I remember seeing this building since I was a kid. It has always looked abandoned.
Posted on 04/15/2025 10:22:39 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The future of the historic Redman-Hirahara house in Watsonville is uncertain as officials debate whether to preserve or demolish the deteriorating building.
The Redman-Hirahara home, designed by architect William Weeks, was originally owned by the Redman family before being sold to the Hirahara family in the late 1930s.
The Hirahara family was moved away by the internment policies of World War II, but when they returned, they turned the house into a community center for returning residents of Japanese ancestry.
Barry Pearlman, a former chairman and now a member of the Historic Resources Commission, said, "In the meeting that followed in October of 2023, the inspection was delivered to us and it spoke of a very dilapidated building with all major parts of the interior construction having been removed."
The building has become a significant safety hazard and was deemed dangerous. The commission advised that supervisors should consider delisting the property, but another factor could determine the future of the historic home.
"The commission has worked really hard to preserve buildings," Pearlman said. "We have found that in the charter of the county, there are ordinances and we do have the Mills Act."
The Mills Act, a California law, allows taxes generated by landmark buildings to be used to preserve and restore buildings, and the owners can receive a direct tax credit.
"If the Mills Act were in place in Santa Cruz County twenty years ago, there would have been funds available to preserve the building," Pearlman said.
Watsonville community activist Ramon Gomez expressed his desire to see the building saved.
"I wish a private individual or a non-profit would come forward and try to save this building," Gomez said. "I think it's gotten to a point where I am not sure what's going to happen to the building. I wish it can be saved."
The decision on whether to delist the building is expected in June. If delisted, it will most likely be demolished.
I remember seeing this building since I was a kid. It has always looked abandoned.
demolish it, not worth rebuilding.
Might be too late for that one.
It is never too late. So many new homes look like Burger Kings. But does someone have a use?
Not sure they can save this one through.
There is a house near where we live that is still in good repair which has the misfortune to be in an area that at a freeway exit. In fact that house was probably the reason that freeway exit is where it is, which was built back in the 1920s.
Lovely old place and if I could I would buy it and save it but it is probably going to be torn down and a commercial business built there. The land is worth more then the house.
Would have been a cool old house to preserve, decades ago. Looks beyond sane salvage now, even if it was the childhood home of a president or something like that.
The time to care about such houses id BEFORE they are rotten and fallen in.
I think it’s been dilapidated as long as I can remember. The 80’s? Also, it’s right on the side of Highway 1, and it’s in the middle of a field. Everyone who drives by can see it.
| Issue | Description | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| High-Speed Rail Boondoggle | Costs soared from $33 billion to $128 billion+ for incomplete tracks, with delays and questionable contracts. | $128 billion (projected) |
| Newsom's Fire Prevention Misreporting | Overstated 1.7 million acres treated vs. 215,000 actual, wasting funds meant for fuel breaks, burns. | $2.7 billion (2021–2025) |
| Dam Demolition Waste | Klamath and San Clemente dams removed for ecology, criticized as wasteful amid water storage needs. | $600 million (2015–2024) |
| Medi-Cal for Undocumented Immigrants | $9.5 billion spent, $3 billion over budget; $52.7 million in improper federal claims. | $9.5 billion (2024–2025) |
| Panoche Water Theft | 130,000 acre-feet stolen from reservoir-fed canal, sold to farmers. | $25 million (1990s–2015) |
| Water Bond Reservoir Waste | $3 billion for reservoirs (e.g., Los Vaqueros) unspent; none built. | $3 billion (2014–2025) |
I dont want to see the State or an NGO do this, only to be turned into a museum that no one visits. Closing down again in a decade.
I went to Surrattsville High School in Maryland, named after Mary Surratt who ran the boarding house that the Lincoln assassins plotted in.
Near the school, where I used to wait for a bus, was the Surratt boarding house. It was a wreck, kids used to party in there light fires, etc. Amazed it didn’t burn to the ground.
They turned it into a national historic site and renovated it! Not sure if that was a worthy project.
I hated Surattsville though. They started bussing while I was there.
if it wasn’t a national historic building with all the rules, maybe someone would have bought it and restored.
as usual, I think govt caused the problem.
Concur, and know enough about construction to be dangerous. There is nothing worth saving there.
Looks like the only thing holding it up is termites holding hands...
It’s a shame, but it really does look past saving.
The Tinderbox Estate.
I have regular nightmares about owning a similar 2 story plus attic building like this, same vintage but less elaborate. The cost to restore would be millions, especially if all California laws were to be followed.
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