Saved: Preservation by Local Businesses

Pangloss Cellars, photo found at Fodors.com

Recently, the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation awarded three privately-owned wineries awards for their preservation of historic winery facilities: Buena Vista Winery, Pangloss Cellars, and Three Sticks Winery.  Their efforts involved seismic retrofits without marring building aesthetics, a sensitive restoration on the Sonoma Plaza, and the preservation of early buildings linked to the Mexican government.  Originally posted in the Sonoma Valley Sun.

Genius Loci, or...

What the focus groups suggested was that a sense of place was not located in the town's overt links to national events and people, nor with its civic past, but in its longer history, its physical appearance over time, its historic built environment, and particularly with the iconic...

Sheila Watson

Chapter 12: History Museums, Community Identities and a Sense of Place

Museum Revolutions: How museums change and are changed 

Threatened: Dome Theaters

Century 22 Theater, as part of the Century 21 through 23 complex.  Photo found at Silicon Valley Modern.

Demolition of Cinedome 70 in Riverdale, Utah.  Photo found at
The Standard Examiner.

Time is ticking between developer motivated tear downs and Mid-Century Modern supporters of San Jose's Century Dome Theaters.  Dome theaters as far east as Utah have already fallen to the wrecking ball.  Built in 1970, Riverdale's Cinedome 70 was in the way of a new car dealership. Supporters tried to save the theater but failed.

Several dome theaters in California have already met their demise, including Orange County's Century Cinedome Theaters, demolished in 2000, and Pleasant Hill's CineArts, demolished this year.  Ironically, their failures occurred in the wake of the City of Los Angeles protection of the Pacific Cinerama Dome Theater in Hollywood. Century 25, now known as the The Retro Dome, has recently closed its doors in Silicon Valley, citing an interest in finding a new location for its venue.  Is this the next dome to fall?

The challenge for any preservationist fighting to save contemporary places is to establish both historic significance and support for what the public might not yet appreciate. Professionals within the field will cite the National Parks Service 50 year rule, where "properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible for the National Register." Indeed, state offices of historic preservation, including California, adopted this guideline for their evaluations.  Yet even the National Parks Service recognized the significance of more recent post-war architecture that deserves evaluation.

Dome theaters, cinedomes, or cinerama domes are powerful icons representing the West Coast's modern aesthetic set apart from any other place in our nation.  The post-war rapid development of the west encouraged some architects and developers to find efficient and expedient ways to use building resources.  In this era, developer Joseph Eichler gained national attention, along with other visionary architects Richard Neutra and Charles & Ray Eames.  The theater's architect, Vincent G. Raney, should be recognized for his contributions to the arts and entertainment industries, even as many of his theaters are closing.

The simplicity of geodesic dome theaters spawned tremendous imagination, setting the stage for all IMAX wonders and L.A.'s Vortex Dome, to the humble igloo-shaped personal and mobile theaters.  Innovation is not limited to the new and shiny objects of today. Californians have a wonderful opportunity to bring creative minds together to not only petition to save dome theaters, but to consider adaptive reuses or new theater experiences within the context of a significantly historic place.  In this land of innovation, modern values, and serious technology talent, there should be viable response to the wrecking ball.

Lost: Bunker Hill Houses, Los Angeles, California

Bunker Hill Houses, Los Angeles, California.  Photo by unknown photographer, but found at NPS'
Heritage Documentation Programs Facebook page.

The Castle just prior to demolition.  Found at On Bunker Hill.

Listed as Gone but not forgotten on the National Parks Service's Heritage Documentation Program's Facebook page, these extraordinary homes fell from their foundations to make way for circa 1960s skyscrapers and parking lots.  The losses are stunning, including the Victorian mansion at left awaiting its doom.  Note the high rise representing downtown L.A.'s future. In an uncanny juxtaposition, the photo below depicts a house on the move in nearly the same location as the Victorian.  A few may have been relocated, but at the time of this posting, no information on their whereabouts has been found.

