How to Research Your Home

Conducting research on the history of your property and its past owners can be very rewarding. During the course of your research, you might locate previous owners or their descendants, learn interesting facts about your home's early residents, and perhaps discover some interior or exterior historic photographs. You might also be interested in nominating your home for historic designation at the City, State, or National level.

For more information about how to nominate your home for historic designation by the City of San Diego, please visit the City of San Diego’s Historical Resources and Regulations. The University Heights Historical Society also offers a Guide to Researching and Historically Designating Your Property, featuring a one-hour recorded webinar and slide deck with detailed, step-by-step information presented by Senior Archaeologist/Historian Doug Mengers with PanGIS, Inc.

The following information pertains only to potentially historic structures within the City of San Diego and has been drawn from multiple sources including the City of San Diego Historical Resources Regulations and Guidelines and Save Our Heritage Organisation’s Guide to Researching Your Home.

While it is a great experience to learn about your house's history, it can be a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process. The tips included here will give you a framework within which to work and help you to eliminate some of the learning curve.

Benefits of Historic Designation

• Eligibility for significant property tax reductions through the Mills Act

• Potential tax credits of 20% to 25% through the California State Historic Tax Credit for qualified rehabilitation expenditures for rehabilitation of a certified historic structure or a qualified residence

• Potential tax benefits for historic preservation easements

• City of San Diego development incentives for the preservation of designated historic resources including exclusion of designated historic resources from parking calculations and Floor Area Ratio (FAR) limits; as well as new allowances for deviations from base zone development regulations, such as setbacks, height, coverage, etc.

• Use of the more lenient California Historical Building Code for all local, state and federal historically-designated sites

• Potential increase in property values, as documented by many studies

• Potential tax credits for National Register sites and districts for improvement expenditures related to the substantial rehabilitation of the site. The tax credit applies to personal or corporate taxes.

What Makes a House or Building Historic?

The Historical Resources Guidelines of the City of San Diego’s Land Development Manual identifies the criteria under which a resource may be historically designated. It states that any improvement, building, structure, sign, interior element and fixture,site, place, district, area, or object may be designated a historical resource by the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board (HRB) if it meets one or more of the following designation criteria:

• A. exemplifies or reflects special elements of the City's, a community's, or a neighborhood's, historical, archaeological, cultural, social, economic, political, aesthetic, engineering, landscaping or architectural development;

• B. is identified with persons or events significant in local, state or national history;

• C. embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship;

• D. is representative of the notable work or a master builder, designer, architect, engineer, landscape architect, interior designer, artist, or craftsman;

• E. is listed or has been determined eligible by the National Park Service for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or is listed or has been determined eligible by the State Historical Preservation Office for listing on the State Register of Historical Resources; or

• F. is a finite group of resources related to one another in a clearly distinguishable way or is a geographically definable area or neighborhood containing improvements which have a special character, historical interest or aesthetic value or which represent one or more architectural periods or styles in the history and development of the City.

Identify Your Home’s Architectural Style

Start by evaluating the architecture and character defining features of your home by reviewing National Park Service Brief 17: Architectural Character Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character.

Determine the Historic Status of Your Home

Next, determine if your property has already been documented or designated by checking the following resources:

• California Historic Resources Inventory Database (CHRID): Enter your street number, without the street name, or other information, to pull up all the houses with your street number. This will include a large enough search pool that you don't miss your property. Please note that the City of San Diego's records on the CHRID are incomplete and its listings may lag years behind official designations.

• Your property may also be a contributor to an existing historic district or a potential new historic district.

• Check any historic surveys conducted by the City of San Diego of your neighborhood. The City of San Diego has conducted surveys of historic structures and included these survey results in the appropriate community plan documents.

  • First, determine in which planning area your property is located at the City’s Community Profiles page.

  • Visit your Community Profile page, for example, Uptown or North Park. Scroll down to the most recently adopted Community Plan and look at the Appendix for the Historic Survey Report, for example, Uptown Historic Survey Report or North Park Historic Survey Report. Search the documents using your street address.

  • If there is no survey data with the community plan, search the City’s Historic Contexts and Surveys web page for final, draft, and suspended surveys.

• The University Heights Historical Society also maintains maps of historic districts and historically-designated homes in University Heights.

