PROJECTS
Sausalito Historic Context Statement
LOCATION: Sausalito, California
CLIENT: City of Sausalito
DATE COMPLETED: 2023
Sausalito, California is located right across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco in southern Marin County. With a population of only 7,061, this small town is one of San Francisco's most desirable suburbs and also a top draw for tourists from around the world. Known chiefly for its Mediterranean climate, dramatic "mountains-meet-the-bay" scenery, and ample shopping opportunities, many visitors know little or nothing about Sausalito's important maritime heritage or the role that the town has played in the Bohemian subculture of the San Francisco Bay Region.
In January 2013, the City of Sausalito hired VerPlanck Historic Preservation Consulting and Left Coast Architectural History to prepare a Historic Context Statement for the entire city. VerPlanck had prepared a similar study for Sausalito's Marinship area in 2011, so this project built upon some of the work done for the earlier project. VerPlanck and Left Coast's founder, Caitlin Harvey, walked and drove nearly every street in Sausalito to identify both common and unusual buildings, structures, landscape features, and civic infrastructure. We researched the history of Sausalito at the Sausalito Historical Society, the Marin County Library system, and the California Historical Society to identify important themes in the development of Sausalito. In addition to identifying properties important to the maritime heritage of Sausalito, VerPlanck and Harvey recorded significant areas of nineteenth-century estates and churches, as well as several tracts of mid-century modern houses on the slopes of Wolf Ridge and Toyon Terrace.
The Sausalito Historic Context Statement will be used to assist City staff, commissioners, property owners, and other stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding land use and development projects throughout Sausalito. It will also serve as a primary building block in the development of the City's historic preservation program, providing a foundation for future survey activity as well as the designation of individual landmarks and historic districts.
