Historic Landmarks Commission receives training on cultural landscapes, management plans and living landmarks

Staff delivered a training to the Historic Landmarks Commission on Oct. 8 covering cultural landscapes and living landmarks, including definitions, treatment approaches and management planning.

The presenter summarized the Secretary of the Interior’s approach, identifying four types of cultural landscapes: historic designed landscapes, historic vernacular landscapes, ethnographic landscapes and historic sites. The presenter explained the four standard treatments — preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and reconstruction — and emphasized that "a cultural landscape’s character is defined by the arrangement and interrelationship of features as they existed during the period of significance." The presentation included examples and guidance on stabilization, protection, maintenance and repair.

Staff recommended that cultural landscape management plans be used when considering designation or treatment. A management plan, the presenter said, provides implementation guidance such as maintenance strategies, monitoring, and treatment zones; the presenter cited local examples including the State Street Parkway and referenced guidance from the National Park Service and the California Preservation Foundation.

Commissioners asked how management plans might be implemented for existing city landmarks; staff said designation resolutions can require maintenance plans and that staff can pursue interdepartmental coordination with Parks and Recreation for retroactive management work. There were no votes on the training; it was delivered for information and future decision-making.

The training materials emphasized documentation and recommended that preservation planning include historical research, inventorying character-defining features, evaluating integrity, choosing an overall treatment, and developing a long-term management and maintenance strategy.