HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL EVALUATION PG&E MATERIALS STORAGE

HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL EVALUATION PG&E MATERIALS STORAGE BUILDING,

WATSONVILLE SERVICE CENTER WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA

Prepared for:

PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY San Francisco, California

Prepared by:

ENTRIX, INC. Seattle, Washington

January 2008

Historical and Architectual Evaluation January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL EVALUATION PG&E MATERIALS STORAGE BUILDING,

WATSONVILLE SERVICE CENTER WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA

Prepared for:

PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY 2435 Mission Street

San Francisco, California

Prepared by:

David Harvey ENTRIX, INC.

1835 Terminal Drive, Suite 130-B Richland, Washington

Senior Reviewer:

Kimberly Demuth ENTRIX, INC.

2701 First Avenue, Suite 500 Seattle, Washington

January 2008

Historical and Architectual Evaluation i January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

List of Figures .................................................................................................................... iii

List of Photographs ............................................................................................................ iv

1.0 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1-1

1.1 Project Purpose ........................................................................................ 1-1

1.2 Description of Property............................................................................ 1-1

1.3 Qualifications of Consultants................................................................... 1-1

1.4 Methods.................................................................................................... 1-1

1.5 Summary of Evaluation ........................................................................... 1-2

2.0 Historical Background ......................................................................................... 2-1

2.1 Historical Context .................................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Property History....................................................................................... 2-2

3.0 Description of Features ........................................................................................ 3-1

3.1 Building and Grounds .............................................................................. 3-1

3.2 Setting ...................................................................................................... 3-1

3.3 West Elevation ......................................................................................... 3-1

3.4 South Elevation........................................................................................ 3-1

3.5 East Elevation .......................................................................................... 3-1

3.6 North Elevation........................................................................................ 3-2

3.7 Interior...................................................................................................... 3-2

4.0 Evaluation ............................................................................................................ 4-1

4.1 National Register of Historic Places ........................................................ 4-1

4.1.1 Measures of Integrity ................................................................... 4-1

Historical and Architectual Evaluation ii January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

4.2 California Register of Historical Resources ............................................ 4-2

4.3 Evaluation ................................................................................................ 4-3

5.0 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 5-1

6.0 Photographs.......................................................................................................... 6-1

7.0 Literature Cited .................................................................................................... 7-1

Appendix A. DPR Historic Property Recordation Forms

Historical and Architectual Evaluation iii January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1. Building Location Map..................................................................................... 1-3

Historical and Architectual Evaluation iv January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS

Page

Photo 1 ............................................................................................................................ 6-1

Photo 2 ............................................................................................................................ 6-2

Photo 3 ............................................................................................................................ 6-2

Photo 4 ............................................................................................................................ 6-3

Photo 5 ............................................................................................................................ 6-3

Historical and Architectual Evaluation 1-1 January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of the historical and architectural evaluation of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Materials Storage Building at the Watsonville Service Center is in response to the proposed site remediation project at the facility. PG&E is planning to excavate and dispose of soil contamination located below and adjacent to the Materials Service Building (Terra Pacific Group 2007). All projects undertaken by public agencies such as PG&E are subject to the cultural resources compliance stipulations under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Under CEQA, PG&E is required to determine if the Materials Service Building at the Watsonville Service Center is listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). If found to be eligible, then PG&E would be required to determine if the proposed project would have an adverse effect on the historical integrity of the subject property.

1.2 DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY

The property is located at 11 Walker Street in Watsonville, California, in the southern part of the City near the Pajaro River on the corner of Walker and Front Streets. The PG&E Watsonville Service Center is used for storing and distributing materials and equipment for gas and electric operations work crews and as an electrical substation. The facility occupies a 3.6 acre site consisting of the substation, the Materials Storage Building, main office building, warehouse, and ancillary features such as a tool room and aboveground storage tanks containing diesel and gasoline. The Materials Storage Building is used for the storage of drums of motor oil, hydraulic oil and other miscellaneous industrial and shop materials. Attached to the southeast corner of the building is a shed roof storage structure where oil-filled equipment is temporarily stored. The east (rear) and north sides of the Materials Storage Building are bounded by fencing while the front (west) and south sides face within the Service Center yard, which is paved with asphalt concrete. The entire site is enclosed by a chain link fence (Figure 1).

1.3 QUALIFICATIONS OF CONSULTANTS

This report has been prepared by David Harvey (ENTRIX), Architectural Historian and reviewed by Kimberly Demuth, Senior Architectural Historian meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s qualifications to perform identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment activities in compliance with state and federal cultural resource laws.

1.4 METHODS

Background Research


This document is presented in a report format consistent with the California Office of Historic Preservation guidelines and includes prepared State of California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Primary Record and Building, Structure, and Object Record forms and property photographs.

Prior to the initiation of field assessment ENTRIX conducted a records and information search from the California Historic Resources Information Center. The search consisted of a review of previous cultural resources investigations in the vicinity of the subject property. Literature review including the Historical and Architectural Evaluation of the PG&E Building, 618 Main Street, Watsonville, California (August 2004) and the Preliminary Assessment of the Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site in the City of Watsonville (December 1986). These reports provided physical and historical data background of the subject property. Additional research was completed of administrative files and historical data at PG&E offices in Watsonville Service Center, San Francisco and company archives in Brisbane, California. ENTRIX also conducted research at local repositories that included the City of Watsonville public library, City of Watsonville Department of Community Development, Watsonville Historical Society, and McHenry Library at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Field Assessment

ENTRIX recorded and evaluated the setting, physical condition and architectural significance and integrity of the Materials Storage Building and surrounding property in October 2007. Photographs were taken of the interior and exterior of the building and in its industrial context. The PG&E Service Center manager provided information on the history and use of the building and access to Service Center administrative and historical data files. All notes, photographs, and observations were combined to create this report on the current status of the building.

1.5 SUMMARY OF EVALUATION

ENTRIX recommends that the PG&E Materials Storage Building in the Watsonville Service Center at 11 Walker Street in Watsonville, California is not eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR. While the site was the location of early electric energy production in the Pajaro River valley, the building lacks historical significance under criterion A of the NRHP. It played a minor role in the history of energy production in the City of Watsonville when compared to the manufacturing of gas energy that occurred in the City of Watsonville during the years from 1871 to 1931. The property is not eligible under criterion B as it is not associated with a person or persons significant in the history of energy production in Watsonville. The building also lacks distinctive architectural features and is not representative of a significant architectural style or method of construction under criterion C. Further research into the history of the property is unlikely to yield additional information important to our understanding the history of energy production in the City of Watsonville under criterion D. The building also lost integrity due to the removal of the oil-fueled boilers and the electric generator and demolition of the rear section of the building.


11 Walker St

Figure 1. Building Location Map

N


2.0 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The following several paragraphs are an excerpt from the Historical and Architectural Evaluation of the PG&E Building, 618 Main Street, Watsonville, California (ENTRIX 2004).

The City of Watsonville, originally dubbed Pajaro after the Spanish “bird” was first recognized in 1769 by Spanish explorers at the mouth of the Rio Del Pajaro River. The following century saw an influx of merchants, pioneers, and miners. By 1847, large ranchlands dotted the surrounding countryside. The California gold rush of 1848 brought more settlers to the region, attracted by the low-cost of land and abundant resources.

Watsonville was incorporated in 1868 and received a city charter in 1903. Watsonville was named after Judge John Watson, an early resident of the valley from 1851 to his death in 1882. By 1871, the year the Southern Pacific Railroad linked the area to the Santa Clara Valley, the population of Watsonville had grown to over 2,000 residents.

Today, Watsonville remains a rich agricultural community and is the second largest city in Santa Cruz County. The city has retained its rural character while remaining a critical agricultural center for harvesting, canning, and freezing agricultural products in one of California’s most fertile valleys.

