HomeMy WebLinkAboutCED Request to Amend the City of San Rafael's Downtown Precise Plan____________________________________________________________________________________
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
Council Meeting: October 21, 2024
Disposition: Resolution 15351
Agenda Item No: 7.a
Meeting Date: October 21, 2024
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: Community and Economic Development Department
Prepared by: Margaret Kavanaugh-Lynch,
Planning Manager
City Manager Approval: ______________
TOPIC: REQUEST TO AMEND THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL’S DOWNTOWN PRECISE PLAN
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION APROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE DOWNTOWN PRECISE PLAN
TO REMOVE ALL REFERENCES THAT DESIGNATE 1030 THIRD STREET AS AN
ELIGIBLE HISTORIC RESOURCE
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution to approve an amendment to the Downtown
Precise Plan that removes all references designating 1030 Third Street as a historic resource.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Staff recommends that the City Council amend the Downtown Precise Plan (DPP) to remove all
references designating 1030 Third Street as an Eligible Historical Resource. Based on a peer-reviewed
Historic Resource Evaluation included in Attachment 2, City staff have determined that the subject
property does not qualify as a historical resource under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA);
therefore, the DPP and supporting documents should be updated to reflect that fact.
On September 24, 2024, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the
Downtown Precise Plan Amendment to the City Council.
The project is exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guidelines 15061(b)(3), as it can be seen
with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the
environment.
BACKGROUND:
The San Rafael City Council adopted the DPP in August 2021. Opticos Design led the team of consultants
that prepared the DPP. This team included Garavaglia Architecture, Inc., a San Francisco-based
architecture firm specializing in historic preservation. They were charged with gathering information on
the historic resources in the Downtown Precise Plan area. This body of work can be found on the City’s
website. As part of their effort, they identified 1030 Third Street, formerly Wells Fargo (now First Federal
Savings Bank), as an “eligible as an individual resource.” Therefore, the building would be considered a
historical resource under CEQA.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2
In December 2022, Monahan Pacific Corporation contacted the Planning Division regarding the
designation of 1030 Third Street as a historical resource. They objected to the designation and inquired
about the process to challenge it. Staff informed them that under CEQA Guidelines Section
15064.5(a)(2), “[a] resource included in a local register of historical resources, as defined in section
5020.1(k) of the Public Resources Code or identified as significant in a historical resource survey meeting
the requirements section 5024.1(g) of the Public Resources Code, shall be presumed to be historically
or culturally significant. Public agencies must treat any such resource as significant unless the
preponderance of evidence demonstrates that it is not historically or culturally significant.”
Staff further explained that a typical way to demonstrate by a “preponderance of evidence” that a building
is not historically or culturally significant is through the preparation of a Historic Resource Evaluation by
a professional that meets the National Park Service Professional Qualification Standards for Architectural
History. That evaluation must provide sufficient evidence to show that the building does not meet the
Criteria for Designation for the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register).
Monahan Pacific Corporation commissioned a Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by Mark Hulbert,
Preservation Architect, and submitted it to the City in March 2023. That document (Attachment 2)
concluded that the subject property and building at 1030 Third Street were not eligible for the California
Register of Historical Resources (California Register). Therefore, 1030 Third Street was not a potential
historical resource under CEQA. The evaluation was peer-reviewed by City staff who also hold the
credentials listed in the National Park Service Professional Qualification Standards. Based on this
evaluation, City staff agreed to sponsor a Downtown Precise Plan Amendment to remove all references
that designate 1030 Third Street as a historic resource in the Downtown Precise Plan.
ANALYSIS:
Summary of Historic Resource Evaluation
The Historic Resource Evaluation outlines in detail the evidence that 1030 Third Street is not a historic
resource. As stated previously, the evaluation was then peer-reviewed by qualified City staff, and it was
found to be sufficient to remove the site and building(s) from consideration as a historical resource. A
resource must be historically significant at the local, state, or national level under one or more of the
following four California Registry (CR) eligibility criteria specified in Section 5024.1(c) of the Public
Resources Code to be eligible for listing on the California Register (CR). Below is a summary of the
California Register (CR) criterion and Mr. Hulbert’s analysis provided in the evaluation:
1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
California's history and cultural heritage.
In its mid-20th-century commercial development context, 1030 Third St. does not meet CR criterion
1 because there is no development patterns of potential historic importance associated with this
property and its branch bank building. (Attachment 2, page 8)
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important in our past.
During this intensive research effort, it was determined that anonymous banking institutions were
directly associated with the development and ownership of the subject site and its building, but no
specific persons were identifiably associated. Consequently, the subject commercial property and
building do not meet CR criterion 2. (Attachment 2, page 8)
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction or
represents the work of an important creative individual or possesses high artistic values.
