Palo Alto Historic Resources Board selects winners for inaugural awards; acknowledges voluntary seismic retrofits

The Palo Alto Historic Resources Board voted at its February meeting to name winners in its new Historic Resources Board awards program and to create a public acknowledgement for properties that completed voluntary seismic retrofits.

Staff presented a staff-reduced shortlist of 34 projects drawn from an original pool of 159 and guided the board through nine award categories — a general board’s choice plus preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and small-project categories for residential and commercial properties. Steven, the board’s staff contact, told members he would follow up with property owners and architects about outreach and logistics for the awards ceremony.

Why it matters: The awards are intended to raise local awareness of preservation work in Palo Alto and to highlight investments that maintain historic character while allowing contemporary use. The board emphasized balancing recognition of long-running efforts with the program’s 10‑year eligibility guideline.

What the board approved

- Board’s choice (preservation): 1100 Block of Ramona, including the Fowler Mansion — voice vote recorded as approved.
- Commercial preservation: Peninsula Creamery (900 High Street) — approved by voice vote; staff noted the project’s planning entitlement was drawn in 2016 and construction fell within the board’s 10‑year review window.
- Commercial rehabilitation: Watercourse Way (165 Channing) — approved.
- Commercial adaptive reuse: Former Police & Fire building (450 Bryant) — approved.
- Residential preservation: 215 Fulton — recommended for preservation.
- Residential rehabilitation: 501 Kingsley and 2510 Waverly — both recommended for rehabilitation after discussion about differing types of intervention (removal of nonhistoric additions vs. sensitive retention of original form); the board approved recognizing both projects.
- Residential restoration: 1143 Bryant (fire-damaged structure that was rebuilt while retaining facade features) — recommended.
- Residential small project: 952 Cowper (stucco repair and repainting) — recommended.

On voluntary seismic retrofits: Board members asked for special acknowledgement of voluntary seismic retrofits completed during the award cycle (examples discussed included retrofits at multiple Ramona addresses). The board approved a motion to publicly acknowledge property owners who completed voluntary seismic retrofit work over the past decade; members asked staff to prepare language and a polished name for that acknowledgment.

Direct quotes and context

- Keith Rectal, the city council liaison, introduced himself to the board and said, “I’m Keith Rectal. I’m the council and thrilled to be on the HRP. You do very important work.”

- The meeting’s moderator cautioned about rushing awards selection: “If you can’t do it right, wait,” urging the board to balance speed with careful vetting of nominees.

Process notes and next steps

Staff will contact winners, property owners and project teams to coordinate the awards ceremony and confirm presentation materials ahead of Preservation Month in May. Steven also reminded the board that the CLG annual report is due April 24 and that members must record one hour of required training. The board will continue refining award naming and the seismic‑retrofit acknowledgement via staff follow-up.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting)

- Board’s choice — 1100 Block of Ramona: approved by voice vote (board announced as carried).
- Peninsula Creamery (commercial preservation): approved (voice vote; announced by the moderator).
- Watercourse Way (commercial rehabilitation): approved (voice vote).
- 450 Bryant (adaptive reuse): approved (voice vote).
- 501 Kingsley & 2510 Waverly (residential rehabilitation): motion approved (board announced the motion as passing with a 4–1 record recorded at the dais).
- 1143 Bryant (residential restoration): approved.
- 952 Cowper (residential small project): approved.

What the board asked staff to do next

Staff will reach out to winners to confirm participation in an awards event, gather photographs and documentation for ceremony materials, and return to the board with proposed language for an acknowledgment of voluntary seismic retrofits. The board also asked staff to support public outreach and to provide additional documentation on finalist projects when requested.

The meeting adjourned after procedural follow-ups and a brief discussion of inventory and outreach work.