Early Watsonville was a typical western ranching town, with a small but growing commercial district along Main Street. By 1870 most of the cattle ranching on the large land grants had been replaced by grains and potatoes, followed by fruit trees and produce cultivation (Circa 2007). The arrival of the railroad in 1871 transformed the city from a small, agricultural center to the second largest city in Santa Cruz County (Circa 2007). Even though the railroad did not go through the center of Watsonville, its proximity to downtown spurred the development of a new industrial area near the railroad station along the Pajaro River.

Main Street and other downtown commercial districts continued to expand with the growing population and the City’s increased importance as a center of agricultural trade and business in the Pajaro Valley. Commercial development was fueled by the ever-increasing harvests from the surrounding fields and farms (Circa 2007).

Changes in technology and agriculture shaped the early years of the 20th century. Fruit trees had largely replaced the earlier grain crops. Various new mechanized means for preparing food for shipments to the East Coast and Europe increased the agricultural importance of farm areas in California like Watsonville.


The City’s increasing prosperity became evident with the construction of scores of new commercial and residential buildings. A good number of these historic buildings still characterize the downtown commercial core, civic plaza and early residential areas.

During this period of economic growth, Watsonville experienced significant municipal growth. The City installed electric and telephone systems, improved water, sewers and manufactured gas services, and constructed a city hall, library, hospital and new schools.

It is during this period that Watsonville transitioned from a small farm town to the second largest city in the county (Circa 2007). Even the earthquake of 1906 and repeated flooding could not slow down the economic and municipal growth of Watsonville during the first few decades of the 20th century. The Depression during the 1930s, however, hit the area hard. Economic upheavals further strained tensions between local whites towards recent arrivals, especially Japanese American farmers and Dust Bowl immigrants from the southern plains.

Farm incomes and economic conditions improved dramatically during and after World War II. During the postwar era Watsonville experienced a large influx of new families as well as the ever-increasing immigrant labor force. The rate of suburbanization and annexation accelerated, pushing the city boundaries further and further into the countryside. Farmland continued to be consolidated by large corporations while private farm owners sold their lands to developers. The trend continues today as Watsonville tries to balance its dependence on agriculture and related businesses, with the increased demands for more residential subdivisions and the evolution from a food production center into a more diversified economy (Circa 2007).

2.2 PROPERTY HISTORY

The former PG&E property at Fifth and Main Streets played an important role in the history of gas manufacturing in the City of Watsonville. The site was home to the first manufactured gas plant in Watsonville, built in 1871 and operated by the Watsonville Maxim Gas Company (ENTRIX 2004). The gas was manufactured from oil and coal for heating, lighting and cooking purposes (PG&E 1986).

In 1902, the Watsonville Gas Company took over the Maxim Gas Company. The new company immediately replaced the old oil-gas plant with a new one at the same Main Street location (ENTRIX 2004).

In 1905, the Watsonville Light and Power Company acquired the Watsonville Gas Company. Soon thereafter the owners of the new company shut down the Main Street plant, the Watsonville-1 Manufactured Gas Plant (WAT-1) and built a new gas works in south Watsonville in the industrial area near the Pajaro River (ENTRIX 2004). The new oil-gas plant, the Watsonville-2 Manufactured Gas Plant (WAT-2) was constructed at 8 Walker Street on the northwest corner of Walker and Front Streets. The site is currently PG&E’s General Construction Yard. The current Watsonville Service Center and the Materials Storage Building were constructed at approximately the same time opposite WAT-2 on the south side of Walker Street. The storage building was converted to an


electric steam plant as early as 1908 and operated by the Big Creek Power Company (Terra Pacific Group 2006; Sanborn 1908). The steam plant housed three oil-fueled boilers and an 11,000 volt generator. The west end (front) of the building housed the electric generator while the east end (rear) of the building housed the oil-fueled boilers. Related site features located between the steam plant and the Pajaro River consisted of an elevated water tower, a cistern and an underground concrete oil tank. All have since been removed (Terra Pacific Group 2006).

