REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 08/21/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT:
Title
REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER SPEAKE ASKING THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ADOPTING A RESOLUTION ACCORDING TO SECTION 17.63.070 OF THE CORONA MUNICIPAL CODE FOR ALL EXISTING HISTORIC MARKERS TO BE LISTED ON THE CORONA REGISTER OF HISTORIC RESOURCES
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to provide direction to staff in preparing a resolution placing historic markers placed by the Corona Historic Preservation Society and Corona History Association on properties within the City on the Corona Register of Historic Resources. According to Section 17.63.070 of the Corona Municipal Code (CMC), the City Council by resolution can place a historic marker meeting the definition in Section 17.63.020(K) on the Corona Register.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council provide direction to staff in preparing a resolution for consideration by the City Council placing all eligible, existing historic markers in the City on the Corona Register of Historic Resources.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Council Member Speake submitted a future agenda item request asking the City Council to discuss the adoption of a resolution that would place existing historic markers placed by the Corona Historic Preservation Society or Corona History Association within the city on the Corona Register of Historic Resources.
Chapter 17.63 of the CMC governs historic resources in the city. This section of the CMC defines the Corona Register as the official list of landmarks and historic districts and all contributing historic resources within historic districts, as adopted by the City Council pursuant to this chapter, and shall be officially known as the Corona Register of Historic Resources. The Corona Register lists the City’s local landmarks and historic districts adopted by resolution of the City Council. According to CMC Section 17.63.040, properties not listed by the City Council but listed on the California or National Register of Historic Resources are automatically deemed listed on the Corona Register.
The Historic Resource Ordinance (Ordinance) further defines a historic marker as a sign, plaque, monument or other symbol, placed by either the City of Corona Historic Preservation Society, for the purpose of recognizing one or more of the following:
(1) Events that have made a significant contribution to the history of Corona, the region, the state or the nation;
(2) Persons significant in Corona’s past;
(3) Examples of distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period or method of construction or a valuable example of the use of materials or craftsmanship;
(4) Special elements of the City’s cultural, social, economic, political, aesthetic, engineering, architectural or natural history;
(5) The work of a notable builder, designer or architect;
(6) Outstanding elements of architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship of a particular historic period;
(7) A unique location or physical characteristic representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood;
(8) An archeological or paleontological site; or
(9) A natural setting or feature that strongly contributes to the well-being of the people of the city. The actual site, improvement or natural feature that is designated by the historic marker may or may not be listed, or may or may not be eligible for listing, on the Corona Register or the Corona Heritage Inventory.
CMC Section 17.63.070 gives the City Council the authority to consider placing a historic marker on the Corona Register by adoption of a resolution.
ANALYSIS:
The Corona Historic Preservation Society (CHPS) provided city staff with an inventory of historic markers placed in the city. CHPS is responsible for placing 24 historic markers within the city. The placement of historic markers requires the approval of the property owner. However, placing the historic marker on the Corona Register does not automatically place the property it represents on the Corona Register as a local landmark. As defined in the Ordinance, a historic marker is a sign, plaque, monument, or other symbol, not a property. For a property to be placed on the Corona Register it must follow the process outlined in CMC Section 17.63.100.
Table 1 identifies the general location of the historic marker and the description of the historic resource it represents.
Table 1
Historic Markers in the City of Corona
|
Marker Number |
Location |
Historic Resource |
Structure Existing |
Property on Corona Register |
|
1 |
815 W. Sixth Street |
Corona High School/Historic Civic Center |
Yes |
Yes, including the National Register |
|
2 |
809 S. Ramona Ave. |
First Congregational Church |
Yes |
Yes |
|
3 |
East Sixth Street and Howard Street |
Marshal G. C. Alexander Murder Site |
N/A |
No |
|
4 |
Tenth Street and Vicentia Avenue |
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School |
Yes |
Yes, including the National Register |
|
5 |
NEC Main Street and Eighth Street |
Corona’s First Fire Station Site |
No |
No |
|
6 |
Block between Ninth and Tenth Streets and Victoria Avenue and Howard Street |
South Riverside and First and Second Lincoln School Site |
Portion of the Second Lincoln School Building (Part of Victoria Park) |
Yes |
|
7 |
224 E. Sixth Street |
Hotel Del Rey |
No (Was dismantled and being reconstructed at Heritage Park) |
No |
|
8 |
800 block of S. Main Street |
Corona’s First Regional Hospital |
No |
No |
|
9 |
1200 block of S. Main Street |
Corona’s First High School |
No |
No |
|
10 |
Grand Blvd., near Washburn Street |
Road Race Start-Finish Line 1913 & 1914 |
N/A |
Yes, Grand Blvd on National Register |
|
11 |
NWC Main Street and Eighth Street |
First Baptist Church |
Yes |
No |
|
12 |
510 W. Foothill Parkway |
Corona Foothill Lemon Company Home Ranch Site |
Yes |
Yes |
|
13 |
150 Depot Drive |
Santa Fe Railroad Depot |
Yes |
No |
|
14 |
1101 Main Street |
Corona Woman’s Improvement Club Clubhouse |
Yes |
Yes, including the National Register |
|
15 |
805 S. Main Street |
Andrew Carnegie Library Site |
No |
Yes, including the National Register |
|
16 |
2750 Rimpau Avenue |
Lemonia Grove |
Yes |
Yes |
|
17 |
1125 Rimpau Avenue |
Corona Cemetery/Sunnyslope Cemetery |
N/A |
Yes |
|
18 |
NEC Sixth Street and Ramona Avenue |
Corona Theater & Landmark Building |
Yes |
No |
|
20 |
1150 W. Tenth Street |
Corona High School #3 |
Yes |
No |
|
21 |
235 N. Joy Street |
Exchange Lemon Products & Sunkist Industrial Site |
No |
No |
|
22 |
1024 Main Street |
American Legion Hall, Post 216 |
Yes |
No |
|
23 |
930 E. Sixth Street |
Historic Municipal Plunge Site |
No |
No |
|
24 |
230 NW Grand Blvd, |
Washington School Site & West Grammer School |
No |
No |
|
25 |
301 S. Main Street |
Pacific Electric Railroad Depot Site |
No |
No |
|
Marker 19 is not located in the city and is not included in the table. |
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this request.
PREPARED BY: JOANNE COLETTA, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Future Agenda Item Request from Council Member Speake