The basic and heavily altered building at 1030 Third St. lacks distinctive design and construction
character and characteristics of its type, period, or region, and there are no distinctive methods of
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3
construction. As demonstrated above and based on the defined characteristics of commercial Mid-
century Modern architecture, the 1030 Third St. building exhibits few, and those features are more
typical than distinctive of the style. Therefore, 1030 Third St. has no identifiable design or construction
significance under CR criterion 3. (Attachment 2, pages 8-10)
4. It has yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Relative to potential historical resources, the subject property has not yielded and, at this juncture,
beyond the contents of this report, does not have any potential to yield additional information of any
historical importance. Consequently, 1030 Third St. does not meet CR criterion 4. (Attachment 2,
page 10)
Proposed Amendments to the Downtown Precise Plan
Staff reviewed the Downtown Precise Plan (DPP) and identified the following references in which the
subject property was identified as a historic resource:
Chapter 5:
1. Figure 5.6 on page 111
2. Figure 5.10 on page 115
In addition, there are three references to the subject property in the Downtown San Rafael Precise Plan
Historic Resources Inventory Summary Report (HRISR):
1. Table 4-5: Downtown Core Historic Resources outside of Eligible Districts
2. Table 5-1: Properties Covered by Chapter 5 Fact Sheets or Pending Fact Sheets
3. 1030 Third Street Fact Sheet, pages 5-83
These references are recommended to be amended to clarify that the subject property is not a historical
resource. The figures will be updated in the Downtown Precise Plan to remove the designation.
Furthermore, in the Downtown San Rafael Precise Plan Historic Resources Inventory Summary Report,
the subject property address would be stricken in each Table and removed from the Fact Sheet in the
report.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
The Planning Commission met on September 24, 2024, to discuss this matter, and no members of the
public commented on the item. Notice of the October 21, 2024, City Council hearing for the project was
conducted in accordance with noticing requirements contained in Chapter 14.29 of the Zoning Ordinance.
A Notice of Public Hearing was printed in the Marin IJ newspaper and mailed to all property owners and
occupants within a 300-foot radius of the subject site 15 calendar days before the date of this hearing.
No comments have been received as of the date of this report.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
OPTIONS:
The City Council has the following options to consider on this matter:
1. Approve the amendment of the Downtown Precise Plan based on the facts included in the staff report
and draft resolution.
2. Continue the proposed amendment of the Downtown Precise Plan and request that staff bring back
specific information that the City Council needs to amend the Downtown Precise Plan.
3. Deny the proposed amendment and direct staff to return with a revised Resolution of denial.
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 4
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution to approve an amendment to the Downtown
Precise Plan that removes all references designating 1030 Third Street as a historic resource.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft Resolution
2. 1030 Third St., San Rafael Historic Resource Evaluation – March 4, 2023
RESOLUTION NO. 15351
A RESOLUTION OF THE SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL APPROVING AN
AMENDMENT TO THE DOWNTOWN PRECISE PLAN TO REMOVE ALL REFERENCES TO
1030 THIRD STREET AS A HISTORIC RESOURCE
(APN 011-263-21)
(PLAN24-156/ZO24-001)
WHEREAS, the City of San Rafael adopted the Downtown Precise Plan (the “Plan”) in
August 2021; and
WHEREAS, the Plan established a list of eligible historic resources located in the Plan
area; and
WHEREAS, while the City and its agents diligently performed the task of evaluating
eligible properties and establishing the list of historic resources, there is a process to re-
examine any specific designation; and
WHEREAS, in December 2022, the City was contacted by Monahan Pacific Corporation
regarding the designation of the structure located at 1030 Third Street, San Rafael,
California (the “Property”) as an eligible individual historical resource within the Plan;
and
WHEREAS, Monahan Pacific Corporation asserted that the Property should not be
listed as an eligible individual resource within the Plan and retained the services of Mark
Hulbert, a qualified Preservation Architect to prepare a historic resource evaluation of
the Property (“Historic Resource Evaluation”); and
WHEREAS, the Historic Resource Evaluation evaluated the Property and concluded
that the Property should not be listed as an eligible individual resource within the Plan;
and
WHEREAS, qualified City staff peer-reviewed the Historic Resource Evaluation and
concurred with its conclusion; and
WHEREAS, to ensure the Plan is accurately implemented and applied, the City desires
to amend the Plan to remove the Property from the list of eligible individual resources;
and
WHEREAS, the proposed amendment is “not a project” pursuant to the California
Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because removal of the designation will have
neither a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect impact on the environment. Even if
the proposed amendment were to be considered a project under CEQA, it would be
exempt from CEQA because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that
the amendment may have a significant effect on the environment; and
WHEREAS, on September 24, 2024, the Planning Commission held a duly -noticed
public hearing where it considered the proposed amendment and voted to recommend
approval of the amendment by the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City has complied with all noticing requirements for the proposed
amendment, including a notice of public hearing that was printed in the newspaper and
mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 300 -foot radius of the subject site
15 calendar days prior to the date of this hearing; and
WHEREAS, the custodian of documents that constitute the record of proceedings upon
which this decision is based is the Community and Economic Development Department.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby finds, determines
and resolves as follows:
1. The proposed amendment is “not a project” pursuant to the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”) because removal of the designation will have neither a direct or
reasonably foreseeable indirect impact on the environment. Even if the proposed
amendment were to be considered a project under CEQA, it would be exempt from
CEQA because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the
amendment may have a significant effect on the environment. No development is
proposed for the Property at this time.
