HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/27/2018 Item 1, Kalkowski
To:Leveille, Brian
Subject:RE: La Loma Adobe Please share with the Cultural Heritage Committee prior to their
tour of city-owned adobies
From: Buzz Kalkowski <
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2018 1:55 PM
To: Harmon, Heidi <hharmon@slocity.org>; Christianson, Carlyn <cchristianson@slocity.org>; Gomez, Aaron
<agomez@slocity.org>; Pease, Andy <apease@slocity.org>; Rivoire, Dan <DRivoire@slocity.org>; Johnson, Derek
<djohnson@slocity.org>; Advisory Bodies <advisorybodies@slocity.org>; Codron, Michael <mcodron@slocity.org>;
Leveille, Brian <bleveille@slocity.org>
Subject: La Loma Adobe Please share with the Cultural Heritage Committee prior to their tour of city-owned adobies
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During the second half of the 18 Century (1700’s) numerous events occurred, and numerous historic buildings and
landmarks were constructed throughout Europe, Northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Great efforts and pride
have preserved many of these historic landmarks.
The community of San Luis Obispo came into being at the same time. Except for the Mission, much of San Luis Obispo’s
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18 Century physical historical structures have been erased. There was a time that the community had many two-story
adobe structures. That I know of, only two remain: the Mission and the city-owned La Loma Adobe. Various
information states that the La Loma may have been built in 1782 (Years before the War of 1812, the Louisiana Purchase,
the explorations of Lewis and Clark, and the European Napoleonic Wars).
Two stumbling issues exist in the Friends of La Loma restoration efforts exist: lack of adequate documentation of the
actual time of construction and the city-allowed, flawed property line running through the historic city-owned La Loma
Adobe.
I have been out of the country for nearly eight months and do not have access to my La Loma Adobe files, thus I am
unable to be more specific. A late 1940’s Santa Barbara newspaper article that states the that some portion of the La
Loma was first built in 1782. Speculation is that it was built as a lookout adobe for the Mission community to guard and
give warning of Central Valley native cattle invaders. Whether it was built in 1782, or later, available documents provide
for its existence before 1850, and it is one of the few remaining examples within San Luis Obispo of a two-story
residential adobe (Alex Gough’s Adobe Reality \[on Chorro\] is another two-story adobe that still exists, but it was built
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sometime during the 19 Century, with the primary intention of being commercial). In addition at least three early
respected San Luis families were associated with the La Loma. Throughout the world many placed historical plaques are
placed on structures referring to the uncertainty of time origin, but that it is believed to have existed within the implied
time frame.
True, the almost certain cause of the misplaced property line is a surveyor error (?) and an earlier city omission of
verification of the Council approved parcel map property line. The surveyed error was recorded, and the owner of the
adjoining property has not been willing to consider the historic importance to the community of San Luis Obispo. That
said, the ordinance does provide for correcting recorded property line errors. And the General Plan states that the La
Loma shall be preserved. If one researches the La Loma files on record, a number of oversights regarding the La Loma
Adobe preservation exist. If the city cherishes its physical history the same as so many communities and countries
throughout the world do. After years of attempting to have the misplaced property line corrected, the city needs to
take immediately action to remove the property line running through the historical La Loma Adobe.
Failure for the city to complete the property line error, this city-own historic structure will likely collapse and melt into
the ground, allowing the other property owner more backyard (though that owner has not dug into the hill beyond what
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was the city approved Parcel Map property line), and the city opportunity to pave the remainder as open-space vehicle
parking area. And in time, failure to preserve will be referred to, holding all involved as ones who had the opportunity
to preserve La Loma Adobe.
Note the third sentence in the posting below:
Buzz Kalkowski
San Luis Obispo citizen – currently in Gjirokastra, Albania
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