Nowdays, being designated as ‘Historical’ is the kiss of death for ever making any improvement.
It’s so bad that, in Santa Clara, you’re supposed to get a permit to replace your dishwasher, replace your kitchen faucets, put irrigation in your lawn, etc....
It is truly the death of 1000 cuts. They get away with it by picking on tiny little constituencies and no one notices or cares because, until you try to make any improvement, it’s completely off your radar. A local realtor told us the story about a homeowner who was replacing a post on his front porch because of termites and a city inspector was driving by and asked if he had a permit. He said, No. The inspector said “Stop work, you need a permit.”