The social and economic foundation of San Juan Bautista lies in
its history. Buildings, shops and homes built hundreds of years ago
that are used daily in modern society continue to lure tourists to
the tiny Mission town.
San Juan Bautista – The social and economic foundation of San Juan Bautista lies in its history. Buildings, shops and homes built hundreds of years ago that are used daily in modern society continue to lure tourists to the tiny Mission town.
To maintain the heritage and integrity of the city, the San Juan Bautista City Council recently appointed a five-person committee to oversee the preservation of its historical district.
The Special Historic Resources Board, which was appointed to review plans regarding the maintenance, repair and restoration of historic buildings, had its first meeting at the beginning of this month, according to committee member Susan Brady. The committee then made recommendations to the Planning Commission on additions and restorations of two historic buildings in the downtown area.
“The town is a treasure of history and has valuable pieces of architecture,” Brady said.
The town of San Juan Bautista is an important piece of California history, which is why Chairperson Rebecca McGovern has spent years working to preserve its unique heritage, she said.
“It’s the most important thing in San Juan,” McGovern said. “It’s our future, our
present and our past, and it’s our base economy.”
The original Historical Resource Board was started in the late 1970s, according to City Clerk Shawna Serna. At that time it had considerably more power than the current group and could make decisions rather than recommendations, she said.
It disbanded in the 1990s, but a citizens group took over the work it had done to preserve the city’s historical significance, Serna said.
Members of that group, which at one time several years ago had about 30 citizens involved, worked to develop an ordinance to form an official group that was passed by the Council in April, Serna said.
The Council received eight applications of people interested in being on the committee and chose the best five, said City Councilman Dan Reed. The five chosen, which include McGovern, Cara Vonk, Susan Brady, Ted Thoeny and Dante Baines, all had the experience and passion for preserving the town’s historical significance that the Council was looking for, Reed said.
“We know who to turn to if there’s a question about a building or something historic,” he said. “It gives us time to use their expertise… if there was something that could take away the historic value of (a building).”
Part of the group’s duties will include doing an inventory of how many historic buildings there are in San Juan, Serna said. The historical district includes most of the downtown area in and around Third Street, according to the city’s general plan.
The hard work citizens have put into maintaining the historical significance of San Juan is why people come from all over to visit it, said Halina Kleinsmith, executive director of the San Juan Bautista Chamber of Commerce.
From a business perspective, staying historically vibrant is crucial to the city’s economic prosperity, she said.
“When you’re speaking of California’s history, it’s still unfolding within this city – you can still point to buildings where it happened,” she said. “It’s an old, wonderful historic city that is functioning vitally, and we need to make sure we keep everything preserved and functioning so it continues to do that.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety and the city of San Juan Bautista. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
