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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2604-6308CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Monday, June 08, 2026 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM     Agenda Item     A.439 Lincoln Avenue [26BLD-00812]: Notice of Demolition Application for a Significant Building within the Professorville Historic District CITY COUNCIL Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: INFORMATION REPORTS Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: June 8, 2026 Report #: 2604-6308 TITLE 439 Lincoln Avenue [26BLD-00812]: Notice of Demolition Application for a Significant Building within the Professorville Historic District RECOMMENDATION This report is provided for informational purposes only and does not require Council action. BACKGROUND The property located at 439 Lincoln Avenue is situated within the Professorville Historic District, one of the City’s oldest historic districts and one of its earliest residential neighborhoods. The residence at 439 Lincoln Avenue, along with its detached garage, was constructed in 1923, during the district’s period of significance. The design and architecture of the property reflect this early development period, and the property remains largely intact, retaining its early 1920s construction and character. The City-retained historic consultant, Page & Turnbull, concluded that while the property at 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under any criterion, it is considered a historic resource as a contributing property within the locally designated Professorville Historic District (Attachment B). The owners of 439 Lincoln Avenue submitted a demolition permit application for the detached garage on March 27, 2026. The main residence is not proposed to be demolished. However, there is an associated development application for a new JADU, detached ADU, and attached garage. ANALYSIS The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) Section 16.49.070 states that any person wishing to demolish a significant building,1 other than in the downtown area, shall file an application for a demolition permit in accordance with the procedures 1 "Significant building" means any building, group of buildings, or site categorized on the historic inventory as number one or number two and all structures within historic districts. established by PAMC Chapter 16.04 and said application and documentation of the structure shall be forwarded to the City Council as an information item. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT All associated staff costs associated with processing this application are recovered through applicant-paid fees established in the Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Municipal Fee Schedule. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This informational report is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and does not require environmental review. The proposed demolition application of the one- story detached garage involves the issuance of a building permit, which is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 (Ministerial Projects). Section 15268 provides that the determination of whether a project is “ministerial” is made by the public agency based on its analysis of its own laws and regulations. In the absence of discretionary provisions governing the application, the issuance of building permits is presumed to be ministerial. Because the proposed project involves only a building permit, a ministerial approval, no environmental review under CEQA is required. ATTACHMENTS APPROVED BY: DPR 523A (9/2013) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary #______________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #__________________________________________________ PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial______________________________________________ NRHP Status Code Other Listings_____________________________________________________________________ Review Code________ Reviewer________________________ Date_______________ Page 1 of 13 Resource name(s) or number (assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Santa Clara *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad Palo Alto, CA Date 2021 *c. Address 439 Lincoln Avenue City Palo Alto Zip 94301 d. UTM: (Give more than one for large and/or linear resources) Zone , mE/ mN *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 120-18-022 *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) 439 Lincoln Avenue (APN 120-18-022) is a two-story, single-family residence that was designed and built in 1923 in the French Eclectic style by civil engineer Robert Duryea who was the building’s first owner-occupant along with his wife, Dorothy. At the time of the building’s construction until approximately 1925, its address was 441 Lincoln Avenue. 439 Lincoln Avenue is located on an approximately 20,000 square-foot rectangular parcel within the Professorville neighborhood of Palo Alto, and is located within the boundaries of the locally listed Professorville Historic District. It is situated along the west side of Lincoln Avenue between Waverley and Cowper streets. The parcel contains a residence, a detached garage, a pool, several mature trees, and a large lawn at the rear (Figure 1). The residence is irregular in plan and is set back from the street behind a curved, asphalt driveway. The residence at 439 Lincoln Avenue is a wood-framed building clad in stucco and is largely L-shaped in plan. The curving hipped roof is clad in steam bent asphalt shingles simulating a thatched roof, and has closed eaves with a stucco-clad soffit and metal gutters. A stucco clad interior chimney is located near the center of the north roof slope. The residence features a variety of window types, including multi-lite fixed and double-hung wood sash. All