California Historical Resources Commission

California Historical Resources Commission
Name	California Historical Resources Commission
Formation	1961
Type	State-appointed advisory body
Headquarters	Sacramento, California
Parent organization	California Office of Historic Preservation

California Historical Resources Commission

The California Historical Resources Commission advises Governor of California and California State Legislature on historic preservation, evaluates properties for recognition, and reviews grants under state and federal preservation statutes. It works with the California Office of Historic Preservation, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, and local California Historical Landmarks programs to identify and protect significant missions of California and sites associated with Gold Rush, Transcontinental Railroad (United States), and California State Capitol Museum era developments. Commissioners routinely interact with Society of Architectural Historians, National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Institute of Architects, Historic American Buildings Survey, and tribal governments including Yurok tribe, Miwok tribes, and Chumash people.

History

The Commission was established amid the mid-20th century preservation movement that involved figures and events such as the demolition of Pennsylvania Station (New York City), the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and the activism of organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the California Historical Society. Early work intersected with state actions like the creation of the California State Parks system, efforts to survey Missions of California and masonry structures, and collaborations with academic centers such as University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, California State University, Sacramento, and the Huntington Library. Over decades the Commission’s remit expanded following implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act and partnerships with federal agencies including the General Services Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs to address preservation of landing ships, railroad depots, and waterworks tied to California’s economic and cultural development.

Mission and Functions

The Commission’s mission aligns with statutes and policies such as the National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and California legislation administering State Historic Preservation Officer responsibilities. Core functions include reviewing nominations to the California Register of Historical Resources, advising on eligibility for California Historical Landmarks, recommending historic districts to municipal governments like City of San Francisco, City of Los Angeles, and City of Sacramento, and overseeing compliance under the National Environmental Policy Act when projects implicate historic properties. The Commission also allocates grants from programs modeled on Historic Preservation Fund (United States), coordinates surveys with local bodies such as Los Angeles Conservancy and Preservation Sacramento, and issues guidance used by cultural resource management firms, academic archaeologists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and tribal cultural resource staff.

Organization and Membership

Statutorily composed members represent professionals and public appointees drawn from entities like the American Institute of Architects, the Association for Preservation Technology International, and the Society for American Archaeology. Ex officio seats typically include representatives from the California State Parks, the Native American Heritage Commission, and the Department of Transportation (California). Commissioners have included historians affiliated with University of California, Los Angeles, architectural historians trained at Columbia University, preservation lawyers connected to the American Bar Association, and curators from institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the California State Railroad Museum. Appointment processes involve the Governor of California and confirmation by the California State Senate.

Programs and Designations

The Commission administers formal recognitions including the California Register of Historical Resources, California Historical Landmarks, and nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. It oversees survey programs like the Built Environment Resource Surveys and thematic studies covering subjects from Japanese American internment sites like Manzanar to Mission San Juan Capistrano. Grant programs managed or recommended by the Commission have funded rehabilitation of structures such as the Angel Island Immigration Station, stabilization of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park resources, and documentation of Oakland Waterfront industrial heritage. The Commission liaises with municipal landmark commissions such as the San Diego Historical Resources Board and the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.

Criteria and Evaluation Processes

Evaluation follows California’s specified criteria paralleling those in the National Register Bulletin series and statutory definitions in the Public Resources Code (California). Criteria address significance in areas represented by events like the California Gold Rush and individuals such as Leland Stanford, architectural distinction including styles like Mission Revival architecture, Art Deco, and works by architects such as Julia Morgan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Processes incorporate archival research at repositories including the Bancroft Library, field survey methods used by the Historic American Engineering Record, and consultation protocols with tribal entities under standards developed with the National Congress of American Indians and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Notable Listings and Decisions

Prominent actions have included determinations affecting sites such as Mission San Diego de Alcalá, San Francisco Cable Car System, Hearst Castle, Coit Tower, Bixby Creek Bridge, Union Station (Los Angeles), and the Palace of Fine Arts (San Francisco). The Commission has reviewed resources tied to the California missions network, Chinese American sites like Angel Island Immigration Station, agricultural landscapes in the Central Valley, and transportation-related properties including segments of Route 66 in California. It has also influenced preservation of Cold War-era sites, industrial complexes in Richmond, California, and mid-century modern neighborhoods in Palm Springs, California.

Controversies and Legal Issues

The Commission’s decisions have at times resulted in litigation involving parties such as local governments, developers, and tribal nations; cases have invoked statutes like the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Controversies have included disputes over integrity assessments for resources associated with Japanese American internment, debates over eligibility for sites tied to contentious figures like Leland Stanford and John C. Frémont, and conflicts regarding balancing preservation with infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail by California High-Speed Rail Authority. Legal challenges have raised questions about procedural compliance, consultation adequacy with Native American tribes in California, and the scope of designation impacts on private property rights adjudicated in state courts and occasionally referenced in federal litigation.

Category:Historic preservation in California