national register nomination for boulevard park historic

little apparent conversion. Others became apartment buildings requiring separate
entrances. Some smaller houses were elevated in order to create basement living spaces
or garages. Wartime housing demands and limited construction material meant these
conversions were often economically beneficial for property owners, and as middle-class
families left the neighborhood, property investors often purchased vacant homes and
converted them for tenants. Because the neighborhood was unrestricted, it was available
to nonwhites, whose population in the central city was growing in response to
employment demands in Sacramento’s industrial areas. Conversion in this form does not
necessarily damage the historic integrity of a property within the district, because this
conversion demonstrates part of the neighborhood’s history within context.
Context Statements as a Method of Analysis in Boulevard Park
Expanded use of historic context statements within a district should not allow
unlimited license to include modified properties within a district, or expand a district to
the point where demonstrating significance requires convoluted explanations of
neighborhood history. National Register nominations undergo review at several levels.
Historic context statements must be properly supported, defensible, and based on
established criteria with identifiable sources. They are the foundation of a nomination’s
eligibility, but they are not a substitute for a complete and thorough description, clear
statements of significance, and defined criteria of eligibility and criteria considerations.
Nominations lacking these elements are unlikely to receive support or approval by state
or federal authorities. Eligibility based on social context still requires sufficient integrity
for interpretation and comprehension of the resource within that applicable context.
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