6.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES
6.5.1 OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY
The site is currently occupied by the vacant St. John’s St. John’s Seminary College campus and a citrus orchard with dirt and paved roads. Residential development is to the east and south, and Arroyo Las Posas/Calleguas Creek runs along the northern and western borders of the site. Historical studies determined that the design of St. John’s Seminary is potentially eligible as historic sites based on its architecture. The implementation of the proposed project would result in the loss of the campus and have an unavoidable and significant impact to the historical resources located within the project site. Archaeological studies determined that potential significant impacts to archaeological, cultural (disturbance of human remains), and paleontological resources would be less than significant. The cumulative impacts related to the proposed project would be less than significant.
6.5.2 LITERATURE AND DATA REVIEW
Project Related Studies
The following project-related studies were completed and used (see Appendix 6.5):
• W & S Consultants. Phase I Archaeological Survey for St. John’s Proposed project Study Area, Camarillo, Ventura County, California. 2008.
• W & S Consultants. Phase II Excavation and Determination of Significance at Site SF-1, St. John’s Seminary, Camarillo, Ventura County, California. 2008.
• Post/Hazeltine Associates. Historic Resources Report for St. John’s Proposed Project. 2008.
• Compass Rose Archaeological. Negative Archaeological Survey Report. 2011.
Other Data Sources
In addition to project-related studies, the following source was utilized:
• City of Camarillo. “Community Design Element,” City of Camarillo General Plan, 2012.
6.5.3 METHODOLOGY
Historical Resources
The methodology for determining whether the property meets the eligibility requirements for listing as a historic resource under City, state, and federal eligibility criteria was based on archival research to
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-1 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
determine the historic context of the properties within the project area, as well as on-site evaluation of the physical and visual integrity of each building. This included
1. documentation of the historical context and physical appearance of the resources within the project site and the individual buildings, structures, and features;
2. evaluation of the integrity of St. John’s Seminary College and its individual components;
3. identification of potential historical, architectural, and cultural resources within the project area;
4. evaluation of potential resources for listing as historic resources at the City of Camarillo, state, and federal levels;
5. assessment of the direct and indirect impacts of the proposed project on historical resources identified in this study;
6. evaluation of the direct and indirect impacts of the proposed project on the property; and
7. mitigation measures for impacts to historical resources that may result from the project as proposed.
Archaeological Resources
The methodology for determining whether the property contains any potential archeological resources included both Phase I and Phase II archaeological surveys of the project site. The Phase I investigation was completed to provide a background review of pertinent research, and an archival records search to determine if any known archaeological sites were present in the project corridor and/or whether the area had been previously and systematically studied by archaeologists. The Phase I investigation also included an intensive, on-foot survey of the project area to identify unrecorded cultural resources, and a preliminary assessment of such resources, should any be found within the project site. The Phase II archaeological survey was completed to determine the size, nature, and significance of this archaeological site, and, thereby, to provide baseline data from which an assessment of potential adverse impacts to this resource could be made. This survey was used to determine whether the project site would have any trace of a formal cemetery for the unearthing of human remains.
Paleontological Resources
The suitability for the discovery of any paleontological or unique geologic features was determined from the analysis of the geologic characteristics and the soils of the project site.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-2 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
6.5.4 APPLICABLE REGULATIONS
Federal
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 established the National Register to recognize resources associated with the country’s history and heritage. Structures and features usually must be at least 50 years old to be considered for listing on the National Register—barring exceptional circumstances. Criteria for listing on the National Register, which are set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations,1 are significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture as present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and that are any of the following:
A. associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history;
B. associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;
C. embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; represent the work of a master; possess high artistic values, represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction;
D. have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Criterion D is usually reserved for archaeological and paleontological resources.
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties
The Secretary of the Interior (SOI) is responsible for establishing standards for the preservation and protection of buildings and other cultural resources eligible for listing in the National Register.2 The 1990 document Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for the Treatment of Historic Properties outlines specific standards and guidelines for the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction of historically designated structures. Preservation standards and guidelines apply to those buildings that require ongoing maintenance to sustain its existence for historicity. Rehabilitation standards and guidelines involve the reuse of a historic structure or property while maintaining portions that maintain historic value. Restoration standards and guidelines are applicable to projects that remove portions of a building from another historic period in order to reconstruct missing features from the restoration period. Reconstruction standards and guidelines apply to new developments that replicate a historic period or
1 Title 26, Part 63 of the Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR Part 63) 2 National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, “About Us,” http://www.nps.gov/nr/about.htm, 2008.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-3 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
setting. Each set of standards provides specific recommendations for the proper treatment of specific building materials, as well as parts of building development.
Federal Antiquities Act
Paleontological resources are classified as non-renewable scientific resources and are protected by several federal and state statutes, most notably by the 1906 Federal Antiquities Act,3 which calls for protection of historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest on federal lands. Because the proposed project does not include any federal lands, this statutory scheme does not apply.
State Regulations
State Office of Historic Preservation
The mission of the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) and the State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC), in partnership with the people of California and governmental agencies, is to preserve and enhance California's irreplaceable historic heritage as a matter of public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, recreational, aesthetic, economic, social, and environmental benefits will be maintained and enriched for present and future generations.
The OHP is responsible for administering federally and state-mandated historic preservation programs to further the identification, evaluation, registration, and protection of California’s irreplaceable archaeological and historical resources under the direction of the SHPO and the SHRC. OHP’s responsibilities include
• identifying, evaluating, and registering historic properties;
• ensuring compliance with federal and state regulatory obligations;
• encouraging the adoption of economic incentive programs designed to benefit property owners; and
• encouraging economic revitalization by promoting a historic preservation ethic through preservation education and public awareness and, most significantly, by demonstrating leadership and stewardship for historic preservation in California.
OHP reviews and comments on several thousand federally sponsored projects, state programs, and state projects annually pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
3 Federal Antiquities Act of 1906, PL 59-209; 16 USC 431 et seq.; 34 Stat. 225.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-4 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
California Register of Historic Resources
In 1992 the California Register of Historical Resources4 (CRHR) was created to identify resources deemed worthy of preservation on a state level and was modeled closely after the National Register process. The criteria are nearly identical to those of the National Register but focus on resources of statewide, rather than national, significance. The CRHR encourages public recognition and protection of resources of architectural, historical, archeological, and cultural significance, identifies historical resources for state and local planning purposes, determines eligibility for state historic preservation grant funding, and affords certain protections under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The CRHR automatically includes resources listed on the National Register. Specifically, the CRHR includes the following resources:
• Resources formally determined eligible for, or listed in, the National Register of Historic Places
• State Historical Landmarks numbered 770 or higher
• Points of Historical Interest recommended for listing by the State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC)
• Resources nominated for listing and determined eligible in accordance with criteria and procedures adopted by the SHRC including
− individual historic resources and historic districts,
− resources identified as significant in historical resources surveys which meet certain criteria, and
− resources and districts designated as city or county landmarks pursuant to a city or county ordinance when the designation criteria are consistent with California Register criteria.
California Historical Landmarks
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below. The resource also must be approved for designation by the County Board of Supervisors or the City/Town Council in whose jurisdiction it is located; be recommended by the State Historical Resources Commission; and be officially designated by the Director of California State Parks.
4 CEQA Statutes and Guidelines, Sec. 15064.5
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-5 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
California Points of Historical Interest
California Points of Historical Interest are sites, buildings, features, or events that are of local (city or county) significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other value. Points of Historical Interest designated after December 1997 and recommended by the State Historical Resources Commission are also listed in the California Register. No historical resource may be designated as both a Landmark and a Point. If a Point is subsequently granted status as a Landmark, the Point designation will be retired.
