January 31, 2023
PUBLIC NOTICE
Regarding the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Section 106 Review of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Art, Design & Architecture (AD&A) Museum, Museum Building Storage Devereux Building 7045, Santa Barbara County.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has offered the University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, CA, an Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant (CHA- 261870-20) for supporting the renovation of a new Collection Preservation and Study Center.
The AD&A Museum is proposing to renovate the interior of Building 7045 on the South Knoll of the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Devereux Campus to consolidate substandard storage space from several campus locations to one. The property is on a parcel once owned by the Devereux School Foundation and is currently occupied by structures constructed for residential and campus use.
The building is located at the GPS coordinates 34.40991049320551, - 119.87580556418587. Building 7045, historically known as the Devereux Gymnasium, was constructed in 1971 in the Mid-Century Modern style by architecture firm Wehmueller & Stephens. The renovated Building 7045 would include spaces for activities that support staff and researchers, and for the collection’s needs. Utilities and mechanical systems would be installed. Exterior renovations would include repair of the original facade elements and roof, window replacements, repairing a parking area, installing a sidewalk, and creating a slope facing away from the building to address a drainage issue. Adequate drainage away from the south side of the building at a 5% grade will result in a depth of disturbance between 1 to 2.5 feet over an approximate 3,250 sf area.
NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. This public notice is issued as part of NEH’s responsibilities under 36 C.F.R. Part 800, the regulations which implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, 54 U.S.C. 306108. NEH, a funding agency, is required by regulation to identify and assess the effects of any proposed actions on historic properties. If any proposed action will have an adverse effect on historic resources, NEH works with the appropriate parties to seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects. Additionally, the Section 106 regulations require NEH to consider the views of the public on preservation issues when making final decisions that affect historic properties.
University of California, Santa Barbara, on behalf of NEH, determined that the Area of Potential Effect (APE) was Building 7045, the Devereux Gymnasium footprint and the indirect APE included the Devereux School boundary as it existed in 1967 and as delineated on the APE map. The archeological APE included all areas where ground disturbances are proposed. This includes the area immediately southwest of Building 7045 within which grading for drainage improvement is proposed and the area immediately west of Building 7045 within which sidewalk
repair or potential replacement is proposed. Due to this finding, a Phase I and Extended Phase I Archaeological Resource Management Report was completed on behalf of the University of California, Santa Barbara, for the proposed project as part of this undertaking. Testing resulted in the recovery of a small and homogenous sample of three weathered marine shell fragments. The area tested appeared disturbed by previous construction and landscape activities.
The subject building was found to not meet the National Register of Historic Places criteria.
On May 18, 2022, the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) with the State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Historic Preservation, indicated in a letter that she does not object to the finding of the University of California, Santa Barbara that the undertaking would have no effect on historic properties.
The University of California, Santa Barbara will continue consultation with Tribes and the California SHPO as needed.
Subsequently, NEH has determined that the project will have no adverse effect.
As required by Section 106, NEH is providing the public with information about this project, as well as an opportunity to comment on any knowledge of, or concerns with, historic properties in the proposed project area, and issues relating to the project’s potential effects on historic properties. Comments may be submitted to the NEH by e-mail to FPO@neh.gov. The deadline for submitting comments is Monday, February 13, 2023.
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IbQOr6QPYNb8SiaamO4Ci6mne7uWnFu2/view
