2023 March Preservation ePost

You are invited to join the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) online as we host the 2022 Governor's Historic Preservation Awards. State Historic Preservation Officer Julianne Polanco, and Director of California State Parks Armando Quintero, will present awards to five projects that demonstrate the outstanding achievements in historic preservation taking place throughout California. Awardees will attend the ceremony in-person on March 30, beginning at 1:00pm, in Sacramento, with the public invited to view the entire proceedings via livestream on the OHP Facebook and YouTube sites. Please plan to tune-in as we celebrate exemplary work on behalf of California's heritage!

The recognition of excellence continues with the call for nominations for the 2023 Governor's Historic Preservation Awards. Do you know of a project, organization, agency, or individual whose work exemplifies the best in historic preservation? Now is the time to honor them! Nomination Deadline: May 8, 2023.

OPR Grant Program Accepting Applications

Applications are now being accepted for the Adaptation Planning Grant Program (APGP). The APGP is part of the Integrated Climate Adaptation & Resiliency Program (ICARP) of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). APGP funding supports local, regional, and tribal planning needs, provides communities the resources to identify climate resilience priorities, and supports the development of a pipeline of climate resilient infrastructure projects across the state.

See the AGPG Grant notice for details and to register for upcoming Application Workshops and view recordings of previous workshops.

Deadline for final Round 1 applications: March 31, 2023.

More Grant Opportunities

The National Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with American Express, is accepting nominations and applications for the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program. The public can nominate historic restaurants in their communities for grant consideration. Owners of historic small restaurants can also apply for $40,000 grants to address critical needs and sustain viability.

Deadline for nominations and applications: March 12, 2023.

The National Park Service Tribal Heritage Grant Program is accepting applications to establish tribal historic preservation offices and support the protection and preservation of oral histories, sacred places, and plant and animal species important in cultural traditions.

Deadline for applications: March 29, 2023.

Applications are also being accepted for the California Civil Liberties Grant Program. Grants will support projects that tell the stories and educate the public about civil liberties injustices based on race, national origin, immigration status, religion, or sexual orientation, as well as the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Non-profit organizations, and local, state, and tribal governments are invited to apply.

Deadline for applications: April 14, 2023.

Section 106 Training is Coming to California!

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) has launched their 2023 schedule of Section 106 training courses, and this year they are bringing in-person training to Sacramento. The courses take place in July, hosted by the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) at the new California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) building in downtown Sacramento. Click on the links below to register, and join us in July!

July 12: Section 106 Essentials, 8:30am-4:30pm

"8-hour course for project managers/decision makers, and early-career historic preservation professionals. The course provides an overview of the Section 106 review process, applying it to real world scenarios via small group exercises and knowledge checks."

July 13: Section 106 Agreements Seminar, 8:30am-12:30pm

"4-hour course that builds on the Essentials course. This course addresses how to build consensus and develop agreement documents that can be implemented, and manage consultation and documentation of agreed upon steps to resolve adverse effects in Section 106 reviews of federal undertakings."

Online versions of these courses as well as other ACHP Section 106 training can be found on the ACHP Training and Classroom Training Courses webpages.

Image: California Natural Resources Agency, Sacramento. (Courtesy of Turner Construction Co.)

Designating California!

California is home to a rich history and network of women’s clubs, whose active, forward-thinking members contribute to and help shape the civic life of their local communities as well as California society at large. Many of the club buildings have been preserved and earned historic designation for their historic or architectural significance, or as the work of a master architect, or sometimes for all such distinctions combined. Our featured property this month, the Woman’s Club of Bakersfield, is one of those designated club buildings that remains standing today thanks to the foresight of its club members.

The Woman’s Club of Bakersfield is a two-story, approximately 15,000 square-foot building located in a hybrid residential/commercial neighborhood of Bakersfield, California. The Georgian Revival-style building was constructed in 1921 and features multi-colored English bond brick veneer, an arched entry portico, and double-hung wooden windows. During the early 1920s—a prosperous time for the oil and agricultural industries that dominated Bakersfield—downtown Bakersfield reflected its wealth in its buildings. In 1952, the Bakersfield earthquake devastated the unreinforced masonry building. Unlike other property owners who chose to demolish their damaged buildings, the members of the Woman’s Club elected to repair rather than raze the clubhouse. As a result, the building remains an early and intact example of a purpose-built women’s clubhouse from the 1920s and one of the few pre-war, pre-earthquake commercial buildings in Bakersfield. The Woman’s Club building is also the oldest, extant purpose-built clubhouse in Bakersfield and the earliest known example of a building designed by Charles H. Biggar in California.

The Woman’s Club of Bakersfield continues to be an active presence in the community, operating out of their historic club building, which achieved listing on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2022.

Photo courtesy of the Woman's Club of Bakersfield.

State Historical Resources Commission

The SHRC meets quarterly each year. Commission meetings are open to the public and live-streamed through the Cal-Span network. Meeting dates, times, and agendas are posted to the SHRC Meeting Schedule and Notices page of the OHP website.

For upcoming nominations, visit the Pending Nominations page. Nominations already heard by the Commission are listed on the Actions Taken page, and video recordings of SHRC meetings are posted to the Meeting Recordings & Summaries page.

Learn more about the responsibilities and role of the SHRC.

News, Education, & More

NPS Guidance Document News

The National Park Service (NPS) announces the release of a new guidance document: Before and After Disasters: Guidance for State and Tribal Historic Preservation Leaders on Working with FEMA, NPS, and Other Federal Agencies.

The NPS also is inviting public comment on proposed updates to another guidance document, National Register Bulletin 38: Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Places. Comments can be submitted now through April 30, 2023.

Main Street America Annual Conference is in Boston

Main Street America is holding their annual conference Main Street Now live in Boston, MA, March 27-29, 2023. The conference addresses a variety of topics regarding the preservation, revitalization, and sustainability of historic downtown districts.

CPF 2023 Preservation Conference is Live and Online

Registration is now open for the California Preservation Foundation 2023 Annual Conference “Placekeeping/Placemaking.” Live programming takes place April 19-21 at the Fort Mason Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Online programming airs on April 25-26. Participants can register for one or both options. On-site registration includes full access to all online programming.

TCLF Summer Fellowship Program Accepting Applications

There is still time to apply for the summer fellowship programs of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). Interns will have the opportunity to work alongside TCLF staff in the areas of research, advocacy, and documentation of our nation's cultural landscapes.

Application Deadlines: April 1 and May 1, 2023.

Preservation Fellowship from the NPS and Historic Trades

Applications are now being accepted for the Harrison Goodall Preservation Fellowship. The fellowship is a partnership between the National Park Service, Campaign for Historic Trades, and Preservation Maryland, offering $10,000 to support an innovative project in the field of historic preservation. Preservation professionals and students nationwide are welcome to apply.

Application Deadline: April 3, 2023.

HistoriCorps Announces Spring 2023 Projects

A California project starts off the 2023 Spring Projects season for HistoriCorps. The non-profit organization trains volunteer crews of all ages the hands-on skills of restoring, repairing, and preserving historic resources on public lands. Meals, tools, and campsites are provided.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve: April 16-21, April 23-28, April 30-May 5, and May 7-12.

Online Trainings from NPI

The National Preservation Institute (NPI) is offering a variety of online trainings on all topics and areas of preservation. Both free and for-fee courses are offered.

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