HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/24/2022 Item 5a, Friends of La Loma Adobe
Friends of
LA LOMA ADOBE
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Friends of La Loma Adobe, based on an MOU with the City, has been working to protect
the deteriorating adobe on Lizzie St. Now we are at a critical juncture for safeguarding
the structure while facilitating discussion of re-use options and funding to pursue them.
Long-term stabilization and seismic protective work are essential before any restoration
improvements can be made. For this crucial next step, we seek CHC endorsement for the
City Council to include this project in the upcoming budget cycle.
To date we have undertaken a number of important projects.
Emergency Protection Projects
We installed shoring inside the building to improve the safety.
We had roofing panels installed where there were leaks.
We had gutters and downspouts installed, knowing that water is adobe’s enemy
We repaired the adobe wall and foundation at the northwest corner of the building
where settlement had caused cracking of the wall.
Landscape/Garden Improvements
To neighbors’ delight, our members have turned the site--within the Reservoir
Canyon open space--from a weed-infested lot to a pleasant urban garden full of
native species. We installed a water tank filled with City-reclaimed water.
Expert Advice
We hired Applied Earthworks to conduct an Historic Resource Evaluation that
documented period of significance, character-defining features, and eligibility for
the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance and CA Register of Historical
Resources.
We engaged Architectural Resources Group (ARG) who are now preparing an
Historic Structures Report to interpret construction age and chronology, assess
character-defining features and make future management recommendations.
We have hardly done this all on our own. Besides our members and the community, we
have received matching funding from the City and the California Missions Foundation.
Critical Funding Need
Essential in any restoration or rehabilitation project is the structural stability. For
an adobe building such as La Loma, there are tried and true structural
improvement techniques that have been used at the Dana Adobe, the Rodriguez
Adobe, the Dallidet Adobe and our Mission Church.
Plans and specifications are needed from which construction costs can be
estimated and funding secured.
Since these measures often require unavoidable intervention, such as drilling into
walls to install reinforcement, they must be completed before other preservation
work, such as historic fabric conservation or material repair is undertaken.