In 1906 corporate ownership of the WAT-2 transferred to Coast Counties Light and Power Company. In 1912, Coast County Light and Power merged into the Coast Counties Gas and Electric Company (CCG&E). In 1929, CCG&E was in turn acquired by Standard Oil Company of California. During this period the WAT-2 expanded production through the 1920s but was shut down in 1931 with the introduction of natural gas in Watsonville (PG&E 1986; Watsonville City Directory 1929-1932).

According to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps (1920, 1931, 1940), CCG&E owned the electric steam plant at the same time they operated WAT-2. The company retained control of both facilities until PG&E’s acquisition of the holdings in 1954. It is undetermined, however, how long the Materials Storage Building was used as an electric steam plant/garage. The rear section of the steam plant building that housed the oil fueled boilers/engines was demolished at an unknown date. When PG&E acquired the property in 1954 it was converted to the Watsonville Service Center as a base for service personnel and the operation of an electric substation (Terra Pacific Group 2006; PG&E 1986). At that time the former electric steam plant/garage became PG&E’s Materials Storage Building (Terra Pacific Group 2006).

The Materials Storage Building is constructed of corrugated metal. Since its invention in 1829 and proliferation as a building material from the 1840s until the present corrugated metal/iron has been at the forefront of innovations in prefabricated building construction (Mornement and Holloway 2007). Corrugated metal has been used in a variety of industrial, agricultural, military, residential and emergency disaster relief settings throughout the world. During the first half of the 20th century corrugated metal/iron was extensively used in the construction of industrial buildings because of its durability, reliability, and inexpensive and ease to construct.


3.0 DESCRIPTION OF FEATURES

3.1 BUILDING AND GROUNDS

The Materials Storage Building is a one story, wood framed, rectangular (90 feet x 60 feet) shaped structure constructed of corrugated metal with a medium pitched gable roof and a poured concrete floor. The building is over 100 years old and is in fair condition, except for deteriorated wooden gable ends, cracking, peeling paint, and siding that is bulging in numerous places. A corrugated metal, shed roof addition is attached to the southeast corner of the building where oil-filled equipment is temporarily stored. The east (rear) and north sides of the Materials Storage Building are bounded by fencing while the front (west) and south sides face within the Service Center yard, which is paved with asphalt concrete (Photographs 1, 2 and 3).

3.2 SETTING

The site is situated in a primarily industrial district of the city on the west bank of the Pajaro River bounded by a flood control levee. The facility occupies a 3.6 acre site consisting of an electrical substation, several buildings, and ancillary features such as aboveground storage tanks for containing diesel and gasoline. The majority of the site is paved with asphalt, with the exception of the substation which is covered with gravel. The entire site is enclosed by a chain link fence which has a front gate for controlling access. The property sits at the southwest corner of Walker and Front Streets.

3.3 WEST ELEVATION

The west elevation is constructed of corrugated metal and faces the Service Center yard and is the primary façade. The façade is dominated by a sliding, garage-style door constructed of vertical wooden planks. The door serves as the main vehicle entry to the interior of the building. The rest of the façade is constructed of corrugated metal with a louvered vent on the gable end. A deteriorated, double-hung, wood frame window is situated to the left of the sliding wooden door.

3.4 SOUTH ELEVATION

The south elevation is constructed of corrugated metal with four original, wood frame 2-over-2 double-hung windows and a wood frame, pedestrian door that has been replaced/ modified numerous times. A rectangular (30 feet x 20 feet) corrugated metal, shed roof lean-to is attached to the southeast corner of the facade.

3.5 EAST ELEVATION

The east elevation is the rear façade constructed of corrugated metal with a sliding wooden garage-style door constructed of vertical wooden planks that serves as the secondary entry for industrial vehicles. A square (9 feet x 9 feet) shed roof structure was


added onto the rear of the larger shed roof structure on the southeast corner of the building. The small shed has corrugated metal siding over wood planking. A section of the rear end of the building was removed at an unknown date, so the current façade is relatively “new” compared to the other elevations.

3.6 NORTH ELEVATION

The north elevation is constructed of corrugated metal and the two original wood frame double-hung windows that have been boarded over. The elevation faces Walker Street across from the PG&E General Construction Yard.

3.7 INTERIOR

The interior is currently used for the storage of drums of motor oil, hydraulic oil and other miscellaneous industrial and shop materials. The corrugated metal walls and ceiling are supported by vertical and horizontal wooden planks and rafters/purlins. The open ceiling is supported by a common or “W” truss. The original ceiling lights have been replaced by contemporary industrial lights. The whole building sits on an approximately 1 foot high concrete curb and a poured concrete floor. The front façade vehicle entry slopes down to the interior floor. Miscellaneous industrial materials are stored on metal shelves. Two wood frame, flat roof structures are situated in the northwest corner of the room. They are used as an office, exercise room and rest room (Photographs 4 and 5).


4.0 EVALUATION

4.1 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

For a property to qualify for the NRHP, it must be over 50 years old, be associated with an important historic context, and have enough integrity or authenticity to convey its significance evaluated against any of the four NRHP criteria (National Park Service 1991).

Properties listed in the NRHP or determined eligible for listing in the NRHP must be managed in accordance with 36 CFR 800, implementing regulations for Section 106 of the NHPA applicable to any federal undertaking.

Section 101 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to “expand and maintain a national register of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture. . .” Part 60.4 of Chapter 1 of Title 36 of the CFR (herein, 36 CFR 60.4) outlines the criteria for evaluation of properties for nomination to the NRHP:

The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects of state and local importance that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association, and

(a) that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or

(b) that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or

(c) that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that possess high artistic value, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or

(d) that have yielded, or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history.

4.1.1. Measures of Integrity

In addition to meeting one or more of the four specific criteria in 36 CFR 60.4, an archaeological site or historic resource must possess “integrity” to qualify for listing in the NRHP.


Integrity refers to both the authenticity of a property's historic identity, as shown by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during its historic period, and its ability to convey its significance. There are seven aspects of integrity:

1. Location

2. Design

3. Setting

4. Materials

5. Workmanship

6. Feeling

7. Association

A lack of one of these aspects—loss of integrity of design, or the incorporation of substantial amounts of new materials, or a severely altered setting—would make the building ineligible for the NRHP (National Park Service 1991).

4.2 CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES

The CRHR consists of resources automatically listed if formally determined eligible for listing in the NRHP, and others which may be listed by application and acceptance by the California Historical Resources Commission. The significance criteria are similar to those used by the NRHP, but oriented to document the unique history of California. In order for a property to be eligible for the California Register, a building, site, structure, object, or historic district must meet these standards of review:

The evaluation of significance is based on the following criteria as set forth by CEQA § 15064.5:

1. The building is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history, or the cultural heritage of California or the United States.

2. The building is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history.

3. The building embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic value.

4. The building has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nation.


In addition, the resource must be at least 50 years old, must retain enough of its historic character or appearance to be recognizable as a historic property, and convey the reason for its significance.

4.3 EVALUATION RESULTS

ENTRIX evaluated the PG&E Materials Storage Building at 11 Walker Street, Watsonville for NRHP and CRHR eligibility based on age, historical association and significance, architectural value, physical integrity and as a contributing property to a proposed historic district.

ENTRIX recommends that the Materials Storage Building is not eligible for listing in the NRHP under criterion A, B, C, or D, or for eligibility for listing in the CRHR. The property is also recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP as a contributing property to a proposed historic district. (In 1999, a DPR Primary Record form was prepared for the “Town of Watsonville” historic district. While the Office of Historic Preservation and the City of Watsonville has no record of a designated or determined eligible local, CRHP, or NRHP Watsonville Historic District, Caltrans proposed a Watsonville Historic District in 2003 (Leach-Palm and Mikesell 1999).)