2. The proposed amendment is in the best interest of public safety, health and welfare,
and will promote public health, safety and welfare by refining the scope and application
of the Downtown Precise Plan to more accurately reflect field conditions.
3. The proposed amendment is consistent with the objectives, goals, policies and
regulations of the Downtown Precise Plan, and the 2050 General Plan.
4. The City Council hereby approves the removal of the “eligible individual resource”
and “historic resource” designation from 1030 Third Street throughout the Downtown
Precise Plan as follows, and directs staff to make conforming changes throughout the
Downtown Precise Plan and associated documents to reflect the amendment:
a. Downtown Precise Plan Figure 5.6 – Update Figure 5.6 to remove the “eligible
as an individual resource” designation from the site generally indicated at the
location of 1030 Third Street
b. Downtown Precise Plan Figure 5.10 – Update Figure 5.10 to remove the
“eligible as an individual resource” designation from the site generally indicated
at the location of 1030 Third Street
c. Downtown Precise Plan Historic Resources Inventory Summary Report:
i. Table 4-5 – Strike 1030 Third Street
ii. Table 5-1 – Strike 1030 Third Street
iii. Remove 1030 Third Street Fact Sheet (pp. 5-83)
I, LINDSAY LARA, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing
Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the
City Council of the City of San Rafael, held on Monday, the 21st day of October 2024, by
the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers: Bushey, Hill, Kertz, Llorens Gulati & Mayor Kate
NOES: Councilmembers: None
ABSENT: Councilmembers: None
_________________
Lindsay Lara, City Clerk
446 17th Street #302 Oakland CA 94612
510.418.0285 mhulbert@earthlink.net
March 4, 2023
1030 Third St., San Rafael
Historic Resource Evaluation
This report provides an historical evaluation of the commercial property and building located at the
above address. The purpose of this evaluation effort is to determine if the subject property and its
buildings do or do not qualify as historic resources under the California Register of Historical
Resources criteria as per the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
This historical evaluation effort is based on site visits to record extant conditions, including of the
subject property’s setting and related downtown properties; building permit research at the City of
San Rafael; telephone directory searches (@loc.org); general and specific architectural research;
and the review of prior records for the subject and related properties.
Evaluation Summary
As detailed herein, the subject property and building have previously been evaluated for historic
resource potential. However, its re-evaluation is warranted by inaccuracies in the prior record and
which the focused historical documentation presented herein clarifies and develops.
As concluded herein, based on the preponderance of evidence, the subject property and building at
1030 Third St. in San Rafael is not eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources (CR) so
is not a potential historic resource for planning purposes under CEQA. In sum, under the four CR
eligibility criteria:
1. In its mid-20th century commercial development context, there are no development patterns of
any potential historic importance associated with this property and its branch bank building.
2. Anonymous banking institutions were directly associated with the development and ownership of
the subject site and its building, but to which no specific persons were identifiably associated.
3. The basic and heavily altered building at 1030 Third St. lacks distinctive design and construction
character and characteristics of its type, period and region, and there are no distinctive methods
of construction.
While the building was designed by an architectural firm of identifiable historic importance, in the
context of the work of John Carl Warnecke and Associates, the subject branch bank building is a
negligible representation. As documented herein, it is also unarguable that the extant building
has been substantially and very visibly altered from the original mid-20th century work so is
therefore neither a distinctive nor representative example of the Warnecke firm.
4. Relative to potential historical resources, the subject property has not yielded and at this
juncture, beyond the contents of this report, does not have any potential to yield additional
information of any historical importance.
Summary Description (figs.1-3, 4-8)
Located at the northeast corner of Third and A streets in downtown San Rafael, the subject parcel
(APN 011-263-21) houses a 1963-64 Wells Fargo branch bank building on its southern third. The
1030 THIRD ST., SAN RAFAEL
MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P2
remainder of the generous parcel (approximately 150 feet wide [east-west] by 150-200 feet deep
[north-south]) is an open and moderately landscaped parking lot with vehicular access points at its
southeast and northwest corners.
The 1030 Third St. building is a rectangular plan structure, its first floor some 115 feet wide (east-
west) by 57 feet deep (east-west), with a flat roof that overhangs the first story and a partial second
story that sits atop the roof plane with substantial setbacks south and north. The single-story building
has an exposed concrete post-and-beam frame that subdivides the walls into 5 equal bays
lengthwise and 2-1/2 bays deep.