Perhaps one that was saved?  Found at the 1947 Project.

Writer Jeremy Rosenberg summarizes how the demolitions were in response to Housing Act of 1949.  Published by KCET, Rosenberg finds that "the Housing Act wound up contributing to the gutting of established residential neighborhoods located in urban centers throughout the United States."  This one law altered neighborhood and urban landscapes forever.  Say nothing of the displaced people that resided in this unique L.A. neighborhood.

Victorian mansion in the way of progress.  Find this and other dramatic
photos at KCET's Departures.

Threatened: Historic Wintersburg, Huntington Beach, California

Wintersburg Presbyterian Church, Huntington Beach, California.  Photo found at O.C. Roundup.

California's agrarian landscape is steeped in diverse community histories that tell of immigration, perseverance, and sacrifice.  Leaving one's homeland for a strange land has always been met with trepidation, but for those who survived, their stories are priceless. Historic Wintersburg has become an invaluable resource for telling the story of Japanese emigrants adjusting to a new land, yet its survival is threatened by rezoning and demolition. "It is the sole remaining Japanese-owned, pre Alien Land Law property," writes Mary Urashima of the Historic Wintursburg's Blogspot, "and one of the rare Japanese historic properties left in Orange County." 
Supporters of its preservation have started YouTube and Facebook pages for public awareness.  Even the City of Huntington Beach is encouraging its preservation.  Despite state and nationwide interest, Historic Wintersburg's fate is uncertain.
UPDATE: The Orange County Register recently announced that the owner of the property will not demolish the buildings, at least for now.  The property owner, Republic Services, is working with local preservationists to consider possible options.  The work begins, as reported by the Huntington Beach Independent.

Landscape: Felix Gillet Institute, North San Juan, CA.

Photo found at the Felix Gillet Institute.

This posting will introduce a new topic to Cal-Tales; historic landscapes throughout California.  We are fortunate to have several available resources that research California's landscapes, such as the California Garden & Landscape History Society (CGLHS) and the Northern California Chapter of the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALSNCC).  Both routinely report on historic gardens and landscapes throughout our state.

For example, Marlea Graham, Editrix emerita for CGLHS, recently reported about a new nursery in the Sierra Foothills dedicated to the propagation of historic fruit trees.  Originally introduced by a Frenchmen, Felix Gillet, some of his trees from the mid-1800s can still be found in the area.  Now, the Felix Gillet Institute is striving to search out Gillet's trees to propagate and make them available to the public.  I encourage everyone to support their effort.

After attending the Historic Landscape Institute at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, I am encouraged to see a similar preservation strategy occurring here on the Left Coast by Gillet followers.  The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants similarly seeks out and propagates plants brought to the United States by Jefferson himself.  Organizations like the Felix Gillet Institute, the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, and Luther Burbank Home & Gardens provide invaluable resources for understanding our country's introduced plant species.

Threatened: China House, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

China House, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.  Photo found at The Press-Enterprise.

"Rural Chinatowns served as geographic sanctuaries where ethnicity, language, and cultural practices were held in common and where the amenities of traditional Chinese life where readily available," writes Richard Steven Street.  Marginalized ethnic groups at the turn of the 20th century needed a sense of community as Street recognized, "Chinese field hands encased themselves in a variety of protective institutions aimed at preserving their dignity and self-respect amid a hostile society."

Photo found at Flickr.

The unreinforced brick building is the only remaining structure of Rancho Cucamonga's Chinatown.  Buildings built of wood and scraps burned to the ground in 1919, after a man caused a cooking accident.  As a testament of perseverance, the China House remained long after the destruction of the community.

Rubbing the salt in the proverbial wound of erasing the physical places of immigrant history is the City of Rancho Cucamonga's decision to proceed with red tagging this early 1900s China House.  Set for demolition in as early as 60 days, the current owner, Cucamonga Valley Water District, does not have the interest or funds to restore or retrofit the building.  Its demolition would occur regardless of the city council's 1979 designation of China House as a landmark.

