Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Landmark Designation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Historic Preservation Commission continues Hap Jones landmark nomination for 235 Valencia to April 6
Summary
After presentations from staff, applicants and community supporters, the Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to continue consideration of a community-sponsored landmark nomination for 235 Valencia Street (associated with motorcycling pioneer Hap Jones) to April 6 so owners can present additional analysis and applicants can provide broader historic context.
The Historic Preservation Commission on March 2 continued a community‑sponsored Article 10 landmark initiation request for 235 Valencia Street, associated with motorcycling pioneer Hap Jones, to April 6 to allow the owners and applicants to provide additional documentation and context.
Shannon Ferguson, department staff, told the commission the revised nomination submitted in December 2015 provided new information supporting eligibility for the California Register under the "persons" criteria for Hap Jones but that the nomination lacked the broader historical context of the motorcycle community needed to meet the commission’s four Article 10 designation priorities. "Based on review of the landmark designation application, the department does not recommend to the Historic Preservation Commission initiation of the subject building for Article 10 landmark designation," Ferguson said.
Applicants and community supporters stressed Hap Jones’s local and national role: they described his Motorcycle Blue Book, his dealership and national distribution business, his promotion of motorcycling as mainstream transportation, and his long record of racing and industry leadership. Brian Holm, representing the San Francisco Motorcycle Club, and Loren Jones, identified in the record as Hap Jones’s son and heir, presented photographs and personal history in support of the nomination.
Owner representative Andrew Junius told the commission the owners had been preparing additional analysis and asked for more time to present it; commissioners and the applicants agreed. Commissioner (speaker 11) moved to continue the hearing to April 6; the motion passed unanimously, 6–0.
Commissioners who spoke said they wanted to see a fuller historical context for the motorcycle community and the applicant’s claims before deciding whether to initiate Article 10 designation. The commission will hear the supplemented record and owners’ materials on the continued date.