SB 18 Consultations
California Senate (SB) 185 requires cities and counties to notify and consult with California Native American Tribes about proposed local land use planning decisions in order to protect Traditional Tribal Cultural Places.6 Cities and counties must obtain a list of the California Native American tribes from the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) whose traditional lands within the agency’s jurisdiction may be affected by a proposed adoption or amendment of a general plan or proposed project. Prior to the adoption or any amendment of a general plan or proposed project, a local government must notify the appropriate tribes of the opportunity to conduct consultations on the proposed project. Prior to the adoption or substantial amendment of the General Plan or Proposed project, a local government must refer the proposed project to those tribes on the Native American contact list that have traditional lands within the agency’s jurisdiction.
To help local officials meet these new obligations, SB 18 requires the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to amend its General Plan Guidelines to include advice to local government on how to consult with California Native American tribes.
Developed in consultation with the NAHC, the OPR guidelines include advice for consulting with California Native American Tribes for7
• the preservation of, or the mitigation of impacts to, cultural places;
• procedures for identifying through the NAHC the appropriate California Native American tribes;
• procedures for continuing to protect the confidentiality of information concerning the specific identity, location, character, and use of cultural places; and
5 California Government Code, Sec. 65040.2, 65092, 65351, 65352, and 65560 and California Civic Code, Sec. 815.3 6 California Senate Bill 18, Chapter 905, Statutes of 2004. 7 California Government Code, Section 65040.2(g).
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-6 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
• procedures to facilitate voluntary landowner participation to preserve and protect the specific identity, location character, and use of cultural places.
Health and Safety Code
It should be noted that sites that may contain human remains important to Native Americans must be identified and treated in a sensitive manner, consistent with the California Health and Safety Code and Public Resources Code as reviewed below:8
In the event that human remains are encountered during project development and in accordance with the Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5, the County Coroner must be notified if potentially human bone is discovered. The Coroner will then determine within two working days of being notified if the remains are subject to his or her authority. If the Coroner recognizes the remains to be Native American, he or she shall contact the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) by phone within 24 hours, in accordance with Public Resources Code Section 5097.98. The NAHC will then designate a Most Likely Descendant (MLD) with respect to the human remains. The MLD then has the opportunity to recommend to the property owner or the person responsible for the excavation work means for treating or disposing, with appropriate dignity, the human remains and associated grave goods.
Local Regulations
City of Camarillo
Historic Preservation Ordinance
The City of Camarillo Historic Preservation Ordinance is found in the City’s municipal code.9 The ordinance states the following:
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the general welfare by providing for the identification, protection, enhancement, perpetuation and use of historic buildings and structures within the city that reflect special elements of the city’s historical heritage for the following reasons;
A. To encourage public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the city’s past;
B. To foster civic pride in the beauty and personality of the city and in the accomplishments of its past;
C. To safeguard the heritage of the city by protecting buildings and structures which reflect the city’s history;
D. To protect and enhance property values within the city and to increase economic and financial benefits to the city and its inhabitants;
8 California Health and Safety Code, Sections 7050.5 and 5097.98 9 City of Camarillo, Municipal Code, Sec. 16.42.010, “Historic Preservation.”
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-7 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
E. To identify as early as possible and resolve conflicts between the preservation of historical features and concept land use
F. To conserve building material resources through maintenance and restoration of existing historical buildings and structures;
G. To take whatever steps are reasonable and necessary to safeguard the property rights of the owners whose buildings or structure is declared to be a landmark;
H. To promote the use of landmarks for the education, enjoyment, and welfare of the people of the city; and
I. To promote awareness of the economic benefits of historic preservation10
In order to be eligible for designation as a City of Camarillo Landmark, a resource must meet one or more of these criteria.
County of Ventura
General Plan
The County of Ventura’s General Plan provides the following goals and policies related to the preservation of cultural resources:11
Goal 1 Identify, inventory, preserve and protect the paleontological and cultural resources of Ventura County (including archaeological, historical and Native American resources) for their scientific, educational and cultural value.
Goal 2 Enhance cooperation with cities, special districts, other appropriate organizations, and private landowners in acknowledging and preserving the County’s paleontological and cultural resources.
Policy 1 Discretionary developments shall be assessed for potential paleontological and cultural resource impacts, except when exempt from such requirements by CEQA. Such assessments shall be incorporated into a Countywide paleontological and cultural resource data base.
Policy 2 Discretionary development shall be designed or re-designed to avoid potential impacts to significant paleontological or cultural resources whenever possible.
10 City of Camarillo, Municipal Code, Ordinance 670 Section 1 (part), 1989 11 County of Ventura, General Plan Goals, Policies, and Programs, (2011) 23.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-8 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Unavoidable impacts, whenever possible, shall be reduced to a less than significant level and/or shall be mitigated by extracting maximum recoverable data. Determinations of impacts, significance and mitigation shall be made by qualified archaeological (in consultation with recognized local Native American groups), historical or paleontological consultants, depending on the type of resource in question.
Policy 3 Mitigation of significant impacts on cultural or paleontological resources shall follow the Guidelines of the State Office of Historic Preservation, the State Native American Heritage Commission, and shall be performed in consultation with professionals in their respective areas of expertise.
Policy 4 Confidentiality regarding locations of archaeological sites throughout the County shall be maintained in order to preserve and protect these resources from vandalism and the unauthorized removal of artifacts.
Policy 5 During environmental review of discretionary development the reviewing agency shall be responsible for identifying sites having potential archaeological, architectural or historical significance and this information shall be provided to the County Cultural Heritage Board for evaluation.
Policy 6 The Building and Safety Division shall utilize the State Historic Building Code for preserving historic sites in the County.
Cultural Heritage Ordinance
The purpose of the Ventura County Cultural Heritage Ordinance12 is to promote the economic and general welfare of the County by preserving and protecting public and private historic, cultural and natural resources which are of special historical or aesthetic character or interest, or relocating or recreating such resources where necessary for their preservation and for their use, education, and view by the general public.
12 County of Ventura, Code of Ordinances, Sec. 1360 et seq.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-9 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
6.5.5 EXISTING CONDITIONS
Archaeological Resources
The proposed project site is located is an area that has substantial archaeological history. The details can be found in the historical resources report (Appendix 6.5). A brief summary is presented here.
Archaeological/Ethnographic Background
The study region, and Ventura County in general, lies within the territory of the Ventureño dialect of the Chumash ethnolinguistic group. These were Hokan-speaking people, who occupied the area from Topanga Canyon northwest to approximately San Luis Obispo. Because of their location in an area of early Spanish missionization, Chumash culture and lifeways were heavily disrupted prior to any modern efforts at ethnographic research; hence, knowledge of them is limited. However, based on fragmentary records and various means of inferential and analogical studies, a vast amount can be reconstructed about their way of life.
The Chumash followed a hunting-gathering-fishing subsistence pattern, which incorporated a heavy reliance on maritime resources, including pelagic and littoral fishes and shellfish. Indeed, the bountiful sea resources they exploited may have been a key factor in their evolutionary success at the time of the arrival of the Spanish. The Chumash had reached levels of population density and complexities in social organization unequaled worldwide by other non-farming groups. Permanent coastal villages along the Channel Islands area contained as many as 1000 inhabitants, and featured a hierarchical sociopolitical organization consisting of at least two major chiefdoms. Further, based on recent reconstructions using mission registers, the Chumash appear to have a matrilocal, and perhaps matrilineal, clan-based society.
