>> good afternoon and welcome to the historic preservation commission hearing for wednesday march 1, 2023. to enable public participation, sf govtv is broadcasting this hearing live and we will receive public comment for each item on the agenda. each speaker will be allowed three minutes and you will hear an indication that your time is up. we will take public comment from city hall

first and then open the access line. just to make sure everybody is paying attention. we have done away with pressing star 6. you still need to call call-in +1-415-655-0001 webinar number 2596 853 8404 but now you need to press #twice. then all you need to do is wait for your name to be called for the item that you are speaking

to. in order to get to the queue to submit your testimony, you need to press star 3 to raise your hand and then you will be unmuted. please mute the volume on your television or computer. for those people in person, please indicate so. i would like to take roll. >> president diane matsuda: here. >> vice-president ruchira nageswaran: here. >> commissioner kate black: here.

>> commissioner chris foley: aye. >> commissioner richard s.e. johns: here. >> commissioner jason wright: here. >> a. general public comment at this time, members of the public may address the commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission except agenda items. with respect to agenda items, your opportunity to address the commission will be afforded when the item is reached in the meeting. each member of the public may address the commission for up to three minutes. please come forward. seeing no one wishing to speak, we can close public comment. (1) responding to statements made or questions posed by members of the public; or (2) requesting staff to report back on a matter at a subsequent meeting; or (3) directing staff to place the item on a future agenda. (government code section 54954.2(a))

members of the public, this is your time to address the commission. 2. consideration of adoption: • draft minutes for february 1, 2023 • draft minutes for february 15, 2023 adoption of commission minutes - [roll call] >> that motion passes unanimously 7-0. placing us on item 3. commission comments and questions. >> i do have two comments. yesterday the planning department has a discussion with former mayor willie brown and

president tanner as part of the conclusion of black history month in february, and i don't know if any of the commissioners were able to attend that very interesting and informative meeting but it was great. i attended through online and it just really made me realize how important life experiences are as mayor brown talked about his first week here in san francisco and just how different that was to his hometown back in texas. as he visited san francisco he was welcome by his church and was able to walk around the neighborhood without the fear that he once felt back in texas. it really brought to light his own personal experiences about

really pushing for racial and social equity. he also talked about his getting in line at rotc at san francisco state and being with a guy named john burton. i happen to know that guy, but john burton has been mayor brown's friend from the 60s until this day. there is never an event that john burton has had that the mayor has not participated in it. it shows the strong friendship between them. i thought that this mayor came to the office not only when he was speaker, but when he was mayor with clear intentionality. he definitely wanted to make sure that his cabinet was a cabinet that totally reflected the city of san francisco. i really appreciate director hillis for organizing that meeting and to mayor brown for

all he has done and what he continues to do for the city. the second thing is board president peskin, a couple months ago introduced and recognize the parks and reflected on the history. rec's and parks will be joining a hearing tomorrow. if you would like more information, please go to the website. >> i have one follow up to something that was mentioned

last hearing, but the heritage and legacy of san francisco legacy business program is hosting monthly happy hours to support legacy bars. their inaugural one was last month and the next one is next week at the bar. >> you will be there. >> i'm trying to be there. >> you are representing this commission, great. thank you. >> you should have all received invitations to that. >> we did. thank you. >> commissioner foley? >> commissioner chris foley: i did not receive an invitation, but i will be there to carry the banner. >> great. any other comments or questions?

>> seeing none, commissioners if you will indulge me for a moment for your calendar. we received items for remote general public comment related to today's lifting of all covid related restrictions, as well as brown act relaxation of requirements. so as previously mentioned, you all need to be here in person but the city administrator's office suggested to us that we continue public comment in a limited fashion and requesting that the commission adopt a time limit for the amount of time for remote call in that would have to be consistent across the board throughout the agenda. they are using 20 minutes as an example. i haven't experience in

this hearing that remote calling is significantly altered the way our hearings have gone compared to prepandemic days. i will let you if you want to direct me how much time to add to agenda items or leave it as is as open-ended. the board of appeals has decided to not set a time limit on their items but they are an adequacy judicial body that appeals cannot set a time limit already but that is one commission that has already directed their staff not to adopt a time limit. but if we do adopt time limits for each item, the city administrators office was suggesting that we adhere to them. if it went over, that we would stop and cutoff people from further remote.

