Historic Resource Surveys and Evaluations

What is the difference between a Survey and an Evaluation?

• Historic Resource Survey: A survey identifies and describes the physical characteristics of the historic resource - a building, structure, site, or object. For example, a survey of a property that contains two historic buildings would describe the following for each building: type (e.g., residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, etc.), approximate date of construction, architectural style, other design aspects, size and dimensions, type and quality of materials, type and approximate date of exterior alterations, and physical condition.
  
  
• Historic Resource Evaluation: An evaluation addresses whether and why the historic building, structure, site, or object is important or significant relative to history or architecture. An evaluation of an historic resource would assess whether the historic resource is associated with important historic events; associated with the lives of persons significant in history; has the characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction or represents the work of an architectural or engineering master; or has the potential to provide important historic information.

Historic Resource Surveys

The County’s First Survey

Sonoma County’s first survey of historic resources began in fall 1972, when the Planning Department began coordinating with geography faculty and students at what was then Sonoma State College to conduct an Historic Sites Inventory. The work expanded during the 1974-1975 academic year to include geography and history faculty and students.

The communities surveyed as part of the Historic Sites Inventory were:

1. Glen Ellen and Kenwood
2. Bodega, Bloomfield, Valley Ford, and Two Rock
3. South Sonoma Valley
4. Cloverdale, Geyserville, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg
5. Petaluma

About 500 properties are on the Inventory.

Subsequent Surveys

Since the Historic Sites Inventory was prepared, surveys of other areas in Sonoma County have been conducted, but not on a consistent or comprehensive basis. They include:

• surveys conducted in association with environmental analysis of proposed development projects
• a survey of properties along West Dry Creek Road conducted by a consultant under the 2006-2007 Advertising Grant
• an “inventory” or listing of historic properties in Sonoma County conducted by the Anthropological Studies Center at Sonoma State University under the 2006-2007 Advertising Grant

Recording Surveys

A California Department of Parks and Recreation “Primary Record”, also called a “DPR 523A Form”, is filled-out.

Instructions on preparing the “Primary Record” from the State of California

Obtain the form for a copy of the “Primary Record”

Historic Resource Evaluations

An historic resource evaluation is conducted in conjunction with the historic resource survey, either at the same time or a later date. Completing an evaluation involves assessing whether an historic resource meets defined criteria of significance.

Significance Criteria

The Landmarks Commission uses the same significance criteria as:

• the State of California for the California Register of Historical Resources
• the Federal government for the National Register of Historic Places

Overall, an historic resource is considered significant, hence eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historical Resources, if it meets the significance criteria referenced above, which means it meets both of the following conditions:

• it is associated with an important historic context
  and
• it retains the historic integrity of those characteristics necessary to convey its significance.

Historic Context. The significance of an historic resource is best understood and judged in relation to an historic context, which means “what was happening at or around that period of time? For example, answering the question "What was the historical context of Shakespeare's birth?” involves identifying his date of birth and then determining what major things were happening in that year. The historic context provides a basis for evaluating the significance of an historic resource and consists of:

• a theme, pattern, or research topic
• a geographic area
• a chronological period

Historic Integrity. In addition to being associated with an important historic context, an historic resource has to retain integrity - that is, it has to appear as it did historically. Integrity is a combination of the following characteristics of the historic resource. An historic resource does not have to meet all the aspects of integrity, but it must meet most of them.

• location
• setting
• design
• materials
• workmanship
• feeling
• association

Evaluation Process. In summary, the evaluation of an historic resource requires the following basic steps:

1. identify whether the resource is associated with a significant historic context
2. identify the types of resources important in demonstrating that historic context
3. identify the physical characteristics those resources must possess to show the significance of that historic context
4. assess whether the historic resource being evaluated has those required physical characteristics

Recording Evaluations

A California Department of Parks and Recreation “Building, Structure, or Object Record” also called a “DPR 523B Form”, is filled-out.

Instructions on preparing the “Building, Structure, or Object Record” from the State of California.

Obtain the form for a copy of the “Building, Structure, or Object Record”

Status of Historic Resource Evaluations

Most of the records for historic resources on the Sonoma County Historic Sites Inventory, including those designated as Historic Landmarks, do not include an historic resource evaluation. In some cases one has been prepared but it is not adequate. This circumstance is due to the fact that the surveys were conducted at a time when the State of California evaluation form (DPR 523B Form: Building, Structure, and Object Record) had not yet been developed, and there was a small space on the survey form (DPR 523A: Primary Record) for the evaluation of resource significance; and at a time when the Sonoma County Landmarks Commission did not require a separate, comprehensive evaluation of the significance of an historic resource in order to approve its designation as an Historic Landmark or exterior alterations to the resource.

The Landmarks Commission now requires that an historic resource evaluation be submitted with applications for designation of a property as an Historic Landmark, designation of a group of properties has an Historic District or Commission review and approval of a proposed development project.

Five-Year Work Plan

Under the 2006-2007 Advertising Grant, the Anthropological Studies Center at Sonoma State University prepared a work plan for the Landmarks Commission to pursue evaluating historic resources and designating them as Historic Landmarks in order to increase historic resource preservation and protection in the County. The Center identified the following three categories of historic resources, from the highest to lowest priority, for evaluation and designation:

• Priority I: historic resources for which there is adequate existing documentation to designate them as Historic Landmarks
  
  
• Priority II: historic resources that are exceptional and for which additional documentation is necessary to designate them as Historic Landmarks
  
  
  • properties that are threatened
  • properties that are not threatened
    
  
  
• Priority III: historic resources that are not exceptional and for which additional documentation is necessary to designate them as Historic Landmarks

The Landmarks Commission has used a portion of the 2007-2008 Advertising Grant, and is using a portion of the 2008-2009 Advertising Grant, to fund hiring a consultant to evaluate all of the Priority I properties and some of the Priority II properties.