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Updated Resources for Researching and Preserving Your Historic Home
November/December 2026
Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? When it was built? Who designed it? What the neighborhood looked like 75 or 100 years ago? Or perhaps you own an older home and have wondered whether it might qualify for historic designation or if the Mills Act could help with the cost of preserving it?
SOHO recently updated some of the free online tools we provide to help San Diego County residents become better stewards of their own historic places. We’ve substantially revised two of our longstanding online resources, bringing together the essential research aids, government resources, preservation information, and practical guidance that historic property owners need today to help understand their house, its history, and how to protect it.
SOHO has been preserving San Diego’s architectural and cultural heritage for more than five decades. Along the way, we’ve accumulated an enormous amount of knowledge about historic buildings, and neighborhoods, how to research a property’s history, the process of historic designation, restoration techniques, and the many challenges that come with caring for older places. We believe this knowledge should be shared as much and as widely as possible.
Using the first updated document, become the historian of your own house with SOHO’s revised Research Your Historic Home guide.
Follow the process step by step, from discovering your home’s architectural style or character and determining when it was built to researching deeds, lot books, city directories, Sanborn maps, newspapers, photographs, building records, architects, builders, and the people who lived there.
You’ll also find guidance on researching your neighborhood, understanding historic designation, and determining when it may be time to enlist the help of a professional researcher or preservation specialist.
Whether your house is 50 years old or 100, you may be surprised by what you can discover.
Our second newly revised resource explains two preservation programs, Historic Designation and the Mills Act, which are often confused but are actually separate and quite different. We provide program information for both the City of San Diego and unincorporated San Diego County.
Historic designation recognizes a property’s historical significance. The Mills Act is a voluntary preservation contract that, in participating jurisdictions, can provide a potential property-tax benefit in exchange for long-term preservation and maintenance commitments.
This updated guide explains how the two programs work in the City and the County of San Diego, who may qualify, how to apply, and what’s required of property owners under a Mills Act agreement.
Because regulations, fees, deadlines, and procedures can change, you’ll also find links to the official government sites to verify current requirements and details.
SOHO believes that preservation includes giving people the information they need to understand why historic buildings matter and how to help protect them. These two guides are part of our ongoing effort to make preservation information more accessible, practical, and useful to everyone.
So, whether you own an older home, are researching a historic property, wonder about your neighborhood’s roots, or simply love discovering San Diego’s past, take a look.
Explore SOHO’s free updated resources
Research Your Historic Home
Discover the history of your house and learn where to look for the stories and facts hidden in deeds, maps, photographs, newspapers, city records, and more.
Historic Designation and the Mills Act
Learn about
historic designation, the Mills Act, potential property-tax benefits, preservation responsibilities, and current City and County of San Diego resources.
We hope you’ll use these resources, share them, and put them to work. Because preserving our heritage begins with understanding it.
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