First story exterior walls consist of either concrete panels with exposed aggregate or plain stucco
(“Dryvit”) plus a range of windows, some vertically oriented, others horizontal bands, all with
projecting, bullnosed and stuccoed window sills. Entry doors are located at the south, from Third St.
and north, from the parking lot, the former including a revolving door alongside a single, glazed entry
door, the latter a pair of glazed doors. The south entry has a broad set of concrete steps that rise up
from the sidewalk. At the north door, a circular opening in the roof is capped with a domed skylight
with a weathervane.
Above the concrete roof plane, the partial second story, also flat-roofed, has walls that are slightly
canted and that consist of metal panels with battened seams, with 5 regularly spaced, vertically
oriented openings north and south plus another opening centered in the east wall. At the northeast
corner of the second floor is a half-height mechanical screen of matching metal panels.
Planting beds edge the narrow south and west sides of the building. An entry drive and several
parking spaces lie in the narrow eastern setback between the building and the property line. To the
north, the generous site is predominately asphalt paved parking with concrete walks and several
minor, concrete-curbed planting beds.
Stylistically, 1030 Third St. is a Midcentury Modern building, identified by its low, horizontal form and
concrete post-and-beam frame with a flat and deeply overhanging roof plane. The original building
walls had larger and more numerous windows set within a vertical grid of concrete wall panels with
an exposed stone aggregate finish.
Summary History
The following summarizes the recent history of the subject property and its extant building.
The 1030 Third St. site and building were permitted for construction for a Wells Fargo Bank in 1963,
shortly prior to which the parcel was occupied by five store buildings, one on Third St. and the others
on A St., and which were presumably removed for the 1963-64 development. Designed and
constructed for Wells Fargo by San Francisco architects John Carl Warnecke and Associates and
San Rafael contractors Spiliotis and Company, the subject building was operated as a Wells Fargo
branch until 1987 when it was converted to a First Federal Savings. In that duration of time, a wide
range of exterior changes were made to the building, as further described below. The building was in
turn operated by First Federal until 2021. At this juncture, the former branch bank building is vacant.
Though no original drawings or photos have been located, current research included the acquisition
of City of San Rafael permit records that retain a partial set of 1987 permit plans. Based thereon,
identifiable and, up to 1987, cumulative exterior alterations included:
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P3
• Additions at the front (south) and northwest corner (1966), which additions removed original
exterior walls and windows.
• Addition at west side (1980) for automatic teller, since altered.
• Infill of former entrance opening at the west side, north corner (1966).
• All original entry doors removed and replaced (1987), including the addition of the revolving
south entry door.
• Addition of the domed skylight at north entry (1987).
• All original windows at first story, including original drive-up windows (at north side), removed
and replaced (1987).
• Original unpainted, exposed aggregate concrete wall panels painted (1987).
• Replaced all original exterior lighting and signage, parking and site circulation (1987).
• Added a new roof layer atop the existing (c2021, which new layer is visible and deepens the
original roof profile).
Additionally, there is some potential that the extant south entry from Third St. was added, as the
building likely had its primary entrance at its northwest corner from both the parking lot and street.
The original drive-thru banking, removed in the 1980s, may also have included a structural
component then removed.
Even without those two possible changes, the building exterior has been heavily altered. Well over
50% of the original first story exterior has been removed, replaced and added to, including all doors
and windows. Original windows were evidently more numerous and full height, replaced with fewer
and smaller windows with bullnosed sills and plastered aprons and/or solid plaster walls. This extent
of primary alterations is delineated in the attached elevations based on the 1987 permit drawings
(fig.9) along with existing conditions photos (figs.10-16).
In sum, what remains visible of the original building exterior is: its concrete posts and roof slab; a
range of the original exposed aggregate concrete wall panels (which were certainly unpainted yet
those that remain have all been painted); and the mansarded second story (presumably metal and
also repainted), including its windows and vents. Many of the alterations, specifically the domed,
cylindrical and rounded features of the extant building are anathema to and divergent from its
original, strictly orthogonal modern style, as was the overall repainting that further obscured what
remained of the original architecture.
Architects
The 1963-64 Wells Fargo branch bank was designed by John Carl Warnecke and Associates. While
there is a great amount of documentation on that architectural firm, there are no architectural
monographs that provide an overview of the firm’s history and projects. The one unique document
that has been referenced is a promotional brochure for the firm, with a cover imprinted “John Carl
Warnecke & Associates,” otherwise unpaginated and undated yet evidently from the late 1970s, and
which provides background information for the firm and its then leadership, including John Carl
Warnecke, summarizes the full range of projects types, and highlights a number of projects with
photos and data.1 This brochure is referenced herein as JCW&A Brochure.
1 Printed, unbound copy available at University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design,
Environmental Design Library, NA737.W3.J6.
