Preservation vs Progress; San Jose's Renaissance

As the City of San Jose continues to evolve,  efforts are being made to accommodate the new while preserving the past.
PointZ Taken is proud to be a part of this city's preservation efforts.

Charles "Doc" Herrold Building, Downtown San Jose
Historic Marker #74

Charles David "Doc" Herrold (November 16, 1875 – July 1, 1948) was an American inventor and pioneer radio broadcaster, who began experimenting with audio radio transmissions in 1909. Beginning in 1912 he apparently became the first person to make entertainment broadcasts on a regular schedule, from his station in San Jose, California.

460 South Market Street

Market Street Facade of the Doc Herrold Building.
460 South Market Street
San Jose, CA.

455 South 1st Street

1st Street Facade of the
Historic "Doc" Herrold Building
455 South 1st Street

460-480 South Market Street Facade

PointZ Taken has been contracted to provide the digital documentation services for the preservation of the Charles "Doc" Herrold building. The documentation of both the South Market Street and South 1st Street facades took place on Saturday February 13th. Our tool of choice was the FARO Focus 120X.

455-467 South 1st Street

The Future
Core Companies will develop a 24 story apartment building on this key corner of San Jose's SoFA District. The developer is working with architects and preservationist to incorporate the historic aspects of this building into the new designs

Architects Rendering of the proposed 24 story Gateway Towers

The tower would rise at the corner of South Market and East William streets and include 292 units — up from 280 in the preliminary plans.   But two adjustments are more important than unit count: The first is the treatment of two older existing buildings on the site — one of which is on the city’s list of historic landmarks. The other is an enhancement to the retail space. What remains of the historic aspects of the building; the brick facades, brick interior walls and beamed ceilings must remain intact.

1st Church of Christ Scientist, Downtown San Jose...

was designed by one of California's most famous architects, Willis Polk (1867-1924). The entrance to the church features four fluted ionic columns and the interior is in the shape of a Greek cross. There is a 45' by 14' lobby that leads to a large 62'x 62' main auditorium with a seating capacity of 500 people. A 45' dome sits above the central space and 58 Corinthian plasters embellish the interior. The space is surrounded by windows, 16' from the floor. The 1st Church is listed as a "contributing structure" to the St. James Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1st Church of Christ Scientist
Built in 1904

Barry Swenson Builders, owners of the property, will be restoring the 1st Church of Christ Scientist to its original 1905 splendor. As you can see from some of these photos, this won't be an easy task. 

Damage to Ceiling/Dome

Massive Holes 
The damage to the building includes everything from the intricate wall moldings and massive holes in the walls to uneven floors.

Classic Moldings and Pillars
Beautiful, classic crown moldings, fluted, decorative wall pillars dominate the interior of the church. All are required to be restored to their original condition.

Damage to Walls, Moldings and Windows
in the Balcony of the 1st Church
 

The traditional methods used to restore the intricately detailed moldings on the ceilings, and decorative pillars are the same tried and true methods that have been used for a hundred years; create a plaster mold, by hand, that can be used to replicate the specific damaged item, part or section.

For the first time in their preservation process, BSB is using laser scanning technology to digitally document the building to assist in the reproduction of damaged moldings as well as a host of other uses.

Laser Scan of the Main Floor of the 1st Church
contains over 400,000,000 data points
Laser Scans Courtesy of PointZ Taken

PointZ Taken has been contracted to provide the digital documentation services for the 1st Church of Christ Scientist preservation and restoration project. 

The laser scanning process took place on Friday February 12th and Wednesday February 17th. The tool of choice was the FARO Focus 330x Long Range Laser Scanner. As usual, the FARO Focus proved to be ideal for this type of job. Light weight, maneuverable and easy to operate, the FARO Focus was perfect for climbing narrow balcony stairs, navigating dark vomitories. The mission was to provide as much data as possible for the client; data on the extent of the interior damage, data on the condition of the walls, ceilings and floors. We began by scanning the front exterior of the building, collecting data on the street elevations, stairs and columns. 