The Oxnard Plain area was apparently a portion of a paramount Chumash capital at the village of Muwu, located at modern Point Mugu. This served as the center of Lulapin, one of the two known historical chiefdoms, and was a domain whose limits stretched from the southeastern extreme of Chumash territory to just beyond modern Santa Barbara. Correspondingly, the Mugu locale has been documented, both archaeologically and ethnographically, as the center of a considerable amount of aboriginal activity. However, even given the proximity of the study area to Point Mugu, no ethnohistoric data are available pertaining to the immediate project zone.
The only historic Chumash villages known for the region are specifically muwu and simomo (meaning “beach” and “the saltbush patch,” respectively), both located close to Point Mugu; ixsha (or ihsha, “ashes”), at the mouth of the Santa Clara River; and wenemu, “sleeping place,” the origin for the modern toponymic Hueneme, applied to a temporary village or campsite, used as a reststop in trans-channel
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-10 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
crossings, on the coast near Hueneme. There is no evidence to suggest that any of these place names apply to the study area. Apparently, during the historic period, much of the general Oxnard region was essentially an unoccupied zone between large population centers at Point Mugu and the modern Ventura area on the coast with additional villages located farther inland near the foothills.
Traditional Chumash society was irrevocably altered with the onset of the missionization and Spanish colonization of the Ventura County region. Although Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stopped in the area in AD 1542 while exploring the coast and Sebastían Vizcaíno sailed by in 1602, this historical period effectively began with the passing of the Gaspar de Portolá expedition through the area in 1769–1770. Portolá was followed in quick succession by a number of other explorers, such as Juan Bautista de Anza in 1775–1776 and José Longinos Martinez in 1792. However, it was the establishment of the Mission of San Buenaventura, at modern Ventura, in 1782 that spelled the end of the aboriginal period.
The study area is located relatively close to the original Ventura mission in modern terms, but in earlier times was some distance from the mission proper and fell outside of the original Mission San Buenaventura lands. Thus, although missionization clearly had an impact on any Chumash who may have occupied this region, due to its peripheral and remote location, it is unlikely that the project area directly played any consequential part in the historical events that occurred in the first 50 years of colonization in southern Ventura County. It was not until 1837, in fact, that any significant evidence for historical use of the general region containing the study area occurred. Rancho Calleguas was awarded to Jose Pedro Ruiz on May 10 of that year. Ultimately, this rancho totaled 9,998.29 acres. It was patented by Ruiz's heirs in 1866. Rancho Calleguas was purchased by Juan Camarillo in 1875, becoming the nucleus of Rancho Camarillo, for which the city is named.
Project Site Investigations
Phase I and Phase II archaeological surveys were completed to determine if any archaeological or any human remains were located within the project site. The Phase I survey determined that there is one prehistoric archaeological site located within the area of the project site, and another nearby site west of the Carrie Estelle Memorial Doheny Library (Doheny Library) beyond the boundary of the proposed project site.13 The first site, east of the Doheny Library and located within the project boundaries, observed a low-density amount of lithic scatter.14 A Phase II survey was then conducted to further determine the extent of the archaeological site.
13 Phase I Archaeological Survey for St. John’s, W & S Consultants, 2008. 14 A distribution of cultural items that consists primarily of lithic (i.e., stone) material. The scatter may include formed tools such as points or knives, or it may contain only chipping debris from tool making activities
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-11 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
The Phase II15 survey found soils at the site consist of a thin topsoil of silty sand. This layer is underlain by ancient oxidized alluvium, which is likely hundreds of thousands of years in age. The thin topsoil has been disturbed by the grading and cultivation of the lemon orchard, which now contains the site, along with rodent burrows and root casts. This disturbance is evident in the mottled soil at the contact between the top layer of soil and the layer right below it where disking has penetrated the lower lying soils layer. A small quantity of cultural material—almost exclusively debitage or waste flakes—is present in the topsoil (an average of 2.2 flakes per unit).
The archaeological materials found in the topsoil appear to have been introduced into the subsurface by the cultivation that has occurred at this site. This conclusion results from the fact, first, that there is no upslope source of soil that could naturally bury these archaeological finds. Second, the topsoil itself shows evidence of disturbance in the form of mottling, rodent burrows, and root casts, as noted above. Third, it is manifestly clear that the site has been graded and cultivated given the presence of the existing lemon orchard that surrounds it. Hence, the site east of the Doheny Library does not include an intact subsurface archaeological deposit, but instead represents a surface site, parts of which have been introduced into the subsoil by various kinds of disturbance. These procedures, found in the methodology section, resulted in the recovery of a small assemblage of artifacts. The artifact density was substantially less than one specimen per meter square.
All evidence points to the conclusion that the site east of the Doheny Library was originally just a low-density surface lithic scatter, and that the small quantity of subsurface artifacts was introduced underground by disturbance related to the cultivation of the orchard.
The recovered artifact assemblage reflects generalized use of the site for a variety of activities, rather than specialization. Further, there is no evidence (such as midden soil,16 dietary remains, hearths, or fire-affected rock) that the site area was used as a habitation. Instead it appears to have been a generalized activity area, probably associated with a nearby campsite. Although no temporal diagnostics were recovered from the site, circumstantial evidence suggests that it may have been Middle Period in age. Due to the fact that it was probably associated with the nearby identified site, west of the Doheny Library and out of the project site, there is a low potential for a formal cemetery or for the uncovering of human remains.
15 Phase II Test Excavation and Determination of Significance, W & S Consultants, 2008 16 Soil that has been changed by long-term human occupation and it typically contains bits of charcoal and other organic materials derived from human use. Midden soil is often darker in color and has a looser texture than surrounding soils. Archaeologists consider midden soil as evidence that a site was used for long-term residence or revisited regularly over many years, rather than reflecting short-term activities
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-12 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
An identified archaeological site is located adjacent to the approved emergency access route within the St. John’s Seminary site but beyond the area proposed for residential development under the proposed project.
Historical Resources
The proposed project site has a long history dating back to the mid-1800s. The details can be found in the historical resources report (Appendix 6.5). A brief summary is presented here.
Pre-Contact Period through 1875
At the time of European contact, the Chumash, a Native American culture group, had inhabited for thousands of years the region that would become Ventura County. The first permanent European settlement in Ventura County was established by Spain in 1782 when the Franciscan order established San Buenaventura Mission, one of 21 missions founded in Alta California between 1769 and 1820. Throughout the Spanish period, with the exception of grazing cattle and sheep, the area that would later become the City of Camarillo remained essentially unaltered. During the period of Spanish rule, the colonial government made very few outright grants of land in California to private individuals and none in Ventura County.
In 1834, the Mexican government began the secularization process and most of Mission San Buenaventura’s landholdings were given to prominent Spanish and Mexican families in the form of large land grants. The St. John’s Seminary property encompasses portions of two historic Mexican period land grants, Rancho Las Posas (or Poza) and Rancho Calleguas, that today make up the majority of St. John’s St. John’s Seminary College campus. Secularization of the ranches, which transferred land from under the church’s control to private ownership, provided the economic and political life for most of California.
In the early 1860s, however, a series of severe droughts devastated the cattle and sheep industry, forcing many ranch owners to sell and subdivide their vast holdings into smaller parcels. By the late nineteenth century, the Oxnard Plain was attracting a number of small farmers. Drawn to its fertile land, the area turned increasingly to agriculture and the planting of orchards to sustain its economy.
