SHRC agenda July 25, 2008

Properties Scheduled for Hearing

The following nominations are scheduled for the upcoming SHRC meeting in Santa Barbara. The SHRC invites comments on the nominations from the public either in writing or at the July 25th meeting. Written comments can be sent to: California State Parks, Attn: Office of Historic Preservation, State Historical Resources Commission, P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001.

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National Register of Historic Places

Small photo of Kennedy Mine Historic District Kennedy Mine Historic District, Jackson (vicinity), Amador County – Located in the Sierra foothills about a mile north of the city center of Jackson, California and abuts the Jackson City limit line. The Kennedy Mine Historic District is comprised of seven distinct areas consisting of approximately 152 acres. The district is comprised of 17 buildings, 10 sites, and 6 structures that are counted as contributing resources. Four structures, the Kennedy Tailing Wheels, were previously listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The district is nominated at the state level of significance under Criteria A and C. The district is significant as an excellent example of quartz mining operations during California’s signature mining era, operating almost continuously from the gold rush until World War II. The Kennedy Mine also played a significant role in labor relations in California’s mining industry and was at the center of the landmark decision that still defines extralateral rights.

Small photo of Monterey County Courthouse Monterey County Courthouse, Salinas, Monterey County – Monterey County Courthouse, constructed in 1937, is an excellent example of WPA Moderne style architecture on the 1930s. The building is embellished with decorative elements fashioned by artist Jo Mora depicting scenes and characters from the history of Monterey County and the western United States. The property is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for Architecture and Art at the local level of significance. The Monterey County Courthouse derives architectural significance as an excellent example of the WPA Moderne style. The building unquestionably embodies the distinctive characteristics of the style through its monolithic form, symmetrical facades, simple lines, smooth-finished concrete surfaces, understated ornamentation, incorporated pilasters and square piers. The Monterey County Courthouse derives significance in the area of Art from the numerous sculptures, carved bas-reliefs, and travertine marble panels that decorate the building and depict the history of Monterey County.

Small photo of Pacific Electric Building Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County – Thornton Fitzhugh, a local architect, designed the building in 1905 as an office building with an electric rail depot at ground level. The building exhibits elements of Richardsonian Romanesque and Beaux Arts styles. The property is being nominated under Criteria A at the local level of significance and derives its historical significance in the area of transportation for its association with the Pacific Electric Railway interurban railway system and, subsequently, the Southern Pacific Railroad. The building also derives historical significance in the area of social history as the home of the Jonathan Club, an exclusive men’s social club founded in 1895 for the Republican supporters of William McKinley. Considered Los Angeles’ first skyscraper the largest building in the city at the time of its opening, the Pacific Electric Building created a focal point for the business district’s shift from 2nd and Spring Streets to the fledging areas to the south. The Pacific Electric Building was previously found National Register eligible as part of a federal tax certification review and the National Park Service certified the rehabilitation project complied with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation in 2002.

Small photo of Torrey Pines Gliderport Torrey Pines Gliderport (Boundary Increase), San Diego, San Diego County – The gliderport was listed in the National Register in 1993 at the local level of significance under Criterion A in the areas of Entertainment/Recreation, Invention, and Transportation. A boundary increase is proposed to include the historic approach surfaces from the westerly and easterly directions of the gliderport. The new boundaries were based on historic runway and approach surface configurations at the Torrey Pines Gliderport in the period of significance, 1928-1942.

Small photo of Uptown Tenderloin Historic District Uptown Tenderloin Historic Distict, San Francisco, San Francisco County – This district is a largely intact, visually consistent, inner-city high-density residential area constructed during the years between the earthquake and fire of 1906 and the Great Depression. The district is formed around its predominant building type: a 3-to 7- story, multi-unit apartment, hotel, or apartment-hotel constructed of brick of reinforced concrete. Because virtually the entire district was constructed in the quarter-century between 1906 and the early 1930s, a limited number of architects, builders, and clients produced a harmonious group of structures that share a single, classically oriented visual imagery using similar materials and details. The district is being nominated to the National Register at the local level of significance under Criterion A in the area of social history and Criterion C in the area of architecture.