DATE: December 4, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Development Services Department
TITLE: CONSIDERATION OF A HISTORIC PERMIT (H24-00002) TO ALLOW FOR THE PROPOSED INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR REHABILITATION OF THE CROWN HEIGHTS RESOURCE CENTER LOCATED AT 1210 DIVISION STREET - CROWN HEIGHTS RESOURCE CENTER - APPLICANT: CITY OF OCEANSIDE
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving Historic Permit (H24-00002) to allow for the proposed interior and exterior rehabilitation of the Crown Heights Resource Center.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Located at 1210 Division Street, the City's Crown Heights Resource Center was designed by architect Irving Gill in 1930 and built in 1931. Gill was a pioneer of the Modern Architecture movement in Southern California and was particularly known for shifting San Diego architecture by focusing on design that responded to climate and context, embracing pure form designs, and stripping all unnecessary ornament to focus on enduring strength and simplistic beauty. Gill developed his signature Mission-influenced cubist design style, which is exemplified in the Crown Heights Resource Center.
From 1931 until 1943, the Crown Heights Resource Center served as an "Americanization School." Following the school's closure, the building remained boarded-up, becoming a target for vandalism and damage that degraded the architectural and historical significance of the building.
In 1990, the City purchased the building and completed a full restoration in 1994. Following the restoration, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2001, the building has been operating as the Crown Heights Resource Center.
A 2019 Facility Condition Assessment of the Crown Heights Resource Center building determined that critical architectural, engineering, and structural improvements as well as mechanical and electric upgrades were required for its continued us...
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