Cultural Resources Services LLC provides assessments of historic properties throughout California in compliance with national, state and local regulations.
The business is based in Pasadena and is mainly focused on properties in Los Angeles County, with a focus on preservation including landmarking and Mills Act incentives.
See below for an overview of my experience and professional services in cultural resources assessment.
Range of experience
In my years of working as a historian of California’s cultural resources I have authored or co-authored hundreds of reports evaluating individual buildings, as well as campuses, towns, rivers and park systems. And I’ve prepared landmark nominations for buildings, a gravesite and a tree.
Whether you’re a property owner, developer, municipal worker or architect, you might benefit from my services in cultural resources assessment. I can facilitate timely and const-effective approvals, whether the desired outcome is historic nomination, improvements, or demolition. Or maybe you would simply like to uncover the story and historic value of your historic property.
Qualifications
With a PhD in the History of Art & Architecture (Harvard, 2003) and decades of experience in cultural resources management, I exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards in Architectural History. This means I can do such things as:
- provide physical descriptions of architectural style, materials and setting for a given resource, complete with the requisite custom photographs and maps;
- research property histories, including historic contexts, owner/occupant records, and construction chronologies including alterations;
- evaluate significance, integrity and character-defining features according to the required regulatory frameworks; and
- find trusted architects trained in the treatment of historic buildings.
In my years of working throughout California I have developed a strong understanding of local regulations and best practices. I have produced many types of reports for a wide range of projects with diverse partners, as outlined in the sections below.
Services
As the principal at Cultural Resources Services LLC, I provide historic building documentation, cultural landscape assessment, and related services to help your project meet regulatory requirements and respect community heritage. I offer clear and streamlined assistance with risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, cost savings, improved stakeholder relations, and preservation of heritage. I specialize in historic designation (landmarking) which provides substantial tax incentives, including the Mills Act tax abatement program, to property owners.
My work aligns with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as well as other federal, state, and local regulations, including certificates of appropriateness for alterations, demolition, or new construction.
The type of assessment will depend on your desired outcome and on local regulations, most of which require the services of a qualified architectural historian to determine a historic property’s status — e.g. eligible or ineligible for historic designation.
Best practices
Before taking on a job, I fully explain the process to clients, and give them honest advice about whether I’m the right person to meet their needs. If you want to tear down something that I think is worth preserving, or landmark something that is never likely to be eligible, or receive tax incentives without preserving the historic fabric, then we might not be a good fit.
If we are aligned, and if you entrust me to assess your property, then I will provide a detailed contract, and I will work closely with you and the regulating authorities to help secure the desired outcome. I will personally conduct site visits, taking high-quality photographs; I will produce clear, well-grounded reports; and I will liaise among all parties to see the process through to completion.
There’s a good chance I’ve already worked with the compliance authorities in your locale, which is generally a great advantage. And if I haven’t worked with them, I will be sure to develop a relationship with all key people at an early stage. For the assessment I will work with qualified editors and cartographers to ensure a high standard of work. For maintenance and rehabilitation plans I will connect you with trusted, local historic architects and artisans.
Tailored solutions
In my private practice I offer more personalized service and greater flexibility than in corporate firms. I can meet you where you’re at, walk you through the process, and give you an honest assessment of whether I’m the best person for the job. I can promise high standards of analysis, reporting, and strategic facilitation of interaction among all parties, from owner to architect to compliance authorities.
Get in touch
Contact me to discuss a project scope and timeline, or to request a detailed proposal.
Case studies / portfolio
See below for my recent work in California, including links to select reports.
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 relating 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 have 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.