>> are there any other commissions that have adopted a time limit? >> not that i'm aware of. this just came in as of friday. this is one of the first commissions that are meeting with the covid restrictions being limited. >> could it be from meeting to meeting? >> it could change from meeting to meeting but would have to be consistent within the agenda which is what we received. >> is the time for each item have to be the same? >> yes. >> in other words, if we were to impose a one hour time limit for each item would have one hour for remote public comment. but once we reached that hour, anybody still waiting to submit their testimony would not be allowed to submit their

testimony. >> but we can go on continuously as if they were in person? >> yes. >> so there is fair and equity there. >> remote calling has been a service and i know many policies are considering removing the remote calling and you would have to come to city hall to submit your testimony and as always you can submit your testimony via email or in writing before the hearing. i will leave it to you. i'm indifferent in this matter. it may i continue now but indefinitely with no time restriction. >> we have a pretty big hearing coming up. so it concerns me if we try to in anyway limit.

>> again, the practice would be to be consistent across the board on each item, but that could change depending upon what we forecast to be the turnout. maybe it might be easier to not set a time limit. >> commissioner black? >> commissioner kate black: thank you. from my perspective, it's a public process. and as far as we limit a time for each person to speak, i don't care if they are here at the lectern or calling. i didn't get that there were so many callers. it wasn't annoying or inconvenient. they can show up at the lectern

or by phone. and because there may be mobility issues. it's the public process and we should be listening to our voices. >> part of the conversation surrounding this is you do have the option of ending remote public comment entirely, but we would still have to provide the option as a reasonable accommodation for those who are disabled and would need an hour's notice and would still have to make the call in available. new year's eve >> you answered my question and i wonder whether remote calling was going to end. it sound like it could end but we still have

access for people that needed it. >> right now it's up to each commission for how it addresses it. the recommendation from the city administrator's office is to call in for consistency throughout all the policies. we are ahead because a lot of commission have not run hybrid meetings until today. they have still been fully remote. so it's really a question of staffing and resources. i have a wonderful staff backing me up and not all secretaries have that luxury. >> commissioner wright? >> commissioner jason wright: yeah, i would say to a follow-up to commissioner black's point that it does seem to me to be more equitable and maybe less singled out for people who are unable to make it here otherwise

either because of their work schedules or transportation cost issues, or disabilities. so, i would tend to and i think extending the public process to the greatest extend possible is kind of the point. so i would tend to favor leaving it open. >> okay, if that seems to be the consensus i'm fine with that and move forward with the status quo and the administrator's office along with the board of supervisors office will be reevaluating this recommendation as well. commissioners, thank you for that. that will place us under consideration of items posted to

be continued. there are none. we will go on to item 4. 4. 2015-015452srv-03 (f. mcmillen: (628) 652-7376) citywide historic context statement: san francisco new deal historic context statement - rebuilding the city: 1933 to 1943 - this will include building, landscapes and structures -- >> can you slowdown a little bit. if you are going too fast, we can't hear you. thank you. >> before i begin my presentation, i want to note there are 270 parties notified and provided the opportunity to comment on this document. no

public opposition has been recorded to date. as a reminder, this contact statement will include a long citywide statement for the sf survey and with the citywide context statement is organized into context and sub context and themes and will be evaluating the theme work and guided comment. the goals of the historic context statement include identifying procedures that protect and providing clear information that review the area and for property owners and staff to facilitate greater rehabilitation and property evaluation. the content statement of this report is to provide an evaluated framework

for locals, community members and stakeholders to use when evaluating san francisco's new deal legacy. the new deal context statement is provided by public historian and urban planner. the report is supported by the preservation fund committee and project development and support and peer review on the writing of the report. the contact statement spans the years 1919-1947 but primary focuses on 1933 to 1943. and this is the from the 1920 leading to the economic depression and last project carried out in san francisco. the historic context statement names numerous federal and state agency programs direct response to the economic crisis. this includes the public works administration, homeowners loan

corporation, federal housing administration and housing authority among other agencies and identifies resources remaining in the city. this is a lasting legacy of new dealer an agency and programs including discriminatory housing and lending policies and practices that reinforce this during the segregation and with the projects completed and agency's programs and operated in san francisco and includes an evaluated framework for the period architectural styles and period for evaluations and integrity threshold to help department staff for significant eligibility. commissioners, since you

received your packet, staff are reviewing the language to provide additional guidance and to clarify requirements under national and state and local registration programs and also updated the draft to provide additional information on maclaren park to cover on going research and report to date to include landmark and landmark numbers and new deal and resources. staff will take any additional feedback from this commission. the historic content statement identifies new sites for local designations including schools and parks and documentation of buildings, sites and features and further recommendations interpretation of the new dealer a found in san francisco such as

directive commemorative plaques and walking towards exhibits and events. this concludes my presentation. i'm available for questions. next i would like to introduce mr. christopher who will discuss his presentation on his work. thank you. >> good afternoon, green's, commissioner matsuda, commissioners. i will be your architectural historian today. the san francisco new deal context statement is the one i'm most proud of. although the primary author, i have had a lot of help including donna graves,

