This piece was originally published in our January-March 2023 edition of SF Heritage News. To view the full issue, click here.
Conservation Easement Monitoring Completed
Architectural historian Christopher VerPlanck, principal of VerPlank Historic Preservation Consulting, completed the on-site inspections of our sixty- five conservation easement properties. These easements are a legal agreement between a property owner and SF Heritage that ensure protection of a building’s character-defining features. The protection follows the building if it is sold to new owners and gives SF Heritage the legal right to review any proposed changes to portions of the structure covered by the easement (such as the façade).
The easements being monitored by San Francisco Heritage are located primarily in the Western Addition, the Mission, and Russian Hill. Most of the listed structures are residential, with construction dates ranging from the 1860s to the 1930s. Other prominent buildings with easements include the Columbo Building, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and the Bayview Opera House, formerly known as the South San Francisco Opera House. SF Heritage is the only local organization in the city with an established program to receive, administer, and enforce conservation easements. Completion of the monitoring was made possible by a generous donation from the Bland Family Foundation. Are you interested in pursuing an easement to protect your historic property in perpetuity? Contact us at info@sfheritage.org or check our informational webpage at: sfheritage.org/easements.
Two of the 65 easements held by San Francisco Heritage include the Columbo Building (left) and the Bayview Opera House, formerly known as the South San Francisco Opera House (right), both San Francisco Landmarks. Photos by Christopher VerPlanck, 2022.
