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4.3 – CULTURAL RESOURCES 4.3 CULTURAL RESOURCES This section describes the existing cultural resources of the Cypress College campus, identifies associated regulatory requirements, evaluates potential impacts, and identifies mitigation measures related to implementation of the proposed project. The discussion in this section is based on the Cultural Resources Study for the Cypress College Facilities Master Plan Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared by Dudek in September 2016 and the Paleontological Resources Survey Report prepared by Dudek in June 2016. Both reports are included in Appendix C. 4.3.1 Existing Conditions Cultural resources include prehistoric resources and historical-period resources. Prehistoric resources are physical properties resulting from human activities that predate written records and are generally identified as isolated finds or sites. Prehistoric resources can include village sites, temporary camps, lithic (stone tool) scatters, roasting pits/hearths, milling features, rock features, and burials. Historical resources consist of physical properties, structures, or built items resulting from human activities after the time of written records. In North America, the historical period is generally considered to be equivalent to the time period since European contact, beginning in AD 1492. Historical resources can include archaeological remains and architectural structures. Historical archaeological site types include town sites, homesteads, agricultural or ranching features, mining-related features, refuse concentrations, and features or artifacts associated with early military use of the land. Historical architectural resources can include houses, cabins, barns, lighthouses, early military structures, and local structures, such as missions, post offices, and meeting halls. 4.3.1.1 Historical Setting In assessing the historic significance of properties located within the study area, various criteria for designation under federal, state, and local landmark programs were considered and applied. The California Office of Historic Preservation survey methodology and instructions were used to evaluate the relative significance of properties. History of Cypress College In 1961, the California State Legislature mandated that all high school and unified districts in the State of California be included as part of districts that maintain a junior college. In response, the Fullerton Junior College (FJC) District was required to expand in order to incorporate areas covered by the Anaheim Union High School District, the Brea-Olinda Union High School District, and the Placentia Unified District. However, FJC could not support all of these new entities on its own (Ganer 2006). Cypress College Facilities Master Plan Program EIR 7624 September 2016 4.3-1 4.3 – CULTURAL RESOURCES In February 1964, voters approved the formation of an interim junior college district and a $9 million bond measure to acquire land for the site of a new college and construction of new buildings (Ganer 2006). The transition from Fullerton Junior College District to the North Orange County Community College District (referred to hereafter as the District) began in 1964 when the residents of three school districts (Anaheim Union High School District, Brea-Olinda Unified School District, and Placentia Unified School District) elected to form an interim junior college district to be merged with the existing Fullerton Junior College District. This merger increased the District boundaries to 157 square miles and brought the first election of a District Board of Trustees (District 2011). After investigating a number of potential site locations, including one in Anaheim, the newly formed North Orange County Junior College District (NOCJCD) announced in November 1964 that it had chosen a 112-acre site, formerly utilized as dairy farming land, in the City of Cypress to build its future campus. In the 1960s, the District was using the architectural design services of William H. Taylor and George S. Connor, and a number of new buildings were constructed by the architects on the FJC campus. In late 1965, Taylor and Connor, who had been contracted with the District since the 1950s, were replaced by William E. Blurock & Associates (Fullerton College Library 2012). In August 1965, the District held five executive sessions to select an architect for the new college. Twenty-two firms had bid on the job (LAT 1965a). In September, the District announced that it had selected two firms to collaborate on the design of Cypress College, William E. Blurock & Associates (of Del Mar, California) and Caudill, Rowlett, and Scott and Associates (of Houston, Texas), which were unanimously approved by the District trustees. The board also selected Odell MacConnell Associates of Palo Alto, California, to serve as the educational consulting firm that would work closely with the architects in planning the campus. The permanent Cypress College campus was originally promised to be completed by fall of 1968 (LAT 1965b). With the team of architects selected, the board requested that they start thinking through the problems associated with the commonly seen “megalocampus,” and requested they come up with creative solutions and recommendations for a campus that was more than just “an enormous airplane hangar with parking lots and classrooms” (Walker 1968, p.5). In early 1966, “squatter sessions” were held with the architects, newly employed campus administrators, and District staff members to brainstorm ideas for the new campus design (Walker 1968). These meetings resulted in the idea of incorporating the “house plan” or “house concept” at Cypress Junior College. This “house concept” master plan projected construction of an eventual eight houses that would accommodate 12,500 students. President Dan Walker strongly pushed for implementation of the house plan on campus (as it was something he commonly saw in England). The goal of the house plan was to decentralize auxiliary services by spreading them out to various locations on campus based on discipline. Instead of the typical college campus Cypress College Facilities Master Plan Program EIR 9422 September 2016 4.3-2 4.3 – CULTURAL RESOURCES consisting of one student center, one counseling office, one cafeteria, etc., the house plan offered these services within each major building on campus (Ganer 2006). The Interim Campus Desperate to get the new campus up and running and relieve enrollment capacity pressures at FJC, the board decided to move forward with establishing the new campus despite the fact that permanent buildings were years away. In October 1965, District trustees were tasked with creating a temporary or interim campus for students at the Cypress College site. The interim campus plan called for a faculty of approximately 65, with classes limited to basic freshman courses during the first year. No technical or vocational classes, intercollegiate sports programs, or on-campus physical education courses would be offered at the temporary campus. Courses not covered by the limited scope of the temporary campus would be held at FJC or other nearby schools. Approximately 35 classrooms and six science laboratories would be needed for the temporary school to function (LAT 1965c). In November, the trustees approved establishment of a temporary campus consisting of portable units (LAT 1965d). The following month, the District trustees approved working drawings for the $1 million interim campus that was scheduled to open for approximately 2,000 students by fall of 1966 (LAT 1965e). Much to the surprise of the board, an extant lease on the site’s prime parcel resulted in a delay of acquisition until July 1, 1966, creating a scramble to assemble the interim campus just 2 months before classes were scheduled to begin (Ganer 2006). Plans from July 1966 show that William E. Blurock & Associates and Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) were involved in designing the interim campus layout. The campus originally consisted of 18 simple rectangular-plan modular buildings leased by a company called Modulux. Facilities identified on the original 1966 plans include an administration building, faculty mailroom, an art lecture room and lab, life sciences, physics lab, chemistry lab, library, and various classroom buildings. The original administration offices and bookstore were located in small single-family residences located on the northeast corner of the campus plot, barely large enough to hold a couple of staff members and the books. In the first year, 54 faculty members taught 149 courses in 34 different fields (Ganer 2006). Phase I Campus Development An important factor in shaping the college master plan was the issue of parking, and the problematic relationship between vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Accepting the fact that Cypress Junior College was undoubtedly a commuter school with a strong automobile culture, the architects opted to surround the campus buildings with parking lots on all sides rather than try to hide them or force parking to one side of the campus. In fact, the final design resulted in a street (Lakeshore Drive) passing through the center of the campus to ease the flow of vehicular Cypress College Facilities Master Plan Program EIR 9422 September 2016 4.3-3 4.3 – CULTURAL RESOURCES traffic. To solve the problem of pedestrian traffic co-existing with vehicular traffic, the architects created a bi-level campus design, which functioned to keep vehicular traffic at the ground level, with students navigating the campus