and greg who received the entire document and san francisco heritage was our fiscal sponsor and last but not least the preservation committee which provided the money. i would like to provide my biggest thanks to your body and san francisco emeritus at san francisco state university. i have to give him a huge kudos for reviews 4 or 5 drafts of this document prior to the version that you have. the idea behind the project first emerged in 2015 when they called know ask me if i would be interested in documenting san francisco's new deal and then to take charge of the fine arts component which led know

concentrate on everything else. i began writing after the election of november 2016. i mention this fact because the amount of anti-government rhetoric that came from the trump administration led me to document this new deal. my ancestors were big supporters of the new deal and made their hard lives easier. i want to make the case that the new deal was not just a deal but a model for the future. to the end, i have decided to visit every known site in the city. at the time i had a small toddler and who is almost nine and i would take him to parks and playgrounds. this is the park, a really amazing

place. schools, my favorite school in the city. this is mission valley elementary, an incredible building with almost no change on the outside. government building, the u.s. mint, the pwa project and infrastructure. i didn't take him to see the dam. but in yosemite national park but i did work on this project in the past. i release two things that we continous the infrastructure each day but none is commemorated. none of these projects came with plaques. this is the plaque on the exterior of the library. they were probably removed

during world war ii and sold to scrapers. there is almost none of these left. what i mean is a recommends that we relabel some of these sites so people know who they are. i began researching and writing. this is a sample page from one of my favorite books that dealt with pwa projects throughout the country. along the way, i assembled related books and articles and sfpl, the library and san bruno reports and agencies were very avid report compileers documenting every last culvert of particular parks and the bridge. it's easy to establish the metrics in establishing these projects and you can document them very easily. so, with research in hand, i

began writing in 2018. it took a while and took months to have my draft reviewed by the department. and a last minute add on for the project which was to prepare three landmark locations which were three schools that had a connection to san francisco, roosevelt medical school which had murals, the sunshine school in the mission which is an incredible resource if you have not seen it, and finally george washington high school. you may have heard that san francisco -- derailed the nomination. during the covid lock down, releasing the first draft in 2020 and releasing the

administered draft on december 8th of that year. since then it's in the department for review. there is a lot to say about the new deal in san francisco. i'm not going to try to do it in six minutes, but i would like to leave you with a couple thoughts. in 1930, president franklin roosevelt alleviated the worse effects of the economic world collapse and saved the capitol from itself and liberated one of the san francisco mayor's to rebuild this city and to rebuilding the city's outdated infrastructure.

the new deal revamped the city's architectural scene culminating diego riviera mural which you see here which was in treasure island in 1940. this mural indicates many of the good works from the great programs. with that, i will conclude my presentation and take any questions. thank you. >> seeing no immediate questions, we should open public comment. members of the public, this is your opportunity to address this commission on this matter. if you are here in person, please move forward, if you are going to call in, raise your hand. >> hello, my name is is christine, the director of advocacy at san francisco heritage. we support the adoption of the citywide historic content statement and honored to be part of its research and development and finally conclusions. historians

completed rigorous research to demonstrate the significance of this era within the city of san francisco and the nation as a whole. between 1933 and 1943, the city underwent an era of tremendous growth demonstrated in the achievements of arts and culture and continues to benefit our citizens today. importantly, within this context statement, are guidelines for the treatment of historic properties, preservation goals and valuable recommendations that will help guide interpretation into the future. thank you for your consideration.

>> we will go to additional speakers. public speaker: good afternoon. i must say it was a great pleasure to be able to comment on his work. it's extraordinarily thorough. i think that this document is likely to be a valuable document for the future in terms of the role of the new deal in san francisco. i think it should be published as a book. let me echo a comment that those years produced much more projects than anytime in the history. i will

strongly encourage you to support publication of this book. thank you. last call for public comment, again, please come forward if you are here, if you are calling remotely, press star 3 via webex. seeing no additional speakers, public comment is closed. >> i would be remiss for not saying anything and i worked for him for many years and know him. he is a true scholar, a bay area native. he loves this area and he knows it so well. it didn't surprise me at all that he took his son to every place. that's who he is, and i was just so impressed by the breath of this

report. and i hope they are going to pay attention to this. i want to commend chris and the team of donna graves and all the people that supported this project and just one of the best reports coming out of this city. so i just comment you and thank you for all that work and volunteer time that you put into it. >> thank you, commissioner black. >> thank you. i need to follow up on my comments along those liens. when i was a kid, i fell in love with wpa photographers. i was really little and i became fascinated with the new deal programs.

