted. The Council was concerned that tax reductions under the Mills Act would impact PAUSD’s income, which is derived from property taxes. The three key issues for properties were the property’s significance to the community, development pressure on the site, and the need for rehabilitation. Discussions also touched on the concept of a pilot program limited to a few properties, with rules that could be modified based on program experience. This would involve training owners, gathering feedback, and adjusting the program. The draft program considered properties in Categories 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the City’s Historic Inventory or those listed on the National Register, California Register, or contributing to one of the four historic districts: Professorville, Ramona Street, Green Gables, or Greenmeadow. Local contract requirements would include a ten-year rehabilitation and maintenance plan, property inspections every one to five years by a historic preservation planner, and input from Development Services staff. Owners would be required to fund and display an interpretive panel and allow exterior home tours. All contracts would need to provide a major public benefit with extensive restoration and perpetual maintenance. Ms. French identified potential tasks such as organizing a community primer on the Mills Act Program incentives, preparing a letter to the Council, consulting a tax advisor to address tax offset concerns, and meeting with PAUSD for input on the program. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz invited comments from the public. Herb Borock highlighted several intertwined issues in determining the need for historic designation and benefits. He noted that community concerns about development changes could be addressed by designating certain properties as historic to prevent redevelopment. He also mentioned the trend of public office candidates identifying themselves as historic figures. Mr. Borock emphasized the benefits of development incentives for those involved in land development. He urged the Council and HRB to distinguish between the importance of preservation and the provision of incentives for it. Board Member Willis clarified that the Hewlett-Packard house, where the Packard’s resided when the garage was deemed historic, is the original house. While the garage holds more significance, the house itself is historic. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz invited comments from Board members. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz found it peculiar that the City of Palo Alto does not offer any Mills Act program, unlike many surrounding communities with comparable historic structures. She advocated for a study session with the Council to discuss the Mills Act Contracts, given that not everyone might be familiar with how they work. Board Member Willis suggested the properties at Cowper Street and Chaucer Street as potential trial properties. She expressed interest in a legal department review to explore the possibility of a trial or conceptual trial on one or two properties. This would help analyze the tax implications and potential benefits that could be negotiated with the owner. She believed both properties were interested in historical preservation and would be open to collaboration, even if it was only conceptual. She also raised the question of whether grant money could be used to establish the Mills Act as a trial program. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz inquired whether the Board or the Council would be responsible for studying and providing resources for the Tailored Mills Act Program if it were to be considered by the Council. Ms. French explained that every staff report sent to the Council includes a Resource Impact section, which requires staff work to determine variables such as time, resources, and the need for a tax or economic expert. Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 78 City of Palo Alto Page 6 Board Member Wimmer stated that she was on the subcommittee with David Bower, and she mentioned their document included in the packet. They hoped to initiate a pilot program involving one or two properties, with the goal of learning from the process and gathering feedback. She suggested that approval for such a program might require forecasting staff cost and time impacts, and mentioned the Squire House’s Mills Act program as a potential source of data. Ms. French clarified that the City does not have a program, and the Squire House benefits from a State act. The Council had agreed to remove the interior tours requirement from the Mills Act contract for the Squire House, as the State deemed it excessive for private homes. Vice Chair Rohman referred to David Bower’s notes from January 27, 2022, about the pilot program’s progress. She questioned whether the Board should conduct a study session on the pilot program with the Council before implementation or ask the Council to push through the pilot program first. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz believed that a study session demonstrating the principles of the Tailored Mills Act template would be beneficial, regardless of whether it’s for a pilot program or full implementation. She suggested presenting options to the Council for their decision on proceeding with the program. Ms. Fench indicated that the next step would be a letter request to the Council to consider the establishment of the program in their work plan. She noted that additional resources for audits might push the start of work to 2025. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked for a suitable future month, considering their work plan and budget cycle, to include this in their work plan. Ms. French said there was another meeting within this work plan year, so if there is a desire to continue this item to June 13, 2024, to work on some kind of letter and then look toward calendars for a study session, and then start looking toward the Fall for an opportunity. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz stated that the Council would not consider anything without the Board sending anything, so it is just a question of timing regarding when to send this and ask for the study session. Board Member Wimmer remarked that efforts to move the Mills Act forward have gone on for at least ten years. There is a need to get the community on board with historic preservation and the Mills Act is critical because it is the best incentive that the City can offer. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz said she saw no harm in asking the Council to consider adding this to their work plan, whether it is this year or in the next fiscal year. Board Member Wimmer felt the Board should ask now rather than put it off until next year. Ms. French said if there is an interest in preparing a draft letter to share with the Board, perhaps there is an interest in having this agenda item appear again with some movement forward on this request. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked if there was an interest in creating a draft letter. Board Member Willis said she was interested in additional information before that discussion began, adding that she would like to see the Squire House contract. Ms. French advised that she could send it to the HRB by email. Board Member Willis said she would like for someone to reach out to Los Altos or another community that has had a Mills Act longer that could provide actual numbers on the tax consequences. Unless you are an accountant, it will be really hard to interpret from the written description what that actually means in terms of tax consequences. She inquired whether there was a need for committing to ten years or it was possible to do a shorter Mills Act. Ms. French thought it would be worth consulting the Mills Act itself. The State sets forth a minimum period of ten years for the Mills Act. Board Member Willis felt it might be worth a call to the State Office of Historic Preservation to find out if there is some ability to do a pilot program. It is a fair amount of work for the homeowners to do a ten-year Mills Act. She thought that the City committing to ten years when it is difficult to imagine what it really means, or asking someone to invest in a Mills Act application when there is no Mills Act, is asking a lot. It Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 79 City of Palo Alto Page 7 is necessary to look at ways to move things forward and there may be a need for some alternatives to what was traditional twenty or thirty years ago. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz believed that this would eventually start with the Council taking a look at it. Board Member Willis expressed support, but she thought it needed to be made understandable for the Council. Board Member Wimmer suggested presenting it in its current form and having the Council help facilitate it. She was unsure whether the Board had the wherewithal to collect the information from other cities as it takes time and expertise. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz agreed, stating that the document would be presented as a suggestion and the Council could modify it as they see fit in response to staff recommendations and cost data that is unveiled as part of the process. Vice Chair Rohman agreed with Board Member Willis regarding the suggestion for further investigation. She did not think it was necessary that every question be answered when presenting the document to Council. The Board could do the investigations into Pasadena, additional financial impact information, and resources information during the wait for Council to review the document. Board Member Willis referred to a home selling for eight million dollars on the national register which needs a lot of work and inquired about the tax consequences. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz responded that the home is not eligible under this draft plan because it costs over five million dollars. Board Member Wimmer said that when the document was completed, she thought the Board did try to present it to the Council. She inquired regarding what happened to that effort to move it forward. Ms. French advised that it did not move forward. The Historic Planner left at that point in time and there was no bandwidth for staff to continue the efforts. Board Member Willis said she interpreted the property value limitations on page 32 differently. She thought there could be a more expensive property, but the limitations for the contract would be limited to five million dollars or less. She sought clarification about what that means. Vice Chair Rohman said she interpreted it the same way in that you could have an eight-million-dollar home but only up to five million dollars of it would be eligible for property tax rebates under the Mills Act. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz remarked that she took that as an overall capital property value. Board Member Wimmer referred to the document and pointed out that everything in red were the tailored items subject to review. The document is five years old and needs to be revisited, and the tapered items may need to be reviewed. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz stated that the Council could make a call on what property value or percentage of assessed value is an appropriate limit for a Mills Act contract. She felt that if this were to go to Council, they would want to look at it and modify as needed. Board Member Willis said she would like to go to Council with the strongest and clearest packet possible. She thought the Board should focus really strongly on a future deadline and present something that is very comprehensible. She asked if there was a way to take more money from the real estate taxes out of the City’s portion and less out of the school district’s portion Board Member Wimmer felt that it was more about presenting incentives than the dollar amount. She said the reason for doing the pilot program is to better understand if this amounts to any kind of loss to the City. Projections have already been done indicating that it would be a miniscule amount of money that would be lost by the school board. The school board seems to have such ample amounts of money in donations that it did not feel like the Mills Act was going to make the schools go broke. The plan was to do one or two properties just to start and learn, and after doing one or two properties if it seemed like it would be a real threat to the school system, the necessary changes would be made. Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 80 City of Palo Alto Page 8 Board Member Willis remarked that she has been there a long time, and the conversation when the Mills Act was eliminated was all about money. Board Member Wimmer suggested leading not with how much this would cost the City, but with this is an incentive and the City needs to have these incentives in place because the community will not support historic programs without incentives. Vice Chair Rohman agreed, stating that these are all of the details that go in the cover letter on the program that will be sent to Council. If needed, the Board can state in the letter that it is known that this was an issue with the school board in the past, the calculations have been done, this is a tailored program and so it is a miniscule amount, and address that further down. Board Member Wimmer said that if the Council feels like this is a threat to an economic system already in place, then let them ask those questions. That is the time when the Board could explain that while it may take a small incremental amount from the City benefits, the gain is still much greater. She thought the loss of the property taxes that these historic homeowners are paying was not the biggest topic of discussion that should be focused on. Board Member Willis suggested lay language for the packet so Council could look over the Mills Act and understand what it actually might mean. The more clarity, the better chance of moving it forward. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz stated that the financial analysis would be included in the staff report, but the Board cannot modify State Tax Code. Ms. French remarked that this is a lack of full understanding on the part of staff and the Board. To get a study, it is necessary to figure out the costs and obtain approval to spend the money. It is always connected to resources and how it can be worked in. Board Member Willis said she did not ever see the Mills Act affecting a majority the historic property owners. She supported the idea of the educational component of what is available for different types of properties. She felt the City needs a Mills Act, but she also thought that it behooves them not to create any ill will when they do put it out to the community. It is easy to misinterpret how people will respond to things and education will be the only savior. The Board needs something strong enough to bring to Council that indicates that we have invested in this, and it is time to move forward. She said the more information that can be gathered, the better. Board Member Wimmer thought the Board should present it as is. Let the Council ask the questions and maybe they will have the resources to answer those questions. It is not the HRB’s responsibility to be experts at all of this and explain everything to the Council. She felt the Board was spending too much time trying to perfect it. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked if the request for consideration or inclusion of this on the Council’s work plan could include mention of a joint study session, and then also a mention of collaborating on obtaining the data and answering the questions. Part of this process would be a concerted effort, ideally with some funding associated, to get tax impact numbers and potentially work with a consultant to see what the experience of other communities has been. Board Member Willis asked about the potential for the Board to have a study session with Council focusing on the Mills Act and preservation education as a first step. Ms. French responded that if the HRB wanting to consider doing that, it would require getting permission because all of that is coordinating with agenda planning. She said if it was put forward, she would pursue it. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz said she would want to see the Council’s initial responses to the tailored program. She felt it would be a mistake to not include some mention of the draft plan because a lot would be learned. She supported Ms. French’s suggestion that the HRB continue this to the next meeting, and she thought it would be great to have a draft of the letter to Council that incorporates some of these points. There could be some discussion regarding making the initial request for the Council to incorporate this into their plan. Board Member Wimmer inquired about the Board speaking with the Council Liaison. Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 81 City of Palo Alto Page 9 Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz advised that she has spoken with the Council Liaison, who is very supportive of the study session idea. She asked if Council Member Kou would like to speak. Council Member Kou stated that she was very supportive of a joint study session. She said the Mills Act may need to be further vetted and with this particular subject just being the only one, then the Council can concentrate on it more and can ask questions and also help with the development. She said that she was not speaking for her colleagues, she is supportive of a study session and felt it was long overdue. Board Member Wimmer inquired about including specific bullet points regarding things that need to be worked on to perfect the documents already prepared. Council Member Kou suggested having as many points as possible for consideration. She thought that some of the public comments from some of the residents willing to proceed with putting their house on a Mills Act, but they need incentives, so maybe take some of those into consideration and put it on the list for Council to consider. Board Member Wimmer recommended the Board have a study session to identify things to include in the preliminary document and list what additional information is needed to get the documents to a point that it can be presented to Council in a way that they would understand. She questioned what the additional information is that the Board needs to work on to supplement the documents already prepared. Ms. French presented a slide on potential tasks regarding the Tailored Mills Act Program, including a primer on historic preservation which could take the form of an evening outreach meeting where Council is invited, or could take the form of a study session with Council at one of their meetings. Other tasks include preparing a letter of request and tasks related to what else is missing, the money side of things, and the school district side of things. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz felt that everything on the slide made sense. She expressed interest in seeing the letter of request and she wondered if the last three bullet points could be incorporated into the letter. She was unsure if a funding request was appropriate or if that was something that could be funded as part of ongoing City operations currently, but it would be good to let Council know that these are areas where the Board is seeking more information as part of the request to begin a dialogue about establishing this type of program. Ms. French asked if there was a motion to continue the item to June 13, 2024. Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz asked if the Board would be able to see a draft letter. Vice Chair Rohman said she would be happy to put a document together that starts the letter and if she could be sent ideas, additions, or work that is ongoing, she can put something together. Ms. French stated that if Vice Chair Rohman wanted to take a first draft and communicate with her on that, then they could think about the next steps as far as how to engage the rest of the Board. Vice Chair Rohman said she was happy to begin working through it with Ms. French. Board Member Willis asked Ms. French if she had a vision of the primer on historic preservation. Ms. French responded yes, the on-call Historic Preservation Consultant has done educational sessions in the past. There could be some work done at staff level to do a package for one of the evening meetings, look towards a date for that, and invite the community, Council, and HRB. There is a study session specifically that could happen on the Mills Act. Board Member Willis asked if the consultant would have something they put together for a different City format-wise that she could start formatting that might work for Palo Alto. Ms. French was unsure the answer to the question, but she said that they would not have done that for Palo Alto. Board Member Willis clarified that she was just looking for how other cities have presented it so she could interpret it for Palo Alto. Ms. French advised that one of things that the Council directed staff to do as part of the April 22, 2024, action was to look at what can be done about the parcel reports that state potentially eligible. Every Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 82 City of Palo Alto Page 10 property that is fifty years or older in Palo Alto is potentially eligible for listing on the California Register. She said that one approach would be to put a label on every property older than fifty years to say maybe eligible and would require evaluation for historic status if a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document is required for discretionary review, and then there would have to be a monitoring system. Another approach is to remove that ‘potentially eligible’ which would not then flag those 1948 or earlier properties for staff as they are looking at individual review homes that come through the process. Board Member Willis clarified that she was talking about trying to make it more obvious what the advantages are if you already have a historic home. Ms. French felt worried that the conversation was going out of scope from the current item regarding the Mills Act. MOTION Motion by Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz that the item be moved to the June meeting so the Board can look at a potential letter to Council and raise any additional questions regarding the Tailored Mills Act Program to be proposed. Seconded by Vice Chair Rohman, the motion carried (4-0-3) Approval of Minutes 4.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of March 28, 2024 MOTION Motion by Board Member Wimmer to approve the minutes of March 28, 2024. Seconded by Chair Eagleston- Cieslewicz, the motion passed (4-0-3) by voice vote. 5.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of April 11, 2024 MOTION Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz advised that the item would be continued to the next meeting as Wimmer was absent for the April 11, 2024 meeting and had to abstain and there was no quorum to vote. Board Member Questions, Comments, Announcements or Future Meetings and Agendas None. Adjournment MOTION Motion by Chair Eagleston-Cieslewicz to adjourn. Seconded by Board Member Vice Chair Rohman, the motion carried unanimously by voice vote. The meeting was adjourned at 10:21 a.m. Item 3 Attachment A - HRB 5.9 Minutes Packet Pg. 83