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John Carl Warnecke and Associates is recognized as an important 20th century planning and
architecture firm, most pertinently in the modern architectural context statement prepared by the City
of San Francisco (hereafter SF Modern).2 That reputation is based on numerous, large scale
planning projects and high-profile civic design projects, which primary work is summarized in the
following profile of the firm (from JCW&A Brochure):
John Carl Warnecke and Associates gained its early reputation for excellence with its designs for
schools, colleges, and universities. The firm then achieved national recognition through major
commissions such as the American Embassy in Bangkok in 1956, the Hawaii State Capitol in 1960,
and the design of Lafayette Square, awarded by President Kennedy in 1962. To serve these new
clients, the firm opened offices in Honolulu and Washington, D.C. In 1966, a major office was
opened in New York. This office has grown to become one of the largest offices in the East. Today
John Carl Warnecke and Associates, with offices on both coasts, is engaged with important
commissions throughout the country.
In SF Modern, two of Warnecke’s San Francisco projects are identified: the Golden Gate Federal
Building (1959) and the Hilton Hotel Tower (1971). Curiously yet tellingly, a headquarters building for
the Great Western Savings Bank in downtown SF (1968) goes unmentioned though it is one of the
individual project examples in the JCW&A Brochure.
In Marin County, in addition to the subject branch bank building, several other Warnecke projects are
identifiable, including a master plan and dormitories for the SF Theological Seminary in San
Anselmo (1957-1960) and the public housing complex in Marin City (1960), both of which were
collaborations. A third was a private residence in Sausalito (1962).
Individually, several federal projects in Washington D.C. are what primarily distinguish the Warnecke
firm, which projects are also cited in SF Modern: the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame Memorial
Gravesite, Arlington, VA (1967); and the Lafayette Square Renovation, Washington, D.C. (1969).
Each of the other citations are large scale civic projects, including the Hawaii State Capitol Building
(1960) and the U.S. Embassy, Thailand (1957). Otherwise, s a part of their focus on school and
campus planning and design, the Warnecke firm also produced many planning and design studies
and buildings for John Carl Warnecke’s alma mater, Stanford University.
John Carl Warnecke and Associates were a prolific planning and architectural firm with national
reach and output along with a primary office in San Francisco. As noted, their reputation is based on
early school buildings followed by larger scale plans and designs as well as important federal
projects.
In this context, the range of local branch bank buildings produced by the Warnecke firm in the early
to mid-1960s are of negligible interest. In the JCW&A Brochure, 1 project page out of 32 lists their
bank experience spanning the years 1952-1968. Of 19 completed bank projects, 11 were Wells
Fargo branch banks in California, all completed between 1964 and 1965. Of those buildings, at least
7 remain, inclusive of the San Rafael branch. Per the JCW&A Brochure, none of their banks
received architectural awards. None of the Warnecke firm’s branch banks were published either
individually or typologically. All were a typical project type and standard practice for many
architectural firms in the post-WWII era, as exemplified by a 1963 statement about bank
2 Mary Brown, San Francisco City and County Planning Department. San Francisco Modern Architecture and
Landscape Design 1935-1970: Historic Context Statement, September 30, 2010, pp.250-251.
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P5
architecture, which concluded that “…a large number of banks are being constructed today; and
nearly every architectural office finds itself, sooner or later, with a commission for a bank.”3
Excepting a 1967 computer center and office building in Oakland, the Warnecke firm was not
enlisted for Wells Fargo’s more prestigious commissions – their headquarters or large regional office
buildings in San Jose (arch. Edward Durrell Stone, LA and NY, 1965, extant), San Francisco (arch.
John Graham & Co., Seattle, 1967, extant) and Sacramento (arch. Henry J. Devine, Inc.,
Sacramento, 1967, demolished[?]).
Historic Context – Mid-20th Century Branch Banks
Branch banks were a ubiquitous U.S. and California building type in the mid-20th century.
Underscoring their ubiquity, in SF Modern, Midcentury Modern bank buildings and supermarkets
together received a typological and stylistic description.4 As succinctly summarized therein: “The
post-World War II building boom fueled the re-birth of the banking sector and led to a competitive,
mass-market industry. As banks aggressively pursued new customers, the prevailing view of bank
architecture shifted again with bank design attempting to emulate modern retail storefronts, including
large expanses of plate glass.”
Under this context, locally, in 1963, downtown San Rafael had 6 branch banks, Mill Valley 4, San
Anselmo 3 and overall, Marin County had some 30 branch banks. In the SF Bay Area as a whole,
these quantities were exponential. And many more would be constructed over the subsequent
decade. For example, even in Oakland, with its challenged socio-economics of that period, there
were 12 branch banks constructed between 1961 and 1975. That branch banks reproduced so
regularly is evidence of banking competition in the post-WWII American boom as well as the
capacity of banking institutions in the capitalist realm of opportunistic property acquisition.