double-hung windows feature ogee lugs. One-over-one hung and single-lite fixed vinyl windows are limited to the northwest façade additions. (Refer to Continuation Sheet, page 2) *P3b. Resource Attributes: HP2: Single-Family Residence *P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other P5b. Photo: (view and date) Primary façade, looking northeast, May 22, 2024. *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: Historic Prehistoric Both 1923. The Peninsula Times Tribune, Building Permit Index at Palo Alto Historical Association. *P7. Owner and Address: Vidhya Thyagarajan – 439 Lincoln Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301 *P8. Recorded by: Page & Turnbull, Inc. 170 Maiden Lane, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94108 *P9. Date Recorded: June 17, 2024 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive *P11. Report Citation: None *Attachments: None Location Map Sketch Map Continuation Sheet Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record  Other (list) P5a. Photo State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial __________________________________________________ Page 2 of 13 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description (Continued) Figure 1: Subject property at 439 Lincoln Avenue. Approximate boundary of the subject parcel shown with a dashed yellow line. Source: Google Maps, 2024. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 2. Primary (southeast) façade, looking northwest. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial __________________________________________________ Page 3 of 13 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description (Continued): The primary (southeast) façade includes two wings that form the building’s overall L-shaped plan. At the interior of the el is a curved bay that contains the primary entrance to the residence and is capped by a projecting eyebrow roof (Figure 2). An elevated entrance porch lines the interior of the el and features brick steps, a low stucco side wall with brick coping, and a tiled floor. The primary entrance at the center of façade contains a wood entrance door under a small gabled roof with asphalt shingles simulating thatch at the first story, and a five-over-over double-hung wood window is located at the second story (Figure 3). To the left of the primary entrance, the first story of the south (left) side of the primary façade has a partially glazed, wood-frame secondary entrance door and a wood tripartite window with a central fixed window featuring an upper row of muntin flanked by two-over-one double- hung windows (Figure 4). The second story has a set of three, three-over-one double-hung wood windows. The southwest façade of the primary façade, located to the right of the primary entrance, mirrors the south wing of the primary façade with a tripartite window, partially glazed secondary entrance door, and three-over-one double-hung windows (Figure 5). The portion of the primary façade that is closest to and faces Lincoln Avenue repeats the tripartite window arrangement on the first story and has two three- over-one double-hung wood windows on the second story (Figure 6). Figure 3. Primary entrance door at center of el, looking north. Figure 4. South (left) side of primary (southeast) façade, looking north. Figure 5. Interior of L-shape plan, looking northeast. Figure 6. North (right) side of primary (southeast) façade, looking northwest. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial __________________________________________________ Page 4 of 13 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description: (continued) The northeast façade faces the driveway and has a projecting section at the west (right) end (Figure 7). The east (left) end of the façade has a larger three-over-one double-hung wood window and two smaller three-over-one double-hung wood windows on the first story. The second story has a set of two-over-one double-hung wood windows and a single three-over-one double-hung wood window, all in varying sizes. The projecting section at the west end of the façade features a secondary entrance with a partially glazed wood-frame door beneath a multi-lite transom. To the right of the door is a large multi-lite awning sash window and a two- over-one double-hung wood window located on a one-story bump out (Figure 8). The second story of the projecting section has two three-over-one double-hung wood windows. Figure 7. Overview of the northeast façade, looking west. Figure 8. Secondary entry off the northeast façade, looking southwest. The rear (northwest) façade faces a large rectangular rear yard and has two projecting one-story sections that lead to an elevated rear deck (Figure 9). The north (left) projecting section has a one-over-one hung vinyl window on its northwest-facing wall with a fully glazed rear entry door and a single-lite vinyl window on the southwest-facing wall (Figure 10). The main two-story portion of the rear (northwest) façade has a set of three-over-one double-hung wood windows on the first story and two sets of three-over- one double-hung wood windows on the north (left) and south (right) ends of the second story (Figure 11). Two two-over-one double-hung wood windows are centered on the second story and the eaves and roofline are cut around them to accommodate their higher placement on the wall. The south (right) projecting section has three single-lite wood windows on its northeast-facing and southwest-facing walls, while the northwest-facing wall has paired fully glazed doors flanked by single-lite wood windows. Figure 9. Rear (northwest) façade, looking southeast. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial __________________________________________________ Page 5 of 13 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description: (continued) Figure 10. North projecting section of the rear façade, looking east. Figure 11. Main two-story portion of the rear facade flanked by the two one-story additions, looking southeast. The southwest façade faces a side setback and features a wood gate, which extends from the southwest wall of the residence to the wood fence at the southwest property line (Figure 12). This façade has a set of three pairs of two-over-one wood casement windows on the first and second stories (Figure 13). Figure 12. Southwest façade with wood gate, looking east. Figure 13. View of wood casement windows, looking northeast. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial __________________________________________________ Page 6 of 13 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description: (continued) The back yard includes several mature trees, a central pool surrounded by concrete, and a wooden fence that encloses the property to the northeast, northwest, and southwest (Figure 14). A large section of lawn is located in the northwest corner of the parcel, northeast of the pool. A stucco clad, one-story garage building has a flat roof with sliding wood garage doors. There are no other openings on the garage building. An adjacent wood gate provides access the northwest façade and backyard (Figure 15). Figure 14. Overview of backyard with pool, looking north. Residence is located to the right of the frame. Figure 15. Detached garage, looking west. The surrounding neighborhood is residential with one- and two-story free-standing single-family homes. Professorville was primarily developed in the first two decades of the twentieth century, and the surrounding buildings are generally representative of the early twentieth-century revival styles that were popular during this period of development. The single-family residences immediately surrounding the subject properties include Craftsman, Mediterranean Revival, Tudor Revival, and Colonial Revival residence, as well as residences that have been modified with large additions or renovated to reflect contemporary architectural styles. Detached garages are common within Professorville (Figure 16 - Figure 19). State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial __________________________________________________ Page 7 of 13 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L Figure 16. 467 Lincoln Avenue, built in 1926, in the Tudor Revival style. Figure 17. 427 Lincoln Avenue, built in 1926, in the Mediterranean Revival style. Figure 18. 405 Lincoln Avenue, built in 2013. Figure 19. First Presbyterian Church Palo Alto, built ca. 1950. DPR 523B (9/2013) *Required information State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary #__________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#______________________________________________ BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 8 of 13 *NRHP Status Code______5D1______________ *Resource Name or # 439 Lincoln Avenue B1. Historic name: 439 Lincoln Avenue B2. Common name: 439 Lincoln Avenue B3. Original Use: Single-Family Residence B4. Present use: Single-Family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: French Eclectic *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations) As recorded in the Historic Inventory Database from the Palo Alto Historical Association, 439 Lincoln Avenue was originally designed and built by Robert Duryea in March and April of 1923 as his personal residence for himself and his wife, Dorothy. The building permit issued for Duryea is also recorded in the March 29, 1923 “News Brief” section of The Peninsula Times Tribune.1 (Refer to Continuation Sheet, page 9) *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: ____________________________ *B8. Related Features: Detached garage and pool B9a. Architect: b. Builder: Robert Duryea *B10. Significance: Theme Residential Development Area Professorville Period of Significance N/A Property Type Single-Family Residential Applicable Criteria N/A Historic Context: History of the Professorville Neighborhood 439 Lincoln Avenue is located in Palo Alto’s Professorville neighborhood. The following historic context for the Professorville neighborhood is excerpted from the Professorville Historic District Design Guidelines.2 Professorville belongs to the historic core of Palo Alto. Neither the neighborhood nor the city at large existed prior to the opening of Stanford University, which Leland and Jane Stanford established on land belonging to their large horse farm in northwestern Santa Clara County. By the time Stanford University opened its doors in 1891, over 700 acres of land east of the new campus had been set aside for a townsite that could house those affiliated with the university. A number of freshly arrived faculty members wished to purchase land and build homes for their families in this new college town, known as Palo Alto. They chose the fledgling neighborhood that lay near the eastern boundary of the campus, across the Southern Pacific rail line. For its early academic residents, the neighborhood received the name Professorville. Its large lots and close proximity to the university were attractive features for early residents, and homes were steadily built there during the 1890s and first decades of the twentieth century. (Refer to continuation sheet, page 10) B11. Additional Resource Attributes: N/A *B12. References: Refer to footnotes B13. Remarks: N/A *B14. Evaluator: Amanda Commins, Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date of Evaluation: June 17, 2024 1 “News Brief,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, March 29, 1923. 