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ORIGINS OF THE SAN
BUENAVENTURA CONSERVANCY AND THE VENTURA ARCHITECTURE WEEKEND
Barbara
Kronewitter, a member of the Historic Committee of the Midtown Community
Council, started the ball rolling. In 2002, she suggested to her committee that
they sponsor a small home tour in Midtown, where there are an exceptional
number of 1920’s and 1930’s homes in pristine condition. Barbara soon
involved Cynthia Thompson, who was in charge of restoration projects at
The Pierpont Inn, a historic Craftsman hotel. The Historic
Committee of the Downtown Community Council was the next group to become
involved. They had just formed, with Donna DePaola as the chairperson, and
were looking for their first community project.
With the full support of their
community council boards, these two committees, plus several other
volunteers, formed the Ventura Architecture Weekend Committee and spent
the next 18 months planning an event which expanded to include a Gala at
City Hall, two days of home tours plus a period exposition and
vanishing arts exhibits at The Pierpont Inn. There was no budget so many
initial expenses were paid by committee members from their personal funds.
Members also solicited cash donations, services, and goods from the
community. Kathy McGuire donated the use of one of her paintings for the
advertising. The community’s enthusiasm and willingness to assist in
putting on this event were quite overwhelming. It was obviously the
right idea at the right time.
The core
committee members (founders) who put on the first event were Holly and
Jerry Breiner, Donna DePaola, Barbara Evans, John Jones, Barbara Kronewitter, Suzanne Lawrence, Holley Gene and Mick Leffler, Tracy Long,
Kathy McGuire, Genaro Morteo, Mindy Nickler, Dorothea Phelan, Brian
Randall, Margaret Travers, and Cynthia Thompson. In addition to this
group, more than 150 other volunteers helped to make this event a great
success..
Other organizations that committed
their time, energy, and resources to producing this first Architecture
Weekend were: the City of San Buenaventura (Community Development and
Cultural Affairs), Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Chamber
of Commerce, The Ventura
County Arts Council,
Ventura Magazine,
Murphy Auto Museum,
Ventura County Museum,
the Ventura
Music Festival, and
Consortium
Media Services. In addition, another 80 individuals and businesses contributed
services, goods,
and cash. A much-appreciated
angel was Main Street Architects. Their
substantial cash
donation at a crucial moment was greatly appreciated and enabled
us
to
tackle
our work with renewed spirits.
The foresight and inspiration
of the initial committee, coupled with the hard work and dedication of
many volunteers, were validated by an overwhelmingly successful inaugural
weekend.
Since
then, the Conservancy has hosted tours, events and
lectures to celebrate the many historic resources in
the Ventura Area. In addition, the Conservancy
advocated strong preservation policies, incentives for
historic preservation, and stronger penalties for the
destruction of above-ground and below-ground historic
resources. Through a partnership with the California
Preservation Foundation – the largest preservation
advocacy group in California – the Conservancy
co-sponsored a two-day workshop in the historic
Ventura County Courthouse (Now Ventura City Hall). On
August 14 & 15, 2008, technical workshops were
presented covering the topics of "Historic Resource
Integrity" and "The Secretary of the Interior's
Standards for Rehabilitation." Those two-day workshops
for planners, architects, and citizens, were the
most successful in both the Foundation's and the
Conservancy's history.
Ventura County is rich in heritage, and the
Conservancy strives to create and enhance the policies
that have protected many of the landmarks in the
region. In Ventura, the Conservancy was instrumental
in advocating for clear language and some of the
area's strongest preservation goals in the city's 2005
General Plan and 2006 Downtown Specific Plan, and as
community plans are addressed in the city, we will be
advocating the value of historic preservation. The
Conservancy has also been instrumental in the updating
of Ventura's Downtown Historic Resources Update, and
we seek to have the resource survey expanded to the
entire city of San Buenaventura.
Members of the board regularly attend and comment at
City Councils, Planning Commissions, the Ventura
Historic Preservation Committee meetings, and the
Oxnard and Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board
meetings. We have assisted developers seeking to adapt
and enhance historic structures, and have assisted
citizens around Ventura County on preservation issues.
The
San Buenaventura Conservancy will strive to bring fun
and educational programs that present the region's
historic and pre-historic resources to the public,
while advocating for the enhancement of preservation
policies so that our valuable heritage is honored,
protected and restored.
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