Newsletter Summer 2008

Newsletter

Summer 2008

HPL Marks Five Years in Style at Cohn House
On Sunday, July 27th, the Heritage Preservation League of Folsom marked its five-year anniversary with a lively garden party at the Historic Cohn House, a Queen Anne Victorian mansion built in the 1890s. It seemed a particularly fitting setting as the Cohn Mansion garden was the site of HPL’s very first public meeting back in 2003.
The spacious garden provided plenty of room for the nearly 100 HPL members and guests to mingle, feast, and relax to the sounds of the Dr. Placebo band.
HPL president Patrick Maxfield took the opportunity to review the challenges and successes that have marked the grass root group’s first five years (See page 2) and invited everyone to check out the informative display of posters that provided more details on key HPL projects.
Then it was on to a fabulous raffle with prizes donated by local businesses and a generous private donation of a three-day luxury home rental in Tahoe.

Many thanks to those who helped make our celebration such a great event:
* Our gracious host (and former Folsom mayor) Glenn Fait.
* The Folsom History Museum.
* Planet Earth Rising
* Rainbow Jewelers
* Partea Time Tea House
* Snooks Candies & Ice Cream
* Stage Nine Theatre
* Planet Earth Rising
* Emily’s Corner
* Hacienda Del Rio
* Karen’s Bakery
* Pacific Western Traders
* O2 Life Source Yoga
* The Wine Gallery
* Grapes and Ivy
* Bicycles Plus * Chicago Fire
* Karl & Renee Corbett
* Trader Joe’s And, finally, a big thank you to our members.

Successes Amid Challenges During First 5 Years
Five years ago, a group of Folsom residents concerned about threats to some of Folsom’s historic resources decided to form the Heritage Preservation League of Folsom as a watchdog organization dedicated to preserving Folsom’s rich heritage.
The founding members of HPL believed there was a need for such a group to monitor compliance with the Folsom Historic Preservation Master Plan and General Plan and to keep an eye on legislative action that could impact Folsom’s heritage. They also sought to give residents a voice in important preservation issues.
With our first president, Sharon Fait, at the helm our first public meeting was held July 2003 in the Cohn Mansion garden.
Since day one, HPL has had its hands full carrying the preservation banner. There have been some notable successes as well as some disappointments along the way.

Here is a quick review of what your HPL has been up to these past five years:
Orangevale Avenue Bridge :
Preservation of the Orangevale Avenue Bridge is one of HPL’s biggest successes. Because of its age, the bridge had automatically been considered in need of replacement. It had been posted for a load limit that precluded use by fire trucks, again just because it was old, without inspection. Working closely with the Lincoln Highway Association, we succeeded in having the City and CalTrans revise their estimations of both the bridge’s historic value and its soundness. It has been declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and now the City will be restoring instead of replacing the bridge. Unfortunately, the bridge still faces a threat from a proposed development called The Canyon, on the adjacent property. The proposed project’s density and mass grading would negatively impact the sense of place of the bridge.

Cultural Resources Inventory:
HPL was instrumental in resurrecting the Historic Preservation Master Plan and Cultural Resources List. One of HPL’s first (and ongoing) projects was to help complete the Cultural Resources Inventory Registration forms for submittal to the City.
June’s Place:
The 1880s home, also known as Emma’s and then located at the corner of Leidesdorff Street and River Way, was the subject of much debate regarding its restoration, use, and location. In May 2005, the city voted 3-2 to negotiate the sale of the property and its relocation to 216 Natoma Street for use as a school. The relocation was opposed by HPL as the structure’s historical relevance was tied to it being the last surviving 19th century structure north of Leidesdorff Street.

Russell Ranch Barn:
Conditions of approval adopted by the City for the Russell Ranch project, now known as Empire Ranch, required the developer to take down the Russell Ranch barn and reconstruct it at Nisenan Park. However, the developer is still waiting for the City to settle an appropriate location for reconstruction; meanwhile the barn materials are deteriorating under tarps. HPL has attended numerous meetings to advocate use of the barn to interpret Folsom’s ranching heritage. The usable land at Nisenan Park was approved to be a baseball field, and so the City then proposed reconstructing the barn at Park Site 52, near its original location. However the Fire Department then chose Park Site 52 for construction of a new fire station. The Parks and Recreation Department still plans for the barn to be constructed at Park Site 52, largely because they are running out of options as the City nears buildout. HPL’s objections to Park Site 52 center on the difficulty of interpreting the history of very large ranches on a now very small site.

Sutter Street Streetscape and Revitalization Project:
The ongoing Revitalization Project and Sutter Street Streetscape redesign has encompassed a number of issues of concern to HPL, from the new parking structure on the Railroad Block, to preserving Sutter Street’s character and charm, to preserving the Interpretive Area, among others. HPL is an active stakeholder in these discussions.

Sutter Street Townhouse project:
HPL has been monitoring the proposed 50-unit townhouse project at 1108 Sutter Street for several years. Chinese Diggings: The potential development of the site adjacent to the Chinese Diggings has concerned HPL for several years.
Among the issues:
interpretation of the site, saving of heritage trees on the site, and access for visitors.

HPL is also keeping an eye on these sites:
* Rainbow Bridge:
At the same time that the City was planning to replace the Orangevale Avenue Bridge, they also announced their intention to add a span to Rainbow Bridge. HPL registered a strong objection: that the bridge’s historic and iconic value to the City outweighs potential traffic improvements. The project is in abeyance, at least until further traffic analysis occurs after the new bridge at Folsom Dam opens.

* Granite School:
The first public school in Folsom, located on Mormon Street, currently houses Folsom Cordova Unified School District offices and storage. The school district recently announced its intention to sell. A local charter school has expressed interest but cannot purchase this year.

* Nimbus Winery:
In 2006, the Nimbus Winery (originally the Natoma Winery) was sold to an out-of-state developer. The Winery structures, originally built in 1905 by the Natoma Vineyard Company, are remarkably well preserved. The developers are proposing a 37-unit, five-story condominium and three small retail pads to be built on the existing parking lot and that the old winery building be upgraded. HPL has been keeping a very close eye on this one, especially after the developer took advantage of minor storm damage earlier this year to completely destroy the small brandy distillery building (this after pledging to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to preserve it for at least a few years). HPL is working closely with the offices of Supervisors Roberta MacGlashan and Don Nottoli to ensure the complex is sensitively remodeled.

* Jane Lewis site:
HPL is helping support an effort to document and register a local site linked to Jane Lewis, a significant local Maidu woman who died in 1945 at age 115.

* The Wye:
The Superintendent’s house at the Wye is now on the National Register but the site is still being eyed by some for development.

Pictures: July 27th, 2008 5th Anniversary