Complete Historic Structure Report of the Pinnacles Bear Valley School
Project ID: P17AC01228
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: University of Oregon
Fiscal Year: 2017
Initial Funding: $24,500
Total Funding: $24,500
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Cultural
National Park: Pinnacles National Park
Principal Investigator: Sardell, Shannon
Agreement Technical Representative: Johnson, Brent
Abstract: A. Background
The Bear Valley School on the east side of Pinnacles National Park (PINN) was constructed in the 1890s on land that was donated by the earliest American settler to homestead in this rural valley at the eastern foot of the Pinnacles. The one-room, wood-frame structure was the principal school serving the local community for the next sixty years. It also functioned as the nucleus of the community’s social life, serving as a public hall even after it ceased to function as a school in 1952. The building was finally shuttered in 2002 due to its deteriorating physical condition. It was acquired by the NPS in 2011 and added to PINN with a minor boundary adjustment.
The Bear Valley School is an icon of local history, its significance acknowledged and documented by listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. It remains a vital element of the surrounding rural community, many of whom still remember coming to the building for social events ranging from Home Department meetings to dances and parties. Earlier generations of these same families were students here. Preserving this building helps preserve a way of life that stretches back five or six generations. The park’s enabling legislation identifies the cultural history of these settlers as a significant park resource that the park is responsible not only for preserving but also interpreting [Pinnacles National Park Act, 2013, Sec. 3(a)(1)]. The Bear Valley School provides one of the finest opportunities at PINN to interpret this cultural history to the visiting public, given the property’s local importance and the central place it played in the development of the homesteading community. The building is a visible landmark along the approach to the park’s eastern entrance and is easily accessible from the principal highway, making it a ready addition to the visitor experience.
This project will complete a Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the Bear Valley School. The HSR is a baseline research study useful in preserving this National Register-listed property, restoring the building’s historic character, and rehabilitating it for adaptive reuse as a center where public interpretation of local history and compatible community uses can occur, as identified in the park’s 2013 General Management Plan. The HSR will provide treatment recommendations to guide preservation work and facility management consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The HSR will also provide a synthesis of the Bear Valley School’s physical history, illustrated by measured drawings and historic photographs, which will be shared with interpretive staff for development of public programs and media that interpret the school’s history. The finished report will be printed in an attractive format and made publicly available in limited distribution to partners, local stakeholders, and members of the community. Digital copies will be made widely available through the park website and the NPS Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) Portal. The project will culminate with a public open house to present the completed HSR and to discuss next steps in the preservation of Bear Valley School, a subject of deep and abiding concern to many members of the local community who have direct family connections to the property.
B. Objectives
Investigators from UO and NPS staff will collaborate to accomplish the following specific objectives.
To develop and deliver a HSR for the Bear Valley School House at PINN that addresses the following components in one publishable document:
1. Historical background and context, with a chronology of development and use;
2. Design development, hierarchy of spaces and character-defining features;
3. Detailed description and condition assessment, to include detailed analysis of electrical, mechanical, and structural systems;
4. Ultimate treatment and use as part of preservation planning, with maintenance needs in priority order, along with recommendations on building operations;
5. Appendices to include construction drawings, specifications where available, measured drawings, and pertinent sections of the nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; and
6. Publication layout and printing meeting NPS standards for content and graphics (to be made available to the public interested in historic preservation).
All project tasks are understood to be collaborative, involving the technical input of NPS staff members and the UO preservation team. The UO team will take the lead on generating the HSR document, with the NPS involved in developing the project design, locating the pertinent archival materials, providing existing documentation and information related to the school house, and providing review of the HSR to ensure it meets professional standards.
C. Public Purpose
The Bear Valley School House HSR will identify and document the qualities that make this high profile community structure worth preserving and develop recommended building treatments. The HSR and its findings will be shared with park visitors through interpretive media and programs that highlight how the building was constructed and used, and the challenges to historic preservationists posed by aging historic fabric. The information and products developed by this project will be shared through a variety of strategies to increase public awareness, knowledge, and support for preservation and stewardship of PINN’s cultural and historical heritage. A published version of the report will be made available to the public within the main visitor contact station and on the park’s website