After many years of consideration, a historic preservation ordinance came to fruition this June. The area is limited to the boundaries of the downtown plan (2010) that encompasses the structures from Peninsula to Oak Grove, and El Camino Real (eastside) to Anita Rd. (westside). It is entirely voluntary and must be initiated by the owner of the property. Property consultations must be completed by a licensed firm. For more information about potential benefits and the application process, please read the following staff report: http://burlingameca.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=252&meta_id=19438 Additional information and questions should be addressed to the Burlingame Community Development Director, William Meeker.  

Frank M. Coxe (aka The Sherman) has been scrapped late as of December 2019: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/A-ship-with-no-home-The-sad-but-colorful-and-14926296.php?cmpid=gsa-sfgate-result ____________________________ City of Vallejo City Manager's Bi-Weekly Report Vol. 6, Issue 26 Oct. 26, 2018 Greg Nyhoff, City Manage Sherman Judgment The Sherman is a 145-foot vessel that weighs 500 gross tons and entered the Vallejo Marina in March 2017. Unfortunately, the Sherman has caused damage to the Marina’s docks, and in September 2017, the Sherman’s owners abandoned the vessel and stopped paying rent. The Neighborhood Law Program subsequently filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Sherman seeking damages, daily penalties, and injunctive relief. None of the defendants filed a response to the lawsuit and the City sought a default judgement. The judge agreed with the City and signed a Court judgment finding that the Sherman was trespassing in the Vallejo Marina, the owners are in breach of contract with the City, that the Sherman is being maintained as a public nuisance, and that the Sherman constitutes marine debris and abandoned property. The judge awarded the City $17,274.78 in damages and labor and $78,350 in daily penalties. Most importantly, the judgment gives the City the authority to remove and destroy the Vessel with the City [...]

Do you know where you live ? Who developed your  neighborhood?                 When?  Who originally settled there?    Join us for our next quarterly meeting as we time travel through our subdivisions.  We’ll start with Burlingame Park, continue through Lyon & Hoag and the Easton Additions and end  up in the Mills Estate!  The talks will showcase many old photos and real estate advertisements. Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. in the Lane Room of the Burlingame Public Library.  Invite your neighbors and make this an indoor block party!

The Kohl Mansion (2750 Adeline Drive, Burlingame), one of America’s great private residences, was built between 1912 and 1914 by Charles Fredrick “Freddie” Kohl as a gift to his dear wife, Bessie.  The mansion was located on a majestic forty acre estate in the beautiful oak-covered rolling hills of the San Francisco Peninsula in the then fledgling town known as Burlingame.  Howard and White, the renowned architectural firm, created this Tudor-style red brick masterpiece complete with a commanding view of the bay.  It served as the centerpiece of the property then known as “The Oaks.”  Befitting the great heritage of this estate, the property also included a carriage house, sunken rose garden, tennis court and its very own 150,000 gallon reservoir.  In 1982 Kohl Mansion was entered into the National Register of Historic Places which lists historically significant sites throughout the United States.  The mansion has also been recognized by The California Historical Society. The Kohl family hosted the first of many grand parties at the mansion on Christmas day in 1914 as they ushered in the age of opulence.  The mansion also served as the summer getaway for many of San Francisco’s elite.  In the early 1920s the estate was [...]

Burlingame resident and Auschwitz survivor Helen Farkas is the author of “Remember the Holocaust.” A frequent speaker on her experience, she usually ends her talks with “respond to hate with love. That is the only thing that works.” Mercy High School in San Francisco has opened the Helen and Joe Farkas Center for the Study of the Holocaust in Catholic Schools. We are honored to have captured Helen’s story on film as part of the Living History Project, jointly sponsored with the Burlingame library. After the film, Helen will be available to answer questions. Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. in the Lane Room of the Public Library. Please join us! This is also our Annual Meeting and Election of the Executive Officers- The following proposed slate of executive officers for 2014:  President - Jen Pfaff; VP Museum - Russ Cohen; VP Membership - Diane Condon-Wirgler; Treasurer - Cathy Baylock; Secretary - Rosalie McCloud. Nominations will also be taken from the floor.

On November 23, 2013, the original home of George W. Gates at 1214 Donnelly was badly damaged in an early morning fire that originated and largely destroyed the neighboring vintage home at 1218. Born in 1874 in San Francisco, George W. Gates was a pioneer resident of Burlingame. After arriving in Burlingame in 1895, Gates became the town’s first postmaster and third stationmaster, and lived with his family in the railroad station’s south wing. Gates commissioned the house now located at 1214 Donnelly in 1901-2 after resigning as stationmaster. Originally located on Burlingame Avenue as one of only a handful of homes, Gates moved the house to its present location around 1917 to accommodate the growing central business district.

Funding has been appropriated to Caltrans for a major infrastructure project between Bellevue and Oak Grove Avenues that would install a fifth lane (a turn channel on both sides of the highway) for turning (east and west) into Floribunda. There are left-turn accidents occuring at this intersection at a higher rate than at other intersections (roughly 10.5 per year, the majority involving turns). The turn channel, highway-widening solution preferred by Caltrans is what the agency would typically construct throughout the state. However, Burlingame's segment of El Camino Real is narrow, and character-defining for the city of Burlingame, and town of Hillsborough, and it may create precedent for road widening and tree removals elsewhere on the highway. A public input meeting was held by Caltrans consultants on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013. Attended by roughly 100 people, the vast majority of those who spoke were in favor of safety solutions, such as signal phasing and lane splitting, that did not involve tree removals. There is significant concern about the degradation of the character of our tree-lined highway. If you would like to have input on the outcome of this plan, please contact Yolanda Rivas, District Branch Chief, CALTRANS District 4, 111 Grand Ave. Mail [...]

On Sunday, September 29, 'Paint Burlingame' took place. The following are some of the images of the event, as well samples of artwork created with Burlingame serving as inspiration, during the one day painting event- ENJOY! Check out a video from our 2010 event.