The City of San Diego Historical Resources Board has been awarded a grant to complete the San Diego LBGTQ Historic Context Statement.
Kelley Stanco, senior planner/HRB liaison for the city made the announcement today at the Historical Resources Board hearing. The board was awarded the full amount requested which was $30,000.
The board will now go to the City Council to get approval to accept the grant money, and the expectation is that approval will be given. Work on the Context will begin in October, and according to Stanco the board will be reaching out to the Lambda Archives for assistance in the research and preparation of the Historic Context.
A historic context statement is a document to organize and interpret history. It pulls together information about a particular theme, in this case LGBTQ history; in a geographic area, such as San Diego. Both San Francisco and Los Angeles have undertaken LBGTQ Historic Context Statements.
What was the source of the grant money? We should commend the granting agency or person. If such a context statement had been in place, perhaps we would not have seen the outrageous demolitions that have occurred recently. I am sure that there are other structures and places of note that are similarly endangered. Having a context statement would certainly provide additional ammunition.