''Al-- 60 3 (1€51&1 J l One log cabin looking for a home by Larry Scholink My thanks to Ken Hinshaw for sharing in the last issue of The Board and Batten the good news of my purchase of 505 Chestnut St. Even though I have been a resident of the Peninsula for more than 30 years, when I was five I lived on Chestnut Street in the beach town of Carlsbad. I remember many exciting trips zooming down Chestnut in my red wagon. I remember being thrilled and scared all mixed into one. Ever since, I guess I've just liked the street name Chestnut. As for our Pacific Grove Chestnut Street, it contains a log cabin, built sometime before May, 1905. (The cabin shows up on the Sanborn map drawn that year, described by a tiny "Log, 1st" notation on page 11.) When I first contacted the Society last year, I was very excited about the idea of renovating this cabin. I have a bit of experience in fixing up old houses. I spent two years renovating a sadly-ignored Craftsman-style house on 14th Street, and was so proud when Kent Seavey presented me with a Heritage Award at the Heritage Society's annual awards meeting last year, held at the Pacific Grove museum. That home, as noted in the last issue of The Board and Batten, was shown during last year's Victorian Home Tour. On the advice of Ken, Kent, and the folks at the Community Development Department, I contacted some local engineering and pest control experts - professionals who embrace the ideals of preserving historic structures. At the same time, their advice is tempered by their professional grounding in the reality o f saf ety codes, structural damage, electrical, plumbing and masonry problems. The result of these investigations has shown that the damage incurred from these past 90 years of poor maintenance, water intrusion, and unfettered termite infestation is staggering. I must say this cold splash of reality has really depressed me. I've learned that all of the exterior walls of the first floor of the cabin must either be removed and replaced or new walls built on the inside of the existing walls. In addition, virtually all of the logs would have to be removed and replaced with a veneer. All this would need to be accomplished while suspending the second floor, which is badly warped. This is not to mention a new foundation, wiring, plumbing, chimney, roof, fixtures and the list goes on and on. As a result of all of this, I am going to proceed with the paperwork for demolition. But I am not ready to give up yet! This is where you can help. I'm looking for volunteers from the Heritage Society and the community. Volunteers who would be willing to work on alternatives to save this old house. I would be willing to donate this log cabin to any non-prof it that would undertake the rebuilding of it, provided it would be accessible to the public. Maybe it could house a collection of historical books, old house plans and the three sets of antique Sanborn maps (1905, 1914, and 1926) for the public's education7 Maybe it could be transformed into a charming shop or caf6, where our whole community could enjoy it7 I welcome any ideas the members of the Hetitage Society may have. My phone is . *fl,litj f <(46 , OCR Text: ''Al-- 60 3 (1€51&1 J l One log cabin looking for a home by Larry Scholink My thanks to Ken Hinshaw for sharing in the last issue of The Board and Batten the good news of my purchase of 505 Chestnut St. Even though I have been a resident of the Peninsula for more than 30 years, when I was five I lived on Chestnut Street in the beach town of Carlsbad. I remember many exciting trips zooming down Chestnut in my red wagon. I remember being thrilled and scared all mixed into one. Ever since, I guess I've just liked the street name Chestnut. As for our Pacific Grove Chestnut Street, it contains a log cabin, built sometime before May, 1905. (The cabin shows up on the Sanborn map drawn that year, described by a tiny "Log, 1st" notation on page 11.) When I first contacted the Society last year, I was very excited about the idea of renovating this cabin. I have a bit of experience in fixing up old houses. I spent two years renovating a sadly-ignored Craftsman-style house on 14th Street, and was so proud when Kent Seavey presented me with a Heritage Award at the Heritage Society's annual awards meeting last year, held at the Pacific Grove museum. That home, as noted in the last issue of The Board and Batten, was shown during last year's Victorian Home Tour. On the advice of Ken, Kent, and the folks at the Community Development Department, I contacted some local engineering and pest control experts - professionals who embrace the ideals of preserving historic structures. At the same time, their advice is tempered by their professional grounding in the reality o f saf ety codes, structural damage, electrical, plumbing and masonry problems. The result of these investigations has shown that the damage incurred from these past 90 years of poor maintenance, water intrusion, and unfettered termite infestation is staggering. I must say this cold splash of reality has really depressed me. I've learned that all of the exterior walls of the first floor of the cabin must either be removed and replaced or new walls built on the inside of the existing walls. In addition, virtually all of the logs would have to be removed and replaced with a veneer. All this would need to be accomplished while suspending the second floor, which is badly warped. This is not to mention a new foundation, wiring, plumbing, chimney, roof, fixtures and the list goes on and on. As a result of all of this, I am going to proceed with the paperwork for demolition. But I am not ready to give up yet! This is where you can help. I'm looking for volunteers from the Heritage Society and the community. Volunteers who would be willing to work on alternatives to save this old house. I would be willing to donate this log cabin to any non-prof it that would undertake the rebuilding of it, provided it would be accessible to the public. Maybe it could house a collection of historical books, old house plans and the three sets of antique Sanborn maps (1905, 1914, and 1926) for the public's education7 Maybe it could be transformed into a charming shop or caf6, where our whole community could enjoy it7 I welcome any ideas the members of the Hetitage Society may have. My phone is . *fl,litj f <(46 , Heritage Society of Pacific Grove,Historical Collections,Historic Properties of Pacific Grove,Chestnut,505 Chestnut,505 CHESTNUT - LETTER REMOVE LOG HOUSE_004_redacted.pdf,505 CHESTNUT - LETTER REMOVE LOG HOUSE_004_redacted.pdf 1 Page 1, Tags: 505 CHESTNUT - LETTER REMOVE LOG HOUSE_004_REDACTED.PDF, 505 CHESTNUT - LETTER REMOVE LOG HOUSE_004_redacted.pdf 1 Page 1