Riverside added three architecturally significant homes to the city’s roster of protected historic properties Tuesday, designating a mid-century modern residence, a 1926 Spanish eclectic estate and a 1960 home as city landmarks and a structure of merit.
The designations, approved 7-0 during a City Council public hearing, preserve homes that Historic Preservation Officer Scott Watson said represent the work of architects who shaped Riverside’s postwar and early 20th century development.
The Havens Residence at 2139 Archdale St. was designated a “structure of merit” rather than a landmark. Watson said the home, designed by the local firm Cohen and Busse in 1960, met the criteria for landmark status, but its historic integrity was diminished because of the replacement of most of the operable and several fixed windows with vinyl-framed glass. The merit designation carries a condition that the owner restore the original window appearance as part of a Mills Act 10-year plan, which would make the property eligible for full landmark status later…