HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD DATE: April 9, 2019 PUBLIC HEARING SUBJECT: AN APPLICATION BY THE PALM SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION ("PSPF") REQUESTING CLASS 1 HISTORIC RESOURCE DESIGNATION OF "THE AVERY FIELD CABIN RUINS" LOCATED ON A 1.56-ACRE PARCEL AT THE WESTERN TERMINUS OF SANTA ROSA DRIVE, (APN# 513-193-001), CASE HSPB #114. (KL). FROM: Department of Planning Services SUMMARY The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation ("PSPF") is seeking Class 1 historic resource designation for "The Avery Field Cabin Ruins". Avery Edwin Field (1883 - 1955) was a nationally known photographer based in Riverside, California. Around 1920 Field began construction on the small cabin that he apparently used as his residence and studio while visiting the Coachella Valley between 1920 and 1924. Field's cabin was part of an informal enclave of cabins built by a small group of like­ minded writers, photographer and artists who were inspired by the natural beauty of the Coachella Valley and who later became known as "The Creative Brotherhood". The Field Cabin ruins remain a surviving resource from this very early and unique period of Palm Springs history. If designated as a Class 1 resource, the property would be subject to the regulations outlined in Section 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code. In addition, as a Class 1 historic resource, the property owner may apply for a historic property preservation agreement, commonly referred to as a Mills Act Contract. The property owner is aware of the nomination but is not participating In its submission. RECOMMENDATION: Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report: April9, 2019 HSPB·114 Page 2 of 11 1. Open the public hearing and receive public testimony. 2. Close the public hearing and adopt Resolution HSPB #114, "A RESOLUTION OF THE HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DESIGNATE "THE AVERY FIELD CABIN RUINS" LOCATED AT THE WESTERN TERMINUS OF SANTA ROSA DRIVE AS A CLASS 1 HISTORIC RESOURCE, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS. (APN 513-193-001)" BACKGROUND AND SETIING: A historic resource report ("the report") prepared by Steven Vaught for the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, dated November 2018 is the basis of the analysis in this staff report. The Avery Field Cabin ruins are located on a rocky and steeply sloped portion of a 1.56- acre parcel at the western terminus of Santa Rosa Drive in the southern part of the Tennis Club neighborhood. The location of the cabin is denoted by the white star in the aerial photo below. The cabin ruins lie on the north side of the Baristo Wash which roughly bisects the parcel. A set of stone steps leads up from the wash to the east side of the cabin. Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report: April 9, 2019 HSPB-114 Page 3 of 11 2004 I Purchase by the current owners, Old Las Palmas Point, LLC. As seen on the tax map below, a portion of the Baristo wash flood channel bisects the parcel. (Again, the star denotes the approximate location of the Avery Field cabin ruins.) : 31.7; PM 80138 I I I PAR 1 ,~, I ~~·(1)1 ,''~' ; I 1.57 AC NT , ;_'>-~ , ' ~ ,'\1'l.'l- ,' -- -~.9--· -- ,',;_~~,. , ,v,, 31 .52 160 CJ) C") ~ 0 q q ~ ~ In ~ 10 ~ ~ PAR2 ~ 10... In 0 ... 0 "'" @ ~ @) - According to the report on page 13, at the time of the Field cabin construction, the portion of the Baristo Wash adjacent to the cabin was part of the Tahquitz Ditch, a man­ made irrigation channel originally constructed by members of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians as early as the 1830's to bring snowmelt water from Tahquitz Canyon down to the tribe's settlement on the valley floor. Currently no physical remains of the Tahquitz Ditch were observed on the site. The Avery Field cabin was one of several desert "shacks" constructed in the area around the 1900's to 1920's that were occupied by artists, writers, photographers and other creative individuals. The cabins and shacks were built along the foothills of the San Jacinto mountains, with much of the land belonging to Pearl McCallum McManus, who, rather than evict the interlopers, encouraged the nascent artist colony. The Field cabin however was apparently built as a more substantial structure with stacked field stone held together in board-formed concrete walls, a post-and-beam style wood frame structure with a unique low-pitched barrel roof. The roughly 18'-6" x 13'-6" structure had operable windows with screens, doors, a fireplace and a concrete floor. Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report: April 9, 2019 HSPB-114 Page 4 of 11 According to the report on page 15, despite its modest size, the cabin was apparently well thought out and organized both in practical layout as well as architectural detail. A small open porch at the entrance and a level area in the rear served multiple functions including use as a laundry, storage and work area. Clerestory windows at the top of the arched roof allowed natural ventilation to cool the cabin during warmer periods. (See photo below). ~,.._...