Thursday, October 2, 2014

This place matters! Join the crowdfunding campaign to Save Historic Wintersburg!

   It began with a little curiosity: what exactly were "those old buildings" at the corner of Warner Avenue and Nichols Lane in Huntington Beach, California?

   What came afterwards prompted local residents to come forward in an effort to save a remarkable historic property that had been hiding in plain sight for decades.

   Now that Historic Wintersburg has been recognized as rare California history and designated as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, we issue this appeal to help with its preservation.

Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign
   
   Read our story at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-historic-wintersburg   Historic Wintersburg's Indiegogo page features two videos: the National Trust for Historic Preservation announcement of the America's 11 Most Endangered designation and the preview of the Our American Family public television series featuring the Furuta family of Historic Wintersburg.


   You'll also find a gallery (link at top of page) with photographs taken at the Historic Wintersburg property.  We'll be adding more to the gallery during the 60-day campaign; you'll want to keep checking back!

   Most importantly, the goals for this 60-day campaign are explained.


Preservation experts Peyton Hall, FAIA, principal, and Laura Janssen, senior architectural historian, both with Historic Resources Group in Pasadena, California, and David Cocke, S.E., with Structural Focus in Gardena, California, conducted a building inspection to assist with clean out and stabilization.  These respected experts donated their time to Historic Wintersburg. However, funding is needed to conduct the actual clean out and stabilization recommendations. (Photo, October 2, 2014)

Critical Path Funding Needed 
   The immediate, critical path need for the preservation of Historic Wintersburg is funding of a $35,000 Urban Land Institute (ULI) technical advisory and professional stabilization of the six buildings at Historic Wintersburg.

   All donors who help us meet the mid-point goal of $35,000 before October 31, 2014, will have their name in the final ULI technical study as an underwriter.  This report will be circulated nationally.

The Furuta family on the porch of their bungalow in Wintersburg Village, circa 1923. This 1912 California bungalow is one of the six National Register-eligible structures still standing at Historic Wintersburg, more than a century later. (Photo courtesy of the Furuta family). © All rights reserved.

Walk inside Wintersburg Village once again 
   If you have been reading the stories of Historic Wintersburg, chances are you'd like to see and touch the history.  The goal of preservation is not only to save this rare place in American history, but also to restore a historic site so it once again is an asset to the community.  How? Take a look at our Indiegogo page to find out how we can arrive at a vision that incorporates preservation with community needs.

   America, this is one of your 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.  Your help is needed.   Go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-historic-wintersburg#home

© All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.

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The Historic Wintersburg blog focuses on an overlooked history in Huntington Beach, Orange County, California, in the interest of saving a historic property from demolition. The author and publisher reserves the right not to publish comments. Please no promotional or political commentary. Zero tolerance for hate rhetoric. Comments with embedded commercial / advertising links or promoting other projects, books, or publications may not be published. If you have an interesting anecdote, question or comment about one of our features, it will be published.