2 Page & Turnbull, Professorville Historic District Design Guidelines, (Palo Alto, CA: April 2016). Source: City of Palo Alto, Online Parcel Reports, 2024. (This space reserved for official comments.) State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 9 of 13 Resource Name or # 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *B6. Construction History (continued): Consistent with the 1923 year of construction and the construction of the detached garage in 1924, the residence at 439 Lincoln Avenue appears on the Sanborn Map Company’s 1924 fire insurance map (Figure 20). This map depicts the residence as a two- story, wood-frame building with an irregular footprint and a detached garage. The footprint and design of the residence appear unchanged in the 1956 Sanborn Map Company map, however there was a permit for a 1953 addition that does not appear on the 1956 map (Figure 21).3 Figure 20. 1924 Sanborn Map Co., Sheet 15. The subject property is indicated by a red outline. Source: San Francisco Public Library. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 21. 1956 Sanborn Map Co., Sheet 15. The subject property is indicated by a red outline. Source: San Francisco Public Library. Edited by Page & Turnbull. 3 City of Palo Alto, Historic Inventory Database, “439 Lincoln Avenue,” Palo Alto Historical Association. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 10 of 13 Resource Name or # 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L *B6. Construction History (continued): Table 1, below, lists all known permit activity that is on file at Palo Alto Development Services and other sources including information from the Historic Inventory Database provided by the Palo Alto Historical Association. The only visible alteration to the exterior of the residence appears to be the rear additions, the pool, and the possible replacement of the roof material despite not having a permit on file. The south projecting addition was completed in 1953, however the north projecting addition does not have a permit on file and does not appear on an aerial until 1998.4 Additionally, no changes to the detached garage were noted during the site visit and no available permits indicate that alterations were undertaken. The residence at 439 Lincoln Avenue, and its ancillary structure, remain largely unchanged from their early 1920s construction. *B10. Significance: Historic Context (continued) History of the Professorville Neighborhood (continued) Professorville’s academic atmosphere fostered an appreciation for fashionable architectural styles. When faculty residents arrived in California, they imported elements of residential architecture from the areas where they had previously lived: the Eastern and Midwestern United States. Many new residences showed the influence of the Shingle, Arts and Crafts, and Colonial Revival styles, reflecting a San Francisco Bay Area regional interpretation known as the First Bay Tradition. These residences frequently were clad in wood shingles and had asymmetric façades, which created a naturalistic impression throughout the neighborhood. Bernard Maybeck, one of the pioneers of the First Bay Tradition at the turn of the twentieth century, was commissioned to build a home for Emma Kellogg at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Bryant Street. After this house burned, Maybeck designed its distinctive replacement, now commonly known as the Sunbonnet House. Other newly built residences in the early twentieth century showed the influence of Revival styles, such as Tudor and Spanish Colonial. Yet all exhibited a high quality of craftsmanship and design—truly notable for the somewhat isolated outpost of Palo Alto at this time. [….] By the 1920s, much of Professorville had been largely built out with single-family homes. Most had detached automobile garages by this time, which were typically placed at the rear of the lot. The development pattern of the neighborhood, particularly in its western half, was characterized by a regular rhythm of handsome residences, each surrounded by a well-appointed lawn. The eastern half of the neighborhood, on the other hand, retained grander homes on expansive lots that resembled small estates. One element that linked both halves of Professorville was an impressive tree canopy, created in part by the immense redwood and live oak trees that predated the development of Palo Alto and were left standing in private yards as well as in public roadways. Over time, several of Professorville’s larger lots were subdivided, and any parcels that remained empty were filled in the postwar period. [….] Professorville’s residents also shifted away from the faculty who had originally built homes there, as many of the large residences were converted to student housing by mid-century. In the 1970s and 1980s interest in historic preservation increased, and over time many of the homes in the neighborhood were rehabilitated and returned to single-family residential use.5 Professorville was designated as a National Register historic district in 1979. The nomination recognized “the unique background of the area’s origins and its early ties to the founding of both the University and Palo Alto itself. As such, the Professorville Historic District creates a strong sense of place and time expressive of Palo Alto’s intrinsic character and heritage.”6 The City of Palo Alto adopted the Professorville Historic District to the City’s Historic Inventory in 1979. The city’s historic district features an enlarged boundary as compared to the National Register district (Figure 22). Properties that are considered contributing to the historic 4 “Historic Aerials,” NETRonline: Historic Aerials, accessed May 30, 2024, https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer. 5 Page & Turnbull, Professorville Historic District Design Guidelines, (Palo Alto, CA: April 2016). 6 National Register of Historic Places, Professorville Historic District, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, California, National Register #80000861, 8-2. Table 1. Permit History for 439 Lincoln Avenue Permit # Date Owner Architect/Contractor Description N/A 03/29/1923 Robert F Duryea Owner Construction of dwelling. Cost of work $10,000. N/A 09/24/1924 John Dudfield N/A Construction of garage. Cost of work $500 10269 07/06/1953 James Anderson Alfred Johnson Rear addition. Cost of work $3,300. 