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Historic‑preservation advocate says moving Ingresol House would better protect it than on‑site restoration
Summary
Historic preservationist Joshua Kane told the council that keeping the Ingresol House on its current site would risk its integrity and that moving it and using historic tax credits would better preserve the structure; Kane warned using Measure K or housing funds on-site could reduce affordable housing capacity.
Joshua Kane, a historic preservationist, told the council during public comment that moving the Ingresol House to a new site would better preserve its National Register eligibility and that relying on Measure K or housing funds to restore the house in place could reduce the number of affordable housing units the city can build.
"Relocating a wealthy white settler's farmhouse out of a historically redlined neighborhood is not racial injustice," Kane said, arguing that the preservation-versus‑housing tradeoff has been framed incorrectly in some public comments. He told the council that under the Secretary of the Interior standards, historic integrity depends on setting and feeling and that dense on‑site development would damage that integrity.
Kane urged the council to consider federal and state historic‑preservation tax credits as a funding pathway and to identify historically marginalized sites in South Monrovia for landmarking instead. He warned of conflicts of interest when advisory‑committee members advocate using housing funds in ways that reduce housing capacity.
No formal council action related to the Ingresol House was reported at the April 7 meeting. The remarks were given during the public‑comment period; councilmembers and staff did not propose a motion or vote on preservation funding or relocation at this meeting.