so i couldn't wait to read this. i'm so glad we got it early. it is incredibly well written detailed report that brought out a lot of information that i just didn't know. as i walked around this city for years, i have encountered buildings and murals and sculptures that i thought were new deal programs, but also retaining walls and culverts and drains that i thought, that looks like wpa to me. so arch the artist and the people of the era, it's fascinating to learn the details of the maneuverings of what went on and made this come about. that's just the kind of scholarships that goes into a report that makes it something

different than just a surface understanding. i was surprised that there was only seven new deal properties and landmarks. i strongly support the authors list of 28 new build properties for landmarks as we move forward with the citywide survey. i assume that is what will happen. i also really support the interpretive plaques. we have a lot of parents who don't know and can't take their kids around to show them things and properties. so i love the idea of that. those plaques are very handsome and durable, but they might be cost prohibitive and as a message, i would like to say that we should consider a less expensive option while i call the chris foley program where we are just attaching a qr code next to a wall and look it up

and all the kids know how to do that. it's a fine example of how well they prepared the report and the bibliography and the appendix. that is likely going to be used and hopefully cited by historians in the country in the future. a book would be a great way of copy writing some of these scholarships and it's a big deal and very important and wish we could be following it now. i am strongly in support of this nomination. >> thank you. commissioner john's? >> commissioner richard s.e. johns: thank you. i appreciate

what commissioner black said and she said it very well, and i believe this is a very good report and anybody that has any part of it ought to be congratulations. i would like to make a motion that we adopt it. >> we will have that after commissioner comments. commissioner foley? >> commissioner chris foley: i would like to say that it is an amazing body of work and i wouldn't expect nothing less and it's very impressive. and my whole signature and should really do qr codes on all the work that is done because there is a tremendous body of work out there. thank you very much for the work and qr code

on. >> >> vice-president ruchira nageswaran: thank you for all the work and the appreciation for the plaque. christine, you have a new role here and that is amazing. thank you for guiding us through this. i don't know what to say but this could be a book. it was very well written and very well indexed that i can find information with just a few slip of the page. i really appreciate the depth of knowledge to talk about the public art and the murals. it is going to be super helpful not just within the planning department but also for the rest of our city to make a reference to, and i'm actually quite impressed with the overall

coverage of the historic context in this particular era, and i am curious as to how it will guide us in further our destination in our landmarking process because it did touch upon a lot of things of things that we don't really landmark on curbs and roads and drains. so i would like to make a statement that this is really thorough and when we look at landmarking, i'm curious how we would move forward with this information giving us as a reference because it could go both ways. >> yeah, i want to know how we will proceed with that. anyway, i'm in favor of this context

statement. i'm not going to ask for any modification but looking forward because it is so detailed and how to use it moving forward is my open-ended question. >> commissioner wright? >> commissioner jason wright: i want to thank everyone who touched this report, this context statement. i think that it is really informative and just covers about everything you can imagine. >> it's a model for context statements moving forward and i also wanted to add that i support also the reintroduction of plaques that are lost, that are missing. i think they are

quite handsome. there may be some cost considerations, but maybe you can plan on a certain number per year, and i don't think we should just stop at that. the addition of the qr code adjacent to would lead people to this document or more research, more information. so i could see the benefit of both. thank you. >> thank you. i don't know, i thought this report was good but i think all of your reports are good. one of my favorites is your tiki bars. i agree with mr. churney that this is a great book because it's easy to understand and has a very inclusive approach. i really do appreciate that you did include issues of racial and

social equity here and where the new deal helped and where it did not. i thought that was really important to call out. just a few comments. i really thought that it was totally impressive that san francisco had 275 new deal projects. what i would suggest you do is you list them out at the beginning so we can get a very very clear understanding about just the breath and the legacy that this project has had on san francisco. i also am a huge fan of eleanor roosevelt and i'm glad you included her, particularly about her comments on chinatown. i'm really happy you called that out. in terms of the contributions of the new deal projects not known to the public, i totally agree. i strongly suggest that you might want to consider giving a

copy of this report to the schools, particularly the schools that are mentioned. i know that george washington high school definitely has no knowledge about how important their high school is and gives some students some pride about where they are going to school. i know that i don't remember california curriculum history, but in the fourth grade you need to know about california history and the 10 or 12th grade you need to know about our nation's history. and history walks, maybe the planning department can take that up again. >> motion to approve. >> second. >> commissioner johns already made the motion. on that motion to adopt the context historic

statement. [roll call] >> so moved. that motion passes 7-0. putting us on item 5. 5. 2022-003913des (p. lavalley: (628) 652-7372 2041 larkin street to initiate landmark designation. >> good afternoon. this is -- department staff. for your consideration of landmark consideration for 2041 larkin street and also identified as worthy of landmark decision --

designation and for the landmark which is currently under review. i'm happy to bring forward this proposed landmark designation today. >> the charge for the fellowship is on broadway and vallejo street. and from the university and dr. howard berm an in 1944. at the temporarily occupying several buildings in the neighborhood, the congregation moved to the current location after purchasing the property in early 1949. as described in the summary included in your packet,

