Facing protests from local American Indian tribes and
various advocacy groups, university officials recently announced that they will
halt plans to demolish the historic University House.
“The university has decided to seek alternative options to
demolition,” Vice Chancellor of Resource Management and Planning Gary C.
Matthews said. “We will focus instead on a renovation, rehabilitation or
refurbishment of the existing house.”
Seismic, electrical and structural problems prompted a
dispute between university officials and local groups over what to do with the
Revival-style home and surrounding property. Traditionally the residence of the
UCSD chancellor, the house has since remained vacant. Chancellor Marye Anne Fox
currently lives in a rented residence off campus.
Although the university had planned to demolish and rebuild
University House, which sits atop an ancient Indian burial site dating back to
almost 10,000 B.C., local Indian tribes argued that there would be no way to
prevent damage to the remains buried beneath the residence. Historians and
other activists were also opposed to a plan that included demolition, arguing
that University House, which was put on the National Register of Historical
Places last November, holds historical and architectural importance to
Jolla
“We are currently looking at alternative solutions that will
enable this property to be used in a way that will be productive and acceptable
to all involved,” university spokeswoman Pat JaCoby said.
Although opponents to the demolition protested the lack of
open communication and said the university was unwilling to consider options
other than demolition earlier in the year, new university plans have taken
preservation of the house into consideration.
“We know this is a property that has great meaning to and is
valued by both the
UCSD communities, and we intend to continue to respect these interests,” JaCoby
said. “The challenges we have faced as we have worked to propose the most
optimal solution have helped us get where we are today: in closer relationships
with our Native American friends, and working in tandem with the Historical
Society to find an optimal solution.”
Matthews said that meetings between university and community
representatives, such as the La Jolla Historical Society and the Kumeyaay
Indian tribe, will begin and continue through the next several weeks.
“Our goal is to develop a plan that meets our program needs
and produces a high-quality project that will make us all proud of the house
for many years into the future,” Matthews said.
Costs for the renovation project have not yet been estimated
since the plan has not been fully developed, though JaCoby hopes that the
programming phase will be completed by the end of this coming summer.
“Both a new schedule and budget will be prepared following
completion of the revised and reduced project scope,” JaCoby said.
