This rural site has a long history from Native American occupation; followed by 1850s timber harvesting and milling; then turn-of-the-20th-century rural estates; leading to the establishment of the first Jesuit theological seminary on the West Coast from 1934 to 1969: Alma College. This was followed by brief use as a private school and then long-term disuse. Community opposition defeated a proposal for demolition to create a golf course community and the MROSD was able to acquire the property. The District took the first steps toward public use and commissioned Knapp Architects in 2009 to detail the site’s historical significance, confirm site conditions, and make specific rehabilitation recommendations for structures and landscape. We led and coordinated a multi-disciplinary team including Structural Design Engineers now DCI Engineers, Treadwell & Rollo Geotechnical Engineers, and PGAdesign Landscape Architects. The assessment compiled findings of geotechnical, structural, architectural, and landscape assessments; provided a cultural landscape analysis; prioritized rehabilitation projects; and summarized future development considerations. The assessment has been actively used by the District, the fruits of which are the completion of a trail head and parking in 2019 and the rehabilitation of the landscape, site features, and structures in 2020.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA