Downtown Historic District                                   

The Downtown Historic District encompasses the oldest part of the City of San Luis Obispo and contains one of the City’s highest concentrations of historic sites and structures. The historic Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is at the geographic and historic center of the district, which is bounded roughly by Palm and Marsh Streets on the north and south, Osos and Nipomo Streets on the east and west, plus Dana Street as the northwest corner.

District Sign

The Downtown Historic District sign incorporates a commercial style typographic treatment reminiscent of the type style that was typical in 19th century graphics.

The architecture is suggestive of the heyday of downtown's construction boom (1895-1910).

The foliage illustrates downtown's ever-present street trees. The intent is to encourage people to look up and become more aware of the urban architecture that surrounds us.

Chinatown Historic District

The Chinatown Historic District was established in 1995 to recognize the important contributions of the Chinese community to the City’s history and development. As originally developed, Chinatown is an enclave within the Downtown Historic District, and extends one block along both sides of Palm Street between Chorro and Morro Streets.

 District Sign

There are few architectural examples left in the Chinatown District, so the concept is represented symbolically.

The dragon is highly esteemed in Chinese culture, symbolizing power and good fortune.

Once used to represent the authority of the Emperor, the dragon is distinguished by its claws. The four clawed dragon is considered common, in contrast with the five-clawed imperial dragon.

District Sign

The Mill Street District sign depicts the iconic, tree-lined 1300 block of Mill Street at the center of the district.

The neighborhood includes a wide variety of early 20th century residential styles including Tudor Revival, Craftsman, Mission Revival, Prairie Colonial Revival, and Shingle. 

Old Town Historic District

The Old Town District sign attempts to capture the upscale elegance that typified San Luis Obispo's most exclusive neighborhood prior to the turn of the 20th century. The engraved illustration style, typography, colors and border treatment were inspired by period graphic examples. The surrey is drawn from an early SLO source and the architecture is intended to suggest the general feeling of the area without singling out a particular house.

 Railroad Historic District

Established in 1998, the Railroad Historic District boundaries follow the historic boundaries of the Southern Pacific rail yard. The district is bounded by railroad right-of-way on the east, from Johnson Avenue on the north to Orcutt Road on the south, on the northwest generally by Leff Street, and on the west by Broad Street and the railroad right-of-way.

District Sign

The Railroad Historic District sign borrows its graphic character from an earlier version which has identified the area for many years, which in turn was based on the Southern Pacific Railroad logotype.

Actual railroad fonts were incorporated into the design. The prominent 1894 cites the date that the first Southern Pacific train arrived in San Luis Obispo from the north.

The Cultural Heritage Committee (CHC) is and advisory board responsible for researching, identifying, and protecting historic buildings, archaeological sites and cultural features, including making recommendations on financial incentives such as the Mills Act program. The CHC developed an Ordinance and updated Guidelines over the course of several months for recommendation to the City Council which the City Council took final action on the documents in December 2010. 

The Committee meets on the fourth Monday of each month, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room, San Luis Obispo City Hall, 990 Palm Street. For more information on these and other CHC projects and programs, contact Brian Leveille, Principal Planner, at (805) 781-7166 or bleveille@slocity.org.

The Mills Act is a program that helps people who own historic homes or buildings save money on their property taxes. In return, they agree to take care of their property by fixing it up and keeping it in good shape.

This program is run by the City of San Luis Obispo, with help from the county assessor. It’s not managed by the state. The goal is to protect and improve historic neighborhoods and business areas by encouraging owners to restore and preserve their buildings.

Resources:

• Mills Act Brochure
• Program Presentation

• Secretary of Interior Standards (updated 2017)
• Archaeological Resource Preservation Program Guidelines
• State Office of Historic Preservation