HomeMy WebLinkAboutHeritage Preservation Commission newspaper articles Historic Preservation Commission has a busy year ahead
By SHANNON BURKEY that aspect,"Commissioner Peter Marra
> said to the council."It's something we just
It was a busy year for Saratoga's histo- The commission also wants a sign designating the started looking into.Since we've never done
ry preservationists in 2006, and the it before,we don't know the ins and outs."
upcoming year is looking even busier as existence of the Heritage Orchard placed in the orchard Wyman said she thinks the Foothill Club
they continue their work of keeping the
neighborhood is a good lace to start.
past alive in the city. gh g P
past
a joint meeting with the Saratoga this year- -a project it has been working "Park Place and Oak Place were early
City Council on Jan.3,members of the developments and have a lot of history
Historic Preservation Commission dis- on for several years behind them,"she said of the streets in the
cussed their plans for 2007 with council area."This would give it some status and
members. something the city would be cognizant of."
Resources,with the Warner Hutton House it,"Wyman said."Basically,it's a designa- The commission also wants a sign desi
For the sixth year in a row,the Mustard gn g-
Walk is at the top of the list of priorities. subsequently being placed on the National Lion to keep the street looking the same and nating the existence of the Heritage
The festival,which will take place on Feb. Registry of Historic Places and the Book- historical." Orchard placed in the orchard this year—a
4 in the Heritage Orchard,is one of the Go-Round awaiting approval. The commission also wants to look into project it has been working on for several
commission's biggest projects each year This year it wants to focus on heritage the possibilityofdesignating certain areas of yew,
and is a celebration of the mustard plants lanes and districts in the city. Currently, the city as heritage districts.It is looking at "We're proud of the orchard,"Wyman
that were so abundant in the valley years there is one heritage lane in Saratoga— the neighborhood behind the Foothill Club said of the 18.2-acre orchard that contains
ago. Austin Way—and no heritage districts. as a possibility for the first heritage district. cherry,apricot and prune trees."It's defi-
"Inthe old days,mustard plants would "There have been requests to make Oak "That area seems to capture acertainspir- nitely apriorityto get a sign.Hopefully,that
grow so thick in this area.They're still Street aheritage lane,so we are lookinginto it of Saratoga's history,so we are pursuing can happen this year."
here but not as much,"said commission
vice chairwoman Beth Wyman."We love
our orchard,and we love the idea that it
still has mustard in
The commission is looking for new
ways to spice up this year's festival and
hopes the number of people in attendance
will continue to grow.Last year's festival
drew an estimated 2,000 people.
"We are pushing forward and working
really hard to pull off all of the details,"
commission chairman Norm Koepernik
said to the council."We want to take it to
the next level and keep it fresh every
year."
Last year the commission was success-
ful
in getting the Warner Hutton House
and the Book-Go-Round placed on the
California Register of Historical
Vol.53,No.49 Wednesday,December 6,2006
SARATOGA'S OUT 1'
LITTLE Book-VD-Round book exchange,the Book-Go-Round.The
TO MAKE A LITTLE Book-Go-Round has been in its location for
23 years, raising money for the current
HISTORY AT SITE Continued from page 1 library.
With the recognition it is soon to receive,
through the state." Book-Go-Round manager Mary Jeanne
OF FIRST LIBRARY Threeyearsago,thehistoricpreservation Fenn said she hopes more people in the
commission decided to nominate all city- community will begin to take notice of the
owned historical buildings to the registrar. book exchange.
Oak Street building earns Those on the list included the Saratoga His- We're happy to have the building recog-
torical Museum,the McWilliams House,the nized as a historicalpart of Saratoga,"Fenn
a national registry bid Warner Hutton House and the former said."Eighty years is pretty good for a build-
library building.But because two of the ing these days."
buildings—the Saratoga Historical Muse- Among other reasons Wyman believes
Book-Go-Round uses site um and the McWilliams House—had been the building's nomination should be
moved from their original locations,they approved is because the building is stillbeing
were not potential candidates. used in a way that the Saratogans who
SHANNON BURKEY' "We were encouraged to go ahead with
By fought hard to have it built intended it. be.
the Warner Hutton House and the library, "This building is special because it has
The historic building on Oak Street in the though,"Wyman said lasted all this time and is still fulfilling the
Saratoga Village that housed the city's first The WarnerHuttonHousewasapproved lasted alltsfoundea- toservethecvmmu-
library has received a nomination to be last February,and Wyman said she hopes
added to the National Registrar of Historic the same will happen for the library building, nity as a library," Wyman said. "Even
Places which she feels has a unique history. though it is now the Book-Go-Round,it is
Beth Wyman,a local historian,wrote and "Personally,I think the architect was the still serving the library."
submitted the nomination to the California most interesting part of this story,"Wyman
Historic Resources Commission on behalf said.
of the Saratoga Historic Preservation Corn- The architect,Eldridge T.Spencer,was
g the son-in-law of the Saratoga Foothill
mission. Study Club president,who led the fundrais-
"It needed to be done,"Wyman said."This ing efforts to build the library.After com-
would be very prestigious and would give a pletion of the library,Spencer went on to be
lot of power to help preserve the building." ' appointed Yosemite National Park archi-
Before the building,which was built in 1927 tect and was StanfordUniversity's first plan-
and served as the community's only library ning director, designing the Tresidder
for 51 years,can make it onto the national list, Memorial and the first increment of the
it must be approved at the state level.The Stanford Linear Accelerator.
nomination is then sent to the U.S.Depart- In 1978 anew library was built in Sarato-
ment of the Interior for final approval, bu,but g s served as five years the original
PP building served as a secondary library.In
according to Wyman. 1983 the original building ceased operating
"The nomination was approved by the as a library.
state's historical resources commission on Today the former librarybuildingishome
Oct.27.Now it has to go to the federal level to the Friends of the Library's nonprofit
for approval,"said Wyman,who anticipates
it being considered in January or February.
"We've never heard of any nomination
turned back at the federal level after it got
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