The Sedona Main
Street Program is proud to nominate the US Forest Service (USFS) Sedona
Ranger Station Historic Residence and Barn as the state’s Best Historic
Preservation Project.
The USFS Sedona
Ranger Station was used as its administrative site. They are building a
new state-of-the-art facility and visitor center at the entrance to
town. As part of their mandated public process for determining the
effects of the Sedona Ranger Station, the two historic buildings on the
site were determined to have lead-based paint, asbestos, rodent nests &
feces in the walls, and some deteriorated siding and wood windows.
The structures are
designated Sedona Historic Landmarks and have just been recommended by
the Arizona SHPO to the National Register of Historic Places. One
building was used as a residence and is the oldest surviving structure
within the City of Sedona, built in 1917, and per USFS research it
appears to be the last remaining example of this style of home built per
government-issued drawings. The second structure, the barn is one of
two surviving Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) structures built in the
1930s by the Sedona CCC Camp, also using government-issued drawings.
The USFS proceeded
with necessary steps to remove all hazardous materials and restore and
protect these wood structures. The District’s archeologist, Sharynn
Blood, and Project Manager, Doug Dank, worked to have rotten siding
replaced with custom milled wood. The siding was made by a local
millwork shop who had to create special ‘jigs’ to replicate the shape of
the original. Wood windows were repaired and re-glazed. An opening cut
into the side of the residence for a ‘window’ air-conditioner was also
repaired with replicated siding. Sharynn researched the layers of paint
removed from the building and determined the earliest paint colors. The
buildings were repainted using that original paint scheme. The original
light fixtures and fireplace in the living room of the house were
protected and the light fixtures were re-used.
The community
rallied to ensure protection of these important historic resources as
they pass into private hands. An ad hoc group, known as the “Heart of
Sedona”. The task force name came from the fact that the Ranger
Stations location was in the original ‘heart’ of Sedona’ commercial
district. Heart of Sedona has been holding public meetings and
monitoring the events surrounding the sale for almost two years. To
help educate residents about the importance of these buildings and to
create an opportunity for the community to ‘bond’ with the place and
its’ history, the task force volunteered to paint the Ranger Station
historic buildings. This community event was called “Paint Your Heart
Out”. October 2004, approximately 50 people turned out on a rainy and
cold day to paint. Volunteers spent three days prior to the event doing
preparation work and others worked on donations, publicity, and event
coordination. Volunteer painters were treated to live music, lunch,
homemade cookies and hot cider.
The USFS spent
approximately $90,000 on the hazardous materials remediation, and
another $35,000 on repairs, siding replication and painting of these two
historic structures. In addition, the ‘Sedona Women’ provided 400+
hours of volunteer time toward preparation, painting and the “Paint Your
Heart Out” event. Heart of Sedona and the Sedona Women group procured
donations of tools, food and services from several local businesses for
their event.
Post Note: As a
result of the “Heart of Sedona” task force’s work, the City of Sedona
initiated a long-range planning study of the ‘larger’ Heart of Sedona
area, planning concepts and ‘grand’ ideas for public and private
projects and re-development.