the church for the fellowship of all people is significant for its association with culturally and historically significant events. it is one of the first inter racial, interest cultural, interest denominational churches in the state and serves african african and cultural and social and civil rights in san francisco and across the nation. this is described in the draft of the african american city's historic context. the church for the fellowship of all people is also significant for its association with dr. howard thurman, an african american theologian scholar as one of the 12 greatest preachers of the 20th century, and kate

educaor and author that still continues today and shaping the mode of non-violence civil rights and including james farmer, jessie jackson and martin luther king jr. doctor thurman as i noted founded the church and served as minister from 1944 to 1953 and also served as a faculty member for howard university and boston university. when he was referred to as a black dean from the university. after retiring, he

came back to san francisco serving at the church as well as the howard thurman educational trust. the church is also significant for the association with dr. thurman's wife sue bailey thurman. she was educated at the thurman colleges and in washington d.c. and traveling national secretary. during the couples time in san francisco, she was chair of the churches inter cultural fellowship workshop and leader of the organizations dedicated to african american culture and founder of the local chapter of the local council of negro women. designation of the church for

the fellowship of all people's will advance the commission's racial and social equity goals as outlined in your resolutions november 11, 2027 and will meet the needs to the priority designation for the under represented racial and ethnic groups and approving the landmark designation today for the church for all people's. this concludes my presentation. i'm available for questions. dr. blake presiding minister of the church as well as other members of the congregation and i believe the board are in the chamber to make comments and other people on the call in line. thank you. >> okay. that concludes staff's presentation. we'll go to public comment. if you are in chambers, please come forward. if you are

calling in remotely, press star 3 via webex. public speaker: i'm the presiding minister at the church for fellowship for all people's. thank you for the opportunity to come before you today. in a very deeply special way, for -- who has worked so hard for such diligence and professionalism. it's such a joy to work with you today. there is many dreams at this church and for many who are no longer with us. even the year before her death, she reminded me of the need to get the

landmarking done. we didn't have the staff nor the dedicated time to work with this. so again, it was really a gift when you contacted us. it is very significant not only for the african american community here, but nationally. i would say over the last three or four years that there were more books written on did howard thurman than any other theologian. one has produced and another one is on its way and should be concluded hopefully this year. i have participated myself in a number of forums during the last three years dealing with dr. howard thurman and talked about in different seminaries across this nation. and i do think that

that this is an extraordinary time and opportunity for us to come together for this legacy and not only for the african american community but the inter racial community. as you know dr. thurman visited mahatma gandhi in 1986. when he was at the university as the first african american dean at a predominantly white college, martin luther king jr. was there during the world series and during this time, martin asked dr. thurman if he

would lead this church. what would have happened if he had come here instead of montgomery. thank you very much. >> hello, i'm the director of advocacy for this heritage. this is culturally the church for fellowship of all people. this story is unique not only in san francisco but in the context of u.s. history. as the church is one of the first to serve inner racial congregations in this country. dr. thurman was renown and serving howard university and federally charged black

university in washington d.c. he authored more than 20 books and spoke internationally on non-violence and common ground and he hoped to build greater connections in the community. dr. thurman's lesson for humanity still resonate today and we support this initiation. thank you. hello, my name is peter, i'm a born and bread san franciscan. i want to tell you a little bit about myself. i was the director and founding director of the jazz center and my mother worked for the redevelopment agency for many years. i went to lowell high school, blah blah blah, i was also raised in the church in the fellowship for all people's

and i had the amazing opportunity to hear dr. howard speak. i had no idea what he was talking about but he was spellbounding and he was incredible. we actually produced multiple plays at the fellowship church. i want to say that i obviously support this effort very much. it means a lot to me. thank you. >> greetings commissioners, president matsuda, my name is erin gossel, the director of martin luther king jr. community foundation founded by dr. king's wife, the beloved coretta scott

jones. not many people know the depth of impact of howard thurman's words and his writings. 1949; dr. thurman wrote a book entitled jesus and the disinherited. it talks about when your back is against the wall, what do you do when your back is against the wall. that one spurred a movement for justice that informed the work of dr. king, and the work of many others who found themselves as a matter of fact, dr. king use to carry a copy of that book wherever he went. he wants to

know what happens when your back is against the wall and everything is against you, what do you do? in this time of the need for greater inclusion and greater connectivity between us as human beings, we are finding or attempting to find the a way here in this city and county to do that. i want to celebrate what you as a commission and what pilar la valley is doing with this one piece. not much is known but in 1907 when this building was built, it was built by the father of two other noted 20th century theologians, robert and richard nooebt. and along

