§ 16.52.860. The Pressburg Residence.

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the City Council designates the following buildings as historical landmarks in the City: The Pressburg Residence, 167 South Street (Assessor's Parcel No. 7125030017).

A.

Specific Criteria. This house recalls the rural agricultural community that was its environment when it was built around 1905. This area then consisted of farms and was known as the California Cooperative Colony Tract. South Street was named for its southern boundary. Dairy Avenue was named after the old Bixby Dairy, later called the Long Beach Dairy, situated on what became 49 Ellis Street nearby. Subdivision into town lots began in 1922 along Long Beach Boulevard, which was not paved until 1927-28. North Long Beach was a separate City, called Virginia City, named after the Virginia Country Club. It was annexed to Long Beach by popular referendum in January, 1924. This house is located on the western City boundary that existed in the twenties. Records for this particular house are incomplete, for it was unincorporated land when it was constructed. It may have been part of the original Bixby farm and dairy, or it may have been moved onto its lot in 1930. However, this Victorian farmhouse is evocative of the area's rural beginnings.

This house is an excellent example of Victorian architecture, with some idiosyncratic features. The steep gable roof, the large porch, the rich exterior textures of narrow clapboard siding and variegated shingles, are hallmarks of this style. The three-part second story window with a pointed gable, the use of shingles on the porch, and the use of diamondpane windows are all unusual features but are consistent with the rich visual variety of the Victorian era.

It is one of the oldest homes in North Long Beach, and stands out from its neighbors in scale and architectural type. It is the only Victorian in the area. Its appearance as a rural farmhouse of the early 1900s amongst houses of later periods makes it an important historical artifact, recalling the California Cooperative Colony Tract of that early era.

This two and one-half-story late Victorian house stands out for its scale, its noteworthy architectural features, and its integrity. The cross gable roof is steeply pitched, and ends in gable returns. Within the gable are windows and richly ornate shingles: fishscale shingles alternate with diamond-pattern shingles, separated by square-cut shingles aligned in horizontal bands. The attic is indicated on the exterior by a projection cantilevered out from the vertical walls. The first story is separated by a plain frieze, below which the exterior cladding is narrow clapboards. A covered porch placed to one side is roofed in a low pitched closed gable forming a pediment. The front of the porch contains a wide arch spanning the entry steps; the sides contain two (2) semi-circular arches. The porch exterior contains both narrow clapboards and fishscale shingles, separated by a narrow molding strip at the springing of the arch. The entry door is original, oak with a large oval glass. The windows are unusual features on this structure. The second floor facade contains a modified Palladian window, with the central portion shaped in a gable point rather than an arch. Inside the frame, paired double-hung windows are separated by a fixed pane narrow window with diamond-shaped muntins. The picture window on the first floor contains a wide double-hung window with two (2) fixed pane side lights, also with diamond muntins. Other windows are double-hung wood sash, the frame capped with a lintel. There is a bay window on the east-facing side. The second story windows on this wall contain the only alteration on the building: aluminum sliders. There is a wooden picket fence of indeterminate age. The condition is good.

B.

The Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings" are incorporated by reference, and shall serve as standards and guidelines for future exterior changes to the building. All exterior changes, whether or not they require a building permit, shall require a certificate of appropriateness from the Cultural Heritage Commission. Any exterior alterations, modifications or repair of the structure shall be consistent with the character-defining architectural features, and shall not adversely affect the historical materials, design or detailing.

(Ord. C-7192 § 1, 1994)