Duboce Park faces vote on Historic District

It may be obvious to deem the houses near Duboce Park as hella old, but San Francisco’s Historic Preservation Commission is hoping to officially establish the area as a historical landmark.

The Historic Preservation Commission will vote Wednesday about whether or not to change the Duboce Park neighborhood to the Duboce Park Historic District, making it the 12th historic district in The City.

The historic area is made up of roughly four street blocks with a total of 89 historically significant properties — most built before the 1906 earthquake — that border Duboce Park. More than half the homes in the area were constructed by Fernando Nelson, one of San Francisco’s most prolific builders, best known for his Victorian-style designs.

Many of the proposed historic buildings were built from 1899 to 1905. This short period led to the neighborhood’s uniformity and prevalence of Victorian and Edwardian houses. Planning Commission documents state:

“Specifically, the District represents a noteworthy grouping of turn-of-the-century buildings exhibiting late-Victorian and Edwardian era styles characteristic of San Francisco. Common traits found throughout the district are bay windows, decorative cornices, ornamental shingles, and spindle work, as well as more classically influenced detailing such as dentils, pediments, columns, and applied plaster ornament.”

If the Historic Preservation Commission agrees to name the Duboce Park area as a historic district, it would then face approval by the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.

Once buildings are designated as historic, architectural features would be protected from being changed. Homeowners could also expect certain tax cuts and a possible increase in their property value, according to the Planning Commission.