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Chair: Monica Morse | Committee: Annemarie Conroy, Patricia Duff, Julia Paige
Contact: historicdistrict@ithasf.org
Help Preserve Ingleside Terraces
Support Ingleside Terraces’ application to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contributions are tax deductible.
What We Do
What We Do
In 2008, Ingleside Terraces Homes Association (ITHA) began the work to apply to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ITHA Historic District Special Committee was formed in March 2024 to move the work forward, in partnership with SF Heritage.
SF Heritage is a 501(c)3 California nonprofit corporation with a mission to preserve and enhance San Francisco's unique architectural and cultural identity. SF Heritage is acting as the fiscal sponsor for Ingleside Terraces' Historic District application, providing administrative services like accepting funds and paying invoices. All donations are tax deductible. Also, donations can go farther with matching gifts from employers. Learn more.
Map Image Courtesy of www.sfog.us
We have retained Page & Turnbull, an established architectural consulting firm with extensive experience and expertise in historic architecture, to help prepare the necessary report and supporting documentation. Page & Turnbull, with the help of Ingleside Terraces volunteers, has documented details about every property and feature in Ingleside Terraces, including the property’s architectural style, architect, age and modification history. Page & Turnbull has assessed the period of historic significance of Ingleside Terraces, determined the boundaries of the district, defined the architectural elements that make it historic, and determined which resources contribute to the architectural integrity of the historic district.
What is the National Register of Historic Places?
The National Register lists places worthy of preservation because of their significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. California resources listed in the National Register are automatically listed in the California Register of Historical Resources.
Why is Ingleside Terraces historic?
SF Planning considers Ingleside Terraces eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources (Category A: Historic resource present). Ingleside Terraces was established in 1911 by architect and developer Joseph A. Leonard. Today, it is one of the most intact examples of a garden residence park in San Francisco, with properties in the architectural style of Craftsman, Prairie, Mediterranean Revival, Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival styles designed by many of San Francisco’s notable early architects. Based on extensive research by historic architectural firm, Page & Turnbull, has determined the period of historical significance to be from 1911 - 1937.
90 Cedro. San Francisco Landmark #213
Photo Courtesy www.sfog.us
What is the value to Ingleside Terraces' property owners?
It protects your property rights. Historic district designation retains your control over changes to your home and neighborhood. It means proposed projects will still require neighborhood meetings and allow comments from the public. Without designation, new state housing laws do away with routine city review and your right to express your views or comment on multifamily construction in your neighborhood.
This historic designation will empower SF Planning to ensure the impact reviews happen. SF Planning has designated us as “eligible” and this designation will clarify it for them, for future developers who want to change the character of our neighborhood without respect for our community.
In addition, contributing homes have access to tax benefits through a program called the Mills Act which affords homeowners the ability to deduct some home improvements costs property taxes. Click for more details on preservation incentives.
Finally, this designation recognizes our historical significance for and within San Francisco. Our neighborhoods – like the other garden residence parks - are important to San Francisco.
What is the impact on Ingleside Terraces' property owners?
Today, ITHA already works to maintain the character of our historic neighborhood through rigorous architectural design reviews and input to SF Planning.
If Ingleside Terraces becomes listed on the National Register of Historic Places, property owners only need to maintain the character of the exterior architecture that’s visible from the sidewalk and street, and are still able to make changes on the interior and remodel.
In addition, there’s an extensive list of work that doesn’t need approval from the Historic Preservation Commission which simplifies many projects.
Finally, we get a lot of questions about replacing wood windows with vinyl windows. This designation does not change the existing guidance from SF Planning. Today, SF's planning code generally prohibits vinyl windows from replacing wood windows that are visible from the street in historic or eligible historic buildings to preserve the neighborhood character and appearance of buildings. More practically, in historic properties, vinyl windows often require adjustments to original window casements to fit and may devalue the property value.
What if a property has had material exterior changes since it was built?
This application is for the entire Ingleside Terraces district. Page & Turnbull has assessed and determined which properties are “contributing” or “not contributing” to the integrity of the historic district.
A contributing property or resource is any building, object, or structure which either adds to the historical integrity of the district or has architectural qualities that make the historic district significant. Modifications of non-contributing resources in a historic district are subject to review to ensure they don't harm the district's historic character.
For Ingleside Terraces, properties built outside the period of significance (1911- 1937) and/or which have had significant material changes to their original exterior design are not considered contributing.
Can a building in a historic district be demolished?
Yes, a building in a historic district can be demolished. However, if designated, the process would require notifying neighbors, assessing the impact on the historic district and presenting an alternative to demolition. This also does not prevent additional multi-story, multi-unit buildings being built in our historic district and replacing our historic homes. State & City legislation already upzoned Ingleside Terraces from a single family home neighborhood to allow for four and six-story (on corner lots) multi-unit buildings. It would, however, require neighbors to once again be notified and the impact to be evaluated of major additions, demolition and construction of new buildings on the integrity of the historic district.
Could our application be denied?
Could our application be denied?
As with any application, there is a possibility our request for designation could be denied. However, we are confident that our application to be listed will be successful given our existing Category A status as an eligible historic resource and inclusion in SF Planning’s Residence Parks Historic Context Statement.
Support Ingleside Terraces’ application to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contributions are tax deductible.
If you have any questions or feedback, we want to hear from you!
Please contact us by emailing historicdistrict@ithasf.org
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