Additional Documentation for Historical Resource Research Report

Following are some additional documents you will need to prepare and submit a Historical Resource Research Report to the City of San Diego to nominate your home for historic designation. Some of the following documents may be available online while others will have to be obtained in person as noted below.

This is not intended as a comprehensive list—please visit the City of San Diego’s Historical Resources and Regulations for complete guidance on designating your property. You may also want to review the City’s handout on the Historic Resource Nomination Process.

If you don’t have the time or interest to do your own research, you may wish to hire a consultant to research and prepare the report for you. A list of historic research consultants may be found on the Save Our Heritage Organisation website.

Building Development Information

WHERE TO GO:

San Diego County Assessor/Recorders Office
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 103, San Diego, CA 92101
Appointment Recommended

WHAT TO FIND:

Some of the following information is available online as noted below.

• Subdivision Map:

  • Online: The original 1888 University Heights Subdivision Map is available for download from the University Heights Historical Society.

  • In-person: Request a copy of the official subdivision map to identify the lot and block number for your property. If it is not clear, ask the clerk for the written legal description.

• Residential Building Record:

  • Online: Complete and submit the Authorization to Release County of San Diego Assessor Records Form to the email address listed on the form.

  • In-person: You'll need the assistance of the county clerk to get a copy of the Residential Building Record. The clerk will ask for identification (such as drivers license with current address) before giving you this document. If you are researching someone else's property (as a professional researcher, for example), you will need the owner's written permission. There are fees for copies and for any county documents you require.

• Deed Information (Chain of Title):

  • Online: Search deeds online on the on the City of San Diego Digital Archives for the time period 1876 to 1947.

  • In-person: Ask the clerk for assistance in using the departments' computer tools to search for the title documents. The title documents needed for your report are for the first and current owners. Use the documents you have gathered including the legal description and names from the lot and block books, to further your search.

    Search the grantor/grantees indexes. These will include all property transfers, including transfers between family members creating a list showing the grantor, grantee, dates, document numbers, and page numbers.

  • Other Options: Contact the title company that handled the purchase of your home—they may provide the chain of title report to you free of charge. Otherwise, any title company can provide a chain of title report for a fee.

• County Lot and Block Book: These documents will help you determine when taxes were first paid on your property. The County lot and block database shows the taxes paid in a handwritten spreadsheet format and spans a period of time from approximately 1900-1944. You will need to know the legal description (lot and block numbers) and subdivision name. Start at a period of time when you think your house was built. You will know that you have the first tax assessment for the property when it lists the first dollar amount under the heading "houses or buildings." This identifies the first assessment as of January 1 that year so the house was most likely completed the year before. The name of the person (and sometimes a different mailing address) who paid the taxes is usually the first owner. Once you find the lot and block record for the first owner needed for your report, print out the document. Continue to record the subsequent owners or those who paid the taxes for your chain of title research.

  • Online: You may do an online search of the lot books on the City of San Diego Digital Archives for the time period 1873 to 1930.

  • In-person: At the County, ask the clerk for a mapping technician to help you with the lot and block database. This material is held on a restricted access computer that is only accessible with the mapping tech login and password. County mapping techs aren't often asked to find these resources. Some are better at using the database than others. If the mapping tech who helps you is unfamiliar with this database, ask for someone with more experience.

• Notice of Completion: After you have identified the first owner, search for a Notice of Completion of construction by looking by year through Miscellaneous Records. If you have already identified the builder or that the house was built on speculation, the Notice of Completion may be in the builder's name. Once you found the grant deed, use that date and search backwards in time, looking for the description by lot and block, not just the name. Be aware that there is not always a Notice of Completion on file with the county. Alternatively, you may search Southwest Builder and Contractor online or at the San Diego Central Library. When a Notice of Completion is filed, it provides a definitive date for the purposes of your report.

WHERE TO GO:

City of San Diego Development Services Department
1222 First Avenue, 2nd Floor
San Diego CA 92101

WHAT TO FIND:

Much of the following information is now available online from the City of San Diego as described below:

• Water/Sewer Connection Records: Please book a Virtual Appointment with Historic Resources staff to view these records online and take a screen shot. Staff will also walk you through the historic designation process if you are interested in pursuing that.