Criterion A

While the site was the location of early electric energy production in the Pajaro River valley, the building lacks historical significance as it essentially played a minor role in the history of energy production in the City of Watsonville. The manufacturing of gas from coal and oil played a larger, more significant role in energy production in the City of Watsonville, as the WAT-1 and the WAT-2 plants were the setting for significant manufacturing of gas from 1871 to 1931.

Criterion B

The property is not eligible under criterion B as it is not associated with a person or persons significant in the history of energy production in Watsonville. Research for this study did not reveal any significant person or persons associated with the historic use of the facility as an electric steam plant and/or other forms of energy production in the City of Watsonville during the first half of the 20th century.

Criterion C

The building also lacks distinctive architectural features and is not representative of a significant architectural style or method of construction. The building’s simple gable front, rectangular plan and corrugated metal/iron construction are commonly found in agricultural, military and industrial complexes throughout the country.

Criterion D

Further research into the history of the property is unlikely to yield additional information important to our understanding the history of energy production in the City of


Watsonville under criterion D. While it is not known how many years the Materials Storage Building operated as an electric steam plant/garage and housed the oil-fueled boilers and the electric generator, the knowledge of such information would not likely increase our understanding of the history and use of the building and add to the historic significance of the property.

Historic District

The Materials Storage Building is recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under any of the above criteria as a contributing property to a proposed historic district for the City of Watsonville. The Materials Storage Building lacks historical and architectural significance and physical integrity as noted in the above discussion. The proposed Watsonville Historic District recorded in the DPR Primary Record P-44-000395 does not provide enough additional information or historic context to recommend the Materials Storage Building as a contributing property to a historic district.

Measures of Integrity

The building has not retained the integrity of those physical features necessary to convey significance. There has been a loss of historic feeling, association, materials and setting with the removal of the oil-fueled boilers and electric generator and demolition of the rear section of the building. The rear section of the building housed the oil-fueled boilers/engines.


5.0 CONCLUSION

Built in 1905-06, the Materials Storage Building is used for the storage of drums of motor oil, hydraulic oil and other miscellaneous industrial and shop materials. Historically the storage building was converted to an electric steam plant as early as 1908 and operated by the Big Creek Power Company (Terra Pacific Group 2006; Sanborn 1908). The steam plant housed three oil-fueled boilers and an 11,000 volt generator. It is undetermined, however, how long the Materials Storage Building was used as an electric steam plant/garage. The rear section of the steam plant building that housed the oil fueled boilers/engines was demolished at an unknown date. When PG&E acquired the property in 1954 it was converted to the Watsonville Service Center as a base for service personnel and the operation of an electric substation (Terra Pacific Group 2006; PG&E 1986). At that time the former electric steam plant/garage became PG&E’s Materials Storage Building (Terra Pacific Group 2006).

ENTRIX recommends that the PG&E Materials Storage Building in the Watsonville Service Center is not eligible for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR as the building lacks historical, engineering and architectural significance. While the site was the location of early electric energy production in the Pajaro River valley, the building played a minor role in the history of energy production in the City of Watsonville when compared to the manufacturing of gas energy that occurred in the City of Watsonville during the years from 1871 to 1931. There has also been a loss of physical integrity with the removal of the oil-fueled boilers and electric generator and demolition of the rear section of the building.


6.0 PHOTOGRAPHS

Photo 1. Materials Storage Building, PG&E Watsonville Service Center, South Elevation (looking northeast), ENTRIX, Inc., October 2007.


Photo 2. Materials Storage Building, PG&E Watsonville Service Center, West (front) Elevation (looking east), ENTRIX, Inc., October 2007.

Photo 3. Materials Storage Building, PG&E Watsonville Service Center, South and East (rear) elevations (looking north), ENTRIX, Inc., October 2007.


Photo 4. Materials Storage Building, PG&E Watsonville Service Center, Interior (rear section), ENTRIX, Inc., October 2007.