with dr. thurman and dr. king, we bring about the liking of this society and we celebrate what you are doing and hope that what you are about to do is approving this designation of this historic building. it will stand as a landmark, not only dr. thurman, but around the nation as dr. blake said to all of us who share the mission of a beloved community. thank you so much. >> 2019 during our martin luther king jr. celebration, 2019 we hosted the curator of religion

at the smithsonian museum of natural history and from there after the martin luther king jr. celebration, we donated dr. thurman robes to the museum to be in trust for the public and for the nation. we celebrate that. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> if there are no other members of the public in chambers, we should go to our remote callers. you need to suppress star 3 via webex. go ahead, caller. public speaker: i'm the chairman of the board of trustees for the church for all people's. i'm sorry i am unable

to be there in person today. however, i would like to say to pilar and to the board to approve it moving forward. thank you so much. >> public speaker: hello, i'm a person, a neighbor. i'm embarrassed to say that i have just recently become aware of the church of fellowship and i have lived on russian hill for 40 years. to have a wonderful resource in our neighborhood. it's inspiring and what the world needs. please approve the

landmark designation request. i think it's wonderful and i'm looking forward to getting to know more about the church. thank you. seeing no additional hands, i did see former -- ms. clover. >> thank you. i was attending remotely with enthusiastic support for this particular initiation. having the good fortune of attending one service recently and learning more about the church, going through the community process. so it's been my pleasure to meet the members

and support this nomination. i appreciate your support. >> thank you. last call for public comment. you need to press star 3 or raise your hand. seeing no additional requests to speak, public comment is closed and this matter is now before you. >> thank you. commissioner foley? >> commissioner chris foley: i would like to say thank you, pilar, for leading this. you know, we see a lot of things in this commission and we have legacy business which i really love that in the fabric of the community and what that does, but what you all do in the history that has been brought to this commission for this initiation is amazing, and i didn't know about it but i'm going to learn about it and i really appreciate what you did here and i really appreciate it.

this brings out the point and the purpose of the landmark of this city and the gem that we don't know about. i also live in russian hill for nine years and i really appreciate your inner mission and your faith. i have studied religion my whole life and really gravitated to that perspective. i really appreciate what you are bringing to the community and what a wonderful building. i remember this building walking by it and it's a great building and i'm so excited that it's going to be a landmark. i'm so grateful that your church is in there and lively and all of that. so i appreciate that you came here and presented yourself as well. thank you. >> thank you.

commissioner black? >> commissioner kate black: i'm sure my fellow commissioners agree. it's such an honor to serve on this commission. we are presented with incredibly interesting topics and i know we take it all seriously today as one of those days that is joyous from the moment we started to now. it's my honor to support this initiation for this landmark. this is the kind of landmark that embraces so much of what's great about this city, and i love the history of it. my parents used to live down on larkin a few blocks beyond and i used to drive by the church and wonder what was happening there and now i know. it's just my honor to be -- and i forget to mention, i just started the book about howard thurman on the basis of recommendation from chairman matsuda. so this is now i can't

wait. i want to drive home and get back into it. it's a true honor to support the initiation of this landmark designation. >> thank you. commissioner so? >> commissioner lydia so: thank you for being here today and i really appreciate your message from the executive director and the head of the church, and also thank you, pilar. you always brought up a lot of significant and influential assets that we have in our city that we need to landmark for a lot of very unique reasons and i'm really proud that you share your perspective and the history and the significance of doctor howard thurman, and actually his book, as i said in this commission, it's always on my desk. a really good mentor of mine gave it to me. i really

want to send this book to every one of my friend. inter faith, inter-racial relationship is what we can all come to unify and come together and create solidarity and your landmark church today is a very significant period of time that we have in the history of san francisco right now with a lot of minorities are facing a lot of fear of everyday, and i really hope that having a lot more equity that we recognize the significance of these scholars that are not today, but in the history of san francisco have already been preaching, we all have to be in search for common ground and in peace. that's the only way we can move forward, and i hope that with the landmark designation, we can enable you to have more

resources to exemplify the value that you wanted to bestow to not just the black community, but everyone else so that we can have really truly understanding of everyone are actually equal and we all care about the same thing and safety and wellness is really my key primary concern, and understanding history and culture. it is one thing that i am really proud of today to be able to be brought to the city, another exemplary example of why this church has been in existence for many many decades, and i hope that you can have more programs that will reach out to further outer stretch of san franciscans to be able to really understand each other. thank you for that. with that said, i'm in full support of this landmark designation and we

should do more of these upcoming. so pilar, i will read your report more. >> thank you. commissioner wright? >> commissioner jason wright: yes. i don't think that i can say it any better really than my fellow commissioners already have. i agree with everything they have said. and i do just want to say that i really appreciate the philosophy and the operation of the congregation and really what it means. i think the inclusivity that it preaches and practices is what the city and the world needs. thank you very much for being here. >> thank you. i would like to offer a few comments. thank you for sharing your comments with us and thank you, pilar, for all the work that you do. for those who may not know, when

