Listing of historically important sites in Glendale. Learn how to get your property listed, possibly receive a significant property tax reduction through the Mills Act, and conduct historic research. 

Glendale created and adopted the Glendale Register of Historic Resources on September 30, 1997. Today the Register contains over 100 properties, and is growing each year as more owners learn about the program and apply for listing. The Register does not constitute the complete list of historic properties in Glendale - there are many, many candidates out there that might be eligible for listing. More research needs to be done to find and document historic properties - ultimately, listing on the Register requires the approval of both the property owner and the City Council. Once a property is on the Register, proposed alterations, repairs and demolitions must be approved by the Community Development Department and/or the Historic Preservation Commission. Owners of listed properties are eligible to participate in the city's Mills Act program, which can provide a significant reduction in property taxes in exchange for the owner's commitment to maintaining the property at the highest level of preservation.

If you have any questions about the Glendale Register or Mills Act, please contact the City's Historic Preservation Planner at (818) 548-2140.

General Information
List of Properties on the Glendale Register
Research Your Property's History
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation
- General principles to guide work projects on Glendale Register or Mills Act properties

Mills Act Property Tax
Mills Act - general information from the Office of Historic Preservation
Mills Act - general information from the State Board of Equalization
Mills Act - text of the state codes

How to Apply
Glendale Register Nomination Form and Instructions
Mills Act Application

Historic contexts provide information about the city's history and how it relates to existing properties on the ground, some of which may be of historic interest. Contexts tell us about how different parts of the city have grown and changed over the years and offer a framework for assessing the potential historic significance of individual properties. Glendale is in the middle of an ongoing program of creating Community Plans to guide future development of different portions of the city. Each plan will include a stand-alone historic context as an appendix.

In 2012, the City completed the North Glendale Historic Context, along with the Community Plan for the area. In 2014, the City completed the South Glendale Historic Context, along with the Community Plan for the area. In 2024, the City initiated the process for preparing the East Glendale Historic Context and West Glendale Historic Context.

The legal and policy documents that support and define the city's historic preservation program. 

Ordinances and Municipal Code Chapters

Glendale has adopted local laws to help protect historic properties. The Historic Preservation Ordinance governs only those properties officially on the Glendale Register. It also contains the eligibility criteria, incentives, designation process, design review process, de-listing process, and duty to maintain. The Historic District Overlay Ordinance provides the procedures for adoption and design review in official Historic Districts designated at the local, State and Federal levels. The Demolition Review Ordinance applies to proposed demolitions of properties over 30 years old that are not part of a development project (i.e. demolition to create a vacant lot or parking lot) and allows the Community Development Department to determine if further review is necessary before demolition. The role and duties of the Historic Preservation Commission are laid out in Chapter 2.76 of the Glendale Municipal Code.

Historic Preservation Ordinance (Glendale Municipal Code Sec. 15.20)

Historic District Overlay Zone Ordinance (Glendale Municipal Code Sec. 30.25)

Demolition Review Ordinance (Glendale Municipal Code Sec. 15.22)

Historic Preservation Commission (Glendale Municipal Code Sec. 2.76)

 
Preservation Element of the Glendale General Plan

California State planning law identifies general plan historic preservation elements as optional. However, Glendale adopted its first Historic Preservation Element in 1977 - one of the first local jurisdictions in the State to do so. The City's innovative approach continues as witnessed by the adoption of amendments to the Historic Preservation Ordinance in 1996 (which includes a range of incentives for owners of privately held historic resources) and the preparation of this updated Element. This Element sets policy direction and reinforces Glendale's preservation ethic.

Historic Preservation Element