Berkeley landmarks commission

Historical preservation or mere obstructionism?

By Christopher Page
From the December 2006 Print Edition

The Berkeley landmark system currently in place was started by the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance in 1974. It established the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Committee, which is in charge of declaring places of historical merit. The committee has definitely identified and protected some important places of historical value. At times, however, it has gone too far.

Take for example the cement wall that was declared a historical landmark. Apparently this almost-100-year-old structure adds something historical to its north-side street. For most of its life the old wall languished quietly on the side of the road. Then Mary Hanna, who owned the property, wanted to build a garage for her house. This garage would require that the dilapidated wall be removed. A few of the neighbors did not take nicely to the idea of home improvements, so they applied the wall for landmark status.

According to a September 2003 article in the East Bay Express, after a fight that went to court and $100,000 of Hanna’s money was spent, the wall stood. The neighbors had convinced the Landmarks Preservation Committee to favor the old gray pile over the interests of Hanna.

However, this misplaced sentiment is not confined solely to old objects, but to empty spaces as well. For example, the truly historic Napoleon Bonaparte Byrne house which was at one time the oldest house in the city, but unfortunately burned down. The lot on which it used to sit was subsequently declared a landmark despite its vacancy. A few years later, members of the Beth El Congregation tried to build a synagogue on the site. The Landmarks Preservation Commission would have none of this. After a four-year fight and only with the support of the Berkeley City Council did the synagogue finally get approved.

In Berkeley, landmarks are a dime a dozen. From my research I have discovered I pass three "landmarked" houses in one block on my way to class. This is a result of a system that values any structure that came before it, regardless of actual historic value. The Landmarks Preservation Committee has dramatic power to crate landmarks relative to other cities. In other cities, similar committees only have advisory roles. Oakland and San Francisco have around 150 and 250 landmarks, respectively; in Berkeley, there are 300.

The latest chapter in this work is Measure J, which was placed on the ballot last November. This was born of two competing factions led by Mayor Tom Bates and the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Committee.

The status-quo faction was led by Mayor Bates and five of the eight Berkeley City Council members who favor the council establishing regulations and making changes. The other side wrote Measure J and put it on the ballot; among its ranks are many neighborhood associations.

If approved, Measure J would have fortified existing rules that support relatively easy landmark designation. It would have also taken away power from the Berkeley City Council and required a general vote for changes. If this sounds confusing to you, you are not alone. At a recent community forum on this issue, speakers from both the pro and con sides of this measure presented confused and conflicting remarks, probably due to the complex and voluminous nature of the measure. Ultimately, the voters rejected Measure J on Election Day.

At the end of the day, some truly noteworthy historical sites have been preserved, but the overall effect of the commission has been a city stunted in growth. The people of Berkeley have allowed this system to develop into its current tangle to prevent their neighborhood from being bought by developers. Thus, renovations and constructions are frustrated, and new businesses are discouraged from establishing themselves. The city and its people must now live with a hard-line bureaucracy that stands as one more element preventing Berkeley from raising itself from the economic doldrums.

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