Historic Preservation Commission initiates landmark designation for Sacred Heart Parish complex

The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Oct. 5 to initiate landmark designation for the Sacred Heart Parish complex in the Western Addition, directing staff to return with clarified findings and options for the commission’s second hearing. The action begins a formal Article 10 landmark process for the church, rectory, school and convent that staff described as meeting “established integrity eligibility requirements.”

Planning Department staff recommended two periods of significance — circa 1891–1936 and 1968–1972 — and proposed a refined list of character-defining features. Shannon Ferguson, Planning Department staff, told commissioners the department had adjusted the draft to focus the designation while noting the property’s association with architect Thomas J. Welch and Father Eugene…