28317 04/21/1969 James Anderson Val’s Pools Construction of rear swimming pool. 30209 09/15/1971 Helen Anderson Sentinel Termite Control Repair termite damage. 06-0927 04/17/2006 John Letts Scott Littlefield Replace water heater, same location. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 11 of 13 Resource Name or # 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L district, either to the National Register Historic District and/or to the local historic district, are those that were generally constructed between the 1890s and 1930s and retained historic integrity at the time of the listing of the historic district. Figure 22. Professorville Boundaries. Source: Page & Turnbull, Professorville Historic District Design Guidelines, (Palo Alto, CA: October 2016), 35-38. Edited by Page & Turnbull with orange arrow to indicate location of subject lot. 439 Lincoln Avenue – Ownership & Occupancy History The following table outlines the ownership history of 439 Lincoln Avenue, compiled from Palo Alto City Directories, Santa Clara Assessor records, building permit applications, newspaper articles, and public records available through Ancestry.com: Robert and Dorothy Duryea were the first owner-occupants of the subject building; however, they sold the property in 1924. Following the Duryeas, the property changed ownership frequently with various occupants until 1946 when James and Helen Anderson purchased the property from Lorene Sales who had been renting the property to tenants for many years. James Table 2: Known Owners and Occupants of 439 Lincoln Avenue Years of Occupancy Known Owners and Occupants (known owners in bold) Occupation 1923 – 1924 Robert Duryea Dorothy Duryea Construction engineer - 1924 – 1925 John Dudfield Lillian Dudfield Lumber merchant - 1925 – 1927 Mrs. Arthur A Hughes Donald Hughes - - 1927 – 1934 Reno Sale Lorene Sales Mining engineer - 1934 – 1946 Lorene Sales (non-occupant 1937-1946) - 1937 – 1939 Rex Harlow Ruby Harlow Stanford University Professor - 1939 – 1946 Bernhard Jakobsen Leona Jakobsen Engineer for the United States Army - 1946 – 1968 James Anderson Helen Anderson Pilot for Pan American Airways - 1968 – 1972 Helen Anderson - 1972 – 2017 John Letts Ruth Letts Physician - 2017 – 2024 Ruth Letts - 2024 – present Vidhya Thyagarajan - State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 12 of 13 Resource Name or # 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L Anderson was a commercial pilot for Pan American Airways. In 1959, Anderson notably captained eastbound and westbound jet airline flights over the North Pole from San Francisco to London.7 However, his professional achievements do not appear to have been significantly associated with his home at 439 Lincoln Avenue. Following his death in 1968, Helen lived in the subject property until she sold it in 1972 to John and Ruth Letts. Robert Duryea, Builder Robert Duryea (1889-1973) was born in New York and married Dorothy Stillman (1888-1972), who was from Massachusetts. Duryea designed and constructed the subject property in 1923 and he and his wife were the first owners and occupants of the residence for a year. Robert and Dorothy were graduates of Stanford University with Robert receiving a degree in engineering in 1913. Robert Duryea designed and built the subject property, as well as residences at 405 and 415 Lincoln Avenues. 405 Lincoln Avenue served as the personal residence of the Duryeas from ca. 1935 to the end of their lives. Following graduation from Stanford University, Duryea worked for construction firms that built the Moffett Naval Air Station hangars and the Kaiser Permanente Cement Plant west of Cupertino.8 Prior to his retirement, Duryea worked for the City of Palo Alto engineering department for 18 years. Duryea is not known to have designed or contributed to any other buildings in Palo Alto. French Eclectic Architectural Style The subject property at 439 Lincoln Avenue was developed in 1923 in the French Eclectic style, which emerged in the early twentieth century as a popular residential building style. According to A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia Savage McAlester, the French Eclectic style was rarely built before World War I and became fashionable in the early 1920s with about five percent of the new homes built in the “French” style according to a study of houses published in architectural journals in 1925.9 The interest in French styles was due to many Americans having served in France during World War I, and much press and public interest was given to the reconstruction of France’s historic villages after their destruction during World War I. High style examples of the French Eclectic style can include masonry, steeply pitched hipped roofs, dormers, and towers with conical roofs. 439 Lincoln Avenue is modest in its decoration, and features that demonstrate the style are limited to the building’s L-shaped plan with the primary entrance within a curved element at the interior of the el, the use of stucco cladding and a roof design that simulates the effect of thatch. Statement of Significance: In order for a property to be considered eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register), the property must possess significance and retain integrity to convey that significance. The criteria for significance are: Criterion 1 (Events): Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 1 (Events) for its association with any events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. The residence was not among the earliest homes constructed in the Professorville neighborhood and does not individually represent that neighborhood’s pattern of development which began in the 1890s and was largely complete by the 1930s. No significant events are known to have occurred at the subject property. Therefore, 439 Lincoln Avenue does not rise to a level of significance to be individually eligible under Criterion 1. Criterion 2 (Persons): Associated with the lives of persons important to local, California or national history. 