Here you will find descriptions of the more common types of reports required for such procedures as demolition, improvements, landmarking and promotion of historic properties. Regulations differ from place to place, but some version of the reports listed below is typically required for historic assessments in California. I have written hundreds of assessments for properties in a range of functions, styles and dates, usually in the form of the reports outlined below.

I also have extensive experience writing Historical Resource Technical Reports (HRTRs); Historical Resources Evaluation Reports (HRERs); certificates of compliance and ineligibility; and a wide variety of Memoranda for the Record (MFRs) including design reviews.

DPR 523 Assessment

Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 forms are used in California for the documentation and evaluation of historical and cultural resources, largely in support of the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A DPR 523A (Primary Record) is the main form used to document a cultural resource. It captures basic information about a cultural resource, including location data, property description, and significance evaluation including status code. A DPR 523B (Building, Structure, and Object Record) is a continuation sheet providing a detailed description of the resource, complete with current photographs, and a scholary account (with citations) of the building chronology, including all known information about architects, builders, and owners.

In many locales, a DPR assessment is essential for any project seeking to ensure the proper protection and assessment of a building or other historic resource.

Historic Resource Assessment Report (HRAR)

An HRAR evaluates the historical, architectural, or cultural significance of a property or area. This type of report is commonly required for compliance with environmental review laws and historic preservation requirements. The main components of an HRAR include:

• property history and development timeline
• illustrated description of buildings on the property
• historical context and significance evaluation
• assessment against federal, state and local significance criteria, including 7-part integrity evaluation

The report might also inclide impact assessment if alterations are proposed, and recommendations for treatment or mitigation.

Mills Act applications

Established in 1972, the Mills Act program offers substantial tax relief to owners of qualified historic properties in California, provided they agree to restore and maintain the property. The first step in a Mills Act application is obtaining historic designation on the local level. The next step is providing the local regulatory authorities with a Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Maintenance Plan. This generally includes a schedule of proposed maintenance and improvements, which can be spread over a 10-year period. You will also need to provide supporting documentation, such as photographs, drawings and cost estimates.

Historic Designation Nominations

I have prepared successful nominations for historical designation of California properties at the federal, state, and local levels. These reports can take many forms, depending on the regulatory agencies. 

Historic designation refers to formal recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or cultural significance. It can occur at multiple levels, including the National Register of Historic Places (using Historic American Buildings Surveys reports); the California Register of Historical Resources; and local historic registers or inventories. Local designation, and the resulting legal protections, are often referred to as landmarking.

More informal building histories

Owners, sellers, buyers and enthusiasts of historic properties are naturally interested in knowing the story of a historic property. Whether the outcome is a marketing tool or a beautifully-formatted gift, there is value in reading an accessible and scholarly history of a building’s construction, style, and occupants, as well as the history of the surrounding neighborhood. I provide these reports complete with professional photographs of buildings in their current state, and with reproductions of archival material including building permits, newspaper articles, historic maps and photographs.

In my capacity as a cultural resources specialist I have assessed properties for a wide range of clients, on large- and small-scale projects in more than 50 communities across Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

In addition to hundreds of reports on individual buildings, I have assessed entire campuses, towns, rivers and park systems for landmark eligibility. And I’ve prepared landmark nominations for buildings, a gravesite and a tree.

This work includes writing State of California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) 523 Series assessments; Historical Resources Assessment Reports (HRAR); Historical Resources Evaluation Reports (HRER); Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation; and Mills Act applications. All of this work is in compliance with applicable regulatory frameworks, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Section 106 regulations and guidelines. I meet the Secretary of the Interior’s qualifications for history and architectural history.

Caltrans Cultural Resources documentation

I served as Task Order Manager on the cultural resources element of the Survey for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) I-10 Express Lanes Extension project from El Monte to Pomona. That work included an intensive-level field survey of approximately 120 freeway-adjacent built environment resources, ranging from residential, commercial and industrial buildings to a park and a university campus. Assessed eligibility of all resources for listing in the NRHP and CRHR, and prepared DPR 523 forms for each property. 

HABS documentation for the High Speed Rail Authority

I conducted field surveys and authored federal-level Historic American Building Survey (HABS) documentation for Bakersfield properties adjacent to the proposed California High-Speed Rail Authority construction. (Pictured above: Republic Supply Company.)

Los Angeles County Historic Preservation Program

I have worked on a wide variety of projects repating to unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, in fulfilment of an open contract with the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning Historic Preservation Program. Duties included preparing successful reports leading to landmark designation for the Owen Brown Gravesite in Altadena, and reporting on site upgrades; drafting a successful landmark nomination for the ‘Old Glory’ site in Santa Clarita; writing condition reports and recommendations for the preservation of sites including Alpine Village in South LA and the Unique Theatre in East LA; preparing documentation for the landmarking of the Bertrand House; conducting Mills Act inspections for residences in historic districts, including View Park and Historic Highlands; drafting  a historic preservation element for the Florence-Firestone Transit Oriented District Specific Plan; providing historic content and illustrations for the Regional Planning Commission’s centenary booklet; and leading a team of historians in writing a Historic Context Statement for the community of Acton.

CEQA Review for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

I prepared a Historical Resources Technical Report assessing the historical resource status of the 1930s core campus of Irving MS in Glassell Park, to ensure the California Environmental Quality Act compliance of proposed earthquake mitigation measures.

Assessments in fulfillment of Master Service Agreement with the City of Sierra Madre

I hve completed intensive assessments for scores of residential, commercial and municipal buildings in the City of Sierra Madre. (Sample here). I have also assisted Sierra Madre homeowners with the preparation of Mills Act applications.

Historic Resource Assessment Report (HRAR) and Peer Review of the Swanson & Peterson furniture works for the City of Pasadena

At the invitation of the City of Pasadena, I wrote an evaluation of the historic significance of the Swanson & Peterson furniture factory in East Pasadena, built in 1929 and threatened with demolition. The report analyzed the physical fabric and the historic record, including Sanborn maps and some recent assessments. In keeping with my recommendations, the building was ultimately spared from demolition and slated for adaptive reuse. I made the case for preservation in a the talk Lessons from the Daylight Factory, delivered at the 2023 National Association of Environmental Professionals conference in Phoenix, AZ, and again at the Pasadena Heritage headquarters. A week before the heavily-advertised talk, the developer agreed to save the building.

Alameda Street Widening survey for the City of Los Angeles

I headed a team conducting a field survey, determining categorical exemptions, and writing historic assessments of 45 cultural resources impacted by the proposed widening of the south portion of Alameda Street in Wilmington, CA.

I have produced reports for homeowners and developers in more than 40 communities across Los Angeles, Kern, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. These have included Historic American Buildings Surveys (HABS) reports; California Department of Parks and Recreation DPR 523 Series assessments; Historic Resource Assessment Reports (HRARs); Historical Resource Technical Reports (HRTRs) Historical Resources Evaluation Reports (HRERs); Landmark and Mills Act applications; certificates of compliance and ineligibility; and a wide variety of Memoranda for the Record (MFRs) including design reviews.

The buildings have included single-family residences, multi-family residences, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, banks, and churches.