Loading...
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Home
My WebLink
About
2026-06-11 Historic Resources Board Agenda Packet
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD Regular Meeting Thursday, June 11, 2026 Council Chambers & Hybrid 8:30 AM 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. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 76, live on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen Media Center https://midpenmedia.org. Board member 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 General Public Comment for items not on the agenda will be accepted for up to three minutes or an amount of time determined by the Chair. In-person comments will be heard at the beginning of the agenda and remote comments will be heard at the end of the agenda. 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@PaloAlto.gov and will be provided to the Board and available for inspection on the City’s website three days before the meeting. 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 fifteen (15) 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@PaloAlto.gov 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. 1 Regular Meeting June 11, 2026 CALL TO ORDER/ ROLL CALL AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS The Chair or Board majority may modify the agenda order to improve meeting management. IN-PERSON PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. 1-3 minutes depending on number of speakers. In-person comments will be heard at the beginning of the agenda and remote comments will be heard at the end of the agenda. 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. 439 Lincoln Avenue [26BLD-00812]: Recommendation on a Demolition Application for a Significant Building within the Professorville Historic District. CEQA Status: Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 (Ministerial Projects). Zoning District: R-1 (Single Family) 3.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 243 Webster Street [25PLN-00052]: Request for Major Historic Resources Board Review for the Rehabilitation of an existing Category 2 resource including relocation of the residence and conversion to a duplex. CEQA Status: Exempt per CEQA Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures). Zoning District: R-2 (Two Family Residential District). 4.PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 855 Hamilton Avenue [26PLN-00021]: Request for Major Historic Resources Board Review for the Rehabilitation and First Floor Addition at the Rear of the Residence with Incidental Exterior Window and Door Replacements. CEQA Status: Exempt per CEQA Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures). Zoning District: R-1 (Single Family Residential). 2 Regular Meeting June 11, 2026 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Public Comment is Permitted. Three (3) minutes per speaker. 5.Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of April 9, 2026 VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. 1-3 minutes depending on number of speakers. In-person comments will be heard at the beginning of the agenda and remote comments will be heard at the end of the agenda. BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS OR FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS Members of the public may not speak to the item(s). ADJOURNMENT OTHER INFORMATION The materials below are provided for informational purposes, not for action or discussion during this meeting’s agenda. Written public comments may be submitted in advance and will be provided to the Commission and available for public inspection on the City’s website three days before the meeting. A. Public Comment 3 Regular Meeting June 11, 2026 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@PaloAlto.gov. 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@PaloAlto.gov. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. 4 Regular Meeting June 11, 2026 Item No. 1. Page 1 of 1 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: June 11, 2026 Report #: 2606-6435 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: 2026 HRB Meeting Schedule & Assignments AUTHOR/TITLE: HRB Liaison1 & Contact Information Steven Switzer, Senior Historic Planner (650) 329-2321 Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov Item 1 Item 1 Staff Report Packet Pg. 5 Historic Resources Board 2026 Meeting Schedule & Assignments 2026 Meeting Schedule Meeting Dates Time Location Status Planned Absences 1/8/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 2/12/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Rohman 3/12/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Rohman 4/9/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Willis, Pease (term ended) 5/14/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Cancelled 6/11/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 7/9/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 8/13/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 9/10/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 10/8/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 11/12/2026 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular 12/10/2025 8:30 AM Hybrid Regular Item 1 Attachment A - 2026 HRB Meeting Schedule & Assignments Packet Pg. 6 Item No. 2. Page 1 of 3 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: June 11, 2026 Report #: 2605-6332 TITLE PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 439 Lincoln Avenue [26BLD-00812]: Recommendation on a Demolition Application for a Significant Building within the Professorville Historic District. CEQA Status: Exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 (Ministerial Projects). Zoning District: R-1 (Single Family) RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review the demolition application and provide a recommendation to the City Council regarding whether to extend the moratorium. 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 Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 7 Item No. 2. Page 2 of 3 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 established by PAMC Chapter 16.04. The application and documentation for the structure must then be forwarded to the City Council as an informational item. This informational item is scheduled for the June 8, 2026, Council meeting. The Chief Building Official may not take action on the application for sixty days following receipt of a completed application. During the sixty-day moratorium, the Chief Building Official shall refer the application to the Historic Resources Board (HRB) for recommendation on the historical and/or architectural significance of the building and the whether the moratorium should be extended. The HRB, or any interested person may recommend that the Council extend the moratorium. The Council shall agendize such a request and may extend the sixty-day period to a period up to one year. In the case of an extended moratorium, the Council, upon the recommendation of the HRB, may require that appropriate and reasonable public notice of the availability of the structure be provided by the applicant. 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 The Palo Alto Municipal Code requires notice of demolition applications involving significant buildings located outside of the Downtown area. In accordance with this requirement, a copy of the application and supporting documentation for the structure has been forwarded to the City Council as an informational item at their June 8, 2026, meeting. Public Comments Staff has received two inquiries regarding the proposed demolition seeking clarification on the specific portions of the property proposed for demolition (Attachment C). 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). A recommendation on whether to extend a moratorium on issuance of a building permit is also exempt from CEQA purusant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), because a moratorium would simply preserve the status quo. 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. Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 8 Item No. 2. Page 3 of 3 ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Demolition Application [26BLD-00812] Attachment B: Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Attachment C: Public Comments AUTHOR/TITLE: Steven Switzer, Senior Historic Planner (650) 329-2321 Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov Item 2 Item 2 Staff Report Packet Pg. 9 Item 2 Attachment A - Demolition Application [26BLD-00812] Packet Pg. 10 Item 2 Attachment A - Demolition Application [26BLD-00812] Packet Pg. 11 It e m 2 At t a c h m e n t B - D o c u m e n t a t i o n o f S t r u c t u r e P r o p o s e d f o r D e m o l i t i o n Pa c k e t P g . 1 2 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 1923in 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 parcelwithin 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, apool, 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 closedeaves with a stucco-clad soffit and metal gutters. A stucco cladinterior 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, May22, 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: June17, 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 Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 13 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 LincolnAvenue *Recorded by Page & Turnbull, Inc. *Date June 17, 2024 _Continuation Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description (Continued) Figure 1: Subject propertyat 439 LincolnAvenue. 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. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 14 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 Figure 4 Figure 5. Interior of L-shape plan, looking northeast. Figure 6. looking northwest. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 15 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. Figure 8. Secondary entry off the northeast façade, 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. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 16 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 Figure 11. Main two- 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. Figure 13. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 17 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. 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). Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 18 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 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 Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 19 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 LincolnAvenue 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.) Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 20 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. 1924Sanborn Map Co., Sheet 15. The subject property is indicated by ared Figure 21. 1956Sanborn Map Co., Sheet 15. The subject property is indicated by a red 3 City of Palo Alto, Historic Inventory Database, “439 Lincoln Avenue,” Palo Alto Historical Association. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 21 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 N/A F Duryea Val’s Pools Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 22 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 LincolnAvenue, 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 –1924 Robert Duryea Dorothy Duryea –1925 John Dudfield Lillian Dudfield –1927 Mrs. Arthur A Hughes Donald Hughes –1934 Reno Sale Lorene Sales –1946 Lorene Sales (non-occupant 1937-1946) –1939 –1946 –1968 James Anderson Helen Anderson –1972 Helen Anderson –2017 John Letts Ruth Letts –2024 Ruth Letts –present Vidhya Thyagarajan Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 23 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. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 24 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. Item 2 Attachment B - Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition Packet Pg. 25 From:Joan Campbell To:Switzer, Steven Subject:Re: 439 Lincoln Date:Monday, June 1, 2026 3:00:48 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Steven, Thank you for your response. A "Significant Building” are the words on our notice that were of concern for us. The Main Residence has been gutted and lead us to our concern going forward. We will be zooming the meeting on June 11 @ 8:30. Joan Campbell > On Jun 1, 2026, at 2:40ௗPM, Switzer, Steven <Steven.Switzer@paloalto.gov> wrote: > > Hi Joan, > > The detached garage is requested for demolition, not the main residence. > > However, there are some other permits located on the property that limit the City's review regarding the main residence. These include a two-story Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) and some one story additions. > > > STEVEN SWITZER > Senior Historic Planner > Planning and Development Services Department > 650-329-2321 | Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov > www.PaloAlto.gov > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Joan and Gordon Campbell <joancampbell4278@gmail.com> > Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 2:12 PM > To: Switzer, Steven <Steven.Switzer@paloalto.gov> > Subject: 439 Lincoln > > CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. > > Steven, > We live on Cowper and have a concern about a Historic Building getting a permit to Demo. > What is the reason for Demo instead of remodel? Joan Campbell > Item 2 Attachment C - Public Comments Packet Pg. 26 From:Switzer, Steven To:"warren packard" Subject:RE: 439 Lincoln Ave Date:Tuesday, June 2, 2026 4:02:00 PM Attachments:mini-packet_City Council Regular Meeting_20260602225930629 (1).pdf image001.png image002.png Hi Warren, I hear that you spoke with Matvari at the counter today. Following up from that conversation, I wanted to provide the electronic copy of the items she may have sent over to you. Feel free to contact me with additional questions. STEVEN SWITZER Senior Historic Planner Planning and Development Services Department 650-329-2321 | Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov www.PaloAlto.gov From: warren packard <warrenjp@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 7:37 AM To: Switzer, Steven <Steven.Switzer@paloalto.gov> Subject: 439 Lincoln Ave CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links. Hi Steven, We received the two notices regarding 439 Lincoln. All we know from the notices is that a Notice of Demolition was filed. Is there additional information that we can get regarding this application and project? Thank you, Warren Packard 1019 Waverley St. d9cf6012-fd2f-498b-b7e7-c81cd9bea58 i This message needs your attention This is a personal email address. This is their first email to you. Mark Safe Report CGBANNERINDICATOR Hi Steven, Powered b Mimecas Item 2 Attachment C - Public Comments Packet Pg. 27 We received the two notices regarding 439 Lincoln. All we know from the notices is that a Notice of Demolition was filed. Is there additional information that we can get regarding this application and project? Thank you, Warren Packard 1019 Waverley St. Item 2 Attachment C - Public Comments Packet Pg. 28 Item No. 3. Page 1 of 8 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: June 11, 2026 Report #: 2605-6398 TITLE PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 243 Webster Street [25PLN-00052]: Request for Major Historic Resources Board Review for the Rehabilitation of an existing Category 2 resource including relocation of the residence and conversion to a duplex. CEQA Status: Exempt per CEQA Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures). Zoning District: R-2 (Two Family Residential District). RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review and provide a recommendation to the Director of Planning and Development Services on the project’s conformity with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On October 2, 2023, the City’s consultant, Page & Turnbull, prepared a Historic Resource Evaluation that found the property eligible for listing as a Category 2 resource on the local inventory. On April 22, 2024, the property was designated as a Category 2 resource on the local inventory by City Council as a result of the 2023 Reconnaissance Survey efforts. Staff recommends that the HRB review the rehabilitation project and provide a recommendation to the Director of Planning and Development Services on the project’s conformity to the Secretary of the Interior’s (SOI) Standards for Rehabilitation. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The following project description is based on the project plans submitted on April 14, 2026 (Attachment C). The project includes the following: Converting the single-family residence into a duplex Relocation of the residence approximately 3 feet 8 inches to the east and raised approximately 3 feet in height for more clearance in the basement. Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 29 Item No. 3. Page 2 of 8 Addition of lightwells, and egress stairwells for the basement unit New egress window on the second story New story addition in the rear for a first-floor pantry/mudroom and second floor bedroom expansion. Additional work not subject to the HRB’s purview: New detached ADU BACKGROUND 243 Webster Street is listed as a Category 2 (“Major Building”) historic resource on the local Historic Inventory. The property was previously identified as “eligible for the National Register of Historic Places” during the 1997-2001 Palo Alto Survey Update. Following completion of a Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) by Page & Turnbull in October 2023, the property was included in the 2023 Reconnaissance survey efforts. Upon the HRB’s recommendation, City Council reviewed and approved the Category 2 designation on April 22, 2024. A Category 2 structure is defined as: “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.” Category 2 historic properties require historic preservation project review. Site Development 243 Webster Street is located on a parcel that is 50 feet wide by 112.5 feet deep and within the Two-Family Residential District (R-2). The property includes two wood-frame buildings, a main residence (243 Webster Street), and an accessory residence at the rear (245 Webster Street). According to the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office, the residence was built in 1904; however, it does not appear in city directories until 1907 and first appears on the 1908 Sanborn Map, rather than the 1904 edition. The original owner, architect, and builder are unknown. The two-story residence at 243 Webster Street is designed in the Eastern Shingle Cottage style, featuring horizontal wood drop siding below the first story, wood lap siding on the first story, and wood shingle siding within the gable ends. A detached one-car garage was constructed at the rear of the property between 1908 and 1924, and permits from 1923 and 1924 document a one-story rear addition. By 1957, Sanborn Maps identified the building as containing two apartments. Despite these changes, the residence remains largely unaltered from the public right-of-way and retains its integrity as an early twentieth-century example of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style in Palo Alto. Character Defining Features Character-defining features are the physical traits that commonly recur in property types and/or architectural styles. The character-defining features of 243 Webster Street as identified in Attachment A are assumed to be those architectural features and materials that date to the building’s original construction in 1904. These features include, but are not limited to: Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 30 Item No. 3. Page 3 of 8 • Asymmetrical first story including an angled bay window and integral entry porch similar to Neoclassical Rowhouses and Queen Anne Cottages • Massive steeply pitched A-frame second story with symmetrical openings • Molded wood brackets, dentils, fascia trim, and enclosed eaves • Wide multi-window dormer on each roof slope • Original wood sash windows • Orderly distribution of a variety of cladding types, including wood drop siding, wood lap siding, and different sizes and arrangements of wood shingle siding ANALYSIS PAMC Section 16.49.050 provides, in part, that in evaluating applications, the HRB shall consider the architectural style, design, arrangement, texture, materials and color, and any other pertinent factors. The prime concern should be the exterior appearance of the building site. The proposed alterations should not adversely affect the exterior architectural characteristics nor the historical or aesthetic value of the building and its site. The following table summarizes the project’s compliance with the SOI Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS 1 A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: 243 Webster Street was originally constructed as a residential property. The property would continue to be used as a residential property and the project does not proposed any new uses. 2 The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The historic character of the property will be retained and preserved in the proposed project. Given that the building will be shifted a small amount (about 3 feet) it is unlikely to strongly impact spatial relationships of the property. Stabilizing the structure prior to the move will help ensure that the movement does not cause damage to the historic materials of the structure. The raising of the grade on the site will also help to offset the visual impact of raising the structure approximately 3 feet in height to accommodate for higher clearances for the basement unit. When viewed in context to the overall block frontage, the building will still generally maintain the overall setback of neighboring buildings. The proposed rear addition is limited to previously altered areas outside the property's period of significance, Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 31 Item No. 3. Page 4 of 8 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS including the rear porch and second-story deck. As a result, the project would retain the property's distinctive character-defining features. Therefore, the proposed project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 2. 