The Camarillo Ranch (1875-1927)
In 1875, Juan Camarillo (1812–1880) purchased Rancho Calleguas from members of the Ruiz family. In 1880 Juan Camarillo died, leaving the ranch to his sons, 16-year old Adolfo and 13-year old Juan. Within 10 years of Adolfo Camarillo (1864–1958) taking control over the ranch, Adolfo, like the majority of the landowners on the Oxnard Plain, was focusing on agriculture rather than raising livestock. Among the
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-13 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
brothers’ most notable donations was the bequest of land and funding in 1912 to construct St. Mary Magdelen Chapel in Camarillo. Adolfo Camarillo died in 1958 and was buried in the Camarillo family crypt in St. Mary Magdelen’s Chapel.
Like his brother, Adolfo, Juan Camarillo was a charitable and generous man (Juan donated the land on which St. John’s Seminary would be built). Over the years, Juan Camarillo’s philanthropy included a number of gifts and donations to various institutions, including a grade school in Ventura and St. John’s Hospital in Oxnard. On March 3, 1927, in yet another act of generosity, Juan Camarillo deeded Lot 70 of the Camarillo Ranch to Archbishop John J. Cantwell of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Comprising 100 acres, the gift was for the specific purpose of building a seminary for educating men for the priesthood. The 100-acre parcel appears to have been partially developed with terraced citrus groves surrounded by eucalyptus windrows, a number of agricultural structures including a reservoir, and unpaved roads. The proposed seminary would be located on acreage that was once a part of Rancho Calleguas and Rancho Las Posas. In accordance with Camarillo’s wishes, the seminary was to be named in honor of St. John the Evangelist, Juan Camarillo’s patron saint. Like his brother, Adolfo, Juan was buried at St. Mary Magdelen’s Chapel in 1938.
St. John’s Major Seminary (1927–1940)
Shortly after the Board of Diocesan Seminary Trustees accepted Juan Camarillo’s donation of 100 acres, a campaign was started by the Los Angeles Diocese to raise funds for the building of the seminary. Fundraising was overseen by the trustees, whose lay members included such Los Angeles notables as the oil baron Edward Doheny. In August 1938, ground was finally broken for St. John’s Seminary. On March 19, 1939, “with two hundred prelates and priests and thousands of the faithful” in attendance, the cornerstone for the first completed building was laid by Archbishop Cantwell. The initial building plan for St. John’s Seminary included administrative quarters, a chapel, three subsidiary chapels, a prayer hall, classrooms, dormitories, a convent, and a library built around a central courtyard. With the exception of the library, all of the buildings were designed by the Pasadena architect Ross Montgomery (the general contractor was the P. J. Walker Company). Montgomery, noted for his work in ecclesiastical architecture, was likely chosen for the project because of his architectural fluency in that particular idiom. The seminary scheme, which features an impressive bell tower, arcades, and cast-stone ornamentation, deftly melds Italian Mannerist and Romanesque motifs into a picturesque composition that gives the appearance of having been built over a number of generations. Construction continued for the next three years on the remaining buildings, including a freestanding two-story building housing the Edward L. Doheny Memorial Library, the episcopal residence, and the seminary’s swimming pool.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-14 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Funds to build the library were provided by Carrie Estelle Doheny (1875–1958). A devout Catholic, philanthropist, and bibliophile, Carrie Estelle Doheny, widow of wealthy oilman Edward Laurence Doheny, spent much of her life devoted to educational and charitable work. Dedicated to the memory of her late husband, the library was designed by the eminent period revivalist architect, Wallace Neff. Wallace Neff (1895–1982) was a renowned Period Revivalist architect who was best known during the 1920s and 1930s for his work in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Undoubtedly, however, it was his earlier association as the designer of two of the Doheny’s houses that provided Neff’s entrée to receiving the commission for the library. As designed by Wallace Neff, the Spanish Colonial Revival–style library featured an exuberant Churriguesque style façade, arcades, and lavishly appointed interiors. The Edward L. Doheny Memorial Library was completed on October 14, 1940. At Bishop Cantwell’s urging, Mrs. Doheny also made the decision to donate her extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts to the newly created seminary, including one of only 48 known copies of the Guttenberg Bible.
St. John’s Major Seminary (1940–1961)
Construction at the seminary ceased during the war years, but began again in the postwar years. In 1947 Archbishop Cantwell died and was succeeded by Archbishop James McIntyre (subsequently elevated to the cardinalate in 1953). In 1951 St. John’s Seminary was accredited by the Western College Association. In 1956, in response to its growing number of students, a new dormitory-classroom-recreation building was built, enabling the seminary to increase its number of students from 104 to 180.17 During the late 1950s, the Los Angeles Archdiocese experienced a dramatic increase in both its members and candidates for the priesthood; consequently, Cardinal McIntyre embarked on an ambitious expansion program that included the construction of parochial schools, churches, and a new four-year college for undergraduate seminarians to be located adjacent to the existing St. John’s Major Seminary in Camarillo.
Figure 6.5-1, St. John’s Seminary Aerial Photo, shows the location of the existing St. John’s Seminary campuses.
St. John’s Seminary College (1961–2008)
The archdiocese’s plans for the new college were announced by Cardinal McIntyre in February of 1961. After graduating from the junior seminary, students transferred to the St. John’s Major Seminary to complete the last two years of their undergraduate studies and then a four-year program in postgraduate study in theology.18 The construction of the undergraduate college was part of the Archdiocese’s revamping of its educational program for prospective priests, which would now feature a four-year high
17 St. John’s Seminary, “History,” http://www.stjohnsem.edu/history.htm, 2008 18 The Tidings, “Seminary College to Be Built Here” February 3, 1961
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-15 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
school in San Fernando, a four-year undergraduate college at the new St. John’s Seminary College, and four years of postgraduate work at St. John’s Major Seminary. The function of the new four-year liberal arts undergraduate school at St. John’s Seminary College was to focus on languages, philosophy, social sciences, mathematics, natural sciences, fine arts, and religion.
Construction of the new campus required extensive grading of the hilltop, the removal of sections of the windrows, and a significant portion of the terraced citrus groves. By the end of 1961, the first phase of construction had been completed. Under the supervision of the Reverend William Kenneally, president and rector of St. John’s Seminary from 1958 to 1967, the school received its first class of students. All of the college’s buildings were designed by one of Los Angeles’ oldest and most prestigious architectural firms, A. C. Martin Partners. Buildings completed during this first period of construction comprised the administration/faculty building and three dormitories. The second phase of the project was completed in 1963 and included a classroom building, a prayer hall, a convent, a chapel, a refectory, kitchen facilities, and athletic facilities.
In 1964, the Carrie Estelle Doheny Memorial Library opened its doors. By the late 1960s, enrollment had begun to drop and continued to decline into the early 21st century. In 2003, the archdiocese closed the seminary’s postgraduate program, transferring the four-year undergraduate program from the now shuttered St. John’s Seminary College to the adjoining St. John’s Major Seminary facility.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-16 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 Carrie Estelle Doheny Memorial Library
St John’s Seminary College
St John’s Major College
Legend: Project Boundary
n NOT TO SCALE SOURCE: Google Earth - 2016, Impact Sciences, Inc. - December 2016
FIGURE 6.5-1 St. John’s Seminary Aerial Photo
0037.030•12/16 6.5 Cultural Resources
Citrus groves continue to be cultivated on the property. The earliest documented use of the proposed project site was for citri-culture. A 1938 aerial photograph depicts a trapezoidal area defined by eucalyptus windrows; most of the area within the windrows was planted with terraced citrus groves located on either side of a drainage that emptied into Calleguas Creek. The knoll top, which was unplanted, is flanked on the north by an irregular area planted with shrubs and trees. An oval reservoir surrounded by trees was located at the northeast corner of the property. Available documentation does not clearly reveal if these improvements were in place before the Archdiocese of Los Angeles acquired the property; however, the windrows appear to be of sufficient maturity to indicate they may predate 1927.
