• Landmark Designation Application
• Application Fee: $4,838.
• The Certificate of Appropriateness Fees are waived for Fiscal Year 2019-2020.

Definitions and Designation Criteria

In the City of Whittier, a local “historic resource” is defined as, “…any improvement, historic landmark or district, or other object of cultural, architectural or historic significance to the citizens of the City, the region, the state or nation which is designated or eligible for designation and determined to be appropriate for historic preservation by the Historic Resources Commission or by the City Council…” A local “historic landmark” therefore constitutes, “…any singular historic resource that has been designated as such…” pursuant to the City’s Historic Resources Ordinance.

For a property to be considered eligible and/or designated as a local historic landmark, the potential resource must retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic significance based on one or more of the following eligibility criteria contained within Whittier Municipal Code Section 18.84.050 which states that:

“A historic resource shall be designated a historic landmark if the council finds that it meets the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historical Resources; or meets one or more of the following [local] criteria:

1. It is particularly representative of a distinct historical period, type, style, region or way of life;
2. It is connected with someone renowned, important, or a local personality;
3. It is connected with a use that was once common, but is now rare;
4. It represents the work of a master builder, engineer, designer, artist or architect whose individual genius influenced his age;
5. It is the site of an important historic event or is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution to the nation, state or city;
6. It exemplifies a particular architectural style;
7. It exemplifies the best remaining architectural type of a neighborhood;
8. It embodies elements of outstanding attention to architectural or engineering design, detail, material or craftsmanship; or
9. It has a unique location, singular characteristic or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the city.”

To designate a local historic district, Section 18.84.060 of the Whittier Municipal Code states that:

“A neighborhood consisting primarily of historic resources, or the thematic grouping of same, shall be designated a historic district if the council finds that it meets one or more of the following criteria:

1. It meets the criteria for a historic landmark;
2. It contributes to the architectural, historic or cultural significance of an area, being a geographically definable area possessing a concentration of historic resources or a thematically related grouping of structures which contribute to each other and are unified by plan, style or physical development; or
3. It reflects significant geographical patterns, including those associated with different eras of settlement and growth, particular transportation modes or distinctive examples of a park landscape, site design or community planning.”

Benefits of Local Landmark Designation

When you own a historic landmark or a contributing resource within a designated historic district in the City of Whittier, there are several potential benefits conferred upon you as the property owner. They include:

• Use of the California State Historic Building Code. These alternative provisions to standard building code requirements facilitate repairs and/or a change of occupancy to a historic building to help preserve its character defining features and integrity;
• Mills Act Contract eligibility;
• Priority building and planning plan check review for proposed work to your property;
• Protection of the integrity of your historic property through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
• Eligibility to donate or sell a façade easement to a non-profit organization; and,
• For landmark properties that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal 20% rehabilitation tax credit is available for income producing properties using the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Rehabilitation.

Local Landmark Designation Process

Whittier residents interested in voluntarily having their property considered for local landmark designation must own property that is at least 50 years old and submit a Landmark Designation Application. The Application will then be evaluated by the Historic Resources Commission through a public hearing. It often helps to have a qualified historian or architectural historian who meets the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications assist in conducting the research and preparing the justification for local landmark designation. The Historic Resources Commission’s recommendation is then forwarded to the City Council for final determination. Only the City Council can confer local historic landmark designation upon a property. However, any person or group, including the city, may nominate a property for designation as a local historic landmark.

Frequently Asked Questions