5 | Corpus

SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE.

The Duboce Park Historic District is a three-block residential enclave in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood that is immediately adjacent to and shares a common development history with Duboce Park, a small civic park. The district is comprised of 87 residential buildings and the stone steps and Serpentine rock retaining walls at the three interior block park entrances: Carmelita, Pierce, and Potomac Streets. The district is significant for its unusual development history and architectural expression, as described below. The Duboce Park Historic District is significant for the unusual development history of the contested tract of land upon which it was built and the way in which the contested nature of the tract impacted the district's physical appearance and connection to the adjacent park. The tract (formerly known as the Public Reservation, Hospital Lot, and Marion Tract) was subject to a decades-long series of court battles over legal ownership, with the City of San Francisco losing half of its claim to the land to the German Savings and Loan Association in the late 1890s. After acquiring title to half of the tract, the bank subdivided the land, carved out interior block streets, and sold lots to builders who developed the residential portion of the tract. The lots sold quickly and a handful of builders immediately began developing the parcels. Due to the delay in development caused by the litigation, construction dates for the vast majority of contributing resources within the district range from 1899 to approximately 1902. This short period of development and limited number of builders resulted in a remarkably uniform streetscape of Victorian- and Edwardian-era houses and flats of similar design and proportion. The contested nature of the tract, its history as a debris dump, and neighborhood activism and development of the adjacent civic park are key themes linked to the Duboce Park Historic District. One important visible manifestation of this interrelated history is found at the park's northern border – specifically the lack of separation between the park and residential buildings. The district represents the best example of San Francisco's handful of municipal parks that directly abut residential buildings, without any separation of a street or sidewalk. In addition, the historic stone steps and rock retaining walls at the three interior block park entrances – Carmelita, Pierce, and Potomac Streets – reflect the transformation of the City-owned portion of the contested tract from a dumping ground for Serpentine rock rubble to a picturesque, landscaped civic park. Serpentine rock rubble is also found in the foundations of many district buildings. The Duboce Park Historic District is also significant for its architectural expression as a remarkably intact grouping of Victorian- and Edwardian-era residential buildings. The district expresses the distinctive characteristics of late Victorian- and Edwardian-era architectural styles, with the Queen Anne style widely represented. Although the district displays a remarkable variety of ornament, unifying design features include asymmetrical and articulated façades, steep roof pitches, the use of multiple textures and wood cladding, and front yard setbacks. Many of the Queen Anne cottages and flats were developed by Fernando Nelson, a master builder known for his exuberant ornamentation and elaborately applied millwork. Nelson designed and built approximately one half of the district properties, including nearly all of the residences on Carmelita and Pierce Streets. The district represents one of the earliest developments in his 77-year career and is an excellent representation of his effusive interpretation of the Queen Anne style. District features characteristic of Nelson's Victorian-era period include button boards, drips, and donuts; blocky geometric cut-outs above the entry porch; two-sided bay windows; half-circle rows of dentils located in gable ends; and a wavy, stylized quarter-sunburst detailed at the arched entry. The turn-of-the-century development of buildings within the district often resulted in a rare fusion of Edwardian-era massing with exuberant Victorian-era detailing. It is common in the district for Edwardian-era flats to feature unusually ornamented spandrel panels and decorative friezes and several are capped with the gable roof form more commonly associated with Queen Anne style buildings. The period of significance for the Duboce Park Historic District dates from 1899 to 1911, inclusive of the known period of construction of all buildings within the district. Additional historic information may be found in the Duboce Park Historic District Designation Report, which is hereby incorporated herein as though fully set forth. This document is on file at the Planning Department under Case No. 2011.0683L. (Added by Ord. 107-13 , File No. 130070, App. 6/13/2013, Eff. 7/13/2013)

SEC. 6. FEATURES OF THE DISTRICT AND EXISTING BUILDINGS.

The character-defining interior features of buildings in the district are identified as: None. The character-defining exterior features of buildings in the district are identified as: All exterior elevations and roof lines as described below. The character-defining landscape elements of the district are identified as: The rustic interior block park entrances at Carmelita, Pierce, and Potomac Streets – which include the historic stone steps, Serpentine rock retaining walls set in a random rubble pattern, and the public rights-of-way within a 10-foot buffer – and the lack of physical separation between the park and adjacent buildings. The following section describes in further detail the character-defining features of the district and of individual buildings and landscape elements contained therein. Historic district designation is intended to protect and preserve these character-defining features. a) Overall Form, Continuity, Scale and Proportion. Due to the brief period of construction – most buildings were constructed between 1899 and 1902 – and combined involvement of two primary builders, buildings within the district exhibit a remarkable consistency in terms of massing, scale, style, detailing, front yard setback, and feeling. District buildings are overwhelmingly residential, being composed primarily of single-family dwellings and residential flats. A few multiple-family residences within the district (typically located on street corners) also include a commercial use at the street level. Buildings in the district range from 1½ story-over-basement to four stories in height, with two and three stories predominating. The district's largest single-family residences and flats were built on corner lots directly adjacent to the Park. These buildings are typically two- to three- stories in height and feature consistent detailing on the primary, Park-facing, and rear façades. Generally speaking, the buildings fronting Carmelita, Pierce and Potomac Streets were originally constructed as one- or two-family dwellings, while flats dominated the lots facing