By 1945, at the east end of the property, the terraced citrus groves had been extended to the east and surrounded by new windrows and a water tower flanked the southeast corner of the reservoir. To the west of the reservoir, a pump house had been built. An aerial photograph taken in 1964 depicts the extensive alterations carried out by the construction of St. John’s Seminary College in 1961–1964 Alterations include the removal and re-grading of the terraced citrus groves that extended north and east of St. John’s Major Seminary College to the east end of the property. In addition, segments of the windrows were removed to allow for the construction of the new college and its athletic fields. It was at this time that the neighborhood’s first nearby residential subdivision, located on Las Posas Road and Ponderosa Road, was built. This was the first of many such developments that would gradually transform this part of Camarillo from agricultural land to suburban housing tracts. Shortly after construction was completed on the St. John’s Seminary College, citrus groves were replanted to the north, south, and west of the campus; however, unlike the earlier groves, which had been terraced, the new groves were planted in regular blocks. Since 1967, the conversion of farmland has accelerated with most of the area between Lewis Road, Santa Rosa Road, and US Highway 101 converted from agricultural to commercial and residential use. Land to the north of the project site has for the most part remained agricultural in character.
St. John’s Seminary Historical Analysis
St. John’s Seminary is an approximately 100-acre property that encompasses two distinct clusters of buildings, one primarily built in 1938–1940 and the other constructed in 1961–1963, as seen above in Figure 6.5-1. Built in 1938–1940, the older campus was constructed to house the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s Major Seminary. The Major Seminary was a six-year college providing training for men entering priesthood. To the east of the Major Seminary, is St. John’s Seminary College, which was constructed in 1961–1963 as the archdiocese’s four-year undergraduate college for seminarians.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-18 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Originally, the campus’s primary entrance was via Seminary Road, which linked the seminary with Highway 34 (Somis Road) via a bridge over Calleguas Creek. On the west side of the creek, a small complex of wood-frame vernacular buildings associated with the property’s agricultural operations flanked the south side of the entrance drive. On the east side of the creek, the entrance was embellished with a ceremonial entrance gate flanked by piers. Just beyond the gate, the drive splits into three forks; the central driveway extends east towards the Major Seminary, the lower drive forms a short spur that accesses a cluster of accessory buildings. The upper drive extends northeast towards St. John’s Seminary College. The paved drives are lined with rows of trees. A secondary drive located at the northeast corner of the Major Seminary provides access to St. John’s Seminary College. With the exception of landscaped grounds and around the buildings and athletic fields, the two campuses are surrounded by groves of citrus trees.
St. John’s Seminary College (Architectural Style)
Located northeast of the St. John’s Major Seminary, the former St. John’s Seminary College is composed of a number of buildings organized around a central mall. The overall organization of the campus, which features buildings linked by courtyards and arcuated corridors, draws its inspiration from the Catholic tradition of monastic architecture. More directly, the campus employs a plan similar to that of St. John’s Major Seminary, designed by the firm of Ross Montgomery (main campus) and Reginald Johnson (library) in 1938–1939, which features buildings linked by corridors and courtyards. However, unlike the older campus, which employs a Spanish Colonial Revival–style scheme, the new campus was designed in a modernist idiom. Built between 1961 and 1964, the campus was designed by the architectural firm of A. C. Martin Partners.
As designed by A. C. Martin Partners, the new seminary buildings drew inspiration from an architectural style known as New Formalism or sometimes referred to as Neo-Palladianism; a style that achieved its height of popularity between the 1960s through the mid-1970s.19 The style emphasized monumentality and symmetry.
Character-defining features of the style include (1) buildings separated from nature and usually set on podium; (2) allusion to classical vocabulary, especially columns and entablatures; (3) arched forms; (4) exterior walls clad in stone; (5) an emphasis on symmetry and balance; and (6) formal landscaping including monumental sculpture. The style was especially popular for religious building because the International Style or Modernism was perceived as lacking in emotional and spiritual expressiveness;
19 Post/Hazeltine, Historical Resources Report, May 2008
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-19 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
consequently, a number of architects wanted to experiment with more expressive shapes, such as those exemplified by New Formalism.
Organizationally, the undergraduate college is divided into six distinct nodes, including (1) living quarters/administration; (2) classrooms; (3) chapel; (4) freestanding library; (5) support services including food service and a convent; and (6) athletic facilities including a pool, baseball field, and basketball and racquet ball courts. All the buildings were designed in the same architectural style and employ the same repertoire of architectural motifs, including concrete columns, textured concrete blocks, flat roofs, and pre-cast concrete arcades linking the various buildings.
The main entrance to the campus is via an entrance drive (Seminary Road). Located at the northwest corner of the campus, it extends around the entire St. John’s Seminary College campus to form a ring road. The ring road is flanked on its west side by a parking area located in front of the administration/dormitory buildings. Composed of a two-story administrative/faculty component, flanked on its northwest, northeast, and southwest corners by detached dormitory wings, the administration/dormitory building forms the west side of the St. John’s Seminary College campus. An open passageway, extending through the administration building’s first floor, forms the west end of an axis that extends east to St. James Chapel. The east side of the administration/dormitory building forms the west side of a rectangular courtyard known as the “mall.” The mall is defined on its east side by the façade of St. James Chapel, the refectory, convent, and the prayer hall. A concrete arcade that links the chapel with the dormitory/administration building defines the north side of the mall. On its south side, the service building defines the east side of the mall. On either side of the mall’s concrete walkway, expanses of turf and foundation planting extend to edge of the mall. A hand-carved marble replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta is placed on the north side of the mall’s central walkway. To the north of the mall, expanses of turf linked by concrete walkways extend to the ring road. On the south side of the campus, informal landscaping and paved parking extends from the service building to the ring road. To the south of the ring road, a paved parking area is the location of a small planetary observatory. Informal landscaping of trees and shrubs extends along the east side of the convent, kitchen/refectory, and chapel to the northeast corner of the classroom/recreation building. The athletic fields and swimming pool are located down slope and east of the classroom/recreation building. To the north of the main campus is a landscaped picnic area embellished with a life-size marble statue of St. Francis. Citrus groves extend north, south, and east to the property boundary beyond the college’s landscaped grounds. To the west citrus groves extend to the grounds of St. John’s Major Seminary.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-20 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Buildings and Features
The analysis done by Post/Hazeltine20 further describes the architectural design of the St. John’s Seminary College by the west-, south-, north-, and east-facing elevations. These complete descriptions can be found for each building in the historical report in Appendix 6.5.
Administration/Dormitory Buildings
This cluster of buildings, which forms the principal entrance to the college, is composed of four two-story reinforced concrete buildings, including a centrally placed administration building, flanked on its northeast, northwest, and southwest corners by freestanding wings housing the campus’s dormitories. Arcaded, open-air corridors link the four buildings. Like the other buildings that comprise the infrastructure of the college, the design emphasizes balance and symmetry, with a centrally recessed block flanked by projecting wings. The buildings are capped by a flat roof and the exterior walls are of textured concrete block. Window design primarily features a metal frame set in shallow reveals.
St. James Chapel
St. James Chapel, which is located on the east end of the mall, is axially aligned with the administration/dormitory building located at the west end of the mall. Built of pre-stressed concrete, the chapel’s architecture emphasizes symmetry and balance.
The chapel’s columns support a flared roof with deeply overhanging eaves. Like a Gothic period church, the chapel’s concrete piers support the stained glass windows that fill the upper two-thirds of the wall surface. Those areas of wall surface that are not glazed are comprised of cast concrete panels with an aggregate finish. The chapel, designed to accommodate 400 seminarians, as well as priests, nuns, and choir members, included a sacristy, oratory, and a chapel for the Sisters of the Pious School.