we talk about landmark designations, it's usually about the building, but today we have the great honor of talking about the association of a person. i really want to make sure that that is called out in the landmark designation particularly many people just flip right through to the ordinance thinking that is the most important document in a landmark designation, and i'm hoping that we can maybe further highlight dr. thurman's contributions to the landmark designation because we rarely have the opportunity to talk about this criterion being the person and this is a person that deserves very serious and open recognition and what we also try to do with primarily dealing with social and racial equity to

recognize an individual as part of social and racial equity and i don't know that we have in the past when we have talked about landmark designation. pilar, you would know, but if this is the first, i would like to make this an extra effort to make sure dr. thurman is highlighted. also to possibly call out and include dr. sue bailey thurman as part of this landmark designation. i think that she in her own right was a very important contributor to the city and county of san francisco for a better understanding for just how we need to live our lives. this church was before it moved to 2041 larkin located in japantown and it was the former home to the first united presbyterian church and the first japanese church where all

the members were incarcerated in world war ii and dr. thurman using this church as they moved on is also very important and also tells a lot about him. so thank you very much. >> commissioner has another comment. >> vice-president ruchira nageswaran: just one other comment with where doing this designation that it's very important to list his works by dr. thurman, the things that he did write during his time here would be of interest to know. >> commissioner johns? >> commissioner richard s.e. johns: i move the recommendation. >> second. >> does that include the

recommendations that member matsuda made? >> yes. >> can you reiterate those? >> >> president diane matsuda: the first one is to maybe call out dr. thurman's contributions as the significance in your criterion. i know it's mentioned in the works but to highlight that. i know she can do. and no. 2, include dr. sue bailey as part of that landmark. >> on that motion, commissioners -- >> excuse me, president matsuda, did you also ask for the link of the church in japantown. >> i just shared that with you. it's part of the report already but just to show the

significance of dr. thurman's intentionality and what was happening during that time. >> very good, then, commissioners, if i understand the motion correctly is to adopt a resolution to initiate as amended to include additional call outs for dr. thurman's contributions and to include dr. sue bailey thurman as a contributor. [roll call] so moved, commissioners. that motion passes unanimously. >> that concludes your hearing today, commissioners. >> all right. we have adjourned. >>

>> van ness avenue runs from market street to bay street in san francisco. south vanness runs from south of market to cesar chavez street. originally residential after the 1906 earthquake it was used as a

fire break. many car dealerships and businesses exist on vanness today with expansion of bus lanes. originally marlet street was named after james vanness, seventh mayor of san francisco from 1855 to 1856. vanness heavy are streets in santa cruz, los angeles and fresno in his honor. in 1915 streetcars started the opening of the expo. in 1950s it was removed and replaced by a tree-lined median. it was part of the central freeway from bayshore to hayes valley. it is part of uses 101. it was damaged during the 1989 earthquake. in 1992 the elevator part of the roadway was removed. it was developed into a surface boulevard.

today the vanness bus rapid transit project is to have designated bus lanes service from mission. it will display the history of the city. van ness avenue.

>> you are watching san francisco rising with chris manners. today's special guest, carolyn mante. >> hi, i'm chris manners and you are watching san francisco the stow about restaffing rebuilding and reimaging the city. the guest is carolyn manteto talk about the organization is helping to preserve the city cultural heritage and

architecture. welcome to the show. >> thank you for having me e. >> good to have you here. >> can we talk bat the history of your organization and the mission. >> sure, thank you. san francisco heritage started 51 years ago and the main mission is to preserve and enhance the architectural and cultural identity of san francisco. when it started out the focus was really on the buildings, historic landmark listings and really concentrated on downtown area with all the development happening. our organization was raising a reg red flag with historic landmarks in danger and victorian mansions so a hallmark of our organization is moving these victorian mansions in the way of development to inwestern addition neighborhood and other areas to get out of the way of development and preserve them. our organization was around before there was the historic preservation commission of the city so we were at the

forefront drawings attention to historic preservation, landmarking and over the last 51 years we have seen how there are more then just buildsings in safeguarding the city cultural resources, there is also small businesses and the different neighborhood icons that make a neighborhood special, so our outreach has really-it is really come full circle in a way because it moved downtown into the neighborhoods and now with the covid epidemic it is really going back to downtown again looking at how we can play a role in the economic recovery and revitalization of downtown san francisco. >> that's great. so, now i understand your organization is also responsible for maintaining a couple properties. could you tell us a little about those? >> yes, our non profit was gifted in 1973, the historic (inaudible) house. it is now a

