Old Towne Orange Gets Historic Nomination

After listening to some last-minute sniping between Orange residents, the State Historical Resources Commission on Friday unanimously approved the nomination of Old Towne for the National Register of Historic Places.

If, as expected, the federal government accepts the recommendation, the mile-square area of turn-of-the-century and pre-1940s homes will be the largest recognized historical district in the state.

Commissioners on the eight-member panel praised the Old Towne Preservation Assn., which submitted the massive application, for persevering.

“This is a monumental work,” said Commissioner Jane Foster Carter at the meeting held in Eagle Rock. “It’s hard for me to believe the size and challenge of this application, with 1,700 properties and 400 pages. We’ve never had anything like this before. It’s marvelous you would even attempt this.”

Nearly 20 people spoke at the public hearing, representing both sides of what had become a political dispute between property rights advocates, preservationists and residents simply confused by the conflicting points of view.

But commission members said they were only concerned when an attorney for Chapman University requested a continuance so the school’s trustees could absorb the legal implications of the decision.

That request was denied because the building the university is most concerned about, the old Orange Unified School District headquarters slated to become Chapman’s new law school, is already on the National Register.

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The nomination will be sent on to the Keeper of the National Register and is likely to sail through with little modification, said a jubilant Commissioner Jeffrey B. Samudio.

“I find it ironic that this comes out of a place where people don’t think there is much history,” Samudio added. “It just shows that a community from suburbia can accomplish something like this.”

The keeper, who is with the National Park Service, should make a ruling on the nomination in 30 to 45 days and residents may submit comments on the issue during that period.

Maryln Bourne Lortie, a historian with the state’s Office of Historic Preservation, said the commission received 101 notarized letters objecting to the designation, 77 letters in support and 98 letters asking for a delay of the hearing. To block the nomination, 51% of the more than 1,700 property owners affected would have had to object with notarized letters, according to federal regulations. The commission assumes that anyone who does not comment or write in supports the designation, Lortie said.

Several residents attended the hearing to plead for a continuance, saying they did not have enough time to research all the consequences of the listing.

Homeowner Ralph Zehner, one of the most vocal opponents to the listing, said he had 152 letters either opposing the designation or requesting a delay.

“A lot of people are concerned about the real impact to them,” Zehner told the commission. “A lot of people are concerned about the fast track of this process.”

But many of those attending spoke passionately about their desire for the honor.

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City Councilman Dan Slater, a past president of the Old Towne Preservation Assn., noted that the city’s downtown plaza area was put on the National Register in 1982 and said the residential square mile surrounding the traffic circle should be added.

“It’s a kind of symbiotic relationship,” he said. “If the residential area deteriorates, so will the downtown. If the downtown deteriorates, so will the residential area. . . . Orange is a gem and it really deserves this.”

Some property owners have been concerned that if the designation is approved, they would not be able to make changes to their buildings without lengthy environmental studies. Lortie, the historian who recommended the nomination, tried to allay those concerns by noting that the city already has in place design review guidelines to preserve the look of Old Towne that are far more strict than any state requirements.

The commissioners said they were convinced that property owners would feel no negative impacts and they reminded the residents that they can seek tax credits, grants and other financial benefits from the designation.

“A historic district of this kind reflects beautifully on Orange County and the nation,” added Commissioner Herbert H. Brin.