3 Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The project does not introduce conjectural features or create a false sense of historical development. Repairs and in-kind replacements are based on existing historic materials, while the rear addition is differentiated through distinct shingle and siding patterns. New replacement features, including steps, fencing, doors, windows, and decking, utilize simple contemporary designs that do not mimic historic features. Therefore, the project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 3. 4 Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: No alterations, additions, or modifications dating from after the subject property's original construction in 1904 have been identified as having acquired historic significance in their own right. The residence retains its significance primarily through its original design, materials, and architectural features. As discussed under Rehabilitation Standard 2, the proposed project includes limited modifications to non- original portions of the building, including the replacement of a non-historic rear addition with a new addition and the relocation of the residence approximately 3 feet 8 inches to the east and approximately 3 feet in height. Because no later alterations have been determined to possess independent historic significance, the proposed work will not remove or adversely affect historically significant changes to the property. Therefore, the project is consistent with Rehabilitation Standard 4. 5 Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: As proposed, the project would preserve the distinctive features, finishes, construction techniques, and examples of craftsmanship that characterize the Eastern Shingle Cottage style. The character-defining features of the building which convey the techniques and Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 32 Item No. 3. Page 5 of 8 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS craftsmanship of its construction include its asymmetrical first story including an angled bay window and entry porch, steep A-frame second story with symmetrical openings, molded wood brackets, dentils, fascia trim, and enclosed eaves, wide dormers, and variety of cladding including wood drop siding, wood lap siding, and wood shingle siding. As discussed under Standard 2, the proposed project would center the new rear addition to areas where non historic work occurred. The relocation of the house 3 feet to the east and raising the house for additional head clearances in the basement would not impact the distinctive features. Choosing to raise the grade on the around the residence and with the addition of landscaping the raised height will be unlikely to be perceived from the public right of way. The proposed project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 5. 6 Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: As proposed, the project would undertake an assessment of all historic wood windows and doors, entrances and porches and associated features, and functional and decorative wood components in order to outline areas of repair. The proposed project would follow the guidance of the National Park Service (NPS) in Preservation Brief 9: The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows and Preservation Brief 10: Paint Removal from Historic Woodwork to ensure that all proposed treatments prioritize repair over replacement. In areas where replacement may be necessary due to the level of deterioration, the project would replace materials or features in kind to match the existing features in look, texture, design, and materials. Therefore, the proposed project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 6. 7 Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. ☐ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☒ N/A Explanation: The project does not include any physical or chemical treatments to clean or remove historic materials or finishes. Rehabilitation Standard 7 would not apply. 8 Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project involves ground- disturbing excavation work. In the case of discovery Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 33 Item No. 3. Page 6 of 8 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS of archaeological materials, provided that standard discovery procedures for the City of Palo Alto are followed, the project would adhere to Rehabilitation Standard 8. 9 New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project meets Rehabilitation Standard 9 because the new additions and exterior alterations are designed to preserve the historic materials and character- defining features that characterize the property while remaining compatible with the historic residence. The project includes the relocation and raising of the residence, construction of a rear addition, installation of lightwells and egress stairwells for the basement unit, and a new second- story egress window. The project retains the primary character-defining features of the historic residence, including the asymmetrical first-story façade with its angled bay window and integral porch, the steeply pitched A-frame roof form, dormers, decorative wood brackets and trim, original wood sash windows, and the variety of historic cladding materials. The proposed work does not require the removal of significant historic materials on the primary elevations, and alterations are concentrated at the rear of the building and below grade where they have a limited effect on the historic character of the structure. The new rear addition is located in an area previously occupied by a non-historic addition and is designed to be subordinate to the historic building. While compatible with the existing residence in its scale, roof form, materials, and overall architectural character, the addition is differentiated from the historic structure through contemporary detailing and modifications to the shingle cladding pattern. As a result, the addition can be identified as new construction while remaining harmonious with the historic building. The proposed alterations therefore protect the historic integrity of the property and are consistent with Rehabilitation Standard 9. 10 New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: the alterations and addition are designed so that, if removed in the future, the Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 34 Item No. 3. Page 7 of 8 # STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. essential form and integrity of the historic property would remain intact. The project includes relocating the residence approximately 3 feet 8 inches to the east and raising it approximately 3 feet to increase basement headroom, converting the residence to a duplex, constructing lightwells and egress stairwells for the basement unit, installing a new second-story egress window, and constructing a new rear addition in the location of a previous non-historic addition. The relocation and elevation of the residence will not alter the building's historic massing, roof form, architectural style, or character-defining features, including the asymmetrical first-story façade, steeply pitched A- frame roof, dormers, decorative wood trim, original wood sash windows, and historic cladding materials. The proposed rear addition is located at the rear of the structure in an area previously occupied by a non-historic addition and will be subordinate to the historic building. The lightwells, egress stairwells, and new egress window are limited in scope and do not result in the removal of significant historic materials or features. Because the proposed new construction is concentrated at the rear and below grade, and because the primary historic form and character-defining features of the residence will be retained, the essential form, integrity, and historic character of the property would remain unimpaired if the new additions and related alterations were removed in the future. Therefore, the project is consistent with Rehabilitation Standard 10. As the above analysis demonstrates, the project as currently designed complies with the guidance of the SOI Standards for Rehabilitation. The proposed project would not conflict with the ten Standards for Rehabilitation. As such, the proposed project would be consistent with the Standards, meaning that the historic building at 243 Webster Street would not be negatively impacted by the proposed project and would continue to express its historic significance and integrity. Therefore, 243 Webster Street would remain eligible as a Category 2 building on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. The proposed lightwells around the side and rear of the residence exceed the maximum length by approximately 5 feet provided in the zoning allowances for excavated features. Staff notes that is will need to be reduced to comply with the zoning code. However, decreasing the length of such features will not impact the project’s overall consistency with the SOI Standards for Rehabilitation and the design impact is expected to be minimal. Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 35 Item No. 3. Page 8 of 8 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 The Palo Alto Municipal Code requires notice of this public hearing be published in a local paper at least ten days in advance of the public hearing. Notice of a public hearing for this project was published in the Daily Post on May 27, 2025, which is 10 days in advance of the meeting. Public Comments As of the writing of this report, no project-related, public comments were received. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The subject project has been assessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City. Specifically, the project is categorically exempt from the provision of CEQA in accordance with the Class 1 (Existing Facilities) exemption (CEQA Guidelines Section 15301) because the scope of work is limited to minor exterior alterations of an existing building. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Location Map Attachment B: Historic Resource Evaluation Attachment C: Project Plans AUTHOR/TITLE: Steven Switzer, Historic Preservation Planner (650) 329-2321 Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov Item 3 Item 3 Staff Report Packet Pg. 36 24 200.0' 150.0' .0' 50.0' 100.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 100.0' 12.5' 100.0' 37.5' 200.0'200.0' 50.0' 50.0' .' 150.0' 50.0' 144.0' 50.0'56.0' 50.0'50.0'50.0' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 0'100.0' 56.3' 100.0' 56.2' 11 0.0' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0'190.0' 50.0' 46.0' .0' 100.0' 44.0' 100.0' 44.0' 100.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 50.0' 5. 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 144.0' 50.0' 144.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 150.0' 75.0' 150.0' 75.0' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 64.3' 20.0' .3' 30.0' 86.0' 30.0' .3' 20.0' 85.7' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 1 60.0' 100.0' 50.0' 100.0' 50.0' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 90.0' 112.5' 90.0' 112.5' 60.0' 112.5' 60.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 50.0' 112.5'112.5' 50.0' 112.5' 72.5' 50.0' 56.3' 100.0' 535 657 212- 216 218-222 558- 562 228 243 243-247 580 209 228 222 212 644 236 242 250 235 237 229 221 211 60 328 320 566 621 633 602 219 260 250 244 236 244 559 575 579 227 235 245 224 565 611 175 251 257 259 604 329 335 634 626 614 576 236A 576A HAWTHORNE AVENUE NUE WEBSTER STREET BYRON STREET EVERETT AVENUE WEBSTER STREET 30-2145 R-2 This map is a product of the City of Palo Alto GIS This document is a graphic representation only of best available sources. Legend Project Site Current Features 0' 86' Attachment A Location Map 243 Webster Street CITY OF PALO ALTO I NC O R P O R A TE D CALI FORNIA P a l o A l t o T h e C i t y o f APRI L 1 6 189 4 The City of Palo Alto assumes no responsibility for any errors ©1989 to 2016 City of Palo Alto sswitze, 2026-06-03 19:06:14 Attachment A. Location Map (\\cc-maps\Encompass\Admin\Personal\Planning.mdb) Item 3 Attachment A - Location Map Packet Pg. 37 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Imagining change in historic environments through design, research, and technology 243 WEBSTER STREET APN: 120-02-033 HISTORIC RESOURCE EVALUATION Date of Evaluation:October 2023 Identified California Register Criteria of Significance:Criterion 3 (Architecture) Identified Period of Significance: 1904 Summary of Significance:243 Webster Streetwas found significant as a property that embodies the distinct characteristics of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style. 2023 RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY SUMMARY Alterations Since 2023:As the Historic Resource Evaluation for 243 Webster Street was completed in October 2023, no alterations have occurred to the building since that evaluation. Status in 2023:Extant, retains historic integrity. Recommended Revisions to Significance:None. Figure 1: 2023 Historic Resource Evaluation photograph. RECOMMENDATION FOR LISTING IN THE PALO ALTO HISTORIC INVENTORY Palo Alto Historic Inventory Criteria for Designation:Criterion 2(The structure or site is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation) Statement of Significance:243 Webster Streetis significant as a property that embodies the distinct characteristics of the Eastern Shingle style. Period of Significance:1904 Palo Alto Historic Inventory Category:Category 2 Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 38 243-245 WEBSTER STREET HISTORIC RESOURCE EVALUATION PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA [16252B.22] PREPARED FOR THE PALO ALTO PLANNING DEPARTMENT October 2, 2023 Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 39 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Summary of Findings ................................................................................................................................. 3 II. EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS ............................................................................................................. 4 National Register of Historic Places ......................................................................................................... 4 California Register of Historical Resources ............................................................................................. 4 California Historical Resource Status Codes ........................................................................................... 4 Palo Alto Historic Inventory ....................................................................................................................... 5 Palo Alto Historic Survey Update .............................................................................................................. 6 III. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 7 Main Residence (243 Webster Street) ...................................................................................................... 7 Accessory Residence (245 Webster Street) ........................................................................................... 15 Surrounding Neighborhood .................................................................................................................... 16 IV. HISTORIC CONTEXT ....................................................................................................................... 18 Palo Alto History ....................................................................................................................................... 18 University North Neighborhood ............................................................................................................. 20 Eastern Shingle Cottage Style ................................................................................................................. 21 V. SITE HISTORY .................................................................................................................................. 25 Site Development ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Ownership and Occupant History .......................................................................................................... 30 Brief Owner and Occupant Biographies ................................................................................................ 33 VI. EVALUATION .................................................................................................................................. 36 California Register of Historical Resources ........................................................................................ 36 Criterion 1 (Events) ................................................................................................................................... 36 Criterion 2 (Persons) ................................................................................................................................. 37 Criterion 3 (Architecture) ......................................................................................................................... 37 Criterion 4 (Information Potential) ......................................................................................................... 38 Integrity .................................................................................................................................................. 38 Character-Defining Features ............................................................................................................... 41 VII. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 42 VIII. REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................. 43 Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 40 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 1 October 2, 2023 I. INTRODUCTION This Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) has been prepared at the request of the City of Palo Alto for the property at 243-245 Webster Street (APN 120-02-033). The subject property is located on a 5,625 square-foot parcel along the north side of Webster Street between Hawthorne Avenue and Everett Avenue in the University North neighborhood of Palo Alto (Figure 1).1 This area is zoned as residential two-family (R-2). The property includes two freestanding buildings—a main residence at the middle of the parcel (addressed as 243 Webster Street), and rear accessory residence (addressed as 245 Webster Street)(Figure 2). 1 The subject block is oriented northwest of true north, but for the purposes of this report northwest will be referred to as north, and so on. Therefore, the primary façade of 243 Webster Street will be referred to as the west façade, etc. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 41 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 2 October 2, 2023 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 for all four structures located on the property, and a historic context for the development of the subject property. The report includes an evaluation of the property’s individual eligibility for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register). Page & Turnbull prepared this report using research collected at various local repositories, including the Palo Alto Development Services and the Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA), 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. All photographs in this report were taken by Page & Turnbull during a site visit in July 2023, unless otherwise noted. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 42 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 3 October 2, 2023 Summary of Findings This Historic Resource Evaluation finds that the main residence at 243 Webster Street appears to be eligible for the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture) as an excellent example of an Eastern Shingle Cottage style residence erected in 1904. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 43 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 4 October 2, 2023 II. EXISTING HISTORIC STATUS The following section examines the national, state, and local historic status currently assigned to 243-245 Webster 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. 243-245 Webster 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 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. 243-245 Webster 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 2 California Office of Historic Preservation, Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD), Santa Clara County, updated August 2022. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 44 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 5 October 2, 2023 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. 243-245 Webster Street is not currently listed in the BERD database for Santa Clara County with a status code. The most recent update to the BERD database was in August 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 whose background is 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. 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. 243-245 Webster Street is not currently listed in the City of Palo Alto Historic Inventory. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 45 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 6 October 2, 2023 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 The reconnaissance survey was followed by an intensive-level survey of all Study Priority 1 and 2 properties. Historic research was conducted on the owners, architects/builders, and past uses of the Study Priority 1 properties. Research also informed the preparation of historic context statements on topics such as local property types, significant historical themes, and prolific architects and builders, in order to identify any potential significant associations of Study Priority 2 properties. In January 1999, Dames & Moore prepared an interim findings report that listed preliminary evaluations of the National Register and California Register eligibility of Study Priority 1 and 2 properties. In the report, 291 properties were found potentially eligible as individual resources to the National Register and California Register, and 1,789 further properties were found potentially eligible to the California Register only. Because the survey focused on determining National Register eligibility, the project did not finalize the preliminary evaluations regarding potential California Register eligibility. 243 Webster Street was deemed potentially eligible for the California Register for its architecture under Criterion 3. The rear building at 245 Webster Street is not specifically listed 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 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 46 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 7 October 2, 2023 III. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION The subject parcel at 243-245 Webster Street contains two wood-frame buildings, a main residence (243 Webster Street), and an accessory residence at the rear (245 Webster Street). The front yard is landscaped with gravel, sparse bushes, low plantings along the edge of the main residence and north property line, a metal fence, and a concrete path leading from the sidewalk to the primary entrance. A gravel driveway is located along the south property line. The rear of the parcel contains some plantings and trees, but consists largely of a dirt courtyard between the accessory residence and the rear façade of the main residence interspersed with the broken concrete and brick remains of what may once have been a pathway or separator between different landscaping elements. 3. Bird’s Eye View of the property containing 243- Main Residence (243 Webster Street) The main residence at 243 Webster Street is a two-story building designed in the Eastern Shingle Cottage style with horizontal wood drop siding below the first story, wood lap siding at the first story, and wood shingle siding within the gable ends. The building’s details include wood dentils, brackets, and basecourse, and it features a steeply pitched gable roof with a wide multi-window shed dormer on each slope. All gables and rooflines feature a molded fascia trim and wide enclosed eaves with molded brackets. The roof is clad in composite shingles. The building is largely rectangular in plan, with slightly protruding one-story additions at the center and north end of the rear façade. Typical fenestration includes original one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 47 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 8 October 2, 2023 with ogee lugs along all façades. This window type is referred to as a “typical window” throughout the following description. All additional windows at the main residence are also original wood sash windows, except those on the one-story rear additions. Primary (West) Façade The primary (west) façade is asymmetrical at the first story and symmetrical within the gable end. On the north half of the first story is a box bay window featuring an original leaded-glass-over-one double-hung window flanked by original narrow one-over-one double-hung windows. The box bay window is supported by brackets below, and extends upward to the eaves, where the row of wood dentils wraps around the box window (Figure 5). On the south half of the first story is an entry porch with square wood posts and a wood railing, featuring a wood panel partially glazed door to the north (left) and an original wood-frame fixed window to the south (right) (Figure 6). The second story features two typical windows, each separately surrounded with a narrow trim (Figure 7). At the second story, the primary façade’s gable end is clad in wood shingle siding, which curves out from the wall of the façade to become flush with the outside edge of the enclosed eaves separating the first and second story. Above the second story, within the peak of the gable end, the façade projects outward, becoming flush with the fascia trim, and features an original louver vent, carved brackets beneath the overhang, and rustic wood shingle siding in a staggered overlap pattern with a sawtooth starting course at the base. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 48 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 9 October 2, 2023 Figure 6. South Façade The south façade is set back from the property line and is separated from the adjoining parcel by a gravel driveway. At the first story, the south façade features an original wood-frame fixed window to the west (left), an angled bay window at the center consisting of a typical window on each wall, and a Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 49 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 10 October 2, 2023 typical window to the east (right) (Figure 8). At the second story, the south façade features a centered wide shed dormer featuring a set of three typical windows, wood lap siding, dentils, and wood shingle siding on the west- and east-facing walls under the shed roof. Those side walls curve out at the base to become flush with the outside edge of the cornice. Rear (East) Façade The rear (east) façade of 243 Webster Street, including the south-facing walls of the enclosed porches, faces a dirt courtyard between the main residence and the accessory residence (Figure 9). The rear façade features two one-story additions that project eastward from the façade: the larger at the north (right) end is a sleeping porch, and the smaller at the center is an enclosed entry porch (Figure 10). The sleeping porch features a non-original aluminum sliding window flanked by two non-original wood-frame fixed windows (Figure 11). On the south-facing wall of the sleeping porch, at the basement level, is a non-original wood plank door and concrete steps to the partial basement (Figure 12). South of the sleeping porch, at the center of the rear façade, is the enclosed entry porch, featuring a non-original wood-frame three-lite fixed window flanked by three-lite casement windows (Figure 13). On the south-facing wall of the enclosed entry porch is a non-original wood partially glazed door and concrete steps, and south of the enclosed entry porch is an original wood- Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 50 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 11 October 2, 2023 frame one-over-one double-hung window. At the second story, on the north end of the rear façade is a roof deck built over the sleeping porch, featuring wood railings with decorative carvings (Figure 14). Behind the deck is a wood partially glazed multi-lite door and a non-original wood-frame one- over-one double-hung window to the north (Figure 15). South of the second story deck is a typical window, and an additional typical window is set within the gable end. Figure 9. View of the rear (east) façade. The sleeping porch is outlined in red. The enclosed entry porch is Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 51 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 12 October 2, 2023 Figure 11. Detail view of the non-original windows a the rear façade. Looking west. Figure 13. Detail view of the non-original multi- Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 52 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 13 October 2, 2023 15. Detail view of door and window at second North Facade The north façade is set back from the property line and accessed via a gravel walkway along the north footprint of the building. At the first story, from east (left) to west (right), the north façade features a pair of two non-original typical windows, a single typical window, and a tripartite window consisting of a central one-over-one double-hung window flanked by narrow one-over-one double- hung windows (Figure 16 through Figure 18). At the second story, the north façade features a centered wide shed dormer identical to the dormer on the south façade, and a wood shingle clad internal chimney to the east (Figure 19). 16. Detail view of non-original windows at Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 53 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 14 October 2, 2023 Figure 19. Oblique view of second story of north Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 54 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 15 October 2, 2023 Accessory Residence (245 Webster Street) The accessory residence (addressed as 245 Webster Street) is a one-story wood-frame building clad in vertical wood board-and-batten siding and wood shingle siding, and features a low gable and shed roof clad in composite shingles with exposed rafter tails (Figure 20). The building has an L- shaped footprint and features a covered entry stoop with a shed roof and metal post supports. Fenestration on the accessory residence consists of non-original fixed and sliding windows in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. The primary façade of the accessory residence includes the westernmost wall clad in wood shingles and the west- and north-facing walls on the interior of the L-shaped footprint. The west-facing wall on the interior of the L-shaped footprint, from north (left) to south (right), features two full-height wood fixed picture windows, a jalousie window over a fixed window, a pair of aluminum glazed sliding doors, a full-height aluminum fixed picture window, and a plywood maintenance door (Figure 21). The north-facing wall on the interior of the L-shaped footprint, from east (left) to west (right), features vertical wood board-and-batten cladding and two wood-frame fixed windows. The westernmost wall features wood shingle cladding with two rows of scalloped wood shingles, and a wood-frame multi-lite door with multi-lite sidelights. The south façade is clad in vertical wood board- and-batten siding and features, from west (left) to east (right), an aluminum sliding window, a wood sliding window, and an aluminum sliding window (Figure 22). The east façade is built to within a foot Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 55 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 16 October 2, 2023 of the property line, is clad in vertical board-and-batten siding, and has no openings. The north façade is clad in vertical board-and-batten siding and has no openings. Figure 21. Detail view of Surrounding Neighborhood The surrounding neighborhood is characterized by single-family, duplex, and multi-family residential buildings that are largely one to two stories (Figure 23 through Figure 28). Buildings in the neighborhood appear to date from the 1900s to the 2000s. The architecture of the older housing stock includes styles popular in the early decades of the twentieth century such as Spanish Colonial Revival, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival styles. Additionally, some contemporary infill development has occurred since the neighborhood’s primary period of development in the 1900s through the 1920s. All of the buildings are set back from the street behind front yards with lawns, trees, and shrubbery. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 56 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 17 October 2, 2023 Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 57 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 18 October 2, 2023 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 Riconada 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 29).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. 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 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. City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030 (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017), 16, accessed November 10, 2020, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 58 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 19 October 2, 2023 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 Figure 29: 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 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 8 Dames & Moore, 1-4. 9 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 16. 10 “City of Palo Alto, Santa Clara County,” Bay Area Census, accessed November 10, 2020, http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/PaloAlto50.htm. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 59 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 20 October 2, 2023 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 University North Neighborhood The current University 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 University North and University South neighborhoods. The 1895 Sanborn Fire Insurance 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 (Figure 30). 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. 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 University North. During this period, some of the commercial development along University Avenue spread out onto perpendicular streets toward Lytton, replacing earlier residential buildings. 11 City of Palo Alto, Comprehensive Plan 2030, 11-20. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 60 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 21 October 2, 2023 The subject property was built during an intermediate period of development of University North in 1904as the neighborhood slowly filled in with residential buildings. By the 1920s, the University North neighborhood was largely built out, and commercial uses slowly spread north and east from University Avenue to adjacent streets. Eastern Shingle Cottage Style The Eastern Shingle Cottage style is an expression of the Eastern Shingle and Colonial Revival styles, utilizing both colonial and neoclassical details. The Eastern Shingle Cottage style was endemic to parts of Northern California, especially the East San Francisco Bay Area, between 1895 and 1910.12 The first known Eastern Shingle Cottage in the Bay Area was a building designed by Hugo W. Storch in 1895at 2354 East 23rd Street, Oakland.13 The style was then popularized by prolific Oakland architect Alfred William Smith, who erected several dozen residences in the style in the Oakland area between 1898 and 1900.14 The requirements for an Eastern Shingle Cottage’s form are strict, combining a typical Neoclassical Rowhouse or Queen Anne Cottage style asymmetrical first story with a massive symmetrical A-frame second story with wide multi-window dormers on each slope.15 Although the form is simple, Eastern Shingle Cottage style details feature a combination of formal 12 City of Oakland Planning Department, Rehab Right,1978. 13 Daniella Thompson,“High-Peaked Colonial Revival, a Bay Area Phenomenon,” Berkeley Architectural Heritage Society, March 14, 2006. Accessed September 14, 2023. http://berkeleyheritage.com/eastbay_then-now/highpeak_colonial.html. 14 Thompson. 15 City of Oakland Planning Department, 1978. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 61 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 22 October 2, 2023 detailing from the Colonial Revival and Classical Revival styles with informal wood shingle cladding, usually confined to the second story and above, referencing the shape’s East Coast Shingle style origins. Figure 31. Drawing of a typical Eastern Shingle Cottage. Source: City of Oakland Planning Department, Rehab Right, 20. Design Discussion of 243 Webster Street Although there are possibly several hundred buildings in the Eastern Shingle Cottage style in Northern California, they are heavily concentrated in Oakland and Berkeley, rarely appearing more than a handful of times in any other city.16 This is because the style is a confluence of several disparate influences, a specific combination of which coalesced into a recognizable Eastern Shingle Cottage style; therefore, with little change to an overall design, a building is easily pulled into an expression of the Shingle or Colonial Revival style. Another local example of a building with this mixed stylistic expression in Palo Alto is 1125 Ramona Street, built in 1902. Although it features a prominent A-frame second story with wide dormers, it also includes a cross-gable, and the first story does not bear a significant resemblance to the Neoclassical Rowhouse or Queen Anne Cottage roots of the Eastern Shingle Cottage stye (Figure 32). 321 Cowper Street, built in 1903, has a first story 16 Thompson. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 62 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 23 October 2, 2023 more like that of the Eastern Cottage Style, but it features a secondary gable over the entryway and a moderate roof pitch (Figure 33). Figure 32. 1125 Ramona Street, built in 1902. Palo Alto does have a few expressions of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style, including the subject building’s neighbor at 251 Webster Street built ca. 1904, 250 Cowper Street built ca. 1905, 1139 Ramona Street built ca. 1903, and the subject building’s twin at 719 Webster Street built ca. 1905 (Figure 34 through Figure 37). Figure 34. 251 Webster Street, built ca. 1904. Figure 35. 250 Cowper Street, built ca. 1906. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 63 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 24 October 2, 2023 37. 719 Webster Street, built ca. 1906. Altere ca. 2014, including first and second story additions 243 Webster Street clearly and fully expresses the Eastern Shingle Cottage Style through its Neoclassical and Queen Anne Cottage inspired first story, steeply pitched A-frame second story, numerous formal details including molded wood dentils, brackets, fascia trim, and enclosed eaves, and its variety of formal and rustic wood cladding including wood drop siding, wood lap, and wood shingle siding. Additionally, compared to other examples of the style in Palo Alto, 243 Webster Street is a highly faithful expression with high integrity, whereas the other examples have sustained alterations. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 64 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 25 October 2, 2023 V. SITE HISTORY Site Development Prior to the erection of 243Webster Street, the property was undeveloped. Surrounding development was concentrated on University Avenue and blocks closer to the core of Downtown Palo Alto, slowly creeping outward as parcels were filled in. The Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office records a build date of 1904, although the first listing in city directories is in 1907, and the building first appears on the 1908 Sanborn Map Company map instead of the 1904 map (Figure 38). The original owner and architect or builder are unknown. Figure 38: Sanborn Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1908. Page 4. The subject property is outlined in dashed red line. Source: San Francisco Public Library. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Records on file at the Palo Alto Historical Association (PAHA) include the Building Permit Index which contains records of early permit information (pre-1950) transcribed by researchers from past editions of the Palo Alto Times.Between 1908 and 1924, a one-car detached garage was constructed at the rear of the parcel (Figure 38).In 1923 and 1924, permits detailing alterations to the living Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 65 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 26 October 2, 2023 room and the addition of a sleeping porch are likely responsible for the larger of the one-story rear additions to the main residence.17 Figure 39: Sanborn Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1924. Page 20. The subject property is outlined in dashed red line. Note that the sleeping porch, the larger of the two rear additions, is not shown. Source: San Francisco Public Library. Edited by Page & Turnbull. The subject property is visible in a 1941 aerial photograph by Fairchild Aerial Surveys, and shows the existing L-shaped footprint of the accessory residence, which appears to have been converted from a garage to additional living space ca. 1926 (Figure 40).18 17 “Building Permits Issued,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, April 24, 1923, 3; “Building Permits Issued,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, July 12, 1924, 3. 18 Dames & Moore survey form, on file at the Palo Alto Historical Association. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 66 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 27 October 2, 2023 Figure 40: Aerial photograph of the subject property in April 1941. Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Flight C-7065, Frame 24. Dashed red line shows approximate parcel boundary. Source: University of California Santa Barbara FrameFinder. Edited by Page & Turnbull. In 1957, Sanborn Map Company maps label the main residence of 243 Webster as “2 Apartments,” meaning the building was subdivided internally by this time (Figure 41).The map also shows that the extension of the footprint of the accessory residence along the rear edge of the parcel was a partially enclosed porch or carport at this time, while the original garage portion was used as a dwelling. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 67 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 28 October 2, 2023 Figure 41: Sanborn Map Company map of Palo Alto, 1956. Page 20. The subject property is outlined in the dashed red line. Note that a portion of the accessory residence was a partially enclosed porch or carport at this time, and not living space, at the red arrow. Note that the sleeping porch, the larger of the two rear additions, is not shown. Source: San Francisco Public Library. Edited by Page & Turnbull. In 1968, permits discuss rectifying various unpermitted alterations to the accessory residence, generally involving the conversion of the partially enclosed porch or carport into additional living space.19 These alterations likely are responsible for the existing full-height windows and sliding glass door on the accessory residence. Observed alterations include the enclosure of the rear porch, the addition of a second-story deck over the sleeping porch at the rear façade, and the construction and removal of a wood staircase to facilitate direct access to the second story from the exterior, including the addition of a deadbolt lock on the wood door behind the deck railing (Figure 42 through Figure 44). This staircase likely dated to before 1956, when the Sanborn Map Company maps label 243 Webster Street as “2 Apartments.” 19 Permit No. 27991, on file at the City of Palo Alto Development Services. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 68 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 29 October 2, 2023 43: Detail view of the door at the second- Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 69 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 30 October 2, 2023 Table 1 includes known construction and alteration activities undertaken at the subject property and includes permits on file at Palo Alto Development Services, material from PAHA’s Building Permit Index, newspaper records, and the 1998 Dames & Moore survey form. Table 1. Permit History for Subject Property Permit # Date Owner Builder Description 20 -24- 21 -12- -12- -3388 -14- 30-gallon water heater. Ownership and Occupant History The tables below provide a summary of the ownership and occupancy history of the main residence 243 Webster Street (Table 2) and the occupancy history of the accessory residence at 245 Webster Street (Table 3), beginning with the first year each building was listed in city directories. Research was not able to uncover who occupied which unit during the period in which the main residence at 243 Webster Street contained two units. Due to inconsistent usage of 245 Webster Street to refer to occupants of the accessory residence, some listed occupants of 243 Webster Street may have lived at 245 Webster Street. Ownership and occupancy information was compiled from building permit applications, city directories, historic newspapers, and the 1998 Dames & Moore survey form. Research was unable to uncover the names of occupants of the main building between 1976 and 2001, and occupants of the accessory residence between 1961 and the present. 20 “Building Permits Issued,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, April 24, 1923, 3. 21 “Building Permits Issued,” The Peninsula Times Tribune, July 12, 1924, 3. 22 Dames & Moore survey form, on file at the Palo Alto Historical Association. Table 2. Owner and Occupant History for Main Residence at 243 Webster Street (known owners in bold) 1907-1908 annah R. Thorpe listed -1913 Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 70 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 31 October 2, 2023 Table 2. Owner and Occupant History for Main Residence at 243 Webster Street (known owners in bold) Date(s) Occupant(s) / owner(s), if known Occupation A. C. Hobart Verner C. Hobart Marie A. Crawford Albert Crawford Homer G. Berry Guinevere Berry Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 71 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 32 October 2, 2023 Table 2. Owner and Occupant History for Main Residence at 243 Webster Street (known owners in bold) Date(s) Occupant(s) / owner(s), if known Occupation C. C. Wren Lora Kelly Truman Russel Marie T. Sayers (Not resident) Taylor P. Vanderlip Scott A. Vanderlip Current owners Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 72 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 33 October 2, 2023 The earliest known owner was Alva C. Hobart in 1919-1921, detailed below. The property was sold to Marie Crawford in 1921, and to Homer Berry in 1923. By 1946 it was owned by C. Wren, by 1951 it was owned by Lora Kelley, and by 1962 it was owned by Marie Sayers. By 1994 it was owned by Taylor and Scott Vanderlip, and in 2022 it was purchased by the present owners. Little information about the ownership history between 1968 and 1994 could be found through research. Few confirmed owners lived at the subject residence, and all or portions of the property were rented to a large variety of short-term tenants from a very early date, at least as early as 1921 when Marie Crawford owned, occupied, and maintained the subject property as a source of income.23 Brief Owner and Occupant Biographies Alva C. Hobart Alva Hobart (1860-1934) owned and occupied the subject property between 1919 and 1921.24 Hobart grew up on a farm in Royalton, Wisconsin, and moved with his family to Cherokee Iowa in 1870.25 Hobart graduated from the State University of Iowa in 1885, began studying law, and was elected clerk of the District Court of Cherokee County in 1886.26 In 1895, Hobart campaigned for, and won, a state senatorial seat in Iowa at the age of 36 (Figure 45).27 He was reelected in 1899, and was a candidate for the Iowa Secretary of State in 1900.28 23 Palo Alto city directories. 24 Ancestry.com census records, 1920. 25 Ancestry.com census records, 1880. 26 Iowa Legislative Services Agency, “Senator Alva C. Hobart,” Iowa.gov. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=27&personID=3575. 27 “Senator Elect Hobart,” Sioux City Journal, November 7, 1895. 28 “Senator Hobart’s Candidacy,” Sioux City Journal, June 6, 1900. Table 3. Occupant History for Accessory Residence at 245 Webster Street Date(s) Occupant(s) Occupation Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 73 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 34 October 2, 2023 Figure 45. Alva C. Hobart, ca. 1895. Source: iowa.gov legislators index. By 1910, Hobart had moved with his wife, Hattie, son, Verner, and two daughters, Louise and Bernice, to Fremont, California, and worked as a fruit farmer on his own land there.29 By 1919, he and his family moved to the subject property in Palo Alto, where he owned and operated a real estate agency.30 In 1921, the same year Hobart sold the subject property to Marie Crawford, he was elected to the Palo Alto City Council, and in 1926 he was elected mayor of Palo Alto.31 Hobart also served as a member of the Bay Shore Lands committee, and is credited with for negotiations that led to the acquisition of a thousand acres of land along the San Francisco Bayshore from Cooley’s Landing in San Mateo County to Wilson’s Landing in Santa Clara County.32 After leaving 243 Webster Street, Hobart moved to 441 Cowper Street, where he died in 1934.33 29 Ancestry.com census records, 1910. 30 Ancestry.com census records, 1920. 31 “Tax Rate is Set by City Council; Hobart Praised,” Peninsula Times Tribune, August 28, 1934, 3. 32 “Tax Rate is Set by City Council; Hobart Praised.” 33 “Hobart,” Redwood City Tribune, August 25, 1934. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 74 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 35 October 2, 2023 Lora R. Kelly Lora Kelly(1893-1973) owned and lived at the subject property between 1951and 1961.34 She lived there with her husband, Emanuell Kelly, and worked as a clerk for Walgreens during her occupancy. Little information was uncovered through research on the rest of Kelly’s life or work. 34 Ancestry.com death index; Palo Alto city directories. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 75 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 36 October 2, 2023 VI. EVALUATION 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 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. In order for a property to be eligible for listing in the California Register, it must be found significant under one or more of the following criteria. x Criterion 1 (Events): Resources that are 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. x Criterion 2 (Persons): Resources that are associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history. x Criterion 3 (Architecture): Resources that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values. x Criterion 4 (Information Potential): Resources or sites that have yielded or have the potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation. The following section examines the eligibility of the main residence at 243 Webster Street and the accessory residence addressed as 245 Webster Street for individual listing in the California Register. Criterion 1 (Events) 243-245 Webster Street does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 1 (Events), as the property does not appear to bear association with any significant events or broad patterns of history in Palo Alto, the state, or the nation. The property is one of many residences constructed in the University North neighborhood during a period of rapid development which occurred in the 1900s and 1920s, and is not individually associated with or Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 76 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 37 October 2, 2023 demonstrative of University North’s development patterns. Therefore, the building does not appear to be significant for its role in local development trends. Additionally, no significant events were found to have occurred at the property. Criterion 2 (Persons) The property does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 2 (Persons). The original owner is unknown. The earliest known owner of the property, Alva Hobart, occupied numerous local political offices in the Midwest and in Palo Alto, separated by a brief period of fruit farming in Fremont. Although Hobart may have significance connected to his political offices, he never held an office while occupying the subject property, and therefore such significance would not be meaningfully connected to the property. Available documentation on the additional former owners of the subject property does not suggest that these individuals were particularly significant to local, state, or national history in any way directly associated with the subject property. A number of families and individuals have rented the buildings, including many students who likely attended Stanford University, and research into the occupants of 243-245 Webster Street did not uncover any substantial connection between the professional or personal accomplishments of the residents that would be connected to the property such that it would be individually eligible for the California Register under Criterion 2. Criterion 3 (Architecture) The main residence at 243 Webster Street appears to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture) at a local level of significance, as a building that embodies the distinct characteristics of an Eastern Shingle Cottage style residence. Though the architect or builder is unknown, the subject building is characteristic of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style design and provides a very intact example of this type within the City of Palo Alto, particularly in the University North neighborhood. The period of significance for this criterion is 1904, corresponding to the subject building’s year of construction. The Eastern Shingle Cottage style was popular during the late 1890s and 1900s in the East Bay. The subject building provides an excellent local example of the regionally specific Eastern Shingle Cottage style residential design through characteristic features, form, and materials. The building remains unaltered at the primary façade since its construction in 1904. Characteristic features of Eastern Shingle Cottage design represented at 243 Webster Street include an asymmetrical first story, a steeply pitched A-frame second story, numerous formal details such as molded wood Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 77 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 38 October 2, 2023 dentils, brackets, fascia trim, and enclosed eaves, and its variety of formal and rustic wood cladding including wood drop siding, wood lap, and wood shingle siding. As a good and representative example of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style, a regionally specific residential style that is unusual to find outside of Berkeley or Oakland, and rare to find as a faithful and intact expression of the style as it developed there, the main residence at 243 Webster Street appears to be individually eligible for the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture) at a local level of significance. The accessory residence at 245 Webster Street does not appear to be eligible for listing in the California Register. It was constructed by an unknown builder between 1908 and 1924 as a detached garage, and was modified over time to serve as an additional living unit. The building does not demonstrate a particular style and is not the known work of a designer of merit. Criterion 4 (Information Potential) The “potential to yield information important to the prehistory or history of California” typically relates to archeological resources, rather than built resources. When California Register Criterion 4 (Information Potential) does relate to built resources, it is relevant for cases when the building itself is the principal source of important construction-related information. The analysis of the property at 243-245 Webster Street for eligibility under Criterion 4 is beyond the scope of this report. INTEGRITY In order 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.”35 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.36 A property must possess most, or all, of these aspects in 35 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, 4 September 2001) 11 36 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation (Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1995) 44. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 78 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 39 October 2, 2023 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; 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 243 Webster Street retains integrity of location. The main residence has remained situated at its location of original construction since 1904. SETTING 243 Webster Street retains integrity of setting. The main residence continues to be located within the residential neighborhood of University North. The building retains its freestanding quality, with separation between it and the other buildings on the property. It retains its connection to its neighboring buildings through a consistent setback along the block with front gardens. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 79 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 40 October 2, 2023 DESIGN 243 Webster Street retains integrity of design. The main residence has undergone minimal alteration since its construction in 1904. The building’s massing and overall form have remained unchanged, and alterations to the building are limited to minor additions and alterations at the rear façade that are not visible from the street. The original design of the residence remains intact, and the materials, decoration, craftsmanship, and massing of the building have remained largely unchanged since 1904. Therefore, the building retains integrity of design. MATERIALS 243 Webster Street retains integrity of materials. The main residence retains its original wood cladding, its original wood frame windows on its north, west, south, and most of its east façades, and its wood decorative features which include dentils, brackets, and fascia trim. WORKMANSHIP 243 Webster Street retains integrity of workmanship. Features providing evidence of period workmanship and construction methods include wood lap and wood shingle cladding, wood decoration including dentils and brackets, original wood sash windows, the steeply pitched roof, bay windows, and enclosed eaves. These features remain extant and demonstrate the building’s Eastern Shingle Cottage style. FEELING 243 Webster Street retains integrity of feeling. The main residence retains the feeling of a 1900s single-family residence as its design, materiality, and workmanship remain highly representative of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style. ASSOCIATION 243 Webster Street retains integrity of association. The main residence is not considered significant for its association with a period of development, an event, or a past owner or occupant. Its association instead is with the Eastern Shingle Cottage style, and this association continues to be represented through its retention of its architectural characteristics. Therefore, the main residence at 243 Webster Street retains all seven aspects of integrity such that it conveys its significance under Criterion 3 (Architecture) of the California Register, with a period of significance of 1904. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 80 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 41 October 2, 2023 CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES For a property to be eligible for national or state designation under criteria related to type, period, or method of construction, the essential physical features (or character-defining features) that enable the property to convey its historic identity must be evident. These distinctive character- defining features are the physical traits that commonly recur in property types and/or architectural styles. To be eligible, a property must clearly contain enough of those characteristics to be considered a true representative of a particular type, period, or method of construction, and these features must also retain a sufficient degree of integrity. Characteristics can be expressed in terms such as form, proportion, structure, plan, style, or materials. The character-defining features of the main residence at 243 Webster Street consist of those features which date to the building’s period of significance, which is 1904, the year in which the building was completed, and represent the Eastern Shingle Cottage style. These features include, but are not limited to: x Asymmetrical first story including an angled bay window and integral entry porch similar to Neoclassical Rowhouses and Queen Anne Cottages x Massive steeply pitched A-frame second story with symmetrical openings x Molded wood brackets, dentils, fascia trim, and enclosed eaves x Wide multi-window dormer on each roof slope x Original wood sash windows x Orderly distribution of a variety of cladding types, including wood drop siding, wood lap siding, and different sizes and arrangements of wood shingle siding Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 81 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 42 October 2, 2023 VII. CONCLUSION The property at 243-245 Webster Street was developed by an unknown architect or builder in the Eastern Shingle Cottage style in 1904. The property was owned and occupied by a number of short- term owners and occupants. The accessory residence at 245 Webster Street does not appear to be eligible for the California Register under any criteria. The main residence at 243 Webster Street appears to be eligible for the California Register under Criterion 3 (Architecture) with a period of significance of 1904, which corresponds to the year in which the building was completed. The main residence is an excellent example of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style as it was expressed in Northern California through its asymmetrical first story; steeply pitched A-frame second story; numerous formal details such as molded wood dentils, brackets, fascia trim, and enclosed eaves; and its variety of formal and rustic wood cladding including wood drop siding, wood lap, and wood shingle siding. The main residence remains largely unaltered as visible from the street and retains its integrity as an early twentieth century example of the Eastern Shingle Cottage style in Palo Alto. Therefore, the main residence at 243 Webster Street appears individually eligible for listing in the California Register, while the accessory residence (245 Webster Street) is a non-contributing building on the property. As a result, the main residence at 243 Webster Street appears to be a historic resource for the purposes of CEQA review. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 82 Historic Resource Evaluation 243-245 Webster Street Project Number 16252B.22 Palo Alto, CA PAGE & TURNBULL 43 October 2, 2023 VIII. REFERENCES Building Permit Index. “243 Webster Street.” Palo Alto Historical Association. California Office of Historic Preservation. Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD). Santa Clara County. Updated August 2022. 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. City of Oakland Planning Department. Rehab Right. 1978. “City of Palo Alto Assessment Record: 243 Webster Street.” On file at the Palo Alto Development Services. City of Palo Alto. Comprehensive Plan 2030 (adopted by City Council, November 13, 2017). Accessed November 10, 2020, https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/62915. 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. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1995. “Hobart.” Redwood City Tribune. August 25, 1934. Iowa Legislative Services Agency. “Senator Alva C. Hobart.” Iowa.gov. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=27&personID=3575. McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Peninsula Times Tribune, The. Various issues. “Senator Elect Hobart.” Sioux City Journal. November 7, 1895. “Senator Hobart’s Candidacy.” Sioux City Journal. June 6, 1900. Thompson, Daniella. “High-Peaked Colonial Revival, a Bay Area Phenomenon.” Berkeley Architectural Heritage Society, March 14, 2006. Accessed September 14, 2023. http://berkeleyheritage.com/eastbay_then-now/highpeak_colonial.html. Winslow, Ward and Palo Alto Historical Association. Palo Alto: A Centennial History. Palo Alto, CA: Palo Alto Historical Association, 1993. Item 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 83 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 3 Attachment B - Historic Resource Evaluation Packet Pg. 84 ATTACHMENT C Project Plans In order to reduce paper consumption, a limited number of hard copy project plans are provided to Councilmembers for their review. The same plans are available to the public, at all hours of the day, via the following online resources. Directions to review Project plans online: 1. Go to: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development- Services/Development-Services/Palo-Alto-Permit-View 2. Scroll down to find “243 Webster Street” and click the address link. 3. On this project specific webpage, you will find a link to the project plans and other important information. Project Webpage: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Current- Planning/Projects/243-Webster-St Item 3 Attachment C - Project Plans Packet Pg. 85 Item No. 4. Page 1 of 9 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: June 11, 2026 Report #: 2605-6399 TITLE PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 855 Hamilton Avenue [26PLN-00021]: Request for Major Historic Resources Board Review for the Rehabilitation and First Floor Addition at the Rear of the Residence with Incidental Exterior Window and Door Replacements. CEQA Status: Exempt per CEQA Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures). Zoning District: R-1 (Single Family Residential). RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review and provide a recommendation to the Director of Planning and Development Services on the project’s conformity with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The subject property was identified in the 2023 Reconnaissance Survey as eligible for listing in Palo Alto’s Historic Resources Inventory as a Category 2 property. While the owner did not request listing during the survey outreach process, they have since requested designation to utilize zoning incentives available to historic properties. The designation request is scheduled for City Council consideration on June 15, 2026. On November 25, 2025, the City’s consultant, Page & Turnbull, prepared a Secretary of the Interior’s (SOI) Standards for Rehabilitation Compliance Analysis for the proposed project (Attachment B). The review of the rehabilitation project is moving forward in parallel with the Council’s review of the Historic Resources Inventory designation to streamline the entitlement process and would only be approved if the City Council approves the designation. This review is separate from the designation process, as the HRB previously recommended the property for listing through the 2023 Reconnaissance Survey. Therefore, the HRB is requested to provide a recommendation on the project's conformity with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation; this recommendation will have no bearing on the pending designation request. Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 86 Item No. 4. Page 2 of 9 PROJECT DESCRIPTION The following project description is based on the project plans submitted on April 4, 2026 (Attachment C). The project includes the following: • Installation of new skylights and in-kind replacement of the existing composition shingle roofing, with localized roof repairs as needed. • Expansion of the existing second-floor roof terrace at the north corner, above the historic family room volume and new JADU, changing its configuration from a rectangular to an L-shaped form. • Construction of a new rear terrace west and south of the JADU, including an exterior stair connecting the expanded roof terrace to grade (Figure 14). • Reconfiguration of second-floor window openings at the south end of the west elevation of the main block. • Reconfiguration of second-floor openings on the west elevation to provide access to the expanded roof terrace. • Removal of the original pair of casement windows beneath the third-floor gabled wall dormer on the west elevation, with the opening infilled to match the existing wall finish. • Construction of an L-shaped pergola along the west elevation of the residence and north elevation of the detached garage, requiring relocation of the outdoor air-conditioning unit and associated enclosure fencing (Figure 15). • In-kind replacement of the casement window pair within the front-facing gabled bay on the east façade. • Proposed work to the detached garage and pool house is not discussed, as these structures are nonhistoric. Additional work not subject to the HRB’s purview: New attached JADU BACKGROUND The single-family residence at 855 Hamilton Avenue was recommended for listing in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory as a “Category 2” building under Criteria 2 (The structure or site is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation) and 5 (The architect or building was important). The period of significance is identified as 1915, the year of the building’s construction. City Council is scheduled to review the re- designation of the structure to a Category 2 structure June 15, 2026, for final decision. A Category 2 structure is defined as: “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.” Category 2 historic properties require historic preservation project review. Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 87 Item No. 4. Page 3 of 9 Site Development Although the original building permit was not identified during research, newspaper articles confirm that 855 Hamilton Avenue was completed in late 1915 or early 1916, along with the neighboring residence at 865 Hamilton Avenue. The two homes were constructed for members of the Ray family, with 855 Hamilton Avenue built for Caroline E. Ray and 865 Hamilton Avenue for her son, Robert C. Ray. Permit records indicate a history of generally modest alterations and maintenance, including construction of a tool house in 1924; repairs, reroofing, and termite- related work in the 1970s; a new garage and first-floor additions in 1989–1990; interior alterations in 1997; reroofing in 2003; a 592-square-foot addition and kitchen remodel in 2005; and site improvements, including a new trellis, pool, garage, driveway, and associated landscape features between 2009 and 2010. Character Defining Features Character-defining features are the physical traits that commonly recur in property types and/or architectural styles. The character-defining features of 855 Hamilton Avenue as identified in Attachment A are assumed to be those architectural features and materials that date to the building’s original construction in 1915. These features include, but are not limited to: Three-story height with vertical massing. L-shaped footprint. Hipped main roof with symmetrical shed-roof dormers on east and west slopes. Stucco-clad brick chimney integrated into the roofline. Prominent front-facing three-story gabled bay on the primary (east) façade. Two-story side wings with flat roofs extending from north and south elevations. One-story rear wing at north corner. Painted stucco cladding with brick water table circling the base of the residence. Minimal stucco ornamentation on exterior cladding, restricted to recessed panels below windows. Wood-frame divided-lite casement windows, including individual casements, paired casements, and tripartite groupings with fixed or operable central sashes. Recessed front entry on the east elevation with a wood paneled entry door (possibly replaced but maintaining historic appearance), Divided-lite sidelites with paneled bases, and a brick stoop. Angled bay window on the first floor of the east façade. Large parcel within the Crescent Park neighborhood consistent with original estate-style siting. ANALYSIS PAMC Section 16.49.050 provides, in part, that in evaluating applications, the HRB shall consider the architectural style, design, arrangement, texture, materials and color, and any other pertinent factors. The prime concern should be the exterior appearance of the building Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 88 Item No. 4. Page 4 of 9 site. The proposed alterations should not adversely affect the exterior architectural characteristics nor the historical or aesthetic value of the building and its site. The following table summarizes the project’s compliance with the SOI Standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. #STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS 1 A property shall be used for its historic urpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project will continue the residential use of 855 Hamilton Avenue. The addition of a JADU also constitutes a compatible residential use. Thus, the project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 1. 2 The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: Character-defining features, including the building’s three-story massing, Period Revival detailing, stucco cladding, brick water table, dormers and gabled bay at the east façade, and major window compositions, are retained. Most alterations occur on secondary or rear elevations or to nonoriginal volumes of the residence, which does not affect historic character. Sensitive interventions include: Converting an original tripartite window at the north end of the east façade to a door. Replacement of original windows at the east elevation of the north wing. Removal and infill of an original third- floor casement pair on the west elevation. Relocation of a historic dormer on the west slope. Extending the height of the two west dormers and replacing their original windows with taller ones. Although these affect original fabric, they occur mostly on secondary façades that aren’t visible from the public right-of-way and do not substantially diminish the Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 89 Item No. 4. Page 5 of 9 #STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS building’s ability to convey its historic form or architectural character. Therefore, the proposed project generally complies with Rehabilitation Standard 2, and the overall character of the building is retained. Therefore, the proposed project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 2. 3 Each property shall be recognized as a hysical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: No conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings will be added to the building. The prosed additions, such as the JADU, expanded terraces, and pergola, are clearly contemporary in placement and use. Materials and detailing are compatible but not falsely historical. Thus, the proposed project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 3. 4 Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right will be retained and preserved. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: No alterations, additions, or modifications dating from after the subject property's original construction in 1915 have been identified as having acquired historic significance. Thus, the proposed project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 4. 5 Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project preserves major character-defining features, including stucco cladding, wood divided-lite window types (where retained or replaced in-kind), massing, cornice lines, primary entry, and roof form. Sensitive changes include: • New west and south walls at the original family room volume near the north corner (partial demolition to expand the footprint). Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 90 Item No. 4. Page 6 of 9 #STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS • The north-end east façade tripartite window converted to a door. • Replacement of some original windows on the east elevation of the north wing. • Infill or reconfiguration of several original windows on the west elevation. These actions remove original material but are restricted to localized areas and secondary façades, driven by design preferences, reconfiguration of interior layouts, and energy efficiency measures. The design intention for replacement windows is to match the existing historic profiles to remain compatible, The loss of original fabric is limited and does not affect principal features or compound to create a substantial visual impact. The proposed project complies with Rehabilitation Standard 5. 6 Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, hysical, or pictorial evidence. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project does not involve the repair or replacement of deteriorated historic features. The drawings note that, should any deteriorated portions of the historic roof structure be uncovered during construction, necessary repair or replacement would be completed in-kind to match existing materials and details. Roof cladding will similarly be replaced in-kind with composition shingles matching the existing. The proposed project complies with Standard 6, as the alterations to historic fabric are not tied to documented deterioration, and the project goals clearly state that any deterioration discovered during construction will be repaired rather than replaced, or replaced in-kind only if deterioration is severe. This is consistent with the guidance of Standard 6. 7 Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to ☐ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☒ N/A Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 91 Item No. 4. Page 7 of 9 #STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. Explanation: The project does not include any physical or chemical treatments to clean or remove historic materials or finishes. Rehabilitation Standard 7 would not apply. 8 Archeological resources will be rotected and preserved in place. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: Limited excavation will be required for the construction of the JADU and terrace footings, but do not appear likely to disturb any ground that was not previously disturbed during original construction. In the case of discovery of archaeological materials, provided that standard discovery procedures for the City of Palo Alto are followed, the proposed project will adhere to Rehabilitation Standard 8. 9 New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: While much of this new work is confined to secondary elevations and the rear yard (thereby preserving the visual primacy of the east façade, the majority of character- defining features, and the principal historic massing), the demolition of the original family room volume results in a direct loss of historic materials and the construction of an expanded replacement volume alters the historic footprint. This work does not meet the guidance of Standard 9 that new additions avoid the destruction of historic fabric. In addition, the conversion of a historic window opening to a French door with sidelites on the primary (east) façade represents an irreversible alteration of original exterior fabric. While the JADU addition remains visually subordinate, the terrace and stair additions are contemporary and reversible. However, as viewed from the public right-of-way, these alterations are largely not visible and therefore respect the overall historic character, features, and scale and proportion of the historic Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 92 Item No. 4. Page 8 of 9 #STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS residence (discussed in Standards 2 and 5). Thus, while the Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 93 Item No. 4. Page 8 of 9 #STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION ANALYSIS removal of historic materials for a new addition is inconsistent with Standard 9, the proposed project is mostly consistent with Standard 9. 