historic house museum but this was a family since 1886 built this victorian mansion in the same family year after year and one of the last resident of the family when she passed way gifted the mansion to san francisco heritage so since then we have been running this historic house and the home of our office. in 2018, one of the long time members nor aa lasten gifting a building on the e h-as hate polk became a commercial corridor after the earthquake, the owner at the time, he raised the house and put 6 store front underneath in order to take

advantage of the commerce so we are in charge of the house on the corner and it has been a wonderful way to get new numbers, new audiences interested in the work of our organization. during the pandemic, we have been using it as a artson residents and partnering with different bay area artists as well as cultural institutions, cultural districts and then one of the storefronts we converted into a pop up galleries so gives a opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the art and cultural resources in san francisco. >> that's fantastic. so, now, let's talk about legacy business. what does the designation mean? how does somebody get add today the legacy business registry and what benefits does being named a legacy business? >> i love this program. it was started by san francisco heritage and adopt ed by the city and run by the office of small business but the

program looks what are the businesses really contributing to san francisco and the neighborhood. when we started the first focus was bars and restaurants but over the years it exb panded to include other businesses so these are places that contribute to the character of a neighborhood, so sam's grill downtown, the amazingarian press in the presidio. book stores like city lights oergreen apple recently named. this year we had a lot of attention on the legacy business program. we put out a contest to the public of what you think should be the next legacy business and one of the businesses that was recommended was the club deluxe, jazz club on the corner, and 2 or 3 days after we launched the contest, the owners announced they would have to close. the rent was driven up, they couldn't afford it, coming out of the

pandemic so we worked at speed to get that application submitted with them and that status convinced their landlord to negotiate with them a lower rent and this way they have been able to stay, there was a lot of social media support around this, so when you become a legacy business, not only do you get marketing and business support from the office of small business, but you also eligible for grants and we work closely with the legacy businesses as we do our work for san francisco heritage. >> that's great. so, apart from architecture and buildings, you also work with cultural districts, and the castro theater strikes me as a place that is both. a beautiful building and cultural hub and center. what has been happening with the recent acquisition by new owners; >> it is leased to

another planet entertainment and been in contact with planet entertainment by the castro theater is historic land mark building. it is recognized as a very important architectural monument. one thing-one of the main activist organizations of the preservation of the theater we work together with supervisor mandelman on a interior landmark historic landmark designation for interior, but what happened over the is summer and people learned is there is a lot of concern not just by san franciscans but people all over the world, movie directors, stars who are very concerned about the risk to the

lgbtq and film programming at the castro theater. another planet hosted community stakeholder in august, and it was so moving to see the number of people who took the microphone-everyone had two minutes to say their testimony of what castro theater meant to them and those testimonys showed this building is contributing not just as a architectural monument but plays a role in the lgbtq community that is irrelaceuble able. >> it is beautiful theater. >> it is. my involvement in the theater raised awareness to not only the castro theater to be emblematic of the lgbtq culture and history but also there are many other sites in the city that also contribute to the identity. that is why

so many people come to san francisco as a place of freedom and diversity so in my previous work i worked at the world heritage center, so when i joined san francisco heritage i was thinking why isn't san francisco a world heritage city? for the architecture alone it could be inscribed. golden gate bridge to name a few but the city is so unique in the architecture, the mansioned and historic landmarks so hoping to start a conversation on that with city stakeholders this year. >> that is great. let's talk about your relationship with other agencies. you mentioned economic and office of work force development and planning commission. how do you unt integrate to them? >> these relationships are essential. we are working with office of small business for the legacy business

program and the planning department is really one of our most crucial relationships. we meet quarterly with them and we really see how we can support not only historic land mark listings and historical cultural context statements, strategy for culture districts and city survey among many other activities that really are of concern to both of us. for the office of workforce development, i attended a etmooing recently that the chamber of commerce organized with them on the downtown revitalization and a key goal in that meeting and in the downtown revitalization is to make sure that the city historic culture resources play a key #r0e8 in the economic recovery and revitalization especially after the pandemic. the office of workforce development has the city build program which is admirable program where youth

are trained in construction techniques for rebuilding and especially with the new housing legislation, and we really want to see how can that workforce be expanded to include training in historic preservation. we have so many victorian homes, historic buildings and other places that really need a skilled labor force to make sure that they are preserved and that they help keep the special identify of the city. we really value these relationships, we meet quarterly with the various organizations and we are really grateful for grants of the arts we receive and other supports so definitely that is a key relationship for san francisco heritage. >> the city build is great. i like that a lot. thank you so much for the time you have given today. appreciate you coming on the show. >> thank you so much raising awareness about san francisco heritage. we hope the people watching will join us in the mission to help keep san

francisco special. thank you. >> that's it for this episode. we'll be back shortly. i'm chris manners, thanks