Photo 5. Materials Storage Building, PG&E Watsonville Service Center, Interior (front section), ENTRIX, Inc., October 2007.


7.0 LITERATURE CITED

Circa 2007 Historic Context Statement for the City of Watsonville, California - Final Report. One Sutter Street, Suite 910, San Francisco.

ENTRIX, Inc. 2004 Historical and Architectural Evaluation of the PG&E Building, 618 Main Street, Watsonville, California. Prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco, California, by ENTRIX, Inc., Walnut Creek, California. Leach-Palm, L. and S. Mikesell 1999 Town of Watsonville. State of California DPR Primary Record Form, P-44-

000395. On file, California Historical Resources Information System, Northwest Information Center, Sonoma state University, Rohnert Park, California.

Mornement, Adam and Simon Holloway. 2007 Corrugated Iron, Building on the Frontier. W. W. Norton & Company, New York, N.Y. Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) 1986 Preliminary Assessment of the Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site in the City of

Watsonville. On File, PG&E Archives, Brisbane, California. Sanborn Map Company 1908, 1920, 1931, 1940 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Watsonville. On file, Map

Library, University of California, Berkeley. Terra Pacific Group 2006 Draft Removal Action Work Plan - PG&E Watsonville-2 Service Center.

Prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Walnut Creek, California, by Terra Pacific Group, Irvine, California.

2007 Revised Removal Action Work Plan - PG&E Watsonville Service Center.

Prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Walnut Creek, California, by Terra Pacific Group, Irvine, California.

USDOI-National Park Service 1991 How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation: National Register

Bulletin 15. National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, Washington, D.C.

Watsonville City Directory 1929-1932 On File, McHenry Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Historical and Architectual Evaluation January 2008 PG&E Materials Storage Building

APPENDIX A

DPR HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORDATION FORMS

State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #

PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial NRHP Status Code Other Listings Review Code Reviewer Date Page 1 of 2 *Resource Name or #: Warehouse/Garage P1. Other Identifier:

*P2. Location: Not for Publication X Unrestricted *a. County: Santa Cruz and (P2b and P2c or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.)

*b. USGS 7.5' Quad: Watsonville West & East Date: 1954, 1955 T ; R ; ¼ of ¼ of Sec ; M.D. B.M. 33 Ft. c. Address: 11 Walker Street City: Watsonville Zip: d. UTM: Zone: 10 ; mE/ mN (G.P.S.) e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, etc., as appropriate) Elevation: Approximately 33 feet Corner of Walker and Front Streets; west bank of the Pajaro River in south Watsonville

*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries) The PG&E Watsonville Service Center occupies a 3.6 acre site used for storing and distributing materials and equipment for gas and electric operations work crews and as an electrical substation. The subject building is the former Watsonville Electric Steam Plant which housed three oil‐fueled boilers and an 11,000‐volt generator. Today it is used as the Materials Storage Building for the storage of drums of motor oil, hydraulic oil and other miscellaneous industrial and shop materials. Attached to the southeast corner of the building is a shed roof storage structure where oil‐filled equipment is temporarily stored. The rear section of the building was demolished at an unknown date; possibly when the building no longer served as an electric steam plant and the electric generator engine and oil‐fueled boilers were removed. Several of the original wood frame windows have been boarded over, and the main pedestrian door has been replaced/modified several times. The east (rear) and north sides of the Materials Storage Building are bounded by fencing while the front (west) and south sides face within the Service Center yard, which is paved with asphalt concrete. The entire site is enclosed by a chain link fence.

*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) HP 8 & 9 *P4. Resources Present: X Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.)

State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # __________________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # _____________________________________________________

PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial _________________________________________________ Page 2 of 2 Resource Name or #: (Assigned by recorder)_________________________________

DPR 523A-Test (8/94)

P5a. Photo or Drawing: (Photo required for buildings, structures, and objects.)

