Commission backs National Register nomination for Henry Gilfus House at 811 Treat Avenue

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously April 19 to recommend that the State Historic Preservation Officer consider the Henry Gilfus House at 811 Treat Avenue for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The motion to adopt staff findings passed 6–0.

Shannon Ferguson of Planning Department staff presented the nomination, saying the house, built circa 1882 as the personal residence of architect Henry Gilfus, is locally significant under criteria for persons and architecture and retains character-defining features from the period of significance, 1882–1900. "Staff does agree that the property is locally significant under criterion a and b for its architecture in association with Gilfas," Ferguson said.

Johanna Street, the preservation architect for the project, told commissioners the owner sought designation in connection with a Mills Act application and summarized Gilfus’s career and the building’s historic fabric. Commissioners asked whether criterion D (research potential) had been considered; staff replied the nomination is filed under criterion B (persons) and C (architecture) and that additional research could be added by the consultant or requested by the state commission.

The Commission’s action is a recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer; the state body will make the final decision and also determine Mills Act eligibility. The Commission did not take any local regulatory action as part of the vote; it forwarded the resolution and staff comments to the State Office of Historic Preservation for consideration.

Next steps: the nomination will be transmitted to the State Historic Preservation Officer for review; any Mills Act questions will be resolved by the state commission and the property owner.