The building at 818 First St.– which currently houses Aroma Indian Cuisine– is being considered for a resolution designating it as a “contributing building” to the downtown historic district. The Historic Preservation Review Commission will vote Thursday. (File Photo)

The Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC) will consider adopting a resolution recommending an amendment to the Downtown Historic Conservation Plan (DHCP) to include the property located at 818 First St. as a contributing building to the district at its Thursday meeting.

The DHCP was adopted in 1990 as the main tool for identifying historic properties downtown and helping to preserve them. Its goals include preventing demolition of architecturally significant historical buildings, promoting conservation for the historic district and encouraging development tailored to the character and significance of the historic district.

The DHCP features a map of all the properties in the historic district as wells their associated designations, according to a report prepared by Principal Planner Amy Million. If the property at 818 First St. is deemed a contributing building to the district, then the map would would have to be amended to change its status from “no designation” to “contributing building.”

This particular building was constructed around 1935, just a few short years after the original two-story wooden commercial building at the site was destroyed by a fire in 1932. New construction in Benicia was rare between 1914 and 1939, and many buildings were of simple design due to the decline in businesses during the Great Depression. However, after the fire engulfed four buildings on the 800 block of First Street, including the Palace Hotel, designers constructed buildings with tougher materials. The one-story 818 First St. building was designed with bricks and reinforced concrete and has housed several businesses in 80 years, including Aroma Indian Cuisine which has occupied the site since 2008. An interior wall was added in 1962, wood paneling additions were instated in 1970, new bathrooms were added and a non-load-bearing wall was removed in 1984 and the site was re-roofed in 1997 and again in 2008.

In March, property owner Agapito Loera requested the removal of the front entry stairs to be replaced with a concrete landing costing of two steps and two steel hand rails. The project was brought to the HPRC on April 28, where staff recommended historic analysis for the site.

The city has hired consultant Michael Baker International to prepare a historic survey of the property. The property has not been included not been included in past historic surveys, which Million says was likely done in error.

“The results of the July 2016 historic survey were that the subject building retains historic integrity and should be considered as a contributing building to the Downtown Historic District,” she wrote.

The project has been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, as no potentially significant events on the environment were discovered, and a resolution will be submitted to the HPRC for review. Million recommends that the HPRC adopt the resolution for the Planning Commission to make a recommendation for the City Council to amend the DHCP map to indicate that the property is a contributing building.

The HPRC will meet at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 22 in the City Hall Commission Room, located at 250 East L St.

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