Historic Context – Mid-20th Century Modern Architecture
Mid-20th century branch bank buildings were all in a modern design style, most if not all by
architects, many by known architects, some buildings and their architects somewhat more traditional
modern, others strictly modern, as modern design was then the norm. Thus, the developmental
context of the subject and directly related branch bank buildings is mid-20th century commercial
design and construction.
Relative to which, SF Modern provides the most complete and useful contextual information for
regional modern planning, architecture and landscape architecture. Therein, the most applicable
design style relative to the subject and related group of branch bank buildings is the Midcentury
Modern style. While the Corporate Modern style is also in part applicable, the subject branch banks
are commercial, not corporate. Neither do these small, local buildings exhibit the typically vertical,
sleek, curtain-walled and/or glass-boxed design and construction characteristics of the
Corporate/Miesian Modern style. Were such branch bank buildings glazed pavilions under floating
roofs, then the Corporate/Miesian Modern style would apply, but they are not. Consequently, the
Midcentury Modern architectural style is the most applicable.
3 From George T. Pierce Jr., FAIA, “Comprehensive Architectural Practice – Bank Building,” in the Journal of the
American Institute of Architects, May 1963, p.77.
4 SF Modern, pp.122-125.
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Per SF Modern, “Midcentury Modern and late interpretations of the International Style were the
primary styles applied to everyday residential, commercial, and institutional buildings.” 5
Character-Defining Features:6
1. Projecting eaves and exposed rafters
2. Cantilevered overhangs
3. Flat, shed or low-pitched gable roof forms
4. Vaulted roofs and overhangs
5. Articulated primary facades
6. Stucco, wood (often vertical), or corrugated siding
7. Stacked Roman brick or stone often used as accent material
8. Expressed post and beam construction
9. Strong right angles and simple cubic forms
10. Projecting vertical elements
11. Large steel- or wood-framed windows
12. Canted windows
13. Painted finish is often stained, earth tone, or brightly colored
14. Projecting boxes that enframe the upper stories
15. Atrium or courtyard entryways
16. Overhanging trellises, sunshades, and pergolas
Of these 16 characteristic features, the 1030 Third St. building fully exhibits three (2, 8, 9) and
partially exhibits two (1, 3).
Evaluation
The subject property and its building were previously evaluated for historic resource potential when
they were documented in a May 2021 Historic Resource Inventory of a partial range of downtown
San Rafael resources.7 That effort assigned potential historical significance to the 1030 Third St.
building based on its modern design and found that the building is “probable [sic] eligible as
landmark, designed bv John Carl Warnecke.” A supplemental note to that inventory record further
concluded that “the building is eligible for the NRHP as an example of Modern Commercial
Architecture and the work of a Master.” The prior recordation was also supplemented by State of CA
Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) historical inventory forms, dated 2020, and which was a
part of the 2020-2021 downtown inventory.8 It is therein that the 1030 Third St. building is identified
as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places on the bases of its Commercial Modern
architecture along with its architect, John Carl Warnecke, and with the following range of character
defining features (without reference to any typological standards):
• Flat concrete roof with wide extending eaves
• Penthouse with slanting sides
• Copper siding on penthouse
• Interspersed vertical and long horizontal windows on all facades
5 SF Modern, pp.115-116.
6 SF Modern, pp.181-182.
7 City of San Rafael, Downtown San Rafael Precise Plan: Historic Resources Inventory Summary Report, May 2021,
p.5-83.
8 Garavaglia Architecture, Inc.; Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) forms 523A & 523 B, 1030 Third Street;
June 30, 2020, 7 pages (@https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/downtown-historic-preservation/)
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P7
• Revolving entrance door
• Wide, low concrete steps
In addition to significance findings, the prior evaluation record noted that the resource “appears to
retain integrity, further study needed.” Such commentary suggested that, in the context of a
downtown survey, the subject resource was not fully researched and evaluated. While a set of DPR
forms was simultaneously prepared, that documentation is cursory and provides minimal factual
evidence about the extant building.
While the prior evaluation stated that the “composition of elements that constitute the form, plan,
space, structure, and style of the building are unaltered; therefore, the building retains integrity of
design;” and that the “building’s integrity of materials and workmanship is evident in the survival of
exterior architectural features,” the building has in fact been substantially altered, both interior and
exterior, the latter the focus of historical potential. As summarized above, 1030 Third St. was altered
in 1982 and even more extensively in 1987, which alterations fall outside any potential historical
period. Several earlier alterations, which were not completed with the Warnecke firm, are also
without any potential importance.
Those identifiable alterations were not addressed in the 2020-21 evaluations, nor is there evidence
that the permit history was researched. In the 2020 DPR forms, while identified as character defining
features, the interspersed vertical and long horizontal windows on all facades and the revolving
entrance door were later alterations. The front (south) entry stairs were assumed to also be original,
yet there is the possibility that that entry was added in the 1980s, as the original building entry was
likely at its northwest corner and the 3 central bays of the south elevation each glazed. Another
identified feature is the copper clad penthouse, which material is not copper. Additionally, the
domed, cylindrical and rounded features added to the building go unnoticed in the inventory record,
curiously so, since those forms are anathema to the original modern architectural style. Moreover,
the principal characteristics of the original building is its concrete post-and-beam structure with
exposed aggregate wall panels, whereas the only mention of concrete in the evaluation record is the
“concrete roof.” Altogether, the only extant feature that was accurately identified as character-
defining is the penthouse with its slanted wall.
