Is This Your House?In addition to the houses that are already designated historic and proudly display their plaque, the 1996 Mid-City Historical Survey identifed thirty houses in Kensington that should be designated as historic resources. Published in 1996, this was a "windshield survey" conducted under the auspices of architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, and Ione Steigler of IS Architecture. Wayne Donaldson has since been appointed to the position of State of California Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) responsible for the operation and management of the Office of Historic Preservation, as well as long range preservation planning.
Since the survey was conducted by architects, not historians, and was only a superficial look at the structures and not the occupants or the context of the buildings, only residences that could meet the criteria for designation under
Criterion C or Criterion D were noted on the survey forms.
Criterion C applies to a house that embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period or method of construction or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship.
Criterion D indicates a house that is representative of the notable work of a master builder, designer, architect, engineer, landscape architect, interior designer, artist or craftsman.
One of them could be yours and you didn't even realize you had an historic jewel in your possession!
As a service to the community we are listing those houses here, with a link to a photo of each house. If you would like more information on how to go about nominating your house as an historic resource, feel free to contact us. For more information on the benefits of the Mills Act, follow this link. Mills Act participants may realize substantial property tax savings of between 40% and 60% each year for newly improved or purchased older properties because valuations of Mills Act properties are determined by the Income Approach to Value rather than by the standard Market Approach to Value. Despite what has been reported in the media, the Mills Act actually generates higher overall property tax revenue because of the "halo effect" that an historically generated property has on the property value of the houses around it.
4114 Bedford Drive
