By Harrison Power
Did you know that May is National Preservation Month, a time to celebrate history and honor our community landmarks? Understanding and commemorating the history of Modesto matters because it connects the Modestans of today to the achievements and events of our city’s past. Efforts by city leaders, property owners, and historians alike to support historic preservation and the protection of significant sites are worth honoring as we all celebrate the Mayor and City Council’s proclamation of Historic Preservation Month in May 2025 taking place on May 6th!
The Landmark Preservation Commission was established by the Modesto City Council in 1988 to identify, protect, and honor our city’s unique and significant resources. The Commission today continues with its responsibility of advising the City Council on the recognition of our city’s surviving landmarks for future generations. These significant sites, whether officially designated landmarks or not, have wonderful stories to tell and deserve to be celebrated as the immense sources of civic pride and appreciation that they are.
As Modesto experienced throughout the mid-20th Century, redevelopment and downtown improvement efforts often came at the expense of losing historic structures. Many of these lost buildings took with them irreplaceable architectural designs and cultural connections to the past. Their absence highlights the great value of the City’s designated landmarks, and underscores the importance of encouraging proactive participation with the City’s Landmark Preservation Program to continue honoring our city’s unique history and architectural heritage.
In the words of Former Mayor Peggy Mensinger as written in May 1984, “Here in Modesto we lost much of our earliest construction when it seemed…demolition was the best way to meet modern building codes. Given another chance, we might decide to rescue some structures worthy of restoration, and the community might well have been richer as a result.”
The highlighting of historical figures, architecture, and cultural sites can have an immense impact on the power of placemaking. Preservation of Modesto’s historical buildings, and appreciation of our city’s history, can help to create an attractive community where people are proud to live and prosper personally and professionally. The rehabilitation of older structures and the preservation of Modesto icons will only serve to make our city more vibrant and our community stronger.
So with May 2025 being proclaimed as Historic Preservation Month by the Mayor and City Council on May 6th to celebrate National Preservation Month, I invite you to celebrate, learn, and rediscover the stories, people, and places that make up Modesto’s diverse and fascinating legacy.
