Focus on Founding Era of San Mateo

But let’s collectively focus on the most important thing if the historic ordinance update does, in fact, proceed. And that’s the homes of our Founding Era.

The city of San Mateo was incorporated Sept. 4, 1894, but that was essentially in response to the need to fund a fire department. Before that, a series of fires devastated its downtown and some adjacent houses. Because of those early fires, some of the grand estates of the city didn’t make it. The oldest house in the city is now on the northeast corner of Delaware Street and First Avenue, or rather just on First Avenue. The original farmhouse was on First Avenue, constructed in 1860, when the city was a mere township. The steamboat Gothic addition on the Delaware Street side was added about 20 years later. The house that includes the Japanese American Community Center on Claremont Street, circa 1865, is nearly as old. While these are the city’s oldest structures, there are a number of old ones that incorporate the Victorian, Queen Anne and Italianate architecture of the 1800s. They include the William Brown House at 2 S. Delaware St., that is being meticulously restored right now, and others including the ones constructed by the Wisnom family on both Delaware Street and Claremont Street. South Ellsworth Avenue, Elm Street and the San Mateo Heights areas are also home to a number of turn of the century homes of distinct and interesting architecture. There are also survivors in other areas. Many of these homes were included in a 1989 historic building survey, and though it created a very important and solid foundation for learning about our city’s past, I have long called for an update.

Any survey update should complete its work and identify the current conditions of notable properties. Many of them are in North Central San Mateo, and adjacent to the eastern edge of downtown. While some remained in good condition, some fell into disrepair. Yet, these older homes have character and their architecture helps tell the story of our city’s founding.

This should be where any update of our historic homes should begin, not in the 1920s, 1930s or even 1940s. Prewar homes deserve some attention as they near the century mark, but the city’s true history lies before that.

So what should be done? There are already rules in place for historic or historically eligible homes but we need an inventory to finish and update the work of the initial survey so we know what we have and in what condition. We should carve out a special category for Founding Era homes — any constructed around the city’s founding before 1900 or even in the first decade of the new century. Those homes could merit city assistance with any renovation plans. Waiving certain permit fees could go a long way, but there could also be minimal financial rehabilitation assistance from the city to ensure the structure remains true to its origins but does not create a burden on the property owner. It could be a sliding scale, meaning older homes merit more assistance or another layer of review to determine if there is anything worth saving.

The point of updating our historic ordinance should be making restoration and preservation of our oldest homes easier through incentives rather than restrictions.

The tiny amount of money needed for this assistance program could be seeded from other development fees, the city’s reserves, or in any planned infrastructure ballot measure. And it could delivered in the form of extremely low-interest loans that would not have to be paid off until a sale of the property. Proceeds would then replenish it so it becomes self-funding.

We are not talking about a big financial burden, but a small investment in making it easier for our Founding Era homes to be preserved. Any historic ordinance update should have this goal at its center, in fact, the Founding Era is the very foundation of our city and that’s always the best place to start.

Jon Mays is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on X @jonmays or Instagram @j.onmays.