Old Towne Is Added to Historic Places Registry

The turn-of-the-century neighborhood known as Old Towne Orange, which has long attracted both Hollywood filmmakers and tourists, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The mile-square area with its 1,700 homes and historic downtown plaza also received the distinction of being named the “largest historic district in the state,” Mayor Joanne Coontz was told Monday by officials in Washington.

Old Towne now joins such sites as Gettysburg and the Golden Gate Bridge on the register of sites worthy of preservation. The designation also means that homeowners who preserve the facades of their properties will be eligible for tax credits.

“Hooray!” said Anne Siebert, a homeowner in Old Towne Orange and a former president of the Old Towne Preservation Assn., which submitted the 400-page application for the designation. “It’s a real honor to have the federal government recognize us like this. It is time we share with the rest of the United States and the rest of California how special it is here.”

Residents became interested in applying to the National Register in the mid-1970s. On Feb. 14, the State Historical Resources Commission unanimously voted to nominate Old Towne for the National Register.

The neighborhood, Coontz said, is unusual. “It’s beautiful, and we hope people will take on the responsibility of keeping up their properties, because more people will want to come and see the place.”

Some property owners had expressed concern that the national designation would make it difficult for them to do any remodeling without lengthy environmental review. But Coontz said the city’s own design-review guidelines for Old Towne are stricter than state requirements.

Siebert said she is convinced the designation will only be good for Old Towne property owners and the city.

“This can’t help but increase property values,” she said.