Moorpark May Protect Historic Architecture With Tax Trade-Off : Preservation: Some residents wonder what edifices in the former ‘Apricot Capital’ are worthy of the status.

The Moorpark City Council is considering a law to protect buildings of historical importance. But even Moorpark residents are asking just what there is around their small city that would qualify.

“There’s a dearth of buildings of historical significance in the town,” said Mary Leavens Schwabauer, a former president of the Moorpark Historical Society.

“Only two things qualified for landmark designation by the county--the old Methodist Church on Charles and Walnut, and the pepper trees on High Street,” she added. “The only other buildings that would have qualified the owners didn’t care to have themselves in the program. There really isn’t much else.”

The new ordinance being considered at a meeting tonight would give the owners of historic buildings tax breaks. In exchange, the owners would not be allowed to modify the exterior of their buildings without a city permit.

While the city has been incorporated only since 1983, the community has rich history that dates back over 100 years. Schwabauer said that before the turn of the century the town was a railroad watering station. And later it became a hub of agricultural activity. Moorpark got its name from a particularly tasty apricot, and for a number of years called itself the Apricot Capital of the World.

The city has lost most of the early structures that held that part of its past, said Pat Havens, a member of the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board, which designates buildings of historical value throughout the county.

“It’s unfortunate that something in the area hasn’t been identified that could call attention to that heritage,” Havens said. “We owe it to our children to find some of that history and protect it.”

There is not any one building that the city has its eye on protecting with this ordinance, said Jim Aguilera, director of the Community Development Department.

“We’re not doing this because we want to protect anything in particular,” Aguilera said. “We’re doing this because there may be a need for it in the future.”

Members of the local historical society have discussed putting the old wooden boardwalk and Whitaker’s Hardware store on High Street on a list for preservation. But Havens said that when the Cultural Heritage Board asked the Whitaker family to apply, they turned down the request.

“I think we were concerned about the limitations for what we could do with our own building,” said Will Whitaker, who helps run the 75-year-old family business. “I don’t really know what makes our building that historically important, anyway. I could think of a lot of homes that deserve more protection.”

In designating a historical landmark, the city will look not only at the architecture of the building but its importance to the community. Havens said there may be several other buildings in Moorpark that could qualify for protection. But without a detailed survey of the town she was hard-pressed to mention any other potential landmarks.

“There’s always been a rich history there,” Havens said. “They’ve lost a lot and there are fewer of the old-time families left. But at least they’re trying to get something going.”