Will Newark City Council do the right thing for its taxpayers, heritage and library patrons?

The City of Newark hired Group 4 Architecture to study the replacement of its civic buildings, including its 1983 City Library designed by renowned American architect Aaron G. Green (1917-2001).

Group 4 concluded in its historical assessment last year that the library was too young to qualify as a historical place, as it is younger than the typical guideline of being older than 50 years. Furthermore, they noted the building would not be eligible for exemption from that guideline for not having exceptional importance in the history of American architecture.

Unfortunately, the minimal amount of research presented do not seem to support Group 4’s findings.

I took the liberty of sharing their assessment with a number of other historical architects throughout the state of California. Historical architecture consultants Paige M. Peyton at Peyton Consulting in Redlands, CA and Stacey De Shazo at Evans & De Shazo LLC in Sebastopol, CA confirmed that any given building does not need to be significant “in the history of American architecture,” as is incorrectly stated by Group 4 to apply under an exception to the 50 year threshold guideline.

Indeed, the City Library could easily be significant at the local or state level such as in the City of Newark or State of California. This type of situation is acceptable as the National Register Bulletin 22 (section VII), which explicitly states: Exceptional importance does not necessarily mean national significance; rather, it is a measure of a property's importance within the appropriate historic context, whether the geographic scale of that context is local, State, or national.

Additionally, Jay Correia, Supervising State Historian with the California Office of Historic Preservation in Sacramento, CA also affirmed that a significant number of buildings in the national registrar are only important at the local level.

Most surprising was the lack of consideration to relevant ordinances on historical preservation for the City of Newark. The city’s own ordinances stipulates a historical resource shall meet one or more of the criteria. Of relevance to the library are four criteria: A.5., B.1., B.2., and B.3.

A.5. is relevant when a building is associated with a past or continuing institution, which contributed substantially to the life of the City,
B.1. is relevant when a building is one of a few remaining examples in the city of a particular architectural style,
B.2. is relevant when a building is the work of a regionally or nationally famous architect
B.3. is relevant when a building is an architectural curiosity or picturesque work of particular artistic merit.

Is Group 4 claiming the Newark Library has not contributed substantially to the life of the City of Newark over the past 34 years? Is Group 4 suggesting the City is ripping at the seams with other Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Aaron G. Green designed buildings? Is Group 4 proclaiming architectural historians in Los Angeles or San Francisco would not recognize the name Aaron G. Green? Is Group 4 asserting the City of Newark is overcrowded with buildings that exemplify Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural style of organic architecture? Is Group 4 declaring that no other Newark Library patron has come up here before you to express their appreciation for the picturesque beauty of our charming and unique library? In other words, does Group 4 have any shame in deceiving and charging Newark taxpayers for half-complete work?

Consequently, it is sensible the Newark City Council demand a refund for the market rate cost for a historical assessment from Group 4 until the assessment is corrected and has received a peer review. In particular, Group 4 should not fail once again to do their due diligence in considering both the local and state level as the historic context.

Additionally, one would reasonably expect the City Library to immediately be added to the historical resource list maintained by the City. This must occur, as the City Library is already eligible for consideration as a historical resource since it must meets at least one of the four relevant local ordinances on historical preservation.

Will Newark City Council do the right thing for its taxpayers, heritage and library patrons?

Links to the following exhibits:
1. Single Page (paragraph) Historical Assessment completed by Group 4 Architecture and Garavaglia Architecture: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AudI2lSqc1XOxd9mrznqkulAqtLENA
2. Excerpt from National Register Bulletin 22 (section VII) regarding buildings younger than 50 years of age: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AudI2lSqc1XOxd9nyM7p8MM359c7LQ
3. Historical Preservation Ordinances from City of Newark Municipal Code: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AudI2lSqc1XOxaJk64hvCSJUeq1i5w
4. Event Invitation to 5 month program highlighting architectural designs by Aaron G. Green at Palos Verdes Art Center / Beverly G. Alpay Center for Arts Education: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AudI2lSqc1XOxd84ThEhWSZr_C_9qg