Demolition of two unaltered Spanish Revival houses at 4235 and 4241 Third Avenue began this week. No permit was posted since it was a ministerial process.
Background: On Monday, Janet O’Dea (a Mission Hills preservationist) reviewed the permits reports (issued the night before). They showed that these two properties were slated for demolition. When Janet went to the site and took photos
Monday, the property at 4235 was already missing its roof, but the front door was in place as were the original windows, chimney and other character-defining features. The property next door at 4241 was behind caution tape, but had not been demolished yet. Senior Planner with SD’s Historic Resource Board, Cathy Winterrowd, confirmed that her department did not review these for historic significance. Late yesterday, a stop work order was issued (while the city looks into their process after being alerted to this problem).
These properties cleared historic review by Development Services, but because of the way they have been presented by Janet, the demolition has been put on hold for now. It is not certain that there was anything done incorrectly at this point except that to demolish these unaltered historic homes and not require further reporting is inconsistent with the 45 year review procedure.
