Painter Preservation and Planning

Historic Vonson Warehouses in Petaluma, CA

Historic Vonson Warehouses, Petaluma, CA
Courtesy of Sonoma County Library

Historic Context Statements, Archival Research & Interpretation

Historic Context Statements are an integral part of any historical investigation and provide the background necessary to assess the significance or non-significance of a historic resource. Context statements may identify themes, define the geographic areas, and/or establish the chronological parameters relevant to the resource. This information is then used to assess the value of the resource. Painter Preservation & Planning has completed numerous context statements from Historic Resource Surveys to content development for exhibit design.

M. Vonsen Company & the First Street Warehouses, Petaluma, CA
M. Vonsen was a participant in Petaluma’s rise to fame as the “chicken capital of the U.S.” This research was undertaken as part of HABS documentation for three warehouses/mills that were demolished to make way for new development. Included in the report was photographic and narrative documentation of the buildings to HABS standards.

United States Parcel Post Terminal Annex Historic Resources Survey, Los Angeles, CA
This 1938 Classical Revival building was a Works Progress Administration structure designed by GSA architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, best known for his design of the 1927 Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. The mural artist, a Russian immigrant, was Boris Deutsch. The structure was rehabilitated in 2000 by The Ratkovich Villanueva Partnership.

Corinthian Apartments/San Francisco Civic Center, San Francisco, CA
The 1915 Corinthian Apartments is across the street from San Francisco’s famed Beaux-Arts City Hall. While the structure incorporates some of the over-scaled classical elements of neighboring civic buildings and is a contributor to the local Civic Center Historic District, it is not part of the Civic Center National Register District. This Statement documented and substantiated that decision.

Historical Growth of Downtown Juneau, Juneau, AK
The way in which downtown Juneau developed was a product of scarcity, its remote location, and the emphasis placed on staking mining claims rather than house lots. This research chronicled Juneau from the 1880 gold rush to 1930s, its period of significance, and informed development of the Downtown Historic District Design Standards.

Times Square Redevelopment Project, New York, NY*
Research on the history and development of New York’s Times Square was undertaken for integration into a proposal for open space and events programming in conjunction with the Times Square Redevelopment project.

Allegheny River Attraction Research and Analysis Report, Bradford, PA*
Research and development for this project involved documentation of the cultural, economic and geologic history of this area, the earliest site of oil extraction in the United States.

Mendocino State Hospital, Ukiah, CA*
The buildings and grounds of the 1890 Mendocino State Hospital campus represent progressive thinking in the design of asylums and innovations in psychiatric treatment in the early twentieth century. This work was undertaken in conjunction with master planning for the site.

* Developed while employed by others

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