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 2 (Persons) as a property associated with the life of a person important to local, state, or national history. The original owner, Robert Duryea, was a civil engineer who designed, built, and resided at 439 Lincoln Avenue from 1923 to 1924 with his wife, Dorothy. Duryea designed and built two other residences on Lincoln Avenue and worked at construction firms and the City of Palo Alto, however he does not appear to have made significant contributions or innovations to local, state, or national history. Following the Duryeas, the property had many owners and occupants who only inhabited the residence for a few years at a time. It was not until 1946 that James Anderson, a pilot for Pan American Airways, and his wife Helen purchased the property. They owned the property for 22 years. Anderson flew the first polar jet flights for Pan Am in 1959, however, he was not the first pilot to fly commercially over the North Pole. The longest owner-occupants, John and Ruth Letts, were associated with the subject property within the last 50 years and while archival research did not establish a strong connection between their professional or personal accomplishments and the subject property, not enough historical distance has passed to assess their contributions. As such, 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for the California Register under Criterion 2 (Persons). 7 “Polar Pilot,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, August 31, 1959. 8 “Palo Altan Robert Duryea dies,” Palo Alto Times, February 2, 1972. 9 Virginia McAlester, “Field Guide to American Houses,” Alfred A. Knopf (New York City, NY: 2013), 485-494. State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 13 of 13 Resource Name or # 439 Lincoln Avenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024  Continuation  Update DPR 523L Criterion 3 (Architecture): Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values. 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture) as a building that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction. The residence is a simple, two-story building that features modest elements of the French Eclectic style. The property lacks the more elaborate examples of craftsmanship and detailing that are associated with the best examples of the French Eclectic style. The residence does not stand out as a distinctive example of this style amongst examples of the style in California and nationally. The residence was originally built by Palo Alto-based civil engineer Robert Duryea, who primarily worked on commercial and industrial sites, and was known to have built three residences on Lincoln Avenue. Duryea has not previously been identified as a master builder and does not appear to exhibit the level of influence or craftsmanship that would justify this distinction. The building does not possess high artistic value and is not uniquely representative of Duryea’s work. Therefore, 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to rise to a level of individual significance under Criterion 3. Criterion 4 (Information Potential): Has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California or the nation. The property at 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 4 (Informational Potential) as a building or property that has the potential to provide information important to the prehistory or history of the City of Palo Alto, state, or nation. The "potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of California" typically relates to archeological resources, rather than built resources. When Criterion 4 does relate to built resources, it is relevant for cases when the building itself is the principal source of important construction- related information. The subject property does not feature construction or material types, or embody engineering practices that would, with additional study, provide important information. Evaluation of this property was limited to age-eligible resources above ground and did not involve survey or evaluation of the subject property for the purposes of archaeological information. Conclusion The property at 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under any criteria, however, the property is a historic resource due to its status as a contributing property to the locally listed Professorville Historic District. The property was constructed in 1923, which is within the period of significant development of the historic district, and the building’s design and architecture reflects the primary period of development of the district. The Professorville Design Guidelines list the significant characteristics of the Professorville Historic District, including the overall lot layout and pattern, the massing and form of buildings and structures, the material palette, architectural styles and character-defining features, and the existing landscape and streetscape elements.10 These elements of the property at 439 Lincoln Avenue would be considered features which contribute to the overall feeling and historic character of the district. As such, California Historical Resource Status Code (CHRSC) of “5D1” has been assigned to the property, meaning that it “Is a contributor to a fully documented district that is designated or eligible for designation as a local historic district, overlay zone, or preservation area under an existing ordinance or procedure.” 10 Page & Turnbull, Professorville Historic District Design Guidelines, (April 2016), 13.