Historic Documentation of the Carmel Mission

San Carlos Borromeo' de Carmelo Mission is the second of 21 Missions established by the Spanish crown beginning in 1769. It was the headquarters of the upper Las Californias Province Missions headed by Father Junipero Serra until his death in 1784. It was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1966. Today, Carmel Mission still serves as an active parish church for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey. 
Those of you who are familiar with the Bay Area are probably wondering what the Carmel Mission has to do with Silicon Valley and why is it included in this blog? Carmel is 90 minutes South of the Silicon Valley. 

FARO Laser Tracker

There is an interesting connection between the projects being implemented at Carmel Mission and our collaborative endeavor with History San Jose. Beginning this week, Blach Construction in collaboration with FARO, will begin laser scanning Carmel Mission in preparation for a seismic retrofit of the facility. Gino Cecchetto, Manager of BIM Services for Blach Construction,  is leading the documentation efforts at the historic site. According to Gino, Blach Construction has some "ambitious" plans for the data collected from the laser scanning of the Mission. Beginning this Friday, videographers will document the laser scanning/reality capture process at the mission. 

Gate at Carmel Mission

So, what is the connection between the documentation of Carmel Mission and Capturing History San Jose? Blach Construction has been instrumental in establishing the BIM/VDC programs at Evergreen Valley College. Gino Cecchetto has a prominent position on Evergreen Valley College's BIM/VDC advisory board and is recognized as one of the Silicon Valley's most influential and knowledgeable BIM professionals. Blach Construction's interest in and knowledge of  BIM, VDC and historic preservation  promises to pay major dividends during the documentation of the San Jose History Park. 

As a long time resident of the Bay Area, I have had the opportunity to visit many of the Missions in the vicinity of San Jose. The Bay Area Missions were all built within a 21 year time frame and therefore are similar in construction and materials. However, each Mission has it's own unique character. In addition to being the centers for religion and worship, the Missions served multiple purposes. California's Missions were the center of local government, they served as forward post for exploration of new territories,  they were farming and agricultural centers, ranches, hospitals, hotels, schools, manufacturers of a variety of goods and products and the centers for the largest communities in the state.

The Bay Area is home to several Spanish Missions:
Mission Carmel- Monterey, CA, est. 1771

Mission Carmel, circa. 1880

Mission San Juan Bautista- San Juan Bautista, CA., est. 1797
Mission San Jose- Fremont, CA., est. 1797
Mission San Francisco de Asis (aka. Mission Delores)- San Francisco, CA., est. 1776
Mission Santa Clara de Asis- Santa Clara, CA. est. 1777
Mission Santa Cruz- Santa Cruz, CA. est. 1791

Faro Laser Scanner

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I am looking forward to the results of the collaborative efforts of Blach Construction and FARO. Stay tuned for updates on the project.