The demolition of this building would also come in the wake of greater interest in Asian history and preservation in California and throughout the United States.  This interest brings to question, what indeed are the motivations of the water district behind allowing this historic building to decay?

Update:  Kudos to the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance for exploring options for saving China House, as reported by Neil Nesperos of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Update:  The plight of China House has just received national attention!

Update: Demolition delayed!

Update: The National Trust for Historic Preservation has just announced 2013's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, and China House is one of them.  This year, the Trust's President, Stephanie Meeks, has taken to YouTube to further their cause.  For further information, see Save Chinatown House in Rancho Cucamonga.  Supporters are also on Facebook.

Learn: California Architecture Webinar

What better way to learn about California's architecture than from Architect and Author Allen Hess?  Learn about Northern and Southern California comparisons with emphasis on 20th century trends and innovations...from the comfort of your office or home.  This webinar begins at high noon on November 13, hosted by the California Preservation Foundation.  Register here!

Saved: Locke, CA.

Star Theater, Locke, California.  Photo found on flickr by Kansas Sebastian

The Sacramento River's ebb and flow mimics the rhythmic changes in migrant labor throughout California's Central Valley history, where ethnic groups coursed from farm to farm in search of seasonal work as unpredictable as any undercurrent.  Harsh living conditions, abusive employers, a nomadic lifestyle, but mostly a story of perseverance all contributed to a life of uncertainty in a foreign landscape.  Life was (and is) challenging for migrant workers and best encapsulated by author Richard Steven Street in Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of California Farmworkers, 1769-1913.  Yet we can moor our preservation barge in Locke, California and wander through what remains of one town that immigrants called home...even if they intended to leave sooner rather than later.

There is no better way to experience places than to visit them firsthand.  Sometimes however, we need to rely on others: Bitter Melon, Inside America's Last Rural Chinese Town by authors Jeff Gillenkirk and James Motlow offers readers a view that is both sensitive and articulate.  Originally written in 1987, the 2006 fifth edition includes an afterword by the authors that contemplates Locke's future. Today, stakeholder groups including Locke's ethnically diverse modern population, California State Parks, the National Parks Service, and local governments have all dropped anchor within the community.  Locke is indeed a place to watch as it draws upon its past to navigate its future.

Threatened: Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, Allensworth, CA.

Tulare County Free Library.  Photo found at the Library Road Trip.

There is no denying that writing about Allensworth has its challenges, but not for reasons one might think.  Readers could argue that this State Historic Park should not be listed as threatened, given its protection under the state's umbrella. Can we however, definitively declare that our parks are really saved?  The continued budget problems in Sacramento have caused many state parks to be fiscally challenged.  Subsequently, they are suffering from deferred maintenance and understaffing, particularly parks involving historic buildings.  Until the state parks are supported by sufficient funding, their sustainability is at risk.

What perturbs this blogger most is missing Allensworth's story for the 48 years I have been a Native Californian.  During my formative years, California history was limited to grand statements of land and gold discoveries, romanticized visions of the California Mission system, and field trips to seek out a railroad's golden spike.  A similar narrative was presented on our American history, which I always associated with "over there" and to the east of California's left bank.  Places affected by Civil War in particular seemed far, far away.  

It was not until I watched California Forever, a film David Vassar and Sally Kaplan, that I discovered Colonel Allensworth and understood California's connection to American lives affected by the Civil War. His story, and the story of free people creating a self-governing place in California's Central Valley, is indeed a story that follows the American dream.  It is also a story that greatly contributes to the mosaic of California's past.

Threatened: Tankhouses, Windsor, CA.

Photos by Thomas Eddy

The sentries of Mendocino's skyline are the town's water towers, or tankhouses in preservation speak.  As if securing the town from an approaching fog bank, the redwood tankhouses also help us identify Mendocino as a one-of-a-kind place in coastal California.  They are a community's icons that have new found purposes; everything from wedding backdrops to hotel accommodations.

