Nearly 200 years ago, Nipomo’s founder, Captain William Goodwin Dana, could stand in front of the family adobe and look for miles at the natural beauty of his surrounding property. Today, the home and part of the land serve as a historical site that is moving into the future by celebrating the past.
About 75 community members, civic leaders and Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos (DANA) volunteers recently attended groundbreaking ceremonies for the DANA Cultural Center/Nature Education Center.
“I love that I have the opportunity to serve in this way because we are building something that is so much more than any of [us] could do individually,” DANA board president Rudy Stowell told attendees. “It is an honor to be associated with this project even in a small way. It is important that we take some time and reflect and look at the good work that has been done out here. It is pretty amazing work. We are going to have a facility that is pretty much unrivaled in the state and one of the few in the country.”
The 130-acre park rests on a portion of the 37,888-acre rancho granted to Nipomo’s founder Captain William Goodwin Dana in 1837 by the Mexican government. He began building his main house on the hill in 1839 where it sits today. Remains of the original barn still remain on the property as does what may be one of the only restored tallow vat and rendering cauldrons dating back to the 1840s in the entire state.
“I grew up in Old Town Nipomo, and my awareness of Nipomo and this beautiful viewshed was so limited,” said Executive Director of DANA Marina Washburn. “You can be set back in time very easily here because there is so little development all around, almost in every direction. You can envision what this looked like back then, and it is amazing that it is still here to enjoy. This is not something that is easily gained at other historical sites; it’s not there, it has been encroached upon. That whole experience of coming to the adobe, you are seeing what they saw.”
Plans for the more than 4,000 square-foot cultural center include a museum as well as an outdoor classroom, trails, interpretive spaces, a barn, a teaching kitchen and picnic areas. In partnership with the California Conservation Corps, the SLO Land Conservancy and California Native Plant Society, land restoration as well as demonstration gardens will showcase drought tolerant landscapes.
The expanded infrastructure on the site will be dedicated to serving the needs of the central coast community, eco-tourism, heritage tourism, and the growing demand of elementary through postsecondary institutions for educational support programs and learn-by-doing opportunities.
About 100 acres of the space is owned by the county and is dedicated to viewshed preservation.
“We are supportive of the project,” said County Parks Senior Planner Shaun Cooper. “It is a great recreational and educational facility for the community. We are happy that this day has come. It has been a long road.”
The project is budgeted at close to $3 million and is funded through grants and community donations.
“There are only three of these projects funded throughout the state, and we are one of them,” said Washburn. “We are the only one in San Luis Obispo County. The combination of the historic site with the protected restored viewshed is very unique. Very few historic landmarks in the state have anything like that. In addition to now adding a nature component, it puts us in a whole different category. We will be one of the only ones in the state. It is pretty amazing to have it right here on the Central Coast in Nipomo.”
The majority of the project is expected to be completed in early 2017. For more information visit www.danaadobe.org or call the office at 929-5679.
Photos by Theresa-Marie Wilson
