[OldNorth] Item 4 on OD Tues meeting - DHB Tank House

[Valerie Vann]

The Tank House referred to as "next to Mansion Cellars" is:

The Tank House belonging to the Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer Mansion Complex, 
a City Landmark on the National Register. It belongs to the
City of Davis. It is listed on the National Register as a significant
contributing component of the DHB Mansion Landmark Complex. Its structural
and ornamental details match the Mansion. It is approx. 130 yrs old.
The DHB Mansion Complex is the only publicly owned residential
Landmark in Davis.

The city of Davis has only 2 remaining Tank Houses of the dozens still
standing in the 1940's: the DHB Tank House, which is the only one 
relatively unaltered and restorable for educational and interpretive
purposes; and one on Rice Lane that is privately owned and converted
for residential purposes.

The Tank House is located between the Varsity Theater (another City owned 
Landmark) and the the DHB Mansion. In danger of demolition are the Tank 
House itself and the surrounding historic orange orchard. The parcel on 
which the Tank House and orchard are located comprises 1/3 to 1/2 of the 
DHB Mansion Complex grounds, which are also described in the Mansion's
NR listing as contributing, and some of the last remaining publically 
owned open space/park in downtown Davis since the privatization and
fencing of the Old City Hall grounds.

The object of this proposed "lot scraping" operation is the construction
of a privately owned 3-story cafe and office building that would fill
the entire parcel from front to back and from the Varsity Theater wall
to the edge of the sidewalk that runs under the East windows of the 
DHB Mansion.

The Historic Resources Management Commission (HRMC) meeting at which
the Tank House matter is under review was originally delayed until
last Thursday, then cancelled; it has just been rescheduled for
Monday August 29, at 6:30 PM AT THE VARSITY THEATER on 2nd Street.
Please try to attend this meeting of the HRMC.

Valerie Vann
valerie at vanngroup.com