Committee backs landmark nomination for San Francisco Fire Station 44
April 22, 2024 | San Francisco County, California
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The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted April 22 to forward a recommendation to designate San Francisco Fire Station No. 44 at 1298 Gerard as a city landmark.
Chair Supervisor Mirna Melgar moved that the ordinance amending the Planning Code to list Fire Station 44 under Article 10 be recommended to the full Board. The motion passed unanimously in committee, with Vice Chair Dean Preston and Board President Aaron Peskin recorded as voting aye.
Natalie Gee, speaking on behalf of the legislation’s sponsor, said the firehouse was built in 1913 by architect John Reed and that “Station 44 is the oldest firehouse still in active service.” She credited the Visitation Valley History Project, San Francisco Heritage and local residents for working with the sponsor’s office to identify the property for nomination.
Pilar LaValle of the Planning Department told the committee the Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the nomination and unanimously recommended designation after modifying its resolution to include the herringbone brick floor, the equipment bay and the ground floor as character-defining features. The staff presentation emphasized the building’s architectural significance as an early-20th-century Classical Revival brick fire station and its association with the city’s expansion of fire protection in that period.
Woody Labonte, president and CEO of San Francisco Heritage, urged the committee to recommend approval and described earlier community preservation work in Visitation Valley that identified potential landmark candidates.
According to the clerk, items acted on at the committee are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on April 30, 2024. The committee’s recommendation sends the ordinance to that full-Board agenda for final consideration.
The committee took no further action on implementation details; as standard practice the Board will consider the landmark ordinance and any findings required under the Planning Code.
Chair Supervisor Mirna Melgar moved that the ordinance amending the Planning Code to list Fire Station 44 under Article 10 be recommended to the full Board. The motion passed unanimously in committee, with Vice Chair Dean Preston and Board President Aaron Peskin recorded as voting aye.
Natalie Gee, speaking on behalf of the legislation’s sponsor, said the firehouse was built in 1913 by architect John Reed and that “Station 44 is the oldest firehouse still in active service.” She credited the Visitation Valley History Project, San Francisco Heritage and local residents for working with the sponsor’s office to identify the property for nomination.
Pilar LaValle of the Planning Department told the committee the Historic Preservation Commission reviewed the nomination and unanimously recommended designation after modifying its resolution to include the herringbone brick floor, the equipment bay and the ground floor as character-defining features. The staff presentation emphasized the building’s architectural significance as an early-20th-century Classical Revival brick fire station and its association with the city’s expansion of fire protection in that period.
Woody Labonte, president and CEO of San Francisco Heritage, urged the committee to recommend approval and described earlier community preservation work in Visitation Valley that identified potential landmark candidates.
According to the clerk, items acted on at the committee are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on April 30, 2024. The committee’s recommendation sends the ordinance to that full-Board agenda for final consideration.
The committee took no further action on implementation details; as standard practice the Board will consider the landmark ordinance and any findings required under the Planning Code.
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