Politics & Government

Plans To Save Historical Buildings In Lake Elsinore Continue ... Slowly

With limited staffing and budget at the city, efforts to retain and rehab aged structures will be "incremental."

With 125 years of history in Lake Elsinore, the city contains some of the county’s oldest buildings and plans to save many of them will continue.

But with limited staffing and budget at the city, efforts to retain and rehab aged structures will be “incremental.”

During Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled Lake Elsinore City Council meeting, council members approved a staff recommendation that the city keep moving forward with a Historic Preservation Program started by an Historic Ad Hoc Committee that was appointed in July 2012.

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No timelines were addressed Tuesday night, but as budget and staffing permit, the city is expected to, among other things, create a historic preservation commission, update the list of historic structures in the city, and allow owners of historic properties to apply for reduced property tax rates.

Dozens of buildings with “special historical significance” have been identified throughout Lake Elsinore in previous surveys. Many structures date back to the late 1800s.

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Lake Elsinore resident Joyce Hohendahl chaired the all-volunteer ad hoc committee, whose members also included Tim Fleming, Ruth Atkins, Charlene Cleary, and Linda Ridenour. They were thanked for their service Tuesday.

"Volunteer is the worst job and the best job all at once," said Lake Elsinore Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Johnson, who expressed gratitude to the committee members for helping to educate council members and city staffers on local history.

A May 1, 2012 presentation for the Lake Elsinore Planning Commission, with information contributed by Hohendahl and Atkins, shows two Lake Elsinore buildings are already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Crescent Bath House/Chimes Building and the Grand Army of the Republic Armory Hall.

Listed on the California Points of Historical Interest are the Armory Hall, as well as Elsinore Woman’s Club and Elsinore’s Hottest Sulphur Springs, the May 2012 presentation shows.

Listed as Riverside County Historical Landmarks are the Sulphur Springs, along with the Elsinore Princess, Lake Elsinore Cultural Center, Santa Fe Train Station, and the Tank House, according to the May 2012 presentation.



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