Sharing from Mission Hills Heritage

Please take a moment

The fate of the little red bungalow at 820 Fort Stockton Drive will be decided in a few days at the Thursday, September 28th 1pm meeting of the Historic Resources Board (HRB). Six board-member votes in favor of historic designation are the last hope to prevent demolition of the iconic structure and losing this piece of history forever.

While the HRB staff has prepared a report supporting that the bungalow is not historic, Mission Hills Heritage believes an overwhelming show of community support is essential to securing the six board member votes needed to save the building.

Please attend the hearing IN PERSON and submit comments via the HRB’s webform (details below). Suggested comments are in the comments of this post.

ATTEND IN PERSON! - MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 AT 1PM

Show up in-person or attend via Zoom at:

https://sandiego.zoomgov.com/j/1617855117

Logan Heights Library Community Room

567 South 28th Street

San Diego, CA 92113

*Parking is limited so please plan accordingly

COMMENT NOW USING THE WEB FORM - PLEASE DON’T WAIT!

We need your comments now more than ever. Tell your neighbors and friends that this is important to you and ask them to comment and/or attend the HRB’s meeting.

Access the HRB’s public comment webform

Then, submit your comment as follows:

• Include your contact information in the required fields.
• Enter the agenda meeting date, September 28, 2023.
• Click “Agenda Comment” for comment type.
• Enter “Item #1 – 820 Fort Stockton Drive” for agenda item number.
• Click “IN OPPOSITION TO ITEM” to show you do not agree with staff’s recommendation that the building is not historic.
• Enter your comment in the comment box and click submit.

Begin your comments with “The little red bungalow should be designated historic.”

• Board members should be aware that the staff report was written after the City had made a ministerial decision that this property is not historic and to not submit the property for the board’s consideration. Under these circumstances, where the report appears to be written to support the City’s pre-determined decision, the staff report is inherently suspect. As such, board members should approach the staff report with a healthy skepticism.

• The staff report is setting a more stringent criteria standards compared to previous evaluations. In the past, properties near the streetcar line and purpose-built for rental housing in the years before the 1915 exposition were considered historically significant due to their contextual association with the exposition. However, in this staff assessment, these well-established factors are no longer deemed adequate to justify such an association. This shift in standards raises questions about consistency and fairness in the evaluation process.

• This duplex craftsman with its artistic clinker brick chimneys; its period porches; its wood clapboard siding; its low-pitched, cross-gabled roof with wide, unenclosed eave overhang; its exposed roof rafters and decorative beams - would be instantly recognized by any area resident from 1912 as the classic craftsman bungalow at that corner. In short, the property still exhibits nearly all the character-defining features of the Craftsman Style of Architecture.

• Last year the developer removed multiple sections of siding and a portion of the balustrade on the Fort Stockton porch. To say the building is not historical based on integrity rewards the developer for effectively demolishing the bungalow’s historic features.

• This is easily one of the most recognizable and iconic houses in the neighborhood and, on that corner site, announces that you’re entering the neighborhood of Mission Hills. The City itself acknowledged as early as 2006 the property’s potential historic significance and formally recognized the bungalow in the 2016 Uptown Community Plan Area Historic Resources Survey.

• It is abundantly clear that this property is quite distinctive! The nomination report cites that only one other corner, purpose-built, single-story duplex within the surrounding neighborhood could be located and that duplex differed in style and design. Further, a search of the California Historical Resources Inventory Database identifies only 6 duplexes in the region that are of a craftsman architectural style – and none of these are single-story with entrances on different streets. The staff report’s statement that there is “no contextual evidence to support” that duplexes were a “less common building type than single family, multi-family developments or apartment buildings prior to the Exposition” – is wrong!

• The staff report claims that it is “unclear how involved” Master Architect William Wheeler was with the design of the iconic craftsman bungalow. However, the nomination report cites an Evening Tribune article dated 5/29/1912 that attributes to Wheeler the plans for the “three flat buildings to cost $9000 for P.D. Griswold at Ghetti and Goldfinch streets on the northeast corner”. This evidence clearly attributes the resource to Master Architect William Wheeler.

• Contrary to staff's claim, the property's alterations are not extensive, and they align with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for rehabilitation. The alterations to the rear should not be cited as diminishing the property's historical significance or significantly affecting integrity of design. Alterations to the porch on the Fort Stockton elevation have photographic and physical evidence that can support an easy restoration of the lost elements.

• The substantial support for Mission Hills Heritage's nomination underscores the community's deep interest in safeguarding the property. This groundswell of support is a testament to how the property resonates with residents who recognize its value beyond mere bricks and mortar. The fact that this nomination has garnered substantial backing demonstrates that the property holds a special place in the hearts of those who value San Diego's history. In light of widespread community support, it is imperative that the HRB carefully considers the property's historical significance and its place within the broader historical narrative of San Diego.

• The property stands out as a rare single-story duplex, designed with the foresight of accommodating the influx of visitors expected during the 1915 Exposition and intentionally located adjacent to the Streetcar line’s development. When an Ad was placed to describe the property to potential renters, the ad specifically calls out proximity to the car line as a benefit. Its historical value is closely tied to its proximity to the streetcar line, making it an essential part of the historical tapestry of San Diego’s influential streetcar system development. Its strategic placement near the streetcar line reflects an intentional effort to cater to the transportation needs of the time, adding to its historical significance.

• Per the Guidelines for the Application of the Designation Criteria, “Integrity is the authenticity of a historical resource’s physical identity clearly indicated by the retention of characteristics that existed during the resource’s period of significance.” This iconic craftsman bungalow clearly satisfies this guidance. The minimal and reversible alterations to a portion of only one of the two front porches of this duplex do not mar the resource’s clear integrity.

• The second (Nexus) report submitted by the owner devotes a substantial amount of ink to the deteriorating conditions on the property and concludes that the property lacks integrity. But condition is not integrity and much of the deterioration is reversible. Furthermore, a substantial amount of the deterioration and alteration cited is not visible to the public (on a side or rear aspect not easily seen from the street).