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The 2026 Design Awards Event

A view from above of a circular, multi-level courtyard with ornate railings, white columns, red tile floors, and a central fountain surrounded by greenery. Spiral staircases connect the different levels.We're celebrating 24 award winning projects, as well as the Trustee's Awards for Excellence and four President's Awards at the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside. This special celebration is followed by a ticketed reception with food and drinks. Purchase your tickets before they sell out!

City of Bakersfield Cultural Resource Survey

Project Lead
Cecelia Griego – City of Bakersfield

Lead Architechtural Historian
Christine Lazzaretto – Historic Resources Group

Senior Architechtural Historian
Alexandra Perlman – Historic Resources Group

Senior Architechtural Historian
Sian Winship – Historic Resources Group

Senior Preservation Planner/Project Manager
Kari Fowler – Historic Resources Group

GIS/Technical Specialist
Robby Aranguren – Historic Resources Group

Historic Preservation Consultants:
Cathy Butler – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission

Eileen Diaz – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission (Former)

Elizabeth (Lisa) Harris – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission

Michael McCoy – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission

Roger Mobley – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission (Former)

Stephen Montgomery – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission

Susan Stussy – City of Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission (Former)

Additional Participant(s):
Fatima Bugharin –  

Sergio Carreno – City of Bakersfield, City Fellow (Former)

David Coffey – Bakersfield Built

Donato Cruz – California State University, Bakersfield

Rachel Hads – Kern County Museum, Curatorial Department

Ye Hong – Historic Resources Group

Ken Hooper – Author/Historian

Holly Kane – Historic Resources Group

Chris Livingston – California State University, Bakersfield

David Lyman – Manager, Visit Bakersfield (retired)

Emi Takahara – Historic Resources Group

Lori Wear – Kern County Museum, Curator of Collections (Former)

Feature Photo Courtesy Kern County Museum

City of Bakersfield Cultural Resource Survey

City of Bakersfield Cultural Resource Survey is a winner for the 2026 Preservation Design Award in the category of Cultural Resource Studies, Reports. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/programs/awards/.

About City of Bakersfield Cultural Resource Survey

The project first created a Citywide Historic Context Statement to provide a framework in which to evaluate and preserve Bakersfield’s historic resources and assist fieldworkers with background information in the survey environment. The second portion took a deeper dive into potential historic properties by completing a field survey that evaluated structures (of all types) constructed after 1975 from the public right-of-way in four historic neighborhoods of Bakersfield (Downtown, East, Oleander/Sunset, and Westchester/Riviera) to determine their potential eligibility for historic listing or designation on the national, state, and/or local register. The survey report details the survey methodology, eligibility criteria, and integrity thresholds used for designation on available registers. The survey area encompasses 4,885 parcels and identified sites as potentially eligible for various historic designations: 293-local, 11-California and/or National, 5-local historic districts, 31-previously designated local, California, and/or National. DPR forms were created for all of the historic properties.

Read more about the Preservation Design Awards
Black-and-white historic photo of a busy Bakersfield street parade with horse-drawn floats, decorated wagons, people in period clothing, and storefronts; text overlays about the Bakersfield Cultural Resource Survey and preservation award.
A large, silver water tower supported by green metal legs stands behind tall trees and a tan building with a satellite dish, under a clear blue sky, with several parked cars in the foreground.
A black and white photo of a crowded street parade in the early 1900s, featuring horse-drawn floats, spectators in vintage clothing, and ornate buildings lining the street. An American flag is visible on one float.
A white, historic-style building with tall columns and black awnings sits on a street corner under a clear blue sky. A street sign reads 18th Street, and a silver SUV is parked nearby.
A sepia-toned photo of a man in a suit and hat standing on a cobblestone street in front of a large, old bank building with columns and an arched entrance. The building sign reads SAVINGS TRUST COMPANY.
A white, neoclassical building with tall columns and a sign reading Security Trust Company above the entrance. Large arched windows, a tree on the left, and a traffic signal are visible in front.
An outdoor amphitheater with a curved concrete stage, benches, green and white columns, and pergolas, surrounded by grass and trees under a clear blue sky.
A tall statue of a robed figure holding a rosary stands on a brick pedestal in a park, with a highway overpass and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
A vintage theater called “Fox” stands on a street corner with an art deco design, palm trees around it, and a classic marquee sign. Several cars wait at a nearby traffic light on an overcast day.
A neon sign reading Guthries Alley with a black cat and Cocktails hangs outside a light blue building in an urban area under a clear sky.
A small group of people stands on grass facing a speaker at a white outdoor pavilion under a sunny sky with scattered clouds. Trees surround the area, and sunlight creates lens flares in the image.
A historic stone pavilion with a tiled roof surrounded by trees and bushes. The inscription reads: From Henrietta Casto to the people of Bakersfield. Sunlight casts shadows on the structure and the garden below.
A three-story beige brick building with KRESS signage and vertical sign on the left. Large display windows and glass doors occupy the ground floor. Cars are parked in front under a blue sky.
A tall building facade with large vertical windows divided by stone columns, featuring dark green decorative metal panels above some windows. The exterior is made of light-colored brick and stone.
Street view of a building with KRESS signs above two large display windows, glass double doors at the center marked 1401, and a sidewalk in front. Two cars and reflections are visible in the windows.
Black and white photo of a Kress department store with large display windows, two boys standing outside, and vintage cars parked along the street in front of the building.
A historic white seven-story building with PADRE HOTEL in neon letters on the roof, located at a street corner with storefronts at ground level and a fire escape on the side, under a clear blue sky.
A stone statue of a robed figure holding a cross stands on a brick base, surrounded by greenery and a paved area, with an overpass and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

Community Importance

Previous survey work on file for Bakersfield dated back to the 1980s and desperately needed to be updated and consider historic properties built in the 50s and 60s, which were previously not surveyed. This survey focused on four geographic areas in Bakersfield and identified nearly 300 potentially eligible properties for the local, California, and/or National Historic Registers. Showing a successful survey by identifying historic properties can allow the survey to be expanded citywide at a future date. The project is important because it educates the public about the community’s history, built environment, and how their city became what it is today. Education in it of itself promotes pride and thus preservation. The project identified and biographed numerous Bakersfield architects, (Charles Biggar, Whitney Biggar, Clarence Cullimore Sr.), and architectural themes/styles, including Early Modernist Style, (Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, Late Moderne), Neoclassical, and East Asian Eclectic to name a few, further highlighting Bakersfield’s unique history and promoting a sense of identity among the community.

 

About CPF and the Awards

Held in conjunction with CPF’s 2026 Annual Conference in Riverside, the 2026 Mission Inn Preservation Design Awards Ceremony and Reception will spotlight excellence in historic preservation in a setting that reflects the very spirit of the work being honored. This special evening brings together award recipients, conference participants, preservation leaders, and supporters from across California to celebrate outstanding preservation projects and leadership through the Preservation Design Awards and President’s Awards.

Founded in 1978, the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) is California’s statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historic places and cultural heritage. Through education, advocacy, and community-centered programs, CPF supports the people, projects, and policies that keep California’s historic resources vital and valued. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.