Page 17 - laconservancy2014

LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY Preservation Report Card | 2014

Historic districts may be referred to by a variety
of names, depending on the jurisdiction, including
Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs)
and Historic District Overlay Zones. They are
generally defined as physically contiguous
groups of buildings, developed within a single
period or in a similar style, that continue to ex-
press the design and patterns of the time in
which they were developed. Though historic dis-
tricts are primarily contiguous, non-contiguous
resources may also be eligible for designation as
a thematic grouping.

Right: Conservancy Student Advocates helping with the survey Each historic district has geographic boundaries. Within those boundaries,
for the Balboa Highlands Eichler Tract HPOZ, Granada Hills.
most of the buildings must be considered “contributing,” meaning that they
Photo by John Eng.
are historically significant to the neighborhood and have maintained the
physical integrity of their original design. A historic district will inevitably
include some percentage of “non-contributing” structures as well—those
built outside the district’s established “period of significance,” as well as
those that have been greatly altered.

The strongest historic district ordinances enable a local Historic Preser-
vation Commission to deny inappropriate alteration or demolition of historic
structures within district boundaries. They also allow for design review of
new construction within the district, to help ensure that new development
is compatible with the neighborhood’s unique
historic character and context.

Owner Consent Not Required for Designation

If a community can designate a local landmark
without the consent of the property’s owner, it can
protect a significant yet threatened building or
site. Concerned advocates can submit landmark
nominations in an effort to protect significant
structures in their communities. Many important
places remain standing today because local advo-
cates nominated them for local designation when
they were threatened with demolition.

Santa Monica’s Landmarks Commission can designate Some jurisdictions have historic preservation ordinances that do require
a landmark without owner consent, which allowed the city owner consent for landmark designation. This requirement has a profound
to prevent the demolition of its last ocean-facing cottage
(ca. 1905), now a designated Santa Monica Landmark. effect on the effectiveness of an ordinance as a preservation advocacy tool,
Photo courtesy Santa Monica Conservancy. hindering the community’s ability to protect significant structures when they
become threatened. In jurisdictions with such an ordinance, preservation

PAGE 17