Prayer Hall (lecture room)
St. James Chapel is linked to the college’s prayer hall by an open arcade on its north side. Like the chapel, the Prayer Hall’s structure is formed of pre-stressed concrete pillars. The space between the pillars is in-filled with textured concrete blocks. The building’s supporting pillars are flanked by narrow rectangular windows. Funds for the Prayer Hall’s construction were donated by church patrons, Asa Vickery Call and Margaret Fleming Call.
20 Post/Hazeltine, Historic Resources Report, May 2008.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-21 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Classroom/Recreation Building
To the east of the Prayer Hall is the U-shaped Classroom/Recreation Building. Built on a hillside, the building features a two-level wing overlooking the athletic fields flanked on the north and south side by one-story wings that form two sides of a rectangular courtyard. Like the college’s other buildings, the Classroom/Recreation Building is constructed of pre-stressed concrete pillars that support the roof, with the space between the pillars infilled with textured concrete blocks. A marble sculpture of St. Joseph set on a concrete plinth is located between the north elevation and the ring road.
Courtyard
The north, south, and east sides of the classroom/recreation building’s courtyard are defined by the exterior walls of the building’s three wings. On its west side, an arcade of pre-fabricated concrete links the building’s north and south wings. At the east end of the courtyard is a marble sculpture of St. Anthony of Padua set on a concrete plinth.
Refectory/Kitchen Building
Located just south of St. James Chapel, the Refectory/Kitchen building was designed as two distinct elements with the Refectory featuring a pre-stressed structure of T-shaped concrete columns and textured concrete block walls. The building is linked to the adjoining chapel and nearby prayer hall by concrete arcades. Like the seminary’s other buildings, the refectory’s architectural scheme emphasizes symmetry and balance. The kitchen wing, which is located at the rear of the building, features a more reductive design featuring textured concrete block walls capped by a flat roof with a concrete parapet. The rear of the building faces the adjacent convent across a narrow courtyard.
Convent
The convent is a U-shaped one-story building located just south of the refectory/kitchen building. It was built as living quarters for the Sisters of the Pious School. In its design, the Convent features a pre- stressed structure of T-shaped concrete columns and textured concrete block walls capped by a deeply overhanging roof. Like the seminary’s other buildings, the convent’s architectural scheme emphasizes symmetry and balance.
Service Building
Located southwest of the refectory/kitchen building, the service building includes covered parking and rooms used for facilities management. Its exterior walls are of textured concrete block and capped by a parapet. The six-bay covered parking is supported by T-shaped concrete pillars and flanked on either
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-22 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
side by enclosed wings. Fenestration primarily is comprised of hopper-style metal windows and doors are metal flush panel types.
Athletic Fields and Swimming Pool
The athletic fields and swimming pool are located to the east of the classroom/recreation building and below the ring road. The athletic fields include two basketball courts, two tennis courts, two volleyball courts, a baseball field, and ten racquetball courts. At the northwest corner of the athletic fields is a swimming pool surrounded by a concrete wall. To the north of the pool is a one-story flat-roofed building that housed the locker room. Designed in same style as the campus’s other buildings, the locker room has concrete pillars supporting a deeply overhanging flat roof; the exterior walls are of textured concrete block. Ribbon windows extend the length of the elevation on the north and south elevations.
The Carrie Estelle Doheny Memorial Library
The library was named in honor of Carrie Estelle Doheny. Begun in 1962 and completed in 1963, the Carrie Estelle Memorial Doheny Library (Doheny Library) was designed in the same architectural style as that of the Seminary College’s principal buildings. Employing the design principles of the New Formalist style, the library’s rigorously symmetrical scheme features a podium, monumental colonnades, and stone cladding. Its primary elevation is axially aligned with the north elevation of the administrative/dormitory building. The library’s structural framework is set on a low concrete podium and consists of four rows of T-shaped concrete columns that support a flat roof with extended eaves. Because the columns form the building’s structural framework, the exterior walls are not load bearing. On all four elevations, the exterior row of freestanding columns forms a colonnade. The side elevations’ colonnades feature 14 columns, while the façade and rear elevation have 4 columns supporting the roof. The walls of the Doheny Library are composed of textured concrete block on the north, east, and west elevations, while the façade (south elevation) is clad in polished granite slabs. The Doheny Library is outside of the development footprint for the proposed project.
Planetary Observatory
A small circular building with concrete block walls and a domed metal roof is located across the access road from the convent. The building houses a small planetary observatory.
Water Tank
A large cylindrical water tank is located at the southeast corner of the St. John’s Seminary property. The water tank was built sometime between 1961 and 1964.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-23 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Evaluation Under the SOI Criteria
In order to be considered a historic resource, the St. John’s Seminary College must be evaluated against the National Register criteria for eligibility for listing as a historic resource. The structure, building, or property must meet one of the criteria, as does the overall integrity. The overall integrity of the location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association are considered for the structure, building, or property to become eligible under the National Historic Preservation Act.21 The period of significance encompasses the period between 1961 and 1964 when the campus was designed by the architectural firm of A. C. Martin Partners and constructed by contracting firm of Fred E. Potts Company.
The significance criteria for state and local eligibility are evaluated in the same manner as the federal regulations. As discussed above, the California Register criteria are modeled after the National Register criteria identified in Section 7.1 of the National Register of Historic Places Criteria. The project site was evaluated using these criteria.
Criteria A. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
While St. John’s Seminary College played a central role in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ education program for candidates to the priesthood between 1961 and 2003, it is not eligible for listing because of its historic associations since properties such as St. John’s Seminary College are not eligible for listing simply because of their religious associations, as important historic events, outside of those associated its religious function, did not occur at the property. Therefore, St. John’s Seminary College is not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A.
Criteria B. Associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
St. John’s Seminary College is associated with a number of persons, such as Cardinal Cantwell, Cardinal McIntyre, and Reverend William Kenneally (its first rector and president), who are important to the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Southern California during the period between the late 1920s through late 1960s. However, considering their historic significance is religious in nature, the resource is not eligible for listing because of its association with these persons.
Criteria C. Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic
21 Post/Hazeltine, Historic Resources Report, May 2008.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-24 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.
Designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm of A. C. Martin Partners, St. John’s Seminary College was constructed between 1961 and 1963 around a central mall. With its emphasis on formality, symmetry, axial planning, and allusions to classicism, the seminary is an exemplar of New Formalism, an architectural style that achieved its height of popularity in the 1960s through the mid-1970s. New Formalism, which attempted to synthesize Modernism with the formal qualities of Classical architecture, was especially popular for institutional commissions, such as schools, hospitals, civic buildings, and churches. The college’s architectural scheme features the character-defining elements of the style, which include (1) buildings separated from nature and usually set on podium, (2) allusion to classical vocabulary especially columns and entablatures, (3) arched forms, (4) exterior walls clad in stone, (5) an emphasis on symmetry and balance, and (6) formal landscaping including monumental sculpture. Since its construction, the campus has undergone few alterations and can still convey is original scheme and architectural style. Built to a high standard of finish, using luxurious materials and an innovative use of concrete construction, St. John’s Seminary College is an important example of the New Formalist style. In addition, it enjoys additional significance because it represents one of the few commissions in which the style was not relegated to just one or two buildings, but represents the work of an entire complex. Therefore, St. John’s Seminary College campus is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria C, CRHR Criteria C, and local ordinance Criteria 3.