-..........,...., ................... _o=--_-.......,..,.,...,~__,.. ........,_, Avery Field lived in the cabin along with his wife Charlotte who was a painter and their two sons Gaylor and Thyrsis. According to the report, the Fields only occupied the cabin for a few years, according to Sidney Edwin Field (Gaylor Field's son) " .. .the family had soured on their desert retreat after being robbed on two separate occasions by bandits near Cabazon." The Field Cabin is associated with a loosely knit group of artists, photographers and writers dubbed by historian Peter T. Wild as "The Creative Brotherhood". The report on page 18 explains the unique convergence of this group of creative individuals which included painter Carl Eytel, writer/explorer J. Smeaton Chase, George Wharton James, Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report: April 9, 2019 HSPB-114 Page 5 of 11 naturalist Edmund C. Jaeger, write Charles Francis Saunders, painter Jimmy Swinnerton, and photographers Stephen H Willard, Fred Payne Clatworthy and Avery Edwin Field. The significant body of creative work produced by members of The Creative Brotherhood was instrumental in bringing awareness to the rest of the world of what was then the largely unknown beauty and unique appeal of Palm Springs. It is said on page 19 of the report that " ... their work aided immeasurably in promoting the area's popularity." The Avery Field cabin is the last known, readily accessible link to this unique chapter in early Palm Springs history and development. Quoting Wild, the report notes, " ... What was unique, then, were not the cabins themselves but what the cabins helped the men to accomplish - the cabins as the means of enabling those with slim purses to live as they wished and pursue rich art." According to the report, Avery Edwin Field was a nationally known photographer based in Riverside, California. Field is best known today as having served as official photographer for the Mission Inn in Riverside for more than four decades capturing not only its impressive architecture, but its staff and guests alike. ANALYSIS: Historic Preservation activities in Palm Springs are regulated under Municipal Code Section 8.05 ("Historic Preservation"). The purpose of the Historic Preservation Ordinance is: " ... to stabilize and improve buildings, structures or areas which are considered to be of historical, architectural, archaeological or ecological value, to foster civic beauty, to strengthen the local economy and to promote the use of historic resources for the education and welfare of the citizens." Standard Conditions that applv to Class 1 Historic Sites or Resources The following shall apply to a Class 1 Historic Site or Resource: 1. It shall meet the definition of a Class 1 historic resource as outlined in Municipal Code Section 8.05.020 including the findings outlined in Section 8.05.070 (C). 2. An archival file shall be maintained on the property by the City. 3. It may be qualified as 'historic' at the federal, state, and/or county level. 4. A marker explaining the historic nature of the site may be installed at the site in a location viewable from the public way. 5. Compliance with all rules and regulations for Historic Resources and Historic Districts under Chapter 8.05 of the Municipal Code. Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report: April9, 2019 HSPB-114 Page6 of 11 6. If designated, the findings in support of designation shall be stated in a resolution of the City Council that shall be recorded with the County Recorders' office within 90 days of the effective date of the Council's resolution. Evaluation of the Application. Pursuant to Municipal Code Section 8.05.070 (C, 1 ,a), the HSPB shall evaluate the application and make findings in conformance with the following criteria: Criteria for the Designation of Class 1 Historic Resources. A site, structure, building or object may be designated as a Class 1 historic resource, provided both of the following findings ("a" and "b'J are met: a. The site, structure, building or object exhibits exceptional historic significance and meets one or more of the criteria listed below: The Avery Field cabin ruins exhibit exceptional historic significance as one of the last surviving physical remnants of an informal community of artists, writers and photographers whose combined artistic output helped bring awareness to the rest of the world of the beauty and unique qualities of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. (Criterion 1) The resource is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution to the nation, state or community; The report asserts the Avery Field cabin ruins are associated with "patterns of events" that have made a meaningful contribution to the nation, state or community, however the Palm Springs Municipal Code criteria does not distinguish "pattern of events", but rather simply "events".