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,'U5U':>L...I, ~vvv BY KEITH BAUTISTA Chamber Chairman of the Board In my other life (the one I try to make a living at) I am a Cali- fornia Registered Architect as well as a Registered Structural Engineer. Over the years I have enjoyed participating in creat- ing environments within which we work, play, learn and live. In our work one of the human senses that we try to enhance and touch is the visual esthetic feeling that is within all of us. In order to achieve a successful. human esthetic experience we must create a balance of forms, shape, color, image and character. History has shown us that few are successful in achieving the architectural balance I am speaking of. I believe that here in Redwood City we have a his- torical architectural feature that can provide for all of us a visual sense of pleasure if only we can get it back! In 1906 the famous San Andreas earthquake destroyed the just completed San Mateo County Courthouse. The gener- ation at the time did not let that major natural disaster deter them and they rebuilt the 190~ ,Courthouse: ,¡¡nd, qeated no,t .only, a courthouse'they:cre- ated an Architectural esthetic sense in the middle of Redwood City, they increased the balance of the building by the use of a landscaped plan that embraced the courthouse and gave it a sense of stature. Unfortunately. 30 years or so after the completion of the courthouse, a new generation used instead of a natural disas- ter, a major economical disas- ter to eventually destroy again. the quality of the courthouse. They destroyed the beautiful landscaped plaza surrounding the courthouse while they also destroyed the courthouse pTHr:lncp and imposinÇ! f:lcade Keith Bautista Chainnan of the Board future generation's ability to enjoy the original courthouse vista. Over the years I have enjoyed participating in creating environ- ments within which we work, play, learn and live. There is no doubt in my mind that if the original 1906 court- house was now standing on Broadw:ay. !you must see some o(the ayailable pictures) and a proposal came forth to build over the beautiful landscaped plaza, demolish the classical entrance façade, and sandwich the original courthouse between two neo classical white structures, thus creating a reverse "Oreo cookie;" many in this city would form a human chain around the 1906 courthouse and defy any bull- dozer to try and break through. We would not have allowed to happen the insensitive archi- tectural blunder we have lived with for many years. Now we have an opportunity to help recapture the grandeur that was intended for the -ß tunity to provide for future generations to come to the orig- inal splendor of the 1906 court- house. We have an opportunity to actually take advantage of the damage caused by the 1989 Lorna Prieta earthquake. The original courthouse actu- ally has had the damage from the Lorna Prieta earthquake repaired. The two enclosing white structures have not been repaired due to cost and remain unusable. The current County Board of Supervisors, Redwood City Council. and the Chamber endorse the concept of tearing down the white structures and bringing back the original courthouse fea- tures. A committee is being formed under the umbrella of the San Mateo County Historical Soci- ety to coordinate the restora- tion effort envisioned. It will take some doing however, with persistent dedication and com- munity support we will bring back to our downtown and our city the life of the original cour- thouse. This restored life will emphasize the fact that Red- wood City is the capital of San Mateo County, and within the restored courthouse capital building resid~s the historicaJ heritage ,of San Matéo County. This historical heritage will be on display both inside and out- side for many, many genera- tions to enjoy and appreciate. I am sure there are many in the Community who wish to aid in this restoration effort. There will be a lot of pride to spread around when we accom- plish our goals. So look for announcements on how you can help bring back the origi- nal well designed esthetic 1906 courthouse and landscaping that once graced our city for three decades. The visual impact on our downtown will be fantastic to behold! Keith Bautista T'" ~'1r