  

Tankhouses are indeed unique to the west coast, and in particular to California.  Our long, dry summers meant water needed to be stored for months until the winter rains replenished the soil.  Elevating the tanks helped to transport the water by gravity.  Noted geographer Leon Pitman has identified six different types of tankhouses with each style being unique to a particular region in California.  However, it is clear that Windsor farmers did not pay attention to this apparent "rule."

Slanted or straight walls, attached houses or windmills, all are visually top heavy due to the immensity of the redwood tanks. At least eight tankhouses can be found within and around Windsor.  Most exemplify others found throughout our state. New pumps, pressure tanks, and municipal water connections have made these tankhouses obsolete.  Today, many are turned into living spaces or storage barns, but too many others are either severely deteriorating or already lost. The skeletal remains of one is slated for demolition to make way for a modern hotel on Old Redwood Highway.  Another, with only one story remaining, is slated for a future parking lot near the new train depot.

As these iconic landmarks find their way onto wine labels and bookshelves, will others be embraced by the community as heritage resources spotted all over the vernacular landscape...or will they strictly become fodder for retail kitsch? We should be looking toward places like Mendocino to understand their value as repurposed and functional structures that can also define sense of place.

Stay: Inn at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, CA.

Inn at Furnace Creek.  Photo found at Everett Potter's Travel Report.

If big city vacations are not your cup of tea, Death Valley will certainly provide a completely other world experience.  This is the perfect time to plan your winter vacation away from the wet and dark days to come.  Set below sea level, the valley floor supports unexpected wildlife.  Spring is particularly beautiful when the cacti and other wildflowers are in full bloom.  

The 1927 Inn at Furnace Creek started with a simple preservation interest of a different sort....business salvation.  According to the National Parks Service, the Pacific Coast Borax Company saw the writing on the wall for their Death Valley Railroad when the borax mines started closing.  The hotel attracted tourists as it does today; a welcomed oasis in the dry valley heat.  Despite the hotel's success, the rail line closed only three years later.  Furnace Creek supplied the water, so yes, they have a pool!

Stay: Inn at the Presidio, San Francisco, CA.

The Inn at the Presidio.  Photo by Mike Koozmin for the San Francisco Examiner.

One of the best ways to learn about California history is to actually visit the places that continue to make history today.  The Inn at the Presidio is one such place.  Opening to the public as an inn last April, the former 1903 Pershing Hall is a first of its kind within the Presidio property.  No hotels existed within the Presidio prior to this event.  The operators of the inn are also seeking LEED certification, which would award the preservation as a "green" program.

Staying at the inn allows San Francisco visitors a truly unique city experience.  Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, the Presidio is transforming into one of our country's national parks.  Operated by the Presidio Trust, the park represents a leading collaboration between government, private, and non-profit interests to save this significant place.  So, when you stay at the inn, know you are supporting preservation at its best!

Green: Haas-Lilienthal House, San Francisco, CA.

Haas-Lilienthal House Museum, Photo found at BAC [A+P]

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has recognized the Haas-Lilienthal House as one of America's National Treasures; a new campaign to save historic places of national significance.  Built in 1886, the Queen Anne home "conveys the role of Jewish immigrants in the development of the American West."  It is also becoming a role model for urban house museums by developing a sustainable management plan that follows "green" initiatives, including maintenance practices, capital improvements, and seeking out increased relevance to today's visitors.  Spearheaded by architect, historian, and planner, Barbara Campagna and the museum's management, SF Heritage, the team will strive for a "net zero" or LEED Gold certification.  For California's historic buildings, this can mean the difference between struggling through long-term challenges or a thriving future.

Update:  Staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation had some fun seeking out San Francisco's Hidden Gems, including the Haas-Lilienthal House.  Take a look at their adventure through many of San Francisco's unique neighborhoods and places, then consider following it for a different view of the City.

Saved: Angels Gate Lighthouse, San Pedro, CA.

Angels Gate Lighthouse.  Photo by Tash for her photoblog Palos Verdes Daily Photo

Kudos to the Cabrillo Beach Boosters with assistance by the Port of Los Angeles Community Advisory Committee in rehabilitating the lighthouse's appearance for years to come.  As reported in Preservation, a magazine by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the repairs and improvements to its exterior completed the $1.8 million project.  The interior still needs another $1.6 million, but it appears that the Cabrillo Beach Boosters are up for the challenge.

Over 25 lighthouses dot the California coastline from San Diego's Point Loma to Crescent City's St. George Reef.  One of the most notable to visitors requires a healthy heart to descend its many steps at Pt. Reyes National Seashore.  Some are open to overnight stays at the lighthouse's houses, like the one I stayed at a few years back at Pt. Arena.  Old salts and lighthouses make for great stories of the sea, and California's coastline has its share.  Contemporary stories include one relocated from Cape Cod. Some may be difficult, indeed impossible to reach by land, but all at some point in time guided the seafaring to safety.

Threatened: Bell House, Windsor, CA.

Bell House, Windsor, CA.  Photo by Thomas Eddy

The Bell House is a locally significant landmark representing one of the oldest families in early Windsor, California.  The Bell family's influence was widespread within the community, where several streets were originally named after them.  Built in 1878, the home is currently for sale.  It has gone through some rough times; divided into upper and lower apartments and a failed nursery business that took over the parcel, the Bell House has thus far persevered.  Fortunately, the home is listed on the Town of Windsor's Historic Register, so anyone considering the purchase will benefit from meeting with town staff.  The home is also prominently represented both virtually and aesthetically: the Town of Windsor's website depicts a rendering of the home under the town's brief history page, and a similar etching can be seen at the Town Green's timeline walk.  No better way to support local identity and sense of place!

Update:  The Bell House is currently off the market for unknown reasons.

Threatened: Stone Guard Rail, Highway 20 Corridor, Clearlake Oaks, CA.

Stone guard rail along Highway 20.  Photo by Thomas Eddy

Whether written, cast, etched, or built in, stone evokes permanence.  Headstones give us a sense of immortality, and stone buildings provide us with solid shelter.  During California's early highway building, stone guard rails provided a sense of security that belied accidents' realities.  Here, between the towns of Clearlake Oaks and Glenhaven, a big rig made news when it effortlessly broke through one of these guard rails.  Traffic cones in neon orange have replaced the missing sections of the guard rail, challenging our notions of permanence.

This section of highway was built in the early 1930s to connect our northerly coast line to the Central Valley and the Sierras, ultimately developing a unique byway crossing some of the state's diverse microclimates.   Their arches seem impossibly delicate when made of stone and mortar.  Unfortunately, they are no match for big rigs or other wayward vehicles.  The traffic cones expose only part of their damage...driving along, one can see many pilaster caps broken and missing some of the stones.

At the time of writing this post, an inquiry to CalTrans' District 1 has been sent asking the fate of the stone guard rails.  Their response will be posted.

Saved: Japanese House at Huntington Library, San Marino, CA

Japanese House & Pagoda.  Photo found at the Huntington Library's website.

The California Preservation Foundation and the Huntington Library announced that the Japanese House and related tea garden have been renovated and are now reopened to the public.  Originally built by Japanese craftsmen in Japan c. 1904, the house was then shipped to California and reassembled for a commercial art dealer during a time when Japanese tea gardens were all the rage...including one built for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exhibition in San Francisco.  When the dealers business failed, the Japanese House was bought by Henry Huntington and reassembled again at his estate in 1911 and completed in 1912.  With the house and garden in place now for 100 years, the Huntington Library is celebrating by announcing the completion of the renovation project.

Perspective: Siskiyou County Museum, Yreka, CA.

Siskiyou County Museum, Yreka, California.  Photo by Thomas Eddy

A gold mining town from its inception, Yreka still reflects how we envision the western frontier...providing visitors ignore the strip malls and big boxes south of downtown. Conifers protect themselves by growing only on the northern slopes of the surrounding hillsides while sage chaparral, juniper trees, and field stones scatter throughout the seemingly barren landscape.  Caught in the rain shadow of Mt. Shasta, its aridness is expressed in silvered wood of old barns and the rusted decay of farm equipment forever at rest.

Yreka is the Siskiyou County seat where I found the Siskiyou County Museum along the main drag just outside of downtown.  Inside, the museum is divided into three primary exhibits: Native Peoples and Anglo-American settlement patterns separated on the first floor, and vignettes of early interiors on the second.  Managed by the Siskiyou County Historical Society, the interpretation and displays succeeded in telling regional stories of people and place...complete with maps, photos, and artifacts in professional exhibits.  Despite this polished appearance, I left unsettled and confused by some of the interpretative materials.

Some of my discomfort was intended, as in the display showing how Americans have exploited First People's image for product branding. Greater emphasis was appropriately placed on innovations in Native design, spirituality, and social structures, to name a few, but it gave an appearance of being squarely set in the past.  To combat with this notion, visitors were reminded that "Native American cultures are alive and well today, and there is a resurgence of interest in and respect for their traditional ways," yet declined to interpret modern First People's lives balanced between traditional and American culture.

A similar but more brief exhibit on early Chinese settlement presented perseverance and ingenuity within the adverse conditions of a rural mining town, yet left visitors wondering what happened to Yreka's early Chinatown...short of a highly decorative, almost kitschy, Chinese restaurant on Miner Street.

Fair interpretation with not so subtle jabs at American capitalism, I felt the interpreters dodged a few political bullets while holding their subject in high regard.  Yet with all the innovation and genius of pre-contact people, why did the museums stakeholders usurp the narrative in the museum's interpretation of early trappers?  Here, "The Quest for Beaver" begins by stating the following:

The Mountain Man, in a very true sense, is a real American frontier hero who roamed the land still virgin and unpeopled in search of beaver?  No other country or period in history has produced such a distinctive breed of men.  America owes much to these trappers, for they opened the land to the pioneers and settlers who made it great.

The land was not "virgin and unpeopled," as clearly and previously exhibited.  Who indeed were the people who inhabited this land for over 10,000 years if not a "distinctive breed?"  We have a long ways to go in our interpretation of the people and places of California.

Remembered: Anti-Chinese Violence throughout California

San Francisco's Chinatown.  Photo by Tim Greyhaven and found at his website, No Place for Your Kind.

Cal-Tales highlights preservation stories throughout California, for the purpose of never forgetting our collective history.  As a preservation blog, Cal-Tales strives to tell the stories of California places saved, threatened, or lost...patterned after the National Trust for Historic Preservation's national listings...but also places forgotten and remembered. At the crossroads of preservation and history, we are sometimes reminded of places that represent a painful past that is not limited to European wars or Southern racial tensions. California too, has a racially charged past that is still relevant today.

The New York Times' Lens recently highlighted photographer Tim Greyhaven's online photographic essay, No Place for Your Kind, which highlights todays places where 19th century anti-Chinese violence occurred.  Chinatowns were well established throughout California where farm and industrial labor was greatly needed.  As Chinese populations grew, some Anglo groups became increasingly agitated and set fires to Chinatowns that all too often included outright murder.  The nation's legislation past laws making immigration difficult at a time economic stress or when labor forces were greatly in need.  Both the New York Times article and Greyhaven's project well capture this part of California's past that should always be remembered.  Greater detail can be found in Richard Steven Street's seminal history of California, Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of California Farmworkers, 1769-1913.

To learn more about Asian preservation projects specific to California, check out the National Asian Pacific Islander American Historic Preservation Forum.