Other discrepancies in the DPR forms – which are recorded as “intensive” but inhabited by boiler
plate information irrelevant to the specific resource and which unedited, cut-and-paste quality carries
through the document – include:
• The architect is identified as John Carl Warnecke, rather than, more accurately, John Carl
Warnecke and Associates.
• More substantively, Warnecke is also attributed as the builder, whereas the Warnecke firm were
planners and architects, not contractors (who were clearly identified in the original permit
records).
• The References section has no citations specific to this resource while having included an
assessment record for a residential property under a different parcel number.
• The Location Map is for a different property.
• The Evaluation section refers to a “house” and a “residence,” not a commercial building.
• It also appears that the evaluators depended on remote images of the property rather than field
work, as each of the published photos are Google Earth, further explaining some of the simple
discrepancies.
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P8
In sum, the record demonstrates inaccuracy and yet, based thereon, the subject building is currently
considered an historic resource by the City of San Rafael. Per the Historical Resources Guidelines
under the California Public Resources Code: “… an historical resource is a resource listed in, or
determined to be eligible for listing in, the California Register of Historical Resources. Historical
resources included in a local register of historical resources… are presumed to be historically or
culturally significant for purposes of this section, unless the preponderance of the evidence
demonstrates that the resource is not historically or culturally significant” (from sec. 21084.1).
Given the prior cursory evaluation and its inaccuracies, the current effort readdresses the subject
resource based on focused documentation and evaluation. To be eligible for listing on the California
Register (CR), a resource must be historically significant at the local, state, or national level, under
one or more of the following four CR eligibility criteria, each of which are listed and thereafter
addressed:
1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
California's history and cultural heritage.
In its mid-20th century commercial development context, there are no development patterns of
any potential historic importance associated with this property and its branch bank building, so
1030 Third St. does not meet CR criterion 1.
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important in our past.
In the course of this intensive research effort, anonymous banking institutions were directly
associated with the development and ownership of the subject site and its building, but to which
no specific persons were identifiably associated. Consequently, the subject commercial property
and building do not meet CR criterion 2.
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or
represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values.
The basic and heavily altered building at 1030 Third St. lacks distinctive design and construction
character and characteristics of its type, period or region, and there are no distinctive methods of
construction. As demonstrated above and based on the defined characteristics of commercial
Midcentury Modern architecture, the 1030 Third St. building exhibits few and which features are
more typical than distinctive of the style.
Also per SF Modern, based on the firm’s design output, John Carl Warnecke is appropriately
listed under International Style architects (p188). The rigid design of 1030 Third St. verges on
that style, yet its small scale and material effects differ.
For John Carl Warnecke and Associates, 1030 Third St. was one of a dozen such commissions
by Wells Fargo Bank in the early 1960s, alongside a few other small branch banks of the same
period. Of those, some seven are readily identified as surviving (figs.17-20). No two are the
same designs though they are all low, rectangular plan commercial buildings with concrete
frames infilled with concrete wall panels and relatively generous full-height windows along with
deeply overhanging concrete roofs. A number have popped-up second stories set in a surround
of hipped roofs. All appear to have or have had corner entries. Given their period, all necessarily
1030 THIRD ST., SAN RAFAEL
MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P9
had parking lots and each originally had drive-up banking lanes and windows, which were
covered in some form
Of these directly related projects, the closest design resemblance to 1030 Third St. is the
Mountain View branch (fig.21-22). Though its roof overhangs are more shallow and there is no
second story pop-up, the exposed post-and-beam concrete frame, walls of panelized concrete
and concrete roof are the same. The exposed aggregate wall panels and full height windows of
the Mountain View example also appear less altered so, by comparison, that example
demonstrates the original versus altered exterior of 1030 Third St., in contrast to which each of
the other examples also retain their more generously glazed exteriors. While it appears that
these surviving, early 1960s Wells Fargo branches have been altered and added to, even then,
most appear to be better examples of the Midcentury Modern genre by simply being more
original than 1030 Third St.
Altogether, the range of early 1960s branch banks attributed to the Warnecke firm are
Midcentury Modern commercial building designs, some more rigidly modern and others more
suburban-ranch-like, the differences simply depending on their rooflines.
Those branch banks are not collectively or individually unique or distinctive works of period
architecture. They are typical examples of a building type and design typical of the 1960s. As
demonstrated, many examples exist including in San Rafael, in particular the former Crocker
Bank (now Wells Fargo) at 1203 Fourth St. (fig.23) and which also dates to 1964 (Robert W.
