City of Monrovia Historic Designation

Monrovia’s Historic Preservation Ordinance

The City of Monrovia contains a wealth of historic resources, ranging from the late nineteenth century through the postwar era. Historic preservation efforts began in the early 1990’s with the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. Preservation is now overseen by the City’s Planning Division, which provides information on landmarking and Mills Act contracts.

The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance provides a regulatory framework for the designation of City of Monrovia Landmarks, along with incentives to preserve them. The protection, appreciation and preservation of Monrovia’s cultural resources is managed by the Historic Preservation Commission, which makes recommendations to City Council for documentation and preservation. See below for a synopsis of the procedure for historic designation, and of resulting benefits including Mills Act incentives.

Eligibility and designation criteria for historic landmarks

City code §17.40.060 states that to be eligible for designation, a building or historic district must be determined significant under the prescribed designation criteria, and it must retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance. To be eligible for designation the property must meet at least one of the following criteria:

it is identified with persons or events significant in local, regional, state or national history;
it is representative of the work of a notable builder, designer, or architect;
it contributes to the significance of an historic area, being a geographically definable area possessing a concentration of not less than 50% of historic or architecturally related grouping of properties which contribute to each other and are unified aesthetically by physical layout or development;
it embodies one or more distinctive characteristics of style, type, period, design, materials, detail, or craftsmanship;
it has a unique location or physical characteristics or represents an established and familiar visual feature of neighborhood, community, or the City of Monrovia;
it incorporates elements that help preserve and protect an historic place or area of historic interest in the city;
it has yielded, or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history.

All of these criteria are ultimately derived from the National Register for Historic Places, whose standards of proof are subject to stringent guidelines, and which is generally concerned with buildings of more than 50 years of age.

Designation procedures

As indicated in §17.40.070 of the City code, any person may nominate for designation as a Historic Landmark or Historic District, as long as they have obtained the property owner’s consent, completed a form and paid an application fee. It is always advisable to engage a qualified historian who can interpret and apply the National Register standards.

Requirements for alteration or demolition of a historic landmark or district

City code §17.40.090 states that any alteration or demolition of a historic landmark or district requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission. See the link for details.

Mills Act incentives

Introduction

The most renowned incentive for historic designation throughout California is eligibility for Mills Act tax benefits, which are available in Monrovia to successful applicants. The Mills Act is a California state law permitting local governments to offer property tax relief to owners of qualified historic properties who agree to restore, maintain, and protect them, as specified in approved 10-year (minimum) contracts.

Application process

The City of Monrovia accepts Mills Act Contract applications on a regular basis. The City of is currently accepting Mills Act Contract applications concurrent with Historic Landmark Nominations. Historic Landmark or Contributor status (in Historic Districts) is required for completion of the contract process. Contract applications are submitted to the Planning Division, who present them to the Historic Preservation Commission. At the meeting, the Commission takes testimony, deliberates the merits of the request, and makes a recommendation to the Council of approval, approval with corrections, or denial.

General requirements

All Mills Act Contract applications are to be filed with the Planning Division, and include the following:

copy of the current Grant Deed with the property’s legal description;
copy of the most recent tax bill;
10-year Rehabilitation Plan for exterior changes (window replacement, wood trim work, etc.)
photographs of the property exterior of the Property (and interior photographs are required if there is a Batchelder Tile fireplace that will be preserved as part of the contract.)

In compliance with §§ 50280 through 50290 of the California Government Code, the Mills Act contract includes the following provisions:

the term of the contract shall be for a minimum of 10 years;
the applicant and property owner is required to comply, during the term of the contract, with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, as well as the California Historical Building Code;
the City is authorized to conduct periodic inspections of the Qualified Historic Property to determine the applicant’s and owner’s compliance with the contract; and
the contract will be binding upon all successors-in-interest of the owner.

Who benefits from the Mills Act incentive?

Participation in the Mills Act program across California is voluntary, and is restricted to owners of designated historic properties. Property owners with comparatively low property taxes, such as those benefitting from Proposition 13 limits on assessed value change over time, will not likely benefit from a Mills Act contract because the assessed value under the Mills Act will likely be higher than the current base-year value of the property. In general, owners who benefit most from a Mills Act contract are those who have acquired their properties in the last 10 years.

Average annual tax reduction for Mills Act properties in Monrovia

The City of Monrovia regularly publishes lists of the savings for every property benefitting from Mills Act incentives. In 2024 Monrovia’s Mills Act participants averaged $5,183 in annual savings. Since the contracts are for 10 years (renewable), that amounts to considerable long-term savings.

Further incentives

Owners of landmarked properties may also benefit from the provisions of the California Historical Building Code (CCR Title 24, Part 8), which guide upgrades and alterations to designated cultural resources. Beyond that, there are more general benefits to having a property formally assessed by a qualified historian, whether or not it is ultimately deemed eligible, and whether or not it receives Mills Act funding. Uncovering the property’s story — including its architects, builders, occupants and construction chronology, as revealed in a range of textual and visual records — could be helpful for:

Establishing historic significance for buildings of note, thereby facilitating heritage designation; access to preservation resources including restoration grants and tax incentives; and protection from unwanted alterations;
Guiding restoration efforts by ensuring that the materials, construction methods and style are historically appropriate, thus preserving the property’s character and maintaining or increasing its value;
Adding market value by demonstrating its association with significant people (e.g. architects, builders, owners, occupants) or events;
Legal and planning benefits including facilitation of zoning issues, building permits, or disputes about property modifications, especially in historic districts.

I’m a Pasadena-based architectural historian who has written hundreds of assessments of properties throughout Los Angeles County. I’m a regular visitor to Monrovia, and I look forward to helping preserve its historic fabric.

If you own a property that is more than 50 years old, schedule a consultation to find out whether historic designation is right for you.

If any of the above links are broken or incorrect, or if you would like to suggest other resources for preservation in Monrovia, please let me know.

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