Based on the research and analysis presented in this section, St. John’s St. John’s Seminary College campus is eligible for listing in the National Register and CRHR under Criteria C and eligible under the local ordinance.
The relevant aspects of integrity depend upon the criteria applied to the property. For example, a property nominated under events would convey its significance primarily through integrity of location, setting, and association. A property nominated solely under architecture would rely upon integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. Assessing the integrity of rural landscapes requires the application of all criteria for integrity.
As noted in the National Register guidelines, the final decision about integrity is based on the condition of the overall property and its ability to convey significance. Because St. John’s Seminary College has retained its integrity of setting, design, location, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, it has retained its overall integrity. Because it has retained its integrity, it can convey those qualities that make it eligible for listing as a historic resource under National Register Criteria 3, CEQA Criteria 3, and under the local ordinance.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-25 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Paleontological Resources
Paleontological resources are the fossilized remains of organisms that lived in the region in the geologic past and the accompanying geologic strata. Paleontological resources are more likely to occur at sites with little surface or subsurface disturbance and within sedimentary or metamorphic rock. Locally, the geologic units consist of surficial deposits (various ages of alluvium/stream channel deposits) and bedrock formations, as described in Section 6.6, Geology and Soils. The upper soil layers have been heavily disturbed by agricultural operations.
6.5.6 THRESHOLDS OF SIGNIFICANCE
In order to assist in determining whether a project will have a significant effect on the environment, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, City of Camarillo Threshold Guidelines (adopted from the State CEQA Guidelines, Appendix G) identify criteria for conditions that may be deemed to constitute a substantial or potentially substantial adverse change in physical conditions.
These guidelines list the thresholds under which a project may be deemed to have a significant impact if it would
• cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource as defined in Section 15064.5,
• cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of an archaeological resource pursuant to Section 15064.5,
• directly or indirectly destroy a unique paleontological resource or site or unique geological feature, or
• disturb any human remains, including those interred outside of formal cemeteries.
6.5.7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Methodology
The environmental impact analysis presented below is based on determinations made in the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for issues that were determined to be potentially significant with mitigation incorporated, or for issues identified by reviewing agencies, organizations, or individuals commenting on the NOP that made a reasonable argument that the issue was potentially significant (see Responses to NOP, Appendix 2.0).
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-26 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource as defined in Section 15064.5.
Impacts
The existing conditions of the proposed project site include the vacant St. John’s Seminary College campus. The proposed project would result in the demolition of the St. John’s Seminary College campus while retaining the nearby Doheny Library. The proposed project would replace the St. John’s Seminary College campus with residential development. The Doheny Library would be retained and remain unchanged.
The integrity and eligibility of the St. John’s Seminary College campus meet the criteria listed under the federal, state, and local regulations. These regulations include the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the CRHR, and the Historic Preservation Ordinance of the Camarillo Municipal Code. The seminary derives its importance from its status as an exemplar of the New Formalism style designed by A. C. Martin Partners, one of California’s leading architectural firms for the last 100 years. As previously noted, the St. John’s Seminary College campus meets the requirements of Criteria 3.22 These criteria include the representation of the work of a master, the distinctive type of architectural style that defines a period and reflects the city’s historical heritage.
The implementation of the proposed project would result in the demolition of the St. John’s Seminary College campus. Consequently, the proposed project will materially alter in an adverse manner those physical characteristics of the buildings that make it eligible for listing as a historic resource as defined in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5 (b1-2). Even with implementation of the mitigation measures outlined below, given complete demolition of the St. John’s Seminary College campus buildings, the residual impacts from the proposed project would be significant and unavoidable.
Emergency Access Route
The emergency access point to the proposed residential community would be provided via the existing St. John’s Seminary access roadway, which extends from Upland Road, and would connect to the proposed project site’s circulation system on the project site’s northeast boundary. The existing roadway is 23 to 26 feet wide and no widening would be necessary. Thus the use of this driveway for emergency access would not encroach on existing historic structures associated with the St. John’s Major Seminary, including the Doheny Library. Impacts would be less than significant.
22 Post/Hazeltine, Historic Resources Report, May 2008.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-27 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Mitigation Measures
The following mitigation shall be completed:
6.5-1: Photo-document St. John’s Seminary College prior to the alteration of its setting with large-format, black and white photography and provide a written report. The recordation shall be of sufficient detail to preserve a visual record of the college and its setting and shall meet the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) / Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) standards for documentation and photo-documentation of historic resources at a minimum Level 3 recordation. This documentation shall be donated to a suitable repository, such as the Camarillo Public Library and the Ventura County Museum of History and Art. Additionally, a copy of the recordation shall be donated to the St. John’s Seminary Archive.
6.5-2 Grading activities in the vicinity of identified cultural resources shall be monitored by a qualified monitor approved by the City.
Residual Impacts
Impacts to the historic St. John’s Seminary College would be significant and unavoidable.
Cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of an archaeological resource pursuant to Section 15064.5.
Impacts
The proposed project would redevelop the area into a planned residential community. As previously discussed, the proposed redevelopment would result in the demolition of the existing St John’s Seminary College buildings, and the regrading of the project site (refer to Section 6.6, Geology and Soils. for more detailed information regarding project grading). The redevelopment of the project site could result in the loss of previously unknown archaeological resources during the construction and grading activities. As described previously, potential archaeological resources were identified within the perimeter of the proposed project site east of the Doheny Library. During the Phase 123 and Phase II24 surveys, the site was found to have a relatively small, low-density, disturbed surface lithic scatter. The fieldwork at the
23 Phase I Archaeological Survey for St. John’s, W & S Consultants, 2008 24 Phase II Test Excavation and Determination of Significance, W & S Consultants, 2008
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-28 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
site resulted in the recovery of a scientifically consequential sample of artifacts and archaeological indicators and was determined to be clear of any additional artifacts.25
However, since there is the potential for adverse impacts related to the discovery of additional, previously unknown archeological resources during the grading of the project site, the mitigation measure listed below would reduce this impact to less than significant.
Emergency Access Route
The emergency access route was surveyed as part of the Phase I/II survey for the project site. An identified archaeological resource site is located directly adjacent to this driveway within the St. John’s Seminary site but outside of the area proposed for residential development. This site consists of a large habitation site with a weak midden deposit. Resources within this area most likely date to the Middle Period. However, use of the existing driveway for the emergency access route would not require widening of the roadbed and no encroachment into the identified archaeological resource site would occur; impacts would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
6.5-3: In the event that archeological resources are unearthed during project construction on the proposed residential portion of the proposed project, all earth-disturbing work within the vicinity of the find shall be temporarily suspended until a qualified archeologist has evaluated the nature and significance of the find.
Residual Impacts
Impacts would be less than significant.
Directly or indirectly destroy a unique paleontological resource or site or unique geological feature.
Impacts
Paleontological resources are the fossilized remains of organisms that have lived in the region in the geologic past and the accompanying geologic strata. Paleontological resources are more likely to occur at sites with little surface or subsurface disturbance and within sedimentary or metamorphic rock. Locally, the geologic units consist of surficial deposits (various ages of alluvium/stream channel deposits) and
25 Phase II Test Excavation and Determination of Significance, W & S Consultants, 2008.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-29 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
bedrock formations. The upper soil layers have been heavily disturbed by both agricultural operations and construction of the Seminary College buildings and swimming pool. Given this disturbance and the nature of the underlying soils, the potential for fossils to occur beneath the project site within the depth of disturbance is considered low.
