Public hearing draws broad support to nominate 1607 State Street as a historic landmark

City staff opened a public hearing May 6 to consider a nomination to designate the former Manticore/Menacor building at 1607 State Street as a historic landmark.

Matthew Falcone, the city’s cultural resource manager, described the building’s architectural features, the property’s long history with the Metacor society (founded 1871), and summarized that the Historic Review Commission and the planning commission both issued positive recommendations to council. Falcone said the nomination covers the building and the adjacent parcel and that listing would not impose a cost to the city.

Owner Julio Cesar Reyes and a string of residents and business owners testified in support. Speakers described extensive private investment and restoration work, praised the building’s interior ornamentation, and urged preservation. Councilors voiced strong support on the record; some also noted the building’s historical association with exclusionary membership policies in earlier decades and urged that the public record reflect the full arc of history.

The council closed the public hearing after testimony and heard clarifying questions about the volume of recent historic-designation requests and administrative backlogs. Staff said they would provide councilors with additional data on the number of nominations and approvals. The transcript does not record a final council vote to adopt the designation at this meeting; staff had recommended the listing based on prior commission recommendations.