10 New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the uture, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. ☒ CONSISTENT ☐ NOT CONSISTENT ☐ N/A Explanation: The proposed project’s new construction, including the JADU, roof terrace expansion, pergola, and rear terrace, remains visually and structurally distinct from the primary historic volume, allowing future removal without impairing the building’s essential form. However, the proposed project also includes alterations to the footprint of the original one-story rear volume near the north corner, where the historic family room volume will be demolished and the new volume expanded westward. This expansion is paired with widening the footprint of the nonoriginal north addition, bringing both wall planes into alignment to accommodate the construction of the attached JADU. While the new JADU itself is a distinct addition, the expansion of the original family room volume is not readily reversible, nor are the alterations of the west dormers, including the relocation of one dormer. Despite the fact that several of these changes at the rear are not reversible, the essential three-story form, most of the primary façade features, and overall architectural character of the residence remain intact. While most of the other proposed additions are reversible, the expansion of the original rear volume’s footprint introduces a permanent change. Thus, the proposed project partially complies with Rehabilitation Standard 10. As the above analysis demonstrates, the project as currently designed complies with the guidance of the SOI Standards for Rehabilitation. The proposed project would not conflict with the ten Standards for Rehabilitation. As such, the proposed project would be consistent with the Standards and the historic building at 855 Hamilton Avenue would not be negatively Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 94 Item No. 4. Page 9 of 9 impacted by the proposed project and would continue to express its historic significance and integrity. Therefore, 855 Hamilton Avenue would remain eligible for listing as a Category 2 building on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory. 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 The Palo Alto Municipal Code requires notice of this public hearing be published in a local paper at least ten days in advance of the public hearing. Notice of a public hearing for this project was published in the Daily Post on May 27, 2025, which is 10 days in advance of the meeting. Public Comments As of the writing of this report, no project-related, public comments were received. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The subject project has been assessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City. Specifically, the project is categorically exempt from the provision of CEQA in accordance with the Class 1 (Existing Facilities) exemption (CEQA Guidelines Section 15301) because the scope of work is limited to minor exterior alterations of an existing building. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Location Map Attachment B: SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Attachment C: Project Plans AUTHOR/TITLE: Steven Switzer, Historic Preservation Planner (650) 329-2321 Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov Item 4 Item 4 Staff Report Packet Pg. 95 0 24 30 200.0' 75.0' 200.0' 75.0' 51.0' 100.0' 60.0' 70.0' 9.0' 30.0' 150.0' 55.0' 150.0' 60.0' 150.0' 60.0' 200.0' 55.0' 200.0' 55.0' 150.0' 50.0' 150.0' 50.0' 75.0' 65.0' 225.0' 62.5' 62.5' 50.0 ' 50.0' 115.0' 56.3' 115.0' 56.2' 200.0' 50.0' 200.0' 62.5' 50.0' 85.0' 112.5' 35.0' 42.5' 48.7' 7.5' 56.3' 7.5'5.7' 42.5' 125.7' 100.0' 112.5' 100.0' 112.5' 107.5' 43.0' 7.5'13.3' 100.0' 56.3' 120.0' 50.0' 120.0' 50.0' 120.0' 50.0' 120.0' 50.0' 80.0' 100.0' 80.0' 100.0' 149.0' 30.0' 9.0' 70.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 75.0' 150.0' 150.0' 112.5' 200.0' 200.0' 200.0' 100.0' 200.0' 100.0' 200.0' 200.0' 200.0' 120.0' 200.0' 120.0' 200.0' 150.0'200.0' 150.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 100.0' 130.0' 32.0' 70.0' 93.0' 200.0' 125.0' 90.0' 107.0' 70.0' 32.0' 20.0' 75.0' 110.0' 75.0' 110.0' 75.0' 100.0' 79.5' 120.5' 120.5' 120.5' 25.0' 861 836-846 824-834 812-822 848-858 623 605 820 827 821 825 529 811 525 775A 775 833 831 860 850 852 840 830 870 909 925 855 865 860 526 880 619A 775B UNI V E R S I T Y A V E N U E TREET SENEC A S T R EET HAM ILTONAVENU E 200.0' 120.0' 2000' 120.0' 855 This map is a product of the City of Palo Alto GIS This document is a graphic representation only of best available sources. Legend Project Site 0' 87' Attachment A Location Map 855 Hamilton Avenue CITYOF PALOALTO I NCO R P O R A TE D CALI FORNIA P a l o A l t o T h e C i t y o f APRI L 1 6 189 4 The City of Palo Alto assumes no responsibility for any errors ©1989 to 2016 City of Palo Alto sswitze, 2026-06-03 18:12:59 (\\cc-maps\Encompass\Admin\Personal\Planning.mdb) Item 4 Attachment A - Location Map Packet Pg. 96 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 We i in historic and contemporary environments to cultivate thriving, sustainable, and resilient communities. MEMORANDUM DATE November 25, 2025 PROJECT NUMBER 25008.02 TO Steven Switzer, Senior Historic Planner PROJECT 855 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto OF Planning and Development Services Department, City of Palo Alto FROM Maggie Nicholson, Cultural Resources Planner, Page & Turnbull CC Barrett Reiter, Project Manager, Page & Turnbull VIA Email REGARDING Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation Compliance Analysis Memorandum – 855 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto This Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation Compliance Analysis memorandum was requested by the City of Palo Alto for a proposed project located at 855 Hamilton Avenue (APN 003- 03-033) in Palo Alto’s Crescent Park neighborhood. The subject property is a three-story, single- family residence located on an approximately half-acre parcel (F ). Designed by architect Charles K. Sumner in the Period Revival style and built in 1915 by Collman & Duncan, the residence is an imposing example of the style and retains a high level of integrity. The owner of the property is proposing a project that would involve exterior alterations to the building, including the removal of a nonoriginal one-story north (rear) addition and a rear brick terrace with a firebox and grill at the north corner of the building and construction of a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) and an expanded rear terrace and pergola. While 855 Hamilton Avenue has been found eligible for listing at the local, state, and national levels, the property is currently not listed in any inventory. The purpose of this memorandum is to review the proposed exterior alterations to the historic building for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, specifically the Standards for Rehabilitation, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This is in anticipation of the current property owners having the building listed to the Palo Alto Historic Inventory in the near future. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 97 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 2 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 1. Aerial view of the subject property, outlined in red. Source: Google Earth, 2025. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Methodology Page & Turnbull staff conducted a site visit on November 13, 2025. The purpose of the site visit was to document existing conditions and to develop a list of character-defining features of the property toguide the analysis of the proposed project’s compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Page & Turnbull reviewed previous documentation, including DPR forms and the materials prepared for the 2023 Palo Alto Historic Resources Reconnaissance Survey, and the proposed drawings for 855 Hamilton Avenue, titled “855 Hamilton Ave,” prepared by Geddes Ulinskas Architects (dated October15, 2025). Existing Historic Status The following section examines the national, state, and local historic statusescurrently assigned to theresidentialbuilding at 855 Hamilton Avenue. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 98 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 3 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 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. The subject property is not listed in the National Register individually or as a contributor to a registered historic district. 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 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. The subject property is not listed in the California Register individually or as a contributor to a registered historic district. 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).1 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. The subject property is not listed in the BERD database for Santa Clara County. The most recent update to the BERD database was in September 2022. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 99 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 4 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 PALO ALTO HISTORIC INVENTORY The City of Palo Alto’s Historic Inventory, completed in 1979, lists noteworthy examples of the work of important individual designers and architectural eras and traditions as well as structures whose background is associated with important events in the history of the city, state, or nation. The survey that produced the inventory encompassed approximately 500 properties and was largely limited to areas in and near the historic core of Palo Alto. The inventory is organized under the following four Categories: C : 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. These buildings have had either no exterior modifications or such minor ones that the overall appearance of the building is in its original character. Ca t egory 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. Ca t egory 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 facades resurfaced in asbestos or stucco. The subject property is not listed in the Palo Alto Historic Inventory. DAMES & MOORE SURVEY UPDATE, 1999-2001 Between 1997 and 2000, the historic preservation firm Dames & Moore conducted a comprehensive update to Palo Alto’s 1979 Historic Inventory, focusing on identifying additional properties eligible for listing in the National Register. The effort began with a reconnaissance survey of approximately 6,600 properties built before 1947, resulting in two Study Priority lists: roughly 600 properties were classified as Study Priority 1 (potentially eligible under Criterion C for architecture), and about 2,700 as Study Priority 2 (not individually eligible under Criterion C but retaining high integrity). All Priority 1 and 2 properties were subsequently studied at the intensive level, with historical research conducted on owners, builders, architects, and broader context topics such as property types and architectural trends. In 1999, Dames & Moore issued an interim report identifying 291 properties as potentially eligible for both the National and California Registers, and 1,789 as potentially eligible for Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 100 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 5 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 the California Register only. However, because the study prioritized National Register eligibility, preliminary California Register findings were not finalized. The subject property was identified as individually eligible for listing in the National Register under Criteria A (Events) and C (Architecture) through this survey effort as well as a contributor to the eligible Hamilton-University Avenues Historic District.1 This finding lists 855 Hamilton Avenue’s period of significance as 1915 to 1931, corresponding with its year of construction through the end of the original owner’s ownership. RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY, 2023 In March 2022, the City Council directed staff to work with the Historic Resources Board (HRB) to reassess 154 properties previously identified as National Register–eligible in the 1997–2001 Palo Alto Historical Survey Update (by Dames & Moore) but not listed in the local Palo Alto Historic Inventory. To update their eligibility status and add qualifying properties to the local inventory, the City partnered with Page & Turnbull, with support from M-Group, to conduct the 2023 Reconnaissance Survey, which also re-evaluated 13 additional properties previously found eligible for the California Register through independent Historic Resource Evaluation reports. In total, 167 properties were reviewed to determine their current historic significance and appropriate listing status.2 The subject property was reviewed and was recommended for listing in the local Palo Alto Historic Inventory as a “Category 2” building under Criteria 2 (The structure or site is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of life important to the city, state or nation) and 5 (The architect or building was important).3 The period of significance was identified as 1915, the year of the building’s construction. Building Description The single-family residence at 855 Hamilton Avenue is three stories tall with a hipped roof clad in composition shingles (F ). The roof features symmetrical shed-roof dormers on its east and west (rear) slopes as well as a prominent front-facing gabled bay on the primary (east) façade (). The residence has two-story-tall side wings with flat roofs on its north and south 1 Dames & Moore, “Final Survey Report: Palo Alto Historical Survey Update, August 1997-August 2000,” February 2001, 3-6 and 4-17. 2 City of Palo Alto, “Historic Surveys: Palo Alto Historic Resources Surveys,” accessed online, https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Historic-Preservation/Historic- Surveys#:~:text=In%20March%202022%2C%20City%20Council%20directed%20staff%20to%20collaborate%20with%20the%20 Historic%20Resources%20Board%20(HRB)%20to%20review%20154%20properties. 3 Page & Turnbull, “2023 Palo Alto Reconnaissance Survey Summary Recommendations: 855 Hamilton Avenue,” Draft, provided to the City of Palo Alto Planning Department. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 101 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 6 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 elevations. An imposing example of a Period Revival-style residence, it is clad in painted stucco with a brick water tableand features a prominent yet simple cornice at the second floor as well as at the first floor of the side wings. Therecessed front entryat the center of the east façade consistsof a wood paneled door with paneled divided-lite sidelites atop a brick stoopand is framed bya nonoriginal wood arbor(F e ).Typical windows are wood-frame divided-lite casements and casementpairsas well as tripartite configurations of either fixed picture or casement pairs flanked by single casements(e ).Several one-story additions have been constructed at the north elevation and the north end of the west elevation. Other nonoriginal site features include a detached garage/pool house, rectangular pool with surrounding brick pool deck, various brick and gravel terraces and paths, and a tennis court enclosed with chain-link fencing (e ). Figure 2. South end of primary (east)facade, looking northwest. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 102 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 7 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 3. North end of primary (east) facade, looking west. Figure 4. Primary entrance at center of east facade, looking west. Figure 5. Tripartite window at first floor of south wing's east facade, looking west. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 103 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 8 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 6. Site plan with the subject property’s boundaries outlined in red. Nonoriginal additions of the residence shaded red. Source: Google Earth, 2025. Edited by Page & Turnbull. CONSTRUCTION HISTORY The following table provides a timeline of construction activity at 855 Hamilton Avenue, based on building permit applications on file with the City of Palo Alto’s Building Inspection Division. Cancelled and expired permits are not included. While the original building permit was not uncovered during research, newspaper articlesfrom early 1916 confirm the completion of 855 Hamilton in late 1915-early 1916along with theneighboring residence at 865 Hamilton Avenue.4 The homes were constructed for members of the Ray family, 4 Palo Alto Times “The Ray Residences,” March 25, 1916. T Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 104 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 9 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 with 855 for Mrs. Caroline E. Ray and 865 for her son Robert C. Ray (F ).5 The article goes on to describe the residences as follows: The two houses are almost identical, having one garage to accommodate three machines. There are two stories and a finished attic. On the first floor there is a library, reception hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, glass enclosed veranda and sun porch, pastry pantry and butlers’ pantry. The woodwork and walls are the finished work of expert interior decorators. The woodwork, except in the library on the first floor, is finished in an especially treated white enamel, there being five coats applied. The walls are canvassed over the cement and the tintings are perfect. On the second floor, there are four chambers, three bathrooms, one with shower, a dressing room, sewing room, and two sleeping porches. The attic has three servants’ bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large playroom finished entirely in cedar with large linen drawers and deep cupboards. The windows in the sleeping chambers are fitted with the Heuser patent windows, Stewart disappearing screens and two sets of shades. There is throughout both lighting and heating electric wiring, vacuum connections in each room with the machine in the cellar, complete telephone system, emergency burglar alarm and lighting system and two Reid water heaters, and hot air heating systems. The baths are finished in white tile with tubs built in and pedestal basins. The cost of the two buildings was about $30,000.6 5 Palo Alto Times, “New Residences Added Attraction,” April 25, 1916. 6 Palo Alto Times, “The Ray Residences,” March 25, 1916. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 105 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 10 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 7. Sanborn map with the subject property outlined in red, 1924. Source: San Francisco Public Library, FIMo. Edited by Page & Turnbull. TABLE 1. PERMIT HISTORY FOR 855 HAMILTON AVENUE. D e P t A .O r r k 02/02/1924 N/A 7 Caroline Ray None listed.Construction of a tool house. 03/25/1970 A-29014 Wiliam Lake B&B Termite Control Tear out and replace front entry. 12/10/1970 A-29568 William Lake B&B Termite Control Repair residence. 03/17/1971 A-29729 William Lake B&B Termite Control Repair residenceat right wing. 04/02/1971 A-29818 William Lake B&B Termite Control Repair residenceat front elevation. 11/27/1973 6610 Gwendolyn Black Divesco Roofing Reroof. 10/18/1974 A-3378 C. Blaine Morley East Area Termite General repairs as per termite report. 7 Dames & Moore, “DPR 523B: 855 Hamilton Avenue,” February 23, 2000. 865 Hamilton Avenue Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 106 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 11 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 D P A O 1989 89-3080 None listed. Richard Elmore, Inc. Demolish existing garage at rear (northwest) corner, build new garage to southwest of main residence, additions to first floor of main residence at north corner. 01/09/1990 9041 Amy and David Nelson None listed. Add new garage. 02/14/1990 None listed. Amy and David Nelson None listed. Seven-foot tennis court fence to be placed at rear of property. 09/27/1990 902567 Amy and David Nelson None listed. Add deck and arbor. 07/1997 97-1674 Hoag Schwanke (Architect) Interior alterations. 08/06/2003 031908 Hoag Old Town Roofing Reroof with composition shingles. 03/01/2005 05473 Jay and Mikey Hoag Marrone & Marrone One-story, 592 sq.ft. addition; demo kitchen, family, laundry, powder room, designed by Aino Viera da Rosa (Architect). 8/27/2009 09-1811 Adam Weiss & Lydia Callaghan Mediterraneo Design Center (contractors) Replacement of existing trellis with new trellis at front entrance & patch stucco, designed by Chris Kumerer (Architect). 06/01/2010 10-1298 Adam and Lydia Mediterraneo Design Pool demolition and construction of new pool. 07/23/2010 10-1769 Adam Weiss and Lydia Callaghan Mediterraneo Design Construction of a new garage with exercise room and (2) fixture bath.8 Pool under separate permit. 09/07/2010 10-2286 Adam Weiss and Lydia Callaghan Mediterraneo Design Demolish garage ~600 sq.ft. 8 Plans on file at the Palo Alto Development Center indicate this is the extant detached garage/pool house. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 107 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 12 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 D P A O 09/21/2010 10-2448 Adam Weiss and Lydia Callaghan Chris Kummerer (Architect) New swimming pool and spa, in- ground gunite with related equipment.9 No date 10-28 Adam Weiss and Lydia Callaghan Suzeman & Cole Design Association (Architect) Construct cement driveway, vehicle gate, and paver pathways.10 CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES For a property to be eligible for national or state historic designation, the essential physical features (or character-defining features) that enable the property to convey its historic identity and reason for significance must be evident. These distinctive character-defining features are the physical traits that commonly recur in property types and/or architectural styles, or that convey an association with significant persons or patterns of events. Characteristics can be expressed in terms such as form, proportion, structure, plan, style, materials, and spatial relationships. To be eligible, a property must clearly contain enough of those characteristics, and these features must also retain a sufficient degree of integrity. The character-defining features of 855 Hamilton Avenue include, but are not limited to: x Three-story height with strong vertical massing, characteristic of early twentieth-century grand residences. x L-shaped footprint. x Asymmetrical yet balanced façade composition. x Hipped main roof with symmetrical shed-roof dormers on east and west slopes. x Stucco-clad brick chimney integrated into the roofline. x Prominent front-facing three-story gabled bay on the primary (east) façade. x Two-story side wings with flat roofs extending from north and south elevations. x One-story rear wing at north corner. x Painted stucco cladding with brick water table circling the base of the residence. x Minimal stucco ornamentation on exterior cladding, restricted to recessed panels below windows. x Simple but substantial cornice detailing at floor transitions. 9 Plans on file at the Palo Alto Development Center indicate this is the extant pool. 10 Plans on file at the Palo Alto Development Center indicate this is the current driveway, vehicle gate, and path configuration. Path consists of rectilinear concrete paver pathways leading from the driveway to the residence and patio by steps up to pool. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 108 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 13 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 x Wood-frame divided-lite casement windows, including individual casements, paired casements, and tripartite groupings with fixed or operable central sashes. o Window openings are generally rectangular with select openings featuring arched headers, specifically feature windows (Palladian windows) and those at gable peaks. o Some tripartite feature windows have carved spindle-like details at their mullions. x Recessed front entry on the east elevation with: o Wood paneled entry door (possibly replaced but maintaining historic appearance). o Divided-lite sidelites with paneled bases. o Brick stoop. x Angled bay window on the first floor of the east façade. x Large parcel within the Crescent Park neighborhood consistent with original estate-style siting. x Relationship to 865 Hamilton Avenue, which was built by the same architect for members of the same family. Noncontributing Features Features that are not original to the property, do not date to the period of significance (1915), and therefore are not character-defining features, include, but are not limited to: x One-story addition on the north elevation at the north corner (to the west of the two-story northern side wing. x One-story addition on the south elevation of the one-story rear volume (family room). x Front entry arbor on residence’s east façade. x Detached one-story garage/pool house. x Swimming pool and brick paver pool deck. x Elevated brick terrace at north corner of the building with stucco knee walls and built-in firebox and grill. x Tennis court with perimeter chain-link fencing. x Gravel patios and pathways, Proposed Project Description The proposed description is based on the scope of work described and illustrated in the drawings for the subject property, titled “855 Hamilton Ave,” prepared by Geddes Ulinskas Architects (dated October 15, 2025). The proposed project includes the following exterior alterations and improvements within the rear yard landscape: Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 109 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 14 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 x Removal of a skylight and reconfiguration of north windows in the nonoriginal one-story north addition. x Demolition of chimney at west elevation near north corner and infilled with roofing. x Replacement skylight in the nonoriginal one-story “Mud Room” addition (F ). x Historic dormer at the center of the west slope to be removed and relocated to screen the new elevator enclosure, with the intention to maintain the historic roofline’s continuity. x West dormers to be altered, including elevated their roofs to accommodate new taller windows. x Skylight installed on west slope between dormers and roof ridge. x Demolition of a nonoriginal hardscape at the north corner of the residence, including an elevated brick terrace with built-in firebox and grill, and adjacent brick and gravel patios and pathways (). x Demolition of the west elevation of the butler’s pantry (nonoriginal volume) and the west and south elevations of the family room (original volume) on the first floor (F ). x Construction of a one-story Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) at the north corner of the building, consisting of an entry hall, kitchenette, bedroom, and bathroom. This JADU will attach at the expanded footprint at the north corner of the first floor (). o New JADU entry door and landing with steps to be located on the north elevation along with a new outdoor kitchen for the JADU. x Expansion of the existing roof terrace at the second floor of the north corner (over the historic family room volume) over the new JADU, shifting its configuration from a rectangle to an L-shape. x Construction of a new rear terrace to the west and south of the new JADU, including exterior stairs connected the expanded roof terrace at the north corner to the ground plane ( ). x Reconfiguration of second-floor window openings at south end of the main block’s west elevation. x Reconfiguration of second-floor openings at west elevation to accommodate access to expanded roof terrace. x Removal of original casement window pair at third floor under gabled wall dormer on west elevation. Wall opening to be infilled. x Construction of an L-shaped pergola along the west elevation of the residence and the north elevation of the detached garage, requiring the relocation of the outdoor air conditioning unit and its enclosure fencing (). x In-kind replacement of casement window pair in the peak of front-facing gabled bay on east façade. x Alteration of an original tripartite window with divided-lite transom at the north end of the east façade to a door (). Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 110 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 15 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 o New door to be an outswing French door with sidelites. Door and window details to match existing. x Replacement of originaleast windows at the first floor of the northern two-story side wing. x Construction of anew front terrace with a water feature offthe northeast corner of the residence. x Roof cladding replaced with in-kindcomposition shingles with roof repair occurring as needed. As the detached garage/pool house is not original, the proposed alterations to this building will not be discussed. The same applies to the proposed project’ssite work,includingplantingand tree modifications and hardscape improvements. Figure 8. North end of west elevation with the nonoriginal “Mud Room” additionshaded red, looking southeast. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 111 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 16 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 9. Nonoriginal north additionand brick terrace with stucco kneewall, firebox, and grill shaded red, looking southeast. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 112 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 17 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 10. Existing site plan with the original family room volume outlined in red and the nonoriginal butler’s pantry volume outlined in blue. Arrow indicates chimney planned for demolition. Source: Geddes Ulinskas Architects, “855 Hamilton Ave,” A010. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 11. Proposed site plan with new JADU volume, inclusive of the partially demolished family room and butlers’ pantry volumes, with roof terrace outlined in yellow. Altered west dormers and new skylights outlined in green. Source: Geddes Ulinskas Architects, “855 Hamilton Ave,” A011. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 113 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 18 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 12. Existing north elevation with the original family room volume outlined in red and the nonoriginal butler’s pantry volume outlined in blue. Arrow indicates original chimney planned for demolition. Altered window openings outlined in green. Source: Geddes Ulinskas Architects, “855 Hamilton Ave,” AD-204. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Figure 13. Proposed north elevation with the new JADU volume and expanded roof terrace outlined in yellow. Altered window openings outlined in green. Source: Geddes Ulinskas Architects, “855 Hamilton Ave,” A204. Edited by Page & Turnbull. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 114 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 19 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 14.Nonoriginal gravel patio with brick terrace (background left), detached garage(background center), and pool (background right), looking south. Figure 15. Backyard, looking east from the nonoriginal brick pool deck to the residence (background right). Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 115 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 20 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Figure 16. Proposed primary facade with the window-to-door conversion outlined in red. Source: Geddes Ulinskas Architects, “855 Hamilton Ave,” A201. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation Compliance Under Palo Alto’s historic preservation ordinance, planning staff may review and approve minor exterior alterations pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Historic Resources Board. Minor exterior alterations are “those alterations which the director of planning and community environment or his/her designee determines will not adversely affect the exterior architectural characteristics nor the historical or aesthetic value of the historic structure, its site or surroundings.”11 Projects that are not considered minor exterior alterations are subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Historic Resources Board review.12 The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (the Standards) provide guidance for reviewing proposed work on historic properties and are a useful analytic tool for understanding and describing the potential impacts of substantial changes to historic resources.13 Non-conformance with the Standards does not determine whether a project will cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historic resource. Rather, projects that comply with the 11 Section 16.49.050(C), Palo Alto Municipal Code, Chapter 16.49 Historic Preservation. 12 City of Palo Alto, “Historic Resource Project Review FAQ,” https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/64188. 13 Anne E. Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Technical Preservation Services, 2017). Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 116 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 21 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 Standards benefit from a regulatory presumption that they will have a less-than-significant adverse impact on a historic resource and are categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA. For the purposes of review under CEQA, projects that do not fully comply with the Standards may or may not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of an historic resource. However, compliance with the Standards is required for issuance of a Historic Alteration Permit at the local level. The Secretary of the Interior offers four sets of standards to guide the treatment of historic properties: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction. Typically, one set of Standards is chosen for a project based on the project scope. For the purposes of the proposed project at 855 Hamilton Avenue, the Standards for Rehabilitation, which “acknowledge the need to alter or add to a historic building to meet continuing or new uses while retaining the building’s historic character,” are the appropriate Standards for the proposed scope.14 The following discussion considers the proposed project’s potential effects on the historic status of, and compatibility with, the residence at 855 Hamilton Avenue, and provides comments on whether the project appears to adhere to the ten Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. 1 A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment. The proposed project will continue the residential use of 855 Hamilton Avenue. The addition of a JADU also constitutes a compatible residential use. Thus, the project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 1. The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. Character-defining features, including the building’s three-story massing, Period Revival detailing, stucco cladding, brick water table, dormers and gabled bay at the east façade, and major window compositions, are retained. Most alterations occur on secondary or rear elevations or to nonoriginal volumes of the residence, which does not affect historic character. Sensitive interventions include: x Converting an original tripartite window at the north end of the east façade to a door. x Replacement of original windows at the east elevation of the north wing. 14 Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 117 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 22 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 x Removal and infill of an original third-floor casement pair on the west elevation. x Relocation of a historic dormer on the west slope. x Extending the height of the two west dormers and replacing their original windows with taller ones. Although these affect original fabric, they occur mostly on secondary façades that aren’t visible from the public right-of-way and do not substantially diminish the building’s ability to convey its historic form or architectural character. Therefore, the proposed project generally complies with Rehabilitation Standard 2, and the overall character of the building is retained. 3 Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken. No conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings will be added to the building. The prosed additions, such as the JADU, expanded terraces, pergola, new skylight, and elevated dormer forms, are clearly contemporary in placement and use. Materials and detailing are compatible but not falsely historical. Thus, the proposed project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 3. Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved. The period of significance for 855 Hamilton Avenue is 1915. No changes or additions that have occurred since this time, such as the elevated brick terrace or “Mud Room” addition, have acquired historic significance in their own right. Thus, the proposed project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 4. Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. The proposed project preserves major character-defining features, including stucco cladding, wood divided-lite window types (where retained or replaced in-kind), massing, cornice lines, primary entry, and roof form. Sensitive changes include: x New west and south walls at the original family room volume near the north corner (partial demolition to expand the footprint). x The north-end east façade tripartite window converted to a door. x Replacement of some original windows on the east elevation of the north wing. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 118 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 23 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 x Infill or reconfiguration of several original windows on the west elevation. These actions remove original material but are restricted to localized areas and secondary façades, driven by design preferences, reconfiguration of interior layouts, and energy efficiency measures. The design intention for replacement windows is to match the existing historic profiles to remain compatible, The loss of original fabric is limited and does not affect principal features or compound to create a substantial visual impact. 6 Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence. The proposed project does not involve the repair or replacement of deteriorated historic features. The drawings note that, should any deteriorated portions of the historic roof structure be uncovered during construction, necessary repair or replacement would be completed in-kind to match existing materials and details. Roof cladding will similarly be replaced in-kind with composition shingles matching the existing. The proposed project complies with Standard 6, as the alterations to historic fabric are not tied to documented deterioration, and the project goals clearly state that any deterioration discovered during construction will be repaired rather than replaced, or replaced in-kind only if deterioration is severe. This is consistent with the guidance of Standard 6. Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. The project does not include any physical or chemical treatments to clean or remove historic materials or finishes. Thus, the proposed project is in compliance with Rehabilitation Standard 7. Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken. Limited excavation will be required for the construction of the JADU and terrace footings, but do not appear likely to disturb any ground that was not previously disturbed during original construction. In Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 119 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 24 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 the case of discovery of archaeological materials, provided that standard discovery procedures for the City of Palo Alto are followed, the proposed project will adhere to Rehabilitation Standard 8. 9 New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property. The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the property and its environment. The proposed project introduces several areas of new construction and exterior alteration. The most significant new work includes: x One-story JADU at the north rear corner, clad in painted stucco for compatibility with the residence. x Demolition of the original one-story family room volume at the first floor near the north rear corner and construction of a new one-story volume with an expanded footprint that replaces this historic massing. x Expansion of the nonoriginal butler’s pantry volume and alignment of its west elevation with the new family room volume to create a unified planar elevation that will serve as the attachment point for the JADU.Expansion of the second-floor roof terrace into an L-shaped configuration above the new first-floor footprint at the north rear corner, enclosed by a tall privacy screen. Exterior stairs from the new roof terrace to grade. x New pergola along the west elevation and detached garage. x New skylight on the west roof slope. x Elevated west dormers with new windows with the center dormer also being relocated to accommodate a new interior elevator. x Addition of a front terrace with a water feature off the northeast corner of the residence. x Conversion of a historic window opening to a French door with sidelites at the north end of the east façade to provide new access to the front terrace. While much of this new work is confined to secondary elevations and the rear yard (thereby preserving the visual primacy of the east façade, the majority of character-defining features, and the principal historic massing), the demolition of the original family room volume results in a direct loss of historic materials and the construction of an expanded replacement volume alters the historic footprint. This work does not meet the guidance of Standard 9 that new additions avoid the destruction of historic fabric. In addition, the conversion of a historic window opening to a French door with sidelites on the primary (east) façade represents an irreversible alteration of original exterior fabric. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 120 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 25 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 While the JADU addition remains visually subordinate, the terrace and stair additions are contemporary and reversible, and the dormer modifications preserve roofline continuity through compatible detailing, these measures do not offset the permanent loss of the historic one-story rear volume or the alteration of a historic opening on the primary façade. However, as viewed from the public right-of-way, these alterations are largely not visible and therefore respect the overall historic character, features, and scale and proportion of the historic residence (discussed in Standards 2 and 5). Thus, while the removal of historic materials for a new addition is inconsistent with Standard 9, the proposed project is mostly consistent with Standard 9. 1 New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired. The proposed project’s new construction, including the JADU, roof terrace expansion, pergola, and rear terrace, remains visually and structurally distinct from the primary historic volume, allowing future removal without impairing the building’s essential form. However, the proposed project also includes alterations to the footprint of the original one-story rear volume near the north corner, where the historic family room volume will be demolished and the new volume expanded westward. This expansion is paired with widening the footprint of the nonoriginal north addition, bringing both wall planes into alignment to accommodate the construction of the attached JADU. While the new JADU itself is a distinct addition, the expansion of the original family room volume is not readily reversible, nor are the alterations of the west dormers, including the relocation of one dormer. Despite the fact that several of these changes at the rear are not reversible, the essential three-story form, most of the primary façade features, and overall architectural character of the residence remain intact. While most of the other proposed additions are reversible, the expansion of the original rear volume’s footprint introduces a permanent change. Thus, the proposed project partially complies with Rehabilitation Standard 10. Conclusion As the above analysis demonstrates, the proposed project, as currently designed, is in partial compliance with two of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation (Standards 9 and 10) and in full compliance with the remaining eight Standards. Although the proposed project results in the loss of some original material (most notably the replacement of certain original windows and the expansion of the footprint of the original one-story rear volume), all character-defining features of the primary historic massing and façades will be preserved, and the overall character and integrity of 855 Hamilton Avenue will be retained. The building would continue to be able to express its Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 121 SOI Standards Memorandum [25008.02] Page 26 of 26 PAGE & TURNBULL 170 MAIDEN LANE, 5TH FLOOR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 TEL 415-362-5154 significance as a large twentieth century residence designed by the prominent architect Charles Kaiser Sumner. Thus, the proposed project is in overall compliance with the Standards and will not affect the ability of 855 Hamilton Avenue to be listed in the California Register of Historical Resources. According to CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.4(b)(1), if a project complies with the Standards for Rehabilitation, the project’s impact “will generally be considered mitigated below a level of significance and thus is not significant.” As the proposed project is in overall compliance with the Standards for Rehabilitation, the project will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of the resource as defined by CEQA. Qualifications Page & Turnbull was established in 1973 as Charles Hall Page & Associates to provide architectural and conservation services for historic buildings, resources, and civic areas. The company was one of the first architecture firms in California to dedicate its practice to historic preservation and is among the longest practicing such firms in the country. Offices are located in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco, and staff includes licensed architects, designers, architectural historians, conservators, and planners. All of Page & Turnbull’s professional staff members meet or exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Professional Qualification Standards. As an architectural historian and cultural resources planner within Page & Turnbull’s Cultural Resources Planning Studio, Maggie Nicholson meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Architectural History. She is experienced in surveying, researching, and evaluating historic properties, as well as analyzing proposed projects for potential impacts to historic resources. Item 4 Attachment B - SOI Standards for Rehabilitation Packet Pg. 122 ATTACHMENT C Project Plans In order to reduce paper consumption, a limited number of hard copy project plans are provided to Councilmembers for their review. The same plans are available to the public, at all hours of the day, via the following online resources. Directions to review Project plans online: 1. Go to: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development- Services/Development-Services/Palo-Alto-Permit-View 2. Scroll down to find “855 Hamilton Avenue” and click the address link. 3. On this project specific webpage, you will find a link to the project plans and other important information. Project Webpage: https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/Planning-Development-Services/Current- Planning/Projects/855-Hamilton-Ave Item 4 Attachment C - Project Plans Packet Pg. 123 Item No. 5. Page 1 of 1 Historic Resources Board Staff Report From: Planning and Development Services Director Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Meeting Date: June 11, 2026 Report #: 2606-6442 TITLE Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of April 9, 2026 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Historic Resources Board (HRB) review and approve the attached meeting minutes. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: April 9, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes AUTHOR/TITLE: HRB Liaison1 & Contact Information Steven Switzer, Historic Preservation Planner (650) 329-2321 Steven.Switzer@PaloAlto.gov Item 5 Item 5 Staff Report Packet Pg. 124 City of Palo Alto Page 1 HISTORIC RESOURCESBOARD MEETING DRAFT MINUTES: APRIL 9, 2026 Council Chambersand Hybrid 8:30a.m. Call to Order / Roll Call The Historic Resources Board (HRB) of the City of Palo Alto met on April 9, 2026, in Council Chambers and virtual teleconferenceat 8:34 a.m. Present: Chair Rohman, Vice Chair Willis, Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, Board Member Ulinskas, CouncilMember Keith Reckdahl (Zoom) Absent: None Agenda Changes, Additions and Deletions Historic Preservation Planner Steven Switzer stated there were no agenda changes planned. Public Comment Samir K. (Zoom) attempted to provide comment but the connection was lost shortly thereafter. City Official Reports 1. Historic Resources Board Schedule of Meetings and Assignments Historic Preservation Planner Steven Switzer reported on upcoming meetings and requested that Board Members note any planned absences for the record. Updates were provided on the April 8 extension of recruitment for remaining HRB seats, the HRB annual report to be submitted later in the month, the Historic Preservation Conference in Riverside in early May, and a tentative May 28 date for the Palo Alto Historic Awards in the City Hall Lobby, pending confirmation from property owners. Board Member Ulinskas inquired about the number of applications to fill HRB vacancies. Mr. Switzer stated that 2 applications were received and noted the original deadline was extended due to a lack of applications. Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz inquired whether the May 28 Palo Alto Historic Awards would be held in the evening. Mr. Switzer confirmed that the event is planned for the City Hall Lobby from approximately 5 to 7 p.m. Item 5 Attachment A - April 9, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes Packet Pg. 125 City of Palo Alto Page 2 Action Item 2. PUBLIC HEARING / QUASI-JUDICIAL. 405 Kipling Street [25PLN-00322] Request to Elevate The Existing Category 4 Historic Resource to a Category 2 Including a Floor Area Bonus Application to Grant 5,000 Square Feet of Bonus Floor Area for Historic and Seismic Rehabilitation. CEQA Status: Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Modifications to Existing Facilities). Zone District: CD-C(P) (Downtown Commercial with Pedestrian Shopping Combining District). Historic Preservation Planner Steven Switzer presented the request to reclassify the property at 405 Kipling Street from Category 4 to Category 2 and for a Floor Area Bonus application. The site at the corner of Kipling Street and Lytton Avenue in the Downtown North neighborhood was described and the structure, built in 1897 by H.L. Upham, was identified as an early example of a 2-story square box in Palo Alto. The building’s history was summarized, including original ownership by a miner from 1849, rental to Stanford students in 1901, use as a bookstore in 1955, operation as a book and record store from 1970 to 1999, and residential use since that time. The structure was noted to be minimally altered, with limited rear repairs, interior partitions, and window changes. Mr. Switzer reported that the property was added to the local register as a Category 4 resource in 1978 and described it as a representative local architectural example. A Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by Page & Turnbull, submitted June 10, 2025, found the property eligible for Category 2 under Criteria 2, 5, and 6. The structure was described as an early example of the 2-story square-box house type, with H.L. Upham identified as a builder of merit, and with retained architectural features including shiplap siding, a molded cornice, eave returns, and scale cladding. Mr. Switzer described the Floor Area Bonus request, noting that bonuses are available through the TDR program for Category 1 and 2 properties in the Commercial Downtown district. Eligibility is contingent on reclassification to Category 2 and includes historic and seismic rehabilitation. Seismic upgrades allow an additional 2,500 square feet of bonus floor area, for a total of 5,000 square feet, subject to approval of the reclassification and completion of the proposed work. The application was submitted December 2, 2025, with revised plans submitted February 13, 2026. The scope of work includes seismic upgrades with replacement of the unreinforced masonry foundation, window and roof replacements, new windows and wood siding of the rear addition, construction of a detached accessory building for long- term bike storage and trash enclosure, parking lot improvements with new paving, additional bike parking along Kipling Street, and new fencing. Proposed exterior changes by elevation include window and roof replacements and construction of a trash enclosure and accessory building at the rear; replacement of the front gable window, foundation repairs, and installation of bike racks along the front façade; new fencing, roof repairs, and foundation work along the west frontage; and additional foundation work, bike racks, and the accessory structure along the east property line. Removal or consolidation of visible electrical and mechanical elements is proposed to reduce visual clutter, particularly at the rear façade. Staff recommended that the HRB take 2 actions: (1) recommend to City Council reclassification of the property from a Category 4 to a Category 2 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory, and (2) recommend to the Director of Planning and Development Services that the project conforms with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Item 5 Attachment A - April 9, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes Packet Pg. 126 City of Palo Alto Page 3 Ken Hayes of Hayes Group Architects presented on behalf of the applicant, Thoits Bros., and introduced project team members, including representatives from Page & Turnbull and Van Dorn Abed Landscape Architects. The proposal includes reclassification of the property from Category 4 to Category 2 and a rehabilitation plan for recommendation to City Council. The property, constructed in 1897 by H.L. Upham as a residence for Norris Smith, was described as a 2-story square box with Queen Anne detailing, representative of early Palo Alto development. The surrounding neighborhood consists of early 20th-century residential structures listed as Category 2, 3, or 4 resources. Mr. Hayes described the building as largely intact, with a rear addition constructed prior to 1924 and preservation of key architectural features, including the front porch, Tuscan columns, carved corbels, fascia, cornice and returns, fish-scale shingles, shiplap siding, and multi-light windows. A Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by Page & Turnbull determined the property is eligible for Category 2 designation under Criteria 2, 5, and 6, and retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The applicant urged reclassification of the property to a Category 2 historic resource to align with other historic properties on Kipling Street. Mr. Hayes described the proposed rehabilitation plan, including replacement of the unreinforced masonry foundation, roof replacement, restoration of wood siding, and replacement of windows and doors with more appropriate materials. The scope additionally includes repair of existing wood trim, siding, and porch elements, installation of a new walkway with landscaping, construction of a covered enclosure for trash, recycling, and compost, and provision of long-term bike storage. Site improvements include reconfiguration of the parking area with 5 spaces, new paving, and installation of fencing to screen the electrical meter and cable infrastructure. New landscaping with shrubbery and flowering plants is proposed. The design includes fencing that would be consistent with other properties on the street. The applicant noted that the rehabilitation plan has been determined to comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and requested a recommendation to City Council. PUBLIC COMMENT: John Shenk, on behalf of Thoits Bros., expressed appreciation for the HRB’s time and efforts and shared support for preservation of the Palo Alto’s historic resources. Excitement was expressed for acquiring and rehabilitating the property, noting its significance as a residential use and its prominent location. Chair Rohman opened the item for Board questions and discussion. Board Member Ulinskas inquired whether the bonus floor area would be used on-site or transferred. Mr. Hayes stated that the bonus floor area would not be used on-site and would instead be transferred to another property for future use. It was observed that nearby residents, upon seeing project signage, expressed concern that the building would be demolished and redeveloped. Chair Rohman inquired about the property’s past and current use. Mr. Hayes and Mr. Switzer clarified that the building has transitioned from retail and office uses to residential use and currently contains 6 residential units. Board Member Ulinskas commented on the number of mailboxes visible at the property. Vice Chair Willis expressed appreciation for the project and noted the value of preserving a cohesive historic block on Kipling Street as an example of early Palo Alto development. Item 5 Attachment A - April 9, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes Packet Pg. 127 City of Palo Alto Page 4 MOTION: Chair Rohman moved, seconded by Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz, to recommend that City Council approve the reclassification from a Category 4 to a Category 2 for 405 Kipling Street and, with the recommendation, that the Board finds the retrofitting consistent with The Secretary of the Interior's Standards. VOTE: The motion passed 4-0. Approval of Minutes 3. Approval of Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of March 12, 2026 Administrative Associate Samuel Tavera advised that Chair Rohman was absent from the March 12 meeting and would need to abstain from voting on approval of the minutes. Historic Preservation Planner Steven Switzer noted that the March 12 minutes include a proposed revision from Vice Chair Willis on Packet Page 58 to correct the description of a licensed historian to reflect the professional qualifications outlined in the administrative code. MOTION: Vice Chair Willis moved, seconded by Board Member Ulinskas, to approve the Historic Resources Board Draft Minutes of March 12, 2026 as amended. VOTE: The motion passed 3-0-1, with Chair Rohman abstaining. Board Member Questions, Comments, Announcements or Future Meetings and Agendas Vice Chair Willis expressed concern regarding consistency in application of historic resource categories, referencing a recent Council action that downgraded a property and noting that Categories 3 and 4 may no longer align with Categories 1 and 2 in practice. The need for a comprehensive review of the historic inventory and ordinance was emphasized to ensure clarity, consistency, and defensibility of HRB recommendations. Support was expressed for developing a plan to reevaluate classifications and update the ordinance to better guide future decisions and align with Council expectations. Board Member Ulinskas commented on City Council’s reliance on consultant recommendations. Vice Chair Willis and Chair Rohman discussed the role of the historic consultant and the need for clarity and alignment in evaluation criteria, noting the importance of maintaining objectivity. Mr. Switzer referenced the prior Historic Resource Evaluation for the referenced building and noted that the discussion was moving beyond the current item. Vice Chair Willis reiterated the need for a Board-led approach to improve clarity and consistency in the historic resource categories and to advance related work through the Board’s workplan. Chair Rohman inquired about upcoming HRB agenda items. Mr. Switzer provided a brief preview of upcoming projects and clarified that ordinance updates would require Council direction, though Board Members may propose draft language for Council consideration. Chair Rohman noted that ordinance education is included in the workplan and would require subcommittee coordination and Council advocacy. Vice Chair Willis noted that May is Preservation Month and announced upcoming PAST Heritage events, including an awards presentation on May 3 and weekend tours throughout the month, encouraging Item 5 Attachment A - April 9, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes Packet Pg. 128 City of Palo Alto Page 5 attendance and highlighting expanded tour locations. Chair Rohman expressed appreciation to Vice Chair Willis for serving as liaison with PAST Heritage. Discussion occurred regarding updates to the Historic Resources Inventory and potential online presentation. Chair Rohman reported ongoing efforts to update the 2012 inventory, including adding information such as year built, builder, and architect, with assistance from Vice Chair Willis. Completion of an updated version for staff review and potential online posting is anticipated by fall. Board Member Eagleston-Cieslewicz inquired about public access and Chair Rohman confirmed that and added that a draft would be shared for feedback once further developed. Vice Chair Willis described efforts to expand the dataset beyond basic listings to include sortable categories, such as historic district, alternate names, and construction year, and requested Board input on useful categories. Mr. Switzer noted that an upcoming intern assignment will support preparation of the inventory for online publication and encouraged submission of completed materials. Vice Chair Willis indicated that monthly updates may be provided to staff as work progresses. Adjournment MOTION: Chair Rohman moved, seconded by Vice Chair Willis, to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m. Item 5 Attachment A - April 9, 2026 Draft HRB Minutes Packet Pg. 129