Adverse impacts on paleontological resources result when rock units become unavailable for study and observation by scientists. The destruction of fossils as a result of human-induced ground disturbance has a significant impact as it makes biological records of ancient life permanently unavailable for study. The implementation of the proposed project would require extensive grading of the project site. This would have the potential to uncover previously unidentified paleontological resources. Therefore, despite the low the potential for discovering any fossil or paleontological resources, impacts would be potentially significant.
However, following the implementation of the mitigation measure listed below if needed, impacts would be reduced to less than significant.
Emergency Access Route
The emergency access route would not require the widening of the existing paved roads adjacent to existing agricultural land and the Doheny Library; impacts would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
The following mitigation shall be implemented:
6.5-4: In the event that paleontological resources are unearthed during project construction on the proposed project, all earth-disturbing work within the vicinity of the find shall be temporarily suspended until a qualified paleontologist has evaluated the nature and significance of the find.
Residual Impacts
Impacts would be less than significant.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-30 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
6.5.7.4 Disturb any human remains, including those interred outside of formal cemeteries.
Impacts
There are no known cemeteries or burial grounds on the project site. As previously discussed, the site has a history of use by Native Americans; therefore, there is potential for additional archaeological resources, including burial grounds, to exist. However, the potential to uncover previously unknown formal cemeteries or human remains is considered remote. However, because the potential exists for human remains to be unearthed during earthwork and grading for the proposed project, impacts are potentially significant.
Emergency Access Route
The emergency access route not require the widening of the existing paved roads adjacent to existing agricultural land and the Doheny Library; impacts would be less than significant.
Mitigation Measures
The following mitigation shall be implemented:
6.5-5: If human remains are encountered during a public or private construction (earthmoving) activity, State Health and Safety Code 7050.5 states that no further disturbance shall occur until the Ventura County Coroner has made a determination of origin and disposition pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 5097.98. The Ventura County Coroner must be notified within 24 hours.
If the coroner determines that the burial is not historic, but prehistoric, the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) must be contacted to determine the most likely descendent (MLD) for this area. The MLD may become involved with the disposition of the burial following scientific analysis.
Upon clearance by the coroner and the NAHC for Native American remains, construction (earthmoving) activities may resume.
Residual Impacts
Impacts would be less than significant.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-31 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
6.5.8 CUMULATIVE ANALYSIS
Impacts
Each related project has the potential to result in significant impacts to cultural resources and, as required by the CEQA Guidelines, each project site would need to be surveyed prior to development during the environmental review process. During the Phase II test excavation26 a nearby site was discovered but was located outside of the project area, just west of the Doheny Library. The site discovered just east of the Doheny Library is a likely candidate for the larger site located outside of the project boundary. Although the site west of the Doheny Library has not been tested and will be preserved, surface indicators suggest that it contains a subsurface midden deposit, and it has a higher and denser concentration of surface remains.
The California Point of Historical Interest (2007) of the Office of Historic Preservation, Department of Parks and Recreation; The California Historical Landmarks (2007) of the Office of Historic Preservation, Department of Parks and Recreation; The California Register of Historic Places (2007); and The National Register of Historic Places (2007) list no historic properties within a 0.125-mile radius of the project site.
As with the proposed project, the potential exists for other projects that involve earthmoving activities to uncover human remains, archeological and paleontological or unique geologic resources. Disturbance from such activities for the other projects in the area could have the potential to disturb or destroy buried Native American human remains, including those interred outside formal cemeteries, archeological and paleontological or unique geologic resources.
Impacts on cultural and paleontological resources tend to be site-specific and are assessed on a site-by- site basis. As discussed above, the project site and surrounding area may contain actual or potential cultural resources, although the likelihood is low. Where these resources may exist, implementation of the proposed project would represent an incremental adverse cumulative impact to cultural resources. However, provided that proper mitigation is implemented, the impacts of the proposed project would be fully mitigated and would not be cumulatively considerable or substantially contribute to significant cumulative impacts. Future projects, including all related projects, would be required to implement similar mitigation measures, therefore reducing the potential for both site specific and cumulative impacts to cultural resources.
26 W & S Consultants. Phase II Test Excavation and Determination of Significance at St. John’s Seminary. 2008.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-32 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
Mitigation Measures
No mitigation is required.
Residual Impacts
Impacts would be less than significant.
6.5.9 CONSISTENCY WITH THE GENERAL PLAN
The City of Camarillo General Plan27 Community Design Element provides the following summary for cultural resources that apply to the proposed project. An analysis of the consistency of the proposed project with each of the statements found in the Community Design Element is provided below.
Historical Buildings and Features28
There are several buildings which reflect the early character of Camarillo and provide texture to the present image of the community. The following buildings provide an identifiable asset to the community design of Camarillo:
• St. Mary Magdalen Church on Ventura Boulevard
• Evangelical Free Church (originally Pleasant Valley Baptist Church) on Ventura Boulevard)
• Adolfo Camarillo House on Mission Oaks Boulevard
• Griffin residence on Daily Drive
• Boy Scout Headquarters on Daily Drive
• St. John’s Seminary
Every attempt should be made to preserve the buildings mentioned above. Developments nearby should be a complement to the area and should use similar materials, colors, textures, proportions and massing. Present styles and construction techniques, labor and costs would not allow for buildings to duplicate the historical sites of the area, however, buildings having a complementary character can be achieved. Additions to buildings having a historical benefit should reflect the architectural elements of the main structure. Freestanding buildings on the same site may be simpler in detail so as not to compete with the main building.
27 City of Camarillo, “Introduction,” General Plan, 2004. 28 City of Camarillo, “Community Design,” General Plan, p. 26, 2012.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-33 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017 6.5 Cultural Resources
The existing conditions of the proposed project site include the vacant St. John’s Seminary College and the Doheny Library. St. John’s Major Seminary is located adjacent and to the west of the project site. The proposed project would result in the demolition of the St. John’s Seminary College campus while retaining the Doheny Library and St. John’s Major Seminary. The proposed project would replace the St. John’s Seminary College campus with a planned residential community. The Doheny Library and St. John’s Major Seminary would remain unchanged under the proposed project. The proposed residential development would architecturally complement the Major Seminary while being far enough removed from the main buildings that they would not compete with them. The proposed project would, therefore, be consistent with the “Historical Buildings and Features” statement in the General Plan.
Historic Preservation29
The preservation of buildings having historical significance and other environmental features help to tie generations together and fit into the fabric of the community. They are beneficial in promoting the theme and character of the area and offer a richness that cannot often be duplicated. Attempts should be made to preserve those significant features and that they be properly maintained. Surrounding developments should be a complement to historical buildings.
As described above, the current conditions of the proposed project site include the St. John’s Seminary College campus, which includes the Doheny Library. Adjacent to the west of the project site is St. John’s Major Seminary. Implementation of the proposed project would result in the demolition of the seminary while retaining the Doheny Library and all of the St. John’s Major Seminary buildings. Mitigation measures have been proposed that will document the architectural and historical nature of all buildings to be demolished that are eligible for listing as historic resources. However, this would not fully mitigate against the demolition of the St. John’s Seminary College campus. Notwithstanding, the proposed project would remain consistent with the “Historic Preservation” statement found in the General Plan, as the project would be subject to a public hearing before the Landmark Committee of the City and the City Council within forty-five days of the completed application for a work permit in order for demolition to proceed, as required under Section 16.42.070 (2) - Permits for Work Affecting Landmarks of the City’s Municipal Code.
Summary
Following the filing for the requisite permits and the required public hearings, the proposed project would be consistent with the City’s General Plan regarding Historic Preservation.
29 City of Camarillo, “Community Design,” General Plan, p. 41, 1984.
Impact Sciences, Inc. 6.5-34 St. John’s Seminary Residential Community EIR 0037.030 June 2017