In 1990, the Long Beach City Council officially designated California Heights a historic district. Historical designation requires that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued for all exterior changes, i.e. window replacement, extensive landscaping (walkways, driveways, planters, walls, courtyards) remodels and additions. This process is designed to protect the character of each individual home and to maintain the historic integrity of the neighborhood.

What are the guidelines and what do they mean to you?

For a complete explanation of these guidelines visit Historic Preservation Office - City of Long Beach Planning and Building Department.

The historic character and the distinctive features of a building shall be retained and preserved. Removal of historic materials or alteration of features that characterize a property shall be avoided. Example, removing original picture windows, front porches and terra cotta tile roofs is not appropriate.

Each building shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place and use. False historical changes, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings shall not be undertaken. For example, adding Victorian detailing, i.e. gingerbread, to a bungalow or Spanish-style home is not appropriate.

Most properties change over time. Those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved. For example, removing an early addition that has achieved historical significance in its own right may not be approved.

Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a historic property shall be preserved. For example, stuccoing a Craftsman Bungalow is not appropriate.

Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture and other visual qualities, and where possible, materials. Substitute materials must have the same visual and material quality as the original. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical or pictorial evidence. For example, front facade windows, particularly picture windows, should be preserved or restored using original materials. Substitute materials can be considered for side and rear windows as long as they have the same visual appearance as the original. In other words, double-hung windows should remain double-hung windows and vinyl grids and glass block are inappropriate.

Chemical or physical treatments that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures shall use the gentlest means possible. For example, sand-blasting brick or wood-sided buildings is not appropriate as it damages the materials.

New additions, exterior alterations or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment. The key to this guideline is compatibility; the new addition must find a balance between preserving the past and incorporating the future.

Help yourself by knowing the guidelines before you plan to restore, remodel or add-on. Contact the Historic Preservation Office before starting. If your plans are minor, staff may approve them over the counter immediately. If your plans are more extensive they will be reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Commission. Once approved you will receive a Certificate of Appropriateness, which is required by the Department of Building and Planning before it will issue your permit.

Homeowners who do not have a Certificate of Appropriateness and the appropriate permits can be subject to permit fines and the possibility of having to restore the original features at the homeowners' expense.