Keep it midmod

Mid-Century Modern Preservation Guides

Every preservation guide on this site, in one place. They are written for people who own or care about an Eichler or other mid-century modern home and want it to stay recognizably mid-century: where a house’s records are, what the repair standards say, which rules a city or a register sets, and how a neighborhood gets recognized.

Each guide links the sources it was read from. Rules and fees change, so check the source before you rely on one. These guides are general information, not legal advice.

Start here

Two pages to open before any of the others.

• Keep It MidmodThe whole subject in one guide: the house’s records, repair standards, city rules, registers and easements.Start with the guide
• Preservation glossaryThe terms these guides use, from contributing building to single-story overlay, each with its source.Look up a term

Registers and their rules

What the national and state registers ask for, who decides, and what a listing does and does not change.

• The National Register rules in plain words36 CFR Part 60, the federal rules behind a listing, read section by section.Read the federal rules
• The California Register in plain wordsThe state register’s law and regulations: the criteria, the hearing, owner objections and what a listing changes.Read the state rules
• How to read a National Register nominationThe nomination form, section by section, with four mid-century neighborhoods as worked examples.Read a nomination
• The State Historical Building Code in plain wordsThe law behind California’s alternative building rules for qualified historical buildings, and the code’s opening chapter.Read the guide

Historic districts

Which mid-century neighborhoods are on a register, how one gets there, and what a local district’s rules look like.

• Mid-century modern historic districtsThe mid-century neighborhoods on a register, with a link to each record.See the districts
• How to start a mid-century historic districtThe path from a conversation with neighbors to a listing.Read the steps
• Sacramento’s Eichler historic district planA city’s adopted plan for its Eichler district: house plans, features, additions, windows and fences.Read the plan

Standards for repairs and design

The national yardstick for repairs, the city rules written for mid-century neighborhoods, and a remodeling guide.

• The ten rehabilitation standardsThe National Park Service’s ten Standards for Rehabilitation, read for an Eichler or other mid-century modern home.Read the standards
• Design guidelines by cityWhich Bay Area cities have rules written for Eichler or mid-century neighborhoods, and what kind of rules they are.Check your city
• Eichler renovation guideWhat to check before a remodel, how the main systems work, and where city rules come in.Plan a remodel

Records, people and places

Where the drawings and papers are kept, who the designers were, and when things happened.

• Eichler plans and archivesWhich archive holds which drawings, photographs and records, and how to ask for them.Find the records
• Bay Area modern architects, A to ZArchitects, landscape architects and designers, and where each one’s records are kept.Browse the Bay Area
• Southern California modern architects, A to ZArchitects and designers, and where each one’s papers are kept.Browse Southern California
• California mid-century modern timelineArchitects’ offices, public buildings, Eichler tracts and protections, year by year.See the timeline
• Mid-century modern gardensWho designed mid-century gardens, where the drawings are kept, and what district plans say about front yards.Read about gardens
• Mid-century modern landmarksCivic buildings, office towers, a glass chapel and a few houses in the Bay Area, the Los Angeles area, Palm Springs and Sea Ranch.See the landmarks
• Mid-century modern houses you can visitHouses that open to visitors, in California and beyond, each with a link to the page where its keeper posts dates and tickets.Plan a visit

We want mid-century neighborhoods to stay recognizably mid-century, and these guides are our part of that work. If you own or are thinking of buying or selling an Eichler or other mid-century home in the Bay Area and want to talk through what the rules mean for your house, call the Boyenga Team at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or write to MidMods@Boyenga.com.