Historic Evaluations & Eligibility Determinations

Resource identification and evaluation are the foundation of Alice’s services, and the HRE is her primary vehicle for achieving these goals.

The purpose of each HRE is to determine if a resource is historic for its association with an event or a person, for its architectural merit or for its ability to yield information. If it appears that a resource could satisfy one or more of these criteria, Alice determines whether the resource retains enough physical integrity to convey its historic character. If the resource meets one or more criteria AND retains enough physical integrity to convey its historic character, then she identifies those specific visual and physical aspects that create the appearance and feeling of the resource (“character defining features”). Finally, Alice conducts extensive primary source research to determine if the resource is significant at the local, state or national level and what its “period of significance” is.

For each property, Alice undertakes a comprehensive title search and extensive research of primary sources available at local archives and online. Genealogical research tells the story of the people who built, occupied and utilized the property. A site visit and photo-documentation establish existing conditions. Finally, Alice prepares California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) survey forms for submission to the California Historical Resources Information System.

Ultimately, the HRE determines whether the building is eligible for National Register, a state register or for a local inventory and identifies those specific features that should be retained t sustain the historic character. The end-product is ready for submittal to local Planning Departments and Commissions as part of the building permit process, as well as to state and local archives for future research.