Mare Island Cultural Landscape Report Final Marine Parade Ground March 2015 Submitted to Lennar Mare Island 690 Walnut Avenue Vallejo, CA 94592 Prepared by Denise Bradley, Cultural Landscapes 520 Frederick Street, No. 37 San Francisco, CA 94117 Cover Image. Hand tinted postcard view of Building M-37 and the Parade Ground, ca. 1918. (Source: NARA, MIHSF, Box M-27, Folder: Marines 1916-1939) Mare Island Cultural Landscape Report Section 8.0 PARADE GROUND TABLE OF CONTENTS 8 HISTORY.......................................................................................................................... 8-1 Research Information for the Marine Parade Ground ........................................... 8-1 Significance of the Parade Ground ....................................................................... 8-1 Evolution of the Parade Ground Cultural Landscape ............................................. 8-1 Location ................................................................................................... 8-1 Overview of the Development of the Marine Corps Reservation (1854-1916)....................................................................................... 8-2 Second Parade Ground ............................................................................ 8-4 During the Historic Period (1917 to 1945) ....................................... 8-4 After the Historic Period (1946 to the Present) ................................. 8-5 Historical Images .................................................................................................. 8-6 DESCRIPTION & ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 8-31 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 8-31 Key Terms .............................................................................................. 8-31 Organization of the Description & Analysis ............................................. 8-32 Spatial Organization .......................................................................................... 8-32 Topography ....................................................................................................... 8-33 Vegetation Features ........................................................................................... 8-33 Circulation Features ........................................................................................... 8-35 Objects .............................................................................................................. 8-36 Summary of the Description & Analysis .............................................................. 8-37 Existing Conditions Photos ................................................................................. 8-39 TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................ 8-49 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 8-49 Goal of the Treatment Recommendations .............................................. 8-49 Organization and Use of the Treatment Recommendations .................... 8-49 Treatment Recommendation I. General Guidance Documents ............................ 8-49 A. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines .................... 8-49 Treatment Recommendation II. General Treatment Guidelines ........................... 8-52 A. General Guidelines for Character-Defining Features ........................... 8-52 B. General Guidelines for Non-Historic Features or Uses ......................... 8-54 C. General Guidelines for New Materials, New Features, or New Uses .... 8-54 Treatment Recommendation III. Specific Recommendations for Landscape Features ....................................................................................................... 8-55 A. Spatial Organization .......................................................................... 8-56 B. Topography ....................................................................................... 8-56 C. Vegetation Features ........................................................................... 8-57 D. Circulation Features ........................................................................... 8-57 E. Objects .............................................................................................. 8-58 APPENDICES Parade Ground: Location of Key Cultural Landscape Features Parade Ground: Arborist Report (Baefsky & Associates 2014) March 2015 8-i Mare Island Cultural Landscape Report Section 8.1 PARADE GROUND: HISTORY HISTORY RESEARCH INFORMATION FOR THE MARINE PARADE GROUND Research for this Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) included a review of primary and secondary sources for information that would aid in documenting the history of the landscape development at the Marine Corps Parade Ground (Parade Ground) and that would provide information for the analysis of the existing conditions of the landscape features within this site. The Mare Island Historian’s Subject Files (MIHSF) at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Pacific Region in San Bruno and the collections of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum (VNHM), the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation (MIHPF) library, the University of California, Berkeley Earth Sciences Library (UCBESL) Map Room, and a number of online resources were reviewed. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Nomination Form (JRP 1996) provided a history of the development of the Marine Corps facilities on the island (JRP 1996 Section 8: 18-21); however the information on the Parade Ground in the nomination form consisted of a several sentences (JRP 1996 Section 7: 581). The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) written histories for Building M-37 (the Marine Barracks) and Building M-1 (the Marine Corps Commanding Officer’s residence) provided background information on the history of the island’s Marine Corps facilities but no specific information on the Parade Ground (see HABS No. CA-1543-CB and CC). No original plans for the Parade Ground landscape were located during the research for this CLR, and the primary source of information about its historic appearance was provided by historical photographs. Views of the Parade Ground, from the late 1910s through the closure of the shipyard in 1996, were found in the NARA, MIHPF, and HABS collections. Aerial views of the site in relationship to the island’s other Marine Corps facilities, from the 1920s through the present, were found in the NARA, UCBESL, Pacific Aerial Surveys (PAS), and Google Earth collections. Key historical images have been included at the end of the history in Section 8:1. A complete list of references used in preparing this report is provided in Section 0.4: Bibliography in the CLR Overview. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PARADE GROUND The Parade Ground cultural landscape is significant as a contributing resource to the Mare Island Historic District. EVOLUTION OF THE PARADE GROUND CULTURAL LANDSCAPE1 Location The Parade Ground is located on a 5.5-acre site to the west of the Marine Barracks (Building M-37). 2 The edges of the site are defined by the surrounding roads including the 1 Cultural landscapes are defined as geographic areas that have been shaped by human activity. They can result from a conscious design or plan, or they can evolve as a byproduct or result of people’s activities. They may be associated with a historic event, activity, or person or exhibit other cultural or aesthetic values (NPS 1996: 4). 2 The Parade Ground is actually located slightly southwest of Building M-37 (see the site plan in Section 8). However, for ease of reference, cardinal directions are used in describing the landscape in this CLR. North refers to the side of the Parade Ground next to Oklahoma Street, east refers to the end next to Building M-37, south is next Nereus Street, and west next to Chesty Puller Drive. March 2015 8-1 Mare Island Cultural Landscape Report Section 8.1 PARADE GROUND: HISTORY road that runs between the Parade Ground and Building M-37 on the east, Nereus Street on the south, Chesty Puller Drive on the west, and Oklahoma Street on the north. 3 Figure 8-1 below shows the general location of the Parade Ground on Mare Island. The site plan in the appendix (Section 8.4) provides a more detailed representation of the site, its features, and adjacent roads. Figure 8-1: Location of the Parade Ground Key to Figure 8-1: 1: Alden Park 5: Azuar Drive Streetscape 2: Farragut Plaza 6: M-1 Quarters 3: Officers' Row 7: Club Drive Park 4: Chapel Park 8: Marine Parade Ground Overview of the Development of the Marine Corps Reservation (1854-1916) The development of the Parade Ground occurred within the context of the development of the facilities for the island’s Marine Corps detachment. The 1854 Sanger Plan included a provision for a small Marine Corps force on the island. Marines often served as an internal police force at Navy Stations during the mid-nineteenth century (HABS No. CA-1543-CB: 2), and Commander David Farragut first requested a Marine Corps guard soon after the Navy 3 Nereus Street was previously known as Preston Street; Chesty Puller Drive is along a portion of the alignment of the road previously known as Mesa Road; and Oklahoma Street was previously known as 13th Street. March 2015 8-2 Mare Island Cultural Landscape Report Section 8.1 PARADE GROUND: HISTORY Yard was established in 1854. However,