Historic Resources Board votes 3-1 to keep 1680 Bryant as Category 2

The Palo Alto Historic Resources Board voted 3-1 at its October meeting to retain 1680 Bryant on the city\'s local historic inventory as a Category 2 resource, preserving the property\'s current review protections and demolition delay.

The board considered a staff report and a historic resource evaluation from Page & Turnbull recommending reclassification from Category 2 to Category 3, a change the property\'s owners requested to gain more flexibility for future alterations. Staff and the consultant argued that demolition of a southern wing and other permanent changes mean the building now represents a fragmentary example of its original plan. The applicant\'s representative said the owners seek the flexibility to update the house for contemporary habitation.

The house, on the corner of Bryant Street and Lowell Avenue in Old Palo Alto, was described in the staff presentation as built in 1914 and designed by architect John Hudson Thomas in a Prairie-style idiom. The staff packet includes a 1978 Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) inventory form that listed the property as Category 2. Page & Turnbull\'s July 25 historic resource evaluation concluded the remaining building is individually eligible under several local criteria but recommended reclassification given the extent of earlier demolition and alteration.

During discussion board members divided on how to weigh architectural significance against loss of original fabric. Chair Roman argued the property remains an important example of Thomas\'s work and moved to retain Category 2. Board Member Ilinskas and Vice Chair Willis supported that motion. One board member voiced concern that the surviving portion is a fragmentary structure and that, under preservation standards, a downgrade might be technically appropriate. That member also noted the lack of original plans made determining which elements were original difficult.

Maggie Nicholson, cultural resources planner with Page & Turnbull and the primary author of the consultant report, told the board the early photographs and Sanborn insurance maps support the view that the H-shaped configuration — two two-story masses joined by a one-story connector — was part of the original composition and that the remaining portion, while eroded, is a notable example of Thomas\'s Prairie-inspired residential work and is rare in Palo Alto.

Megan Padalecki, representing the owners and their architecture firm Stanton Architecture, said the ownership team agreed with the consultant\'s findings but that the owners were seeking maximum flexibility to make improvements to bring the property into contemporary habitation standards.

A nearby resident, Marie Brommer, testified during public comment that the house\'s distinctive frontage and architectural character make it worth preserving.

Staff told the board there is no active project application for the site; the current proceeding addressed only the inventory classification. Staff also explained that a downgrade to Category 3 would remove the local demolition delay and make substantial changes less likely to require full board review (some minor changes can be handled at staff level), whereas Category 1 or 2 listings generally require board review for significant alterations and remain subject to the local demolition-delay provisions. Staff noted discretionary projects would still be subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review as applicable.

After debate, Chair Roman moved to retain the property as Category 2; the motion passed 3-1 with one board member voting against and one board member absent. The board recorded the outcome as a retention of the current Category 2 listing and did not adopt the recommended reclassification to Category 3. The board discussed the option of continuing the matter for further documentation or pursuing a Category 1 nomination but took no such action at this meeting.

The board then moved on to routine business.