Laserfiche WebLink
Executive Summa <br />In summer 2007, the Dublin City Council decided to explore the possible relocation of the Kolb House to Dublin <br />Historic Park. The house and its associated buildings, centered some I ,500 feet southwest of Dublin Historic Park <br />across Interstate 580, are the last remnant of the historic Kolb Ranch, a typical "home ranch" of rural Amador Valley. <br />The ranch was once contiguous with the Historic Park site and directly connected to old Dublin Village before the <br />freeway divided the area. Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey and Frederic Knapp Architect were engaged to study <br />the feasibility of moving one or more of the ranch structures and incorporating them into the 2006 Historic Park <br />Master Plan. <br />This study concludes that it is feasible to honor the program, goals and design of the 2006 Master Plan while <br />integrating as many of the ranch structures as necessary to recreate a historically acceptable core ranch layout. It <br />is fortunate that the relocation of ranch buildings dovetails neatly with many physical and programmatic aspects of <br />the Master Plan. Programs such as restrooms, multi-use classroom space, reception facilities, black box theater. <br />a cafe, and play features (all identified in the Master Plan as potential or included programs) can be housed using <br />refurbished or minimally-refurbished Kolb Ranch buildings, with modifications to the park landscaping but no <br />significant structural changes to the Master Plan diagram. <br />There is a significant interpretive beneft to relocating at least three of the Kolb Ranch structures because they will <br />create an "ensemble" that reproduces the historic relationships among buildings that characterized the home ranch <br />of rural California. The report cautions that relocating only the Kolb House can suggest an inappropriate historical <br />reading, since its design is similar to houses that also would have been seen "in town". If only the Kolb House and <br />no other buildings are relocated, it is particularly important to suggest the character of the ranch by using landscape <br />features to approximate the relationships of the historic ensemble. <br />Based on the understanding that the ensemble and arrangement of buildings at the Kolb Ranch are key to def Wing <br />its historic importance and communicating its story, this report recommends: <br />I . Moving at least three structures, the Main House, the Old House and the Sunday School Barn. Move <br />additional structures if feasible, as they contribute to the historic integrity of the ranch ensemble. <br />2. Using landscape features to recreate the physical relationships between the ranch structures. <br />3. Using a similar grid-like layout for relocated ranch buildings and Keeping the relative relationships of the <br />buildings intact. <br />4. Integrating smaller artifacts and farm yard implements into the design of the landscape around the relocated <br />buildings. <br />5. Utilizing historically appropriate plant materials, such as black locusts, walnuts, and orchard trees, and <br />groundplane materials such as granular surfacing and diagonally-laid brick. <br />6. Using structures from the Kolb Ranch to fulfill the programmatic needs (both met and unmet in the Master <br />Plan) that require buildings. Specifically, a refurbished Sunday School Barn (with black box theater and multi- <br />use classroom) and Old House (with restroom) could replace the new Pavilion structure in the Master <br />Plan. <br />7. Phasing building rehabilitations/remodels to coincide with available funding. <br />8. Considering city-wide program needs and costs when relocating ranch buildings. If a structure can contribute <br />to a program that might otherwise require new construction elsewhere in the city, perhaps there is a <br />RICW IA;A <br />