P5b. Description of Photo: West elevation (looking east) of Materials Storage Building, PG&E Watsonville Service Center

*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: X Historic

Prehistoric Both

*P7. Owner and Address: Pacific Gas and Electric Company 2435 Mission Street San Francisco, California

*P8. Recorded by: (Name, affiliation, and address) David Harvey, Senior Architectural Historian ENTRIX, Inc. 1835 Terminal Drive, Suite 130-B Richland, Washington 99354

*P9. Date Recorded: October 2007 *P10. Survey Type: (Describe) Historical and Cultural Evaluation Report: PG&E Watsonville Service Center (Determination of National Register of Historic Places/California Register of Historical Resources Eligibility)

*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter "none.") Historical and Architectural Evaluation PG&E Materials Storage Building, Watsonville Service Center, Watsonville, California

*Attachments: NONE Location Map Sketch Map Continuation Sheet X Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List):

DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information

DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information

State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 1 of 2 *NRHP Status Code 7 *Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Warehouse/Garage B1. Historic Name: Electric Steam Plant/Garage B2. Common Name: Electric Steam Plant/Garage B3. Original Use: Electric Steam Plant/Garage B4. Present Use: PG&E Materials Storage Building *B5. Architectural Style: Industrial Vernacular

*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations) The plant/garage was reportedly constructed in 1905-06. The rear section of the building was demolished at an unknown date; possibly when the building no longer served as an electric steam plant and the electric generator engine and oil-fueled boilers were removed. Several of the original wood frame windows have been boarded over, and the main pedestrian door has been replaced/modified several times. A shed roof, lean-to structure was added to the southeast corner of the building at an unknown date.

*B7. Moved? X No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location: *B8. Related Features:

The building is part of the surrounding PG&E Watsonville Service Center, consisting of several other structures. Historically the complex was occupied by the Big Creek Power Company and later the Coast Counties Gas & Electric Company (CCG&EC). Across the street was CCG&EC’s Watson-2 Manufacturing Gas Company, which has been removed. B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown

*B10. Significance: Theme: Industrial Utility Area: City of Watsonville Period of Significance: 1905-54 Property Type: Steam Plant/Garage Applicable Criteria: N/A (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity.)

ENTRIX Inc. recommends that the PG&E Materials Storage Building at 11 Walker Street in Watsonville, California is not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). While the site was the setting for early electric energy production in the Pajaro River valley, the building lacks historical significance under criterion A as it essentially played a minor role in the history of energy production in the City of Watsonville when compared to the manufacturing of gas energy that occurred in the City of Watsonville during the years from 1871 to 1931. The property is not eligible under criterion B as it is not associated with a person or persons significant in the history of energy production in Watsonville during the first half of the 20th century. The building also lacks distinctive architectural features and is not representative of a significant architectural style or method of construction under criterion C. The building’s simple gable front, rectangular plan and corrugated metal construction are commonly found in industrial complexes throughout the country. Further research into the history of the property is unlikely to yield additional information important to our understanding the history of energy production in the City of Watsonville under criterion D. The building also lost integrity due to the removal of the oil‐fueled boilers and the electric generator and demolition of the rear section of the building.

(This space reserved for official comments.)

State of California ⎯ The Resources Agency Primary # _________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# ______________________________________________

BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 2 Resource Name or #* (Assigned by recorder)_________________________

DPR 523B-Test (8/94)

B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)

*B12. References: Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) Preliminary Assessment of the Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site in the City of Watsonville. On File, PG&E Archives, Brisbane, California, 1986. Terra Pacific Group Draft Removal Action Work Plan ‐ ‐PG&E Watsonville‐2 Service Center. Prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric

Company, Walnut Creek, California. By Terra Pacific Group, Irvine, California, 2006. Revised Removal Action Work Plan ‐ PG&E Watsonville Service Center. Prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Walnut Creek, California. By Terra Pacific Group, Irvine, California, 2007. B13. Remarks:

*B14. Evaluator: David Harvey, Architectural Historian

*Date of Evaluation: October 2007

HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL EVALUATION PG&E MATERIALS STORAGE

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