HomeMy WebLinkAbout03 Historic Plaque Naming CriteriaITEM #3
TUSTIN
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DATE: JULY 28, 2009 ~„~„u~
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
HONORING OUR PAST
TO: PLANNING COMMISSION
FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: TUSTIN HISTORIC REGISTER PLAQUE PROGRAM CRITERIA
RECOMMENDATION
That the Planning Commission establish criteria for the historical property names placed on
plaques obtained through the City's Historic Register Plaque Program.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Tustin City Council approved the implementation of the Tustin Historic Register Plaque
Program and established program criteria on March 20, 2000. The program criteria require that
the plaque display the construction date, the words "Tustin Historic Register," and approved
supplemental text. However, no specific criteria were established for the supplemental text. To
date, 44 plaques have been approved and ordered through the program.
Pursuant to the procedure approved by the Tustin City Council on November 6, 2007, the Tustin
Preservation Conservancy and the Tustin Area Historical Society are given thirty (30) days to
collaborate and/or review the nomination, research the history of the property, and note the
most appropriate historical property name and date of construction.
For residences, the historical property name has recognized the most prominent occupant or
the builder. For commercial and institutional buildings, the historical property name has
recognized the most prominent business, organization, or church that has occupied the building.
The determination of the most prominent resident or occupant is sometimes unquestionable.
However, when more than one prominent individual, family, business, or organization have
occupied a building during its history, it may be appropriate to use more than one name on the
plaque. In some cases, the property owner may have a strong preference for a certain name or
building description. Currently, the Planning Commission has the discretion to determine the
name for the building and whether the owner's preference should be considered.
At the June 9, 2009, Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Thompson requested that
the Commission consider establishing specific criteria for the historical property names placed
on the plaques. The following criteria for the historical property names placed on the Tustin
Historic Register plaques have been developed for Planning Commission consideration:
• In addition to the construction date and the words "Tustin Historic Register," the plaque
shall display supplemental text that identifies the building, as determined by the Planning
Commission according to established criteria.
For residences, the supplemental text shall consist of the surname of the most
prominent owner or occupant of the residence, as determined by the Planning
Tustin Historic Register Criteria
July 28, 2009
Page 2
Commission. The individual's first name shall be used when necessary to distinguish
the residence from another residence in Old Town Tustin or when the surname could be
associated with more than one prominent Tustin resident. The name shall precede the
word "House" unless another building description such as "Mansion," "Villa," "Estate," or
"Manor" is determined by the Planning Commission to better describe the property,
based on historical records and/or the architecture and style of the residence.
• For commercial and institutional buildings, the supplemental text shall consist of the
most prominent business, organization, or church that occupied and/or occupies the
building. The Planning Commission may consider descriptive names such as "First
Doctor's Office in Tustin," rather than the actual name of the business.
• When no prominent owner or occupant can be identified, the supplemental text shall
consist of the name of the builder, the original owner of the property, or the
owner/occupant with the longest tenure in the building. If no historical ownership or
occupancy information is publicly available, the name of the current owner or occupant
may be used.
• When more than one prominent owner or occupant has been identified, the
supplemental text may include one name or multiple names, at the discretion of the
Planning Commission.
• The name of a current prominent owner or occupant of a residence may be used
individually or in addition to the name of a past prominent owner or occupant, the
builder, etc. if the Planning Commission determines that the building is strongly
associated with the current owner or occupant, and the current owner or occupant has
made a significant contribution to Tustin history and/or to the preservation of the
structure.
• The Tustin Historical Surveys and input from the Tustin Preservation Conservancy and
Tustin Area Historical Society shall serve as the primary sources of historical information
used in determining the most appropriate historical property name(s).
• The owner may request an alternate name for the building by providing the Commission
with reasons for the alternate name. In this case, the Planning Commission may deviate
from the above criteria.
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Scott Reekstin
Senior Planner
S:\Cdd\PCREPORT12009\Plaque Criteria 2009.doc