Environmentally-friendly building replaces historic
San Benito County structure that was destroyed by fire
Nearly three-and-a-half years after a suspected electrical fire
reduced the historic main building at the St. Francis Retreat
Center near San Juan Bautista to little more than ashes, a modern,
environmentally-friendly structure has opened in its place.
Environmentally-friendly building replaces historic
San Benito County structure that was destroyed by fire
Nearly three-and-a-half years after a suspected electrical fire reduced the historic main building at the St. Francis Retreat Center near San Juan Bautista to little more than ashes, a modern, environmentally-friendly structure has opened in its place.
A pre-dawn fire on June 23, 2006 destroyed the Flint-Bixby mansion, a 25,000-square-foot Victorian that served as the centerpiece of the retreat’s activities, housing the dining, meeting and staff living areas. The original structure, built in 1863, was a total loss in the blaze.
The new structure, at just more than 11,000 square feet, was opened for use during the first weekend of October. A dedication of the new facility is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. and a ribbon cutting with the San Juan Bautista and San Benito County chambers of commerce is slated for Nov. 18.
“We’re in there and finishing the final details,” said Ed DeGroot, the center’s business manager. “Everything came together. It was far beyond what we were imagining but here we are. People who have been in here have been really impressed with it.”
The portable buildings that have housed a dining room, commercial kitchen and conference room since the blaze have been removed and retreat guests are using the mission-inspired building.
“It’s been a dizzying process,” DeGroot said. “Since June of 2006 we’ve had to deal with the insurance, planning new buildings and raising over $3.8 million in this economy.”
Insurance covered about $3.2 million of the estimated $6.4 million cost of rebuilding the retreat house, with the rest coming from donations from thousands of donors throughout the world. The center still needs to raise between $300,000 and $400,000 to complete the work, including some landscaping. Volunteers interested in helping with the landscaping are encouraged to contact the center.
“This couldn’t have happened without local donor support and the fire insurance,” Brother Bill Short said, acknowledging that the previous building was “really under-insured, so we had to rely a lot on fundraising. We hope that between now and the beginning of the year we’ll be able to get most of that money raised.”
A 270,000-gallon water tank, which will be 18 feet tall and 47 feet across, is being built to bring the facility into compliance with fire codes. The numerous stairs that previously linked the retreat center’s buildings through a plaza have been removed through re-grading to meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Short, who took over as director of the retreat center in July after having served the past decade at Mission San Miguel near Paso Robles, said he recalls the original retreat building “with great fondness,” since he had visited the facility since he was in college in the 1970s.
“It was a huge shock to see the charred remnants of such a historic building,” he recalled this week. “Thanks be to God that no one was seriously injured or killed. That was a miracle in and of itself. The other miracle is that the new building is up and open.”
Short is in charge of the administration of the retreat house along with supervising the staff, grounds and maintenance. He also serves as a community liaison and as one of the friars who facilitates gatherings at the center.
The exterior of the main building has a stucco treatment to match the two existing buildings on the site, which hosts events such as retreats and engagement and marriage encounters for nearly 7,000 people annually. Mission-style tile adorns the roof and the new dining room opens to a patio at the front of the building.
The Catholic Diocese of Monterey offered the retreat, which has been operated by Franciscan friars since they purchased the Flint-Bixby mansion and its surrounding 73 acres of land in 1947, a $1.8 million loan against the pledges the rebuilding effort has received.
“That has allowed us to finish the project,” DeGroot said. “Without that, we’d have a shell without a completed interior.”
The new meeting facility was built with an environmental focus, using materials from sustainable sources when possible and employing passive solar – having windows in the upper story of the dining room to allow for the venting of warm air to reduce the need for air conditioning. Radiant heat warms the floors of the dining room and lobby areas and an overhang provides shade around the building.
Deciduous trees were planted near windows so that they provide shade in the summer and will allow sun through in the winter. The retreat also has set aside 3,100 square feet of space to eventually house solar collectors.
Most guests that visit the St. Francis Retreat arrive Friday afternoon and stay through Sunday, DeGroot said.
Short said he hopes visitors “will feel this is a home for them here in San Juan.”
For more information about the St. Francis Retreat Center, which is located at 549 Mission Vineyard Road, call 623-4234; go to www.stfrancisretreat.com; or e-mail
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