Public comment is sought on a proposal to move Mission San Juan
Bautista’s gift shop to a new building that will be more
visitor-friendly and improve the historical context of a trip to
the historic site.
Public comment is sought on a proposal to move Mission San Juan Bautista’s gift shop to a new building that will be more visitor-friendly and improve the historical context of a trip to the historic site.
The City of San Juan Bautista’s Historical Resources Board and Planning Commission will hold a hearing Feb. 2 to consider the project’s environmental impact.
The project calls for the construction of a one-story, 2,309-square-foot building adjacent to and immediately south of the Maryknoll Rectory, which was built in 1932. It will include an 1,802-square-foot gift shop and a public restroom. The goal is to relocate the existing gift shop from the Mission’s monastery building so that space can be converted to museum use.
“We can take the old gift shop out and use that space for more appropriate museum displays,” said Fr. Edward Fitz-Henry, pastor of Mission San Juan Bautista. “We have a lot of beautiful paintings and photographs that no one sees because we don’t have room for them. That will change with the new museum space. We’d also like to invite local artists to display their art there on a rotational basis. It’ll add to the whole experience.”
The project is also expected to benefit local parishioners, who now have to walk more than 150 yards to the nearest restrooms.
For the full story see the Pinnacle on Friday.
