Three Homes Vie for Historic Designation

Three more homes in Campbell are moving along to be added to Campbell's Historic Resource Inventory list.

The John P. and Edith Morley House, a small Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow built in 1931 and the El Patio California Mission Revival District home, both part of the Rancho del Patio seven-home subdivision are being considered.

Also being considered is the Joe Simas House, named after the architect Joe Simas, who built the California Bungalo, Craftsman Style home.

These single family, residential homes, at 649 and 705 El Patio Dr. and 58 S. Third St. were all recommended for approval by the Campbell Planning Commission meeting on April 10. The next step is going before the Campbell City Council, tentatively scheduled for May 1.

The city has 16,103 total housing units, of which less than 1.5 percent are designated or are being considered for the Historic Resources Inventory or as a Landmark Property. The city has been building its historic properties inventory since 1984.

The benefits of this designation include retention and encouragement of maintenance and rehabilitation of older properties through tax incentives and use of State Historic Building Code.

“People that live in these types of homes take great pride in their home and want to do the right thing, “ said Paul Kermoyan, Campbell Planning Manager. “These three, they’ve raised their hands and said ‘I want to be part of the HRI.’”

Currently, the city of Campbell has 214 properties given some type of historic recognition. Properties in Campbell can be given one of three historic designations: Landmark Properties, Properties listed on the Historic Resources Inventory and Potential Additions to the Historic Resource Inventory List.

According to the Campbell Planning Commission memo on the topic, landmark properties are those identified by the Campbell City Council to have aesthetic, architectural, cultural, engineering or historic value. An example of this type of historic building is the Ainsley House, the Campbell Community Center and the homes along Alice Avenue Historic District.

Properties on the Historic Resources Inventory are those found to have significant importance to the city of Campbell’s history, architecture, archaeology and culture, but not designated as Landmark properties or found within a designated Historic District.

Potential additions to the Historic Resource Inventory list are those properties identified by the Campbell Historic Preservation Board as potential additions to the inventory list, but have not been approved by the Campbell City Council for designation as either a Landmark Property or an inventory item.

Currently, there are:

• 55 Landmark Properties
• 84 Properties listed on the Historic Resources Inventory
• 75 Potential Additions to the Historic Resource Inventory List, including the three homes in question.

According to the city’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, the designation of historic resource inventory properties, landmarks and historic districts can be initiated by:

• Campbell City Council
• Campbell Civic Improvement Commission
• Campbell Planning Commission
• Campbell Community Development Director
• Property owners.