• Site Plan and Construction Permits (electrical, mechanical & plumbing permits not required):

  • For properties built prior to 1955, please see the information above in the County of San Diego Assessor/Recorder section for obtaining a copy of the Residential Building Record

  • For properties built between 1955 and 2002, please complete and submit a City of San Diego Building Records Request Form

• Previous Historical Resource Survey Forms: final, draft, and suspended surveys may be searched online at the City’s Historic Contexts and Surveys web page

• City of San Diego 800 Scale Engineering Maps (with north arrow and site location): please complete and submit a Building Records Request Form

Ownership and Occupant Information

WHERE TO GO:

San Diego Central Library
330 Park Blvd., 9th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101

WHAT TO FIND:

• San Diego City Directories

  These will help you identify the names and occupations of residents associated with your house and the architect/builder.

  • Online:

    • City of San Diego library cardholders may search the Ancestry.com digital City Directory collection for the years 1903 to 1980. This complimentary service is available through December 31, 2021.

    • You may also search the City of San Diego’s online collection of City Directories for the year 1874 and from 1926 to 1960.

    • San Diego Yesteryear has compiled an online collection of early San Diego Business Directories for the years 1887 to 1925.

  • In-person: Print versions of San Diego City Directories are available at the San Diego Central Library, 9th Floor, and the San Diego History Center.

• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

  Check the maps for 1886/1887, 1906, 1921, 1940, 1950 and 1956. These contain drawings of the footprint of a building and show your house with changes over time. By comparing the maps from different years, you can establish an approximate date of construction and determine when and what types of additions or alterations have been made to the building and surrounding property or streetscape.

  • Online: City of San Diego Library cardholders may search the library’s online collection of Sanborn Maps.

  • In-person: Digital versions may be viewed on the computers on the 9th floor of the Central Library and the original paste up books in a back room. Print versions may also be viewed at the San Diego History Center.

• Southwest Builder and Contractor: You may search hard copies on the 9th floor of the Central Library or online for building notices or notices of completion for your home.

• Newspaper Archives

  If you know approximately when your house was built but don't know the architect or builder, you can search the San Diego Transcript and the San Diego Union or Evening Tribune for building notices or notices of completion. Real estate sections started appearing in the Sunday editions of the San Diego Union in the 1920s.

  • Online: You may subscribe to the San Diego Union Tribune Archives and search online for the time period 1871 to 1983.

  • In-person: Ask the librarian on the 9th floor of the Central Library to pull microfilm and search through the San Diego Transcript and the San Diego Union or Evening Tribune for building notices or notices of completion.

Historic Photographs and Documents

WHERE TO GO:

San Diego History Center
1649 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 232-6203

The San Diego History Center offers a variety of online and onsite services for a fee:

• Online archives of archival collections, photos, books, ephemera, oral history interviews, public records, scrapbooks, newspapers and serials, and audiovisual media.

• Onsite research services

• Remote research services

• Community research days

WHAT TO FIND:

• Historic photos of your property

• Architectural drawing files (if your home was designed by a prominent architect)

• Biographical information about the architect, builder, first owner and other occupants of your property. Ask the librarian or photograph manager to show you the book San Diego Architects, 1868-1930, compiled by the University of San Diego.

• Search local biographical histories compiled by Smythe, Black, McGrew, Heilbron, and Who's Who in San Diego.

USGS Maps

You will need historic and current USGS maps of your property. Visit efghmaps.com or the USGS store. From the USGS store, locate the property by address, then use the slide tool to go back in time for historical maps. Download the results or take a screen shot.

Other Online Resources

• Ancestry.com: May provide biographical information about previous owners and occupants of your house. You may search this service free of charge at the San Diego Central Library but there is a fee to search from your home computer.

• Biographies of Established Masters: This document prepared by the City of San Diego Historic Resources Board in 2011 provides a summary of Master Architects and Master Builders in San Diego with a list of notable works.

• Genealogy Bank: Enter the address and names to discover newspaper links to your house. This is a subscription service.

• Library of Congress: Has catalogued 19th-century lithographs of many cities and towns. These provide a fairly accurate view of many buildings that existed at the time the lithographs were created.

• San Diego Union Tribune Archives: For a subscription fee, you may search the archives of the Evening Tribune and San Diego Union from 1871 to 1983.

• Save Our Heritage Organisation: Provides a list of consultants who will research and prepare a report for historic designation.