Historic Preservation Commission adopts citywide 'Gilded Age' context statement, asks staff to revisit title

The Historic Preservation Commission unanimously adopted the Gilded Age Styles historic context statement on Sept. 21, 2022, advancing a key component of the San Francisco citywide cultural resources survey (SFsurvey). Commissioners approved the document’s evaluative frameworks while directing staff to refine and consult about the naming convention before finalizing public-facing language.

Planning staff described SFsurvey as a multi-year effort to document San Francisco’s tangible and intangible cultural resources and to evaluate approximately 116,000 parcels. The project will use ARCHES — a cultural-heritage database developed with the Getty Conservation Institute and the World Monuments Fund — and a revised field methodology that limits in-field attributes to photographs and a recorded level of alteration, with remaining research completed in-office to reduce per-property field time.

Elena Moore presented the Gilded Age Styles context statement, which covers five substyles (Italianate, Stick–Eastlake, Queen Anne, Second Empire and Richardsonian Romanesque) with a period of significance circa 1870 to circa 1910. Staff said the evaluative frameworks will guide consistent local determinations and satisfy statutory obligations under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The item prompted robust discussion over the document title. Robert Cherney, who consulted on the statement, supported the staff choice to use 'Gilded Age' instead of 'Victorian,' saying it aligns with American periodization. Commissioner Johns and others argued that the word 'Victorian' is widely recognized and warned that changing long-used terminology could confuse the public. Commissioners debated compromise options (for example, 'Gilded Age (formerly Victorian)').

To move the work forward, the commission voted to adopt the substance of the context statement while directing staff to consult with community stakeholders (including groups that raised concerns) and return with a refined, public-facing terminology no later than the end of the calendar year. The vote was recorded unanimously: Commissioner Wright — Yes; Commissioner Foley — Aye; Commissioner Johns — Yes; Commissioner Soh — Yes; Commission Vice President Nagas Warren — Yes; Commission President Matsuda — Yes.

Staff said draft findings for SFsurvey phases might be released in 2023 (likely the second half) and the phased adoption process may continue through 2026 depending on contracting and community engagement. The department will implement a community input workflow that allows submissions to be marked public, limited, or private and will develop outreach tools (newsletter, mobile workflows and FAQs) to support participation.