In what may be the final push to preserve the historic Griffin House, architects presented several reuse designs at a Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees meeting last week.
The board has debated whether to tear down, move or restore the 1901 structure for nearly 50 years, since the district bought the property. The site on the Foothill College campus was once home to Del Monte Packing Company owner Willard Griffin.
But the future of the house remains uncertain as board members decide in the next month whether to follow the architects’ suggestions or execute their 2005 decision to tear down the structure.
“Our goal here is not to make a decision but to make sure no stones are left unturned,” said Hal Plotkin, Foothill-DeAnza Board president.
The Friends of Griffin House won a lawsuit last year that challenged the college district’s vote to demolish the house. While the court decision did not mandate the district that save the building, it required the district to participate in a charrette to consider other options. A charrette is an intensive session intended to brainstorm alternative architectural designs and solutions.
The firm hired by the district to lead the charrette, Cody Anderson Wasney Architects, presented several design options and the charrette results at last week’s meeting.
The architects concluded that an add-on to the Griffin House would be the best solution for the district and would allow the house to be used for additional student and office space.
Amid concerns that an add-on to the entire back of the house would overwhelm the home’s historical presence, Christopher Wasney, principal architect, said, “It’s kind of like the monster that ate the Griffin House.”
The architects displayed a revised version of the proposed design that featured a slim and less imposing connector area to attach the new building to the rear of the house. The new building would add 18,000 square feet.
The district wants any construction project to fulfill three goals: renovate the existing district office, reuse the Griffin house and construct a new building to accommodate educational needs.
The passage of last year’s Measure C allowed for $17 million in funding for the construction, said Charles Allen, executive director of Facilities and Operations for the district.
“The big challenge is cost. We have to provide enough information so the district can keep the cost as affordable as possible,” Wasney said.
After Cody Anderson Wasney present the renovation expense at the end of August, the board must decide if it will keep the Griffin House in its project plans.
“Getting rid of the Griffin House is always an option,” Allen said. “It’s not a desirable option.”
