Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

After suffering from years of neglect, = Preston=20 Castle is tentatively slated for major restoration, though = questions=20 remain about its possible uses once brought back to its former=20 glory.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson

Built in 1894, Preston Castle is today = considered=20 a landmark in both the history of architecture and social reform=20 movements.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
For four decades, Ione's castle = on the=20 hill stood abandoned - its roof shattered, its rooms exposed, its = hallways prey=20 to the long, ravaging march of time. Yet, scars and all, this = 120-year-old=20 building remains an architectural marvel and a towering presence in the=20 imaginations of all who cross it.

Last Wednesday, the Preston = Castle=20 Foundation met with business and community leaders in a final step to = ensure the=20 castle's long-term survival.

The "visionary workshop" had its = roots in a=20 grant the foundation received earlier this year from the National Trust = for=20 Historic Preservation. The $5,000 was earmarked for the PCF to obtain a = highly=20 specialized historical architect to develop an overarching strategy to = restore=20 the castle and make it economically sustainable again. Accordingly, the = PCF=20 brought Garavaglia Architecture, Inc. onto the project - a firm from San = Francisco with two decades of experience in rehabilitating national = historic=20 treasures.

In order to proceed with detailed plans, the firm = requested to=20 meet with as many "stakeholders" as possible, whom they defined as any = county=20 and city agencies, community groups or private individuals who felt they = had a=20 vested interest in the castle's future. Wednesday's meeting at the Ione=20 Cornerstone Church was designed to give the firm a better idea of what = possible=20 uses the location might have, once restored, in order to make it = economically=20 viable.

Among the 35 people present were county Supervisor = Richard=20 Forster, Maureen Funk of the Amador Council of Tourism , Debby Moffat, = the=20 business manager for Preston Youth Correctional Facility, as well as = several=20 members of the Amador County Historical Society. Garavaglia Inc.'s head=20 architect, Mike Garavaglia, started the meeting off by saying that, in = his=20 expert opinion, there was good reason to be optimistic: "The Preston = Castle=20 Foundation has done a great job moving forward both with the community, = and=20 economically," Garavaglia explained. "A project like this is going to = take a lot=20 of funds, but the foundation is really starting to get some=20 momentum."

The momentum Garavaglia referred to was the stellar = increasing=20 in fund-raising the PCF has demonstrated in the last three years. In = 2005 the=20 group raised $32,533. After increasing efforts, and adding new events = they=20 raised $41,137. Adding monthly tours in 2007 brought the figure up to = $78, 651.=20 The hiring of grant writer Renee Chapman has also been taken as signs = the PCF is=20 steaming head.

The workshop's major presentation was given by = Becky=20 Urbano from Garavaglia's firm. Urbano said the best piece of news was = that=20 Preston Castle was on the National Trust's radar both due to its storied = history, and the fact the it was a hybrid of 19th century Richardsonian = and=20 Romanesque architecture, which essentially makes it a rare building in = terms of=20 standing structures. Urbano reported that some initial tests the of = castle's=20 bricks indicated the entire outer structure was remarkably = sound.

In a=20 two-hour PowerPoint presentation, Urbano went on to give a detailed = overview of=20 the steps that would have to be followed to make the castle conform to = the=20 Secretary of the Interior's standards and criteria for protection. She = also=20 related a number of structural plans to avenues for more grants and=20 endowments.

The last part of the meeting involved all present = breaking=20 into groups to discuss ideas for the castle's reuse and sustainability, = which=20 Garavaglia Inc. can take into consideration as they proceed drawing up = plans for=20 the restoration. The groups' suggested uses for a restored Preston = Castle=20 included a museum, an art gallery, a college, a convention center and a=20 multi-use facility for stores, restaurants and winery spaces. Garavaglia = heard=20 the suggestions out and said some sounded feasible.

Marie = Nutting,=20 resident of the PCF, believed the "visionary workshop" had helped push = her group=20 in the right direction. "The purpose of our workshop was to make our=20 stakeholders in our community aware of exactly who the Preston Castle = Foundation=20 is and what its goals are for the renovation and rehabilitation of the = castle,"=20 Nutting said. "We also wanted to see what their visions were as to its = future.=20 In that respect, I feel the workshop was very successful."

Scott Thomas = Anderson