Since moving to the Los Angeles area during the pandemic I have mainly been working as an architectural historian, asessing cultural resources throughout Southern California in compliance with various regulatory frameworks. In addition to hundreds of reports on individual buildings, I have assessed entire campuses and towns, and written landmark nominations for a gravesite and a tree.
Click on the items below for details, including links to some publicly-available reports.
Since February 2022 I have been specializing in cultural resources cocumentation at an environmental consulting firm in Pasadena, where I have been promoted from Architectural Historian to Architectural Historical Specialist I. In that capacity I have assessed properties for a wide range of clients, on large- and small-scale projects, in more than 30 communities in the counties of Los Angeles, Kern and San Bernardino. 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
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
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 as lead historian on a wide variety of projects for LA County in fulfillment of an open contract. Duties included preparing a successful landmark nomination for the Owen Brown Gravesite in Altadena, and reporting on site upgrades; drafting a landmakr 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; 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; and providing historic content and illustrations for the Regional Planning Commission’s centenary booklet.
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-advertized talk, the developer agreed to save the building.
Alameda Street Widening survey for the City of Los Angeles
Conducted a field survey, determined categorical exemptions, and wrote 45 DPR forms for 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 30 communities across Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Kern 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; 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, churches, libraries and schools.