I would say historical status is determined by formal city process, not any independent organization. But the person leading this petition was apparently histo

I would say historical status is determined by formal city process, not any independent organization. But the person leading this petition was apparently historian Daniella Thompson of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association: http://berkeleyheritage.com http://berkeleyheritage.com Here is the association’s letter to the city after the house was denied landmark status: http://berkeleyheritage.com/letters/payson_house_appeal_letter.jan2021.pdf http://berkeleyheritage.com/letters/payson_house_appeal_lett... > ... According to BAHA’s records, the Payson House is the oldest residence standing in its neighborhood and is one of the oldest shingle houses remaining extant in Berkeley.... It is BAHA’s view that the Payson House qualifies as a structure of merit pursuant to the City’s Landmarks Ordinance... What are your criteria for who counts as a valid historical society? As far as I can tell the BAHA is the most relevant/appropriate organization in Berkeley in this context. (Note: historical societies are made up of local residents, and historians can be paid for their work; local historians weighing in on specific buildings are probably generally financially conflicted, as well as generally biased towards preservation.)