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After months of emotional debate, the Swink residence was designated a “structure of merit” Tuesday by the City Council. The 8-1 vote upholding an earlier Landmarks Preservation Commission decision, ended a pitched battle between building owner Joe Cox, who opposed the designation, and residents and business owners near the 1525 Shattuck Ave. property.  

The designation means that any plans to develop the Swink House would go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission in addition to the zoning board. The commission would evaluate any plans for changes to the exterior of the building before they were approved. 

“This only establishes a process for modifications,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. “It does not mean that the Swink home is frozen in time.” 

“Our charge would be to retain context and streetscape, and work with developers to retain neighborhood character,” said Landmarks Preservation Commissioner Lesley Emmington Jones. 

Cox, a Davis resident, said the decision ends his plans to transform the Swink home into a 25-room, upscale, boutique and hotel with turm-of-the-century architecture.  

“I am disappointed by the decision. I think it was a politicized decision, and we have no idea what we will do with it now,” Cox told the Daily Planet. 

Councilmember Betty Olds, the lone dissenting voice on the council, agreed. 

“The minute you get 700 signatures on a petition, councilmembers sit up and listen,” she said, referring to the petition circulated by opponents. “I think that the LPC does a great job of designating structures of merit, but this time they need to look at their motivation.  

“The majority of those 700 signatories signed not because they think the Swink house is a structure of merit, but because they don’t want a hotel there. If someone wants to put a fish tank on their property, that has nothing to do with the structure of merit designation.  

“First things first.  

The Swink House should have been judged on its architectural merit, and I don’t believe that happened,” she said. 

The decision substantially affects the value of the property and what can be done with it.  

“We can do nothing but try to update the small cottage and storefront, and that’s not economically viable,” Cox said. “My only recourse would be to go to court, but at this moment I have no plans to (fight) the decision,” he said. 

In her typically straightforward manner, Olds told the council and public, “We need to look at the fact that we’re trying to save everything, rather than save the things that are remarkable. The Swink House is bloated with additions. If you look at the storefront, it really looks like a blighted area. Why preserve that? It could actually hurt the neighborhood.” 

Others agreed that the storefront, on Shattuck and in front of the cottage, is in need of improvement, but that the designation would facilitate its upgrading rather than hinder it. 

“As it is, the Swink House is something that doesn’t live up to its potential, and the ordinance assists us to do that,” Mayor Shirley Dean said. “I hope that everyone will take a reasonable approach to make these houses more prominent and retain the character of this neighborhood.” 

Still others claimed that aside from any other development issues, that the Swink House represented the common-place architectural structure of its time, and for that reason should be considered a structure of merit. 

“If we save only the architectural masterpieces, we will fail to tell the story of the history of this city. It is these vernacular structures which tell the story of our city, our landmarks,” said LPC Commissioner Jill Korte.