Forest Home Farms Historical Status

In June of 2002 Forest Home Farms was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources. Placement on the Register affords the property the honor of inclusion in the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation and recognition of the historical value of the property. It provides a degree of protection from adverse effects, with state oversight for any modifications to insure consistency with historical preservation. Registration also provides some incentives for preservation of historic properties, including special building codes and opportunities for grant funding earmarked for such properties.

Forest Home Farms and its 21 individual structures qualified for this recognition in three categories:

Agricultural development from 1930 to 1950, specifically honoring the creative development of equipment by Travis Boone;

Representation of the distinctive characteristics of the evolution of a farm complex from 1850 to 1950, including distinctive structures such as the Dutch Colonial Boone House, the 1850’s hand hewn barn and the Italianate David Glass House; and

Representation of period architecture in the Italianate Victorian David Glass House and adjacent tank house, which was built in 1877 and moved to the property in 1999.

National Register listing is not easily or lightly obtained, with rigorous requirements regarding the extent the property is historically significant and extensive review by state historians. With it comes the expectation that the historical integrity of the facility will be historically maintained. Forest Home Farms is a very special jewel in the City of San Ramon’s park system.

The San Ramon Historic Foundation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation. Memberships are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.