Preserving the Institution: A Preservation Strategy for the Impending Closure of the Sonoma Developmental Center

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Date

2016-06

Authors

Matuk, Brian

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

By 2018, the State of California will close the Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), a 125-year-old state operated institution in the Sonoma Valley, designed to house and treat the developmentally disabled . Today, the campus encompasses nearly 900 acres of land and a potential California Register and National Register Historic District- comprising dozens of historic, cultural, and tribal resources. However, as the closure date approaches, the State has yet to develop a plan to maintain or mothball the historic buildings and structures during the impending vacancy. This report develops a preservation strategy for the historic core of SDC, which evaluates the integrity, significance, and current conditions of each architectural resource, and defines both a maintenance and vacancy strategy from a preservation perspective. I intend for this preservation strategy to be a tool for the local preservation organizations to understand what resources exist, know the current conditions of each, and lobby the State for appropriate preservation and maintenance of the campus during its closure.

Description

275 pages

Keywords

historic preservation, preservation strategy, Sonoma Developmental Center, SDC, Sonoma Valley

Citation