Preserving the Olivas Adobe

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June 5, 2006

Save Our History Award Presented to Mudslingers In Washington D.C.

The Olivas Adobe Mudslingers project has been named, along with ten other entries, a finalist in the History Channel's Save Our History National Honors. In addition, Mudslingers has been named the recipient of the Save Our History Classroom Award and received this honor on June 5 from First Lady Laura Bush in a private ceremony at The White House.

Georgeanne Lees, from the City of Ventura Community Services Department, as well as a teacher and four students from Anacapa Middle School who participated in Mudslingers, attended the ceremony. (See more information regarding Mudslingers and Anacapa School's participation below.)

Only three organizations, along with the Save Our History Student and Teacher of the Year, were invited to this special event and private tour of The White House.

Immediately following this ceremony, the group was transferred to the Save Our History National Honors Luncheon where it joined the remaining finalists to present its work to leaders in preservation and education. Mudslingers presented pictures, written documentation and audio and video records of its project.

At the luncheon, the Mudslingers project received an additional $10,000 in recognition of the Save Our History Classroom Award. These funds, along with the $1,076,000 State of California matching grant, will be used to further restore the Olivas Adobe. (See more information regarding the CCHE matching grant below.).

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May 1, 2006

THE CITY WINS $1,076,000 FOR OLIVAS ADOBE PRESERVATION!

The City of Ventura has won a grant from the State of California Cultural and Heritage Endowment (CCHE) in the amount of $1,076,000. These funds will match the City's $1,076,000 from bond revenue set aside for recreational and park facilities. In all, there will be $2,152,000 available to restore and improve the Adobe. The funds will be used for:

•        seismic retrofitting of both the large and small Adobes

•        rehabilitation of the large Adobe

•        stabilization of the small Adobe

•        development of the small Adobe as an exhibit space

•        improvements to exterior lighting and electrical systems

•        building of a storage facility

•        improvement of exhibit building restrooms

•        signage and landscaping

  This would not have been possible without the hard work of the Facilities and Cultural Affairs divisions and the vigilant support of both the City Council and the Cultural Affairs Commission.
 
The project will be overseen by facilities and cultural affairs staff in the Public Works and Community Services departments. 
 

March 15, 16 and 17, 2006

Mudslingers Help Preserve the Olivas Adobe

The History Channel has awarded the City of Ventura Community Services Department a Save Our History grant to partner with the Anacapa Middle School for "Project Adobe Mud-Slingers" to preserve the perimeter walls of the Olivas Adobe.

During the Mudslingers project, 30 eighth grade students visited, learned about and helped preserve the walls of the Adobe, one of the few remaining Monterey Style adobes from the Gold Rush era. After a demonstration in adobe wall patching, students worked in small groups under the supervision of Gil Sanchez and Daryl Allen, architects and historic preservation specialists.

Teachers observe the proceedings	Mixing the ingredients
Tools of the trade	A little dab will do
Mud slingers in action	Washing up

The Olivas Adobe serves as a vehicle to teach a diverse student population about ranch life and the Californio families who settled in what is now California. The Adobe's courtyard wall, preserved by participating students, served as one permanent resource. Additionally, a student-focused manual of techniques was created and distributed to students and a video record of the project will become part of the permanent Adobe collection for use with future student interpretative tours.

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