Severin, arch.), which extant building visually demonstrates far more intact and better Midcentury
Modern attributes (1203 Fourth has been historically evaluated, at least in part, yet without
conclusive information or determination). Finally, there is another Midcentury Modern building in
central San Rafael, the extant design qualities of which far exceed the 1030 Third St. building –
San Rafael’s City Hall (1966, San Rafael Associated Architects), which association included the
aforementioned Robert W. Severin9 and which building distinctively employs an actual copper
mansard roof treatment (fig.24) – yet that building has apparently not been historically evaluated.
While John Carl Warnecke and Associates are historically recognized modern architects, the
firm’s range of bank buildings, especially their small commercial branch banks, are not their
claim to fame. The basis of their fame is their prominent, large-scale International Style planning,
architectural and landscape architectural commissions.
While the building was designed by an architectural firm of unequivocal historic importance, in
the context of the work of John Carl Warnecke and Associates, the subject branch bank building
is a negligible representation. It is also unarguable that the extant building has been substantially
and very visibly altered from the original mid-20th century work so is therefore neither a
distinctive nor representative example of the Warnecke firm.
Other architects/designers associated with the subsequent alteration projects included Keith
Johnson (1982) and Andrew James Ring (1987). Neither of those architects are of any potential
historical importance. Additionally, both cumulatively altered the original design.
9 Per the existing City Hall plaque, San Rafael Associated Architects consisted of Carl F. Gromme, Ralph B.
Priestley, George W. Banning, Felix M. Warburg, Eugene E. Crawford, Gordon A. Phillips and Robert W. F.
Severin.
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P10
Further, there is no identified landscape architects or any landscape design of any potential
historical importance, and the site and its building do not embody any artistic intent or artistry.
Therefore, 1030 Third St. has no identifiable design or construction significance under CR
criterion 3.
4. It has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
Relative to potential historical resources, the subject property has not yielded and at this
juncture, beyond the contents of this report, does not have any potential to yield additional
information of any historical importance (and pre-history is not a part of this historical evaluation
effort). Consequently, 1030 Third St. does not meet CR criterion 4.
Conclusion
The subject building at 1030 Third St. in San Rafael does not meet any CR criterion so lacks
potential historical significance and is, therefore, not an historic resource for the purposes of CEQA.
Signed:
Mark Hulbert
Preservation Architect
attached: Figs.1-24 (pp.11-21); copies of permit records (10pp.); MH professional qualifications (3pp.)
1030 THIRD ST., SAN RAFAEL
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Fig.1 – 1030 Third St. (highlighted) – Location aerial (Google Earth, 2022, north is up)
Fig.2 – 1030 Third St. (highlighted) – Site aerial (Google Earth, 2022, north is up)
FOURTH STREET
THIRD STREET
A ST
RE
E
T
THIRD STREET
A ST
RE
E
T
HW
Y
.
1
0
1
DOWNTOWN
SAN RAFAEL
SECOND STREET
FOURTH STREET
C ST
RE
E
T
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P12
Fig.3 – 1030 Third St. (highlighted) – from Assessor’s Parcel Map
Fig.4 – 1030 Third St. – South side from Third St. (Google Earth, 2021)
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P13
Fig.5 – 1030 Third St. – West side from A St. (figs.5-8, MH 2022)
Fig.6 – 1030 Third St. – East side from Third St.
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Fig.7 – 1030 Third St. – North side from A St.
Fig.8 – 1030 Third St. – East and north side from site
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Fig.9 – 1030 Third St. – Primary cumulative exterior changes shaded in blue (from 1987 permit drawings,
Andrew James Ring III, arch.)
North Elevation
East Elevation
West Elevation
South Elevation
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P16
Fig.10 – 1030 Third St. – South addition (figs.10-15, MH 2022)
Fig.11 – 1030 Third St. – South entry alteration and addition
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P17
Fig.12 – 1030 Third St. – South wall alterations
Fig.13 – 1030 Third St. – North entry
and roof alterations
Fig.14 – 1030 Third St. – West side addition and
entry alteration
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MHPA – HR EVAL – 030423 – P18
Fig.15 – 1030 Third St. – North side addition
Fig.16 – 1030 Third St. – North side alterations
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Fig.17 – Wells Fargo Bank, Belmont
(figs.16-22 - John Carl Warnecke and Associates, arch., 1964 - Google Earth 2022)
Fig.18 – Wells Fargo Bank, Chico
Fig.19 – Wells Fargo Bank, Saratoga
Fig.20 – Wells Fargo Bank, Warm Springs
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Fig.21-22 – Wells Fargo Bank, Mountain View
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Fig.23 – Crocker Bank (current Wells Fargo), San Rafael (Robert W. Severin, arch., 1964 - MH 2022)
Fig.24 – San Rafael City Hall (San Rafael Architects Associated, 1966 - MH 2022)