COMPETITION

DOCUMENT A CALIFORNIA MISSION
FOR THE 2012 HALS CHALLENGE

Download a HALS short format history template with copyright release form, instructions, and example. The short format report for the Carmel Mission is another example (be patient, this takes a while to download). Note that some mission landscapes may not possess sufficient integrity for documentation. The California Mission Studies Association, California Missions Resource Center, and California Missions Foundation have some useful links for research, especially the CMSA Annotated Links page. The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2012.

Short-form submittals are the easiest and most basic HALS documentation, and we are counting on you to volunteer to prepare a short form for a mission church site. Sign up early to document your favorite site! Contact Founding Co-Chair Chris Pattillo at pattillo@PGAdesign.com or (510)550-8855. Download a flier for your office.

* Volunteers are needed to research and document the mission landscapes that start with an asterisk in the following list:

1.   Mission San Diego de Alcalá, San Diego, San Diego County (1769)
2.   Mission San Carlos Borremeo de Carmelo (Carmel Mission), Carmel, Monterey County (1770)
3. * Mission San Antonio de Padua, northwest of Jolon, Monterey County (1771)
4.   Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County (1771)
5. * Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County (1772)
6.   Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores), San Francisco, San Francisco County (1776)
7. * Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, Orange County (1776)
8.   Mission Santa Clara de Asís, Santa Clara, Santa Clara County (1777)
9. * Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura, Ventura County (1782)
10.   Mission Santa Bárbara Virgen y Mártir, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County (1786)
11.   Mission La Purísima Concepción de María Santísima, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County (1787)
12.   Mission Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County (1791)
13.   Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Soledad, Monterey County (1791)
14.   Mission San José de Guadalupe, Fremont, Alameda County (1797)
15.   Mission San Juan Bautista, San Juan Bautista, San Benito County (1797)
16.   Mission San Miguel Arcángel (Moye House), San Miguel, San Luis Obispo County (1797)
17.   Mission San Fernando Rey de España, San Fernando, Los Angeles County (1797)
18. * Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, Oceanside, San Diego County (1798)
19. * Mission Santa Inés, Solvang, Santa Barbara County (1804)
20.   Mission San Rafael Arcángel, San Rafael, Marin County (1817)
21.   Mission San Francisco de Solano (Sonoma Mission), Sonoma, Sonoma County (1823)

Caution concerning integrity

Regarding the question of integrity and all of the California missions; integrity can't be determined until someone does the research at each site. I expect that San Rafael would present problems, but I don't know about other sites. As far as I know, other sites are still in their original locations, and that could be enough to supply a certain level of integrity; otherwise almost none would qualify, they've been so altered, and not recording them seems inappropriate. San Rafael, however, was reconstructed in a different location in the 1940s. Perhaps one could make a case that this, in itself, is indicative of the importance the missions have in California... I am interested in proceeding, but would caution people that we do have this question about some sites...

From: Chris Stevens
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011

I discussed integrity of the mission landscapes with Paul, and he did not feel that it would be a stumbling block for HALS documentation. With the passing of 200 years, their landscapes have certainly changed. Perhaps many of these Mission landscapes have other layers of significance for which they retain integrity, like being designed by a prominent landscape architect or civic group or being a good example of a local colonial revival period design or serving as a public park for many decades... Documenting the existing conditions of these landscapes is valuable for HALS and by doing so, any historic features that do remain can be called out. In some cases, historic landscape characteristics and/or features that remain may be discovered during the process of HALS documentation. And as you stated, most still retain at least integrity of site. Also HABS has documented many buildings that have been relocated. Like with the age issue (the "50-year" rule), HABS/HAER/HALS is more tolerant and accepting than other programs like the National Register...