From the front steps we worked our way into the lobby and from the lobby to the main floor and on to the balcony. A total of 37 scans were taken; 6 on the front exterior and 31 scans inside the structure. With a range of over 300 meters on the FARO Focus laser scanner, I knew this was massive overkill however on a project like this you can never have too much information. In reality, this project could have been completed in half the number of scans and in less than half the time if you are interested in creating a point cloud of the building that has general dimensional information. However, when construction preservation and/or restoration is involved detail is often critical. Considering the purpose for gathering data on this building, I decided that much more is better.

The 37 scans have an average of 23,000,000 points each. As you might guess, the processing for this amount of data was extremely long. (The best thing to do when handling this much data is to allow your computer to process overnight and pray it doesn't crash while your asleep.) The information provided can be used to reverse engineer moldings, virtually construct or redesign aspects the building, to monitor and evaluate the structure before and after the proposed relocation and myriad other things.

The Future

Barry Swenson Builders will make the 1st Church of Christ Scientist the centerpiece of the new Park View Towers project. Park View Towers will consist of 214 units and 6 town

homes. The plan calls for the church to be picked up and moved 20 feet over (West) to accommodate modifications to the foundation and the planned underground parking.

Rendering of BSB's Park View Towers

PointZ Taken...

At the intersection of Art-Design-Engineering-Technology

FARO Technologies

Warriors Stadium

The Warriors have formally acquired the 12-acre site of its future sports & entertainment complex in Mission Bay » http://on.nba.com/1MnjEed

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The Golden State Warriors Monday announced their formal acquisition of a 12-acre waterfront site in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood where they plan to build a 18,000-seat arena as well as two office towers.

“The Warriors are making an unprecedented, $1 billion-plus investment in San Francisco. We’re the only sports team in America doing this all with private funds, on private land, with no public subsidy.” – Rick Welts, Warriors President and COO

He said the project will generate $40 million for transit improvements and add millions of dollars to city coffers annually.

In addition to the arena and two office towers on the site, the Warriors anticipate construction of cafes, restaurants, and public plazas.

Artist Rendering of the New Warrior's Stadium at Mission Bay

Merging the Past, Present and Future in Silicon Valley

"FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST" 

(St. James Street, between First and Second streets, Downtown San Jose)

1st Church Christ Scientist

"The First Church of Christ Scientist was designed by Willis Polk and built in 1905. The plan of the building is a Greek cross. Four Ionic columns dominate the entry portico. Since the construction of a new church in 1946, the building has been used for a variety of purposes. Its scale and dignity make it an important contributor to the city’s architectural heritage. High-rise housing is now planned around the vacant building."...from the Downtown History Walk webpage.

This beautiful building has been part of the downtown San Jose landscape for 110 years.

The Church's  Majestic Profile

Since 1946, the 1st Church of Christ Scientist building has been used as a theater, a child care center and a rehearsal hall for the Children's Musical Theater. 
In the late 1960's and early 1970's, it was known as the "Garden of Allah Theater" and showed underground and independent films.

Though the building is currently in major disrepair, it's

Rendering of Church From
the Fountain at St. James park

historic designation ensures it will be not be torn down. Barry Swenson Builders has plans to make the historic church the centerpiece of a beautifully designed luxury condominium complex. Part of the new plan calls for the building to be moved to another location on the current lot.

We are currently negotiating with the contractor to digitally document the building before the construction process begins for historic purposes. Digitally documenting the building prior to construction will preserve the building in it's original location for History San Jose's archives.

There are also several benefits to the larger project, should the construction professionals choose to utilize the data we collect. For example, documenting the building and property prior to construction will give the contractor(s) a precise "as-exist" point cloud of the area that can be imported to AutoCad, Revit, Point Tools or other appropriate software packages.

Rendering of Park View Towers Complex w/
the Christian Scientist Church as the Centerpiece

With a point cloud, the relocation of the building can be done to millimeter accuracy, virtually and 

prior to the actual physical move; saving time and money for the contractor. To take this a step further, the entire construction project, including the high-rise condominiums can be designed by and built virtually.  

Once the data is collected, there literally dozens of things that it could be used for, both in the immediate and long term future for the complex. Everything from green building design and planning to facility maintenance and operations.

Park View Towers Consist of Two Buildings
of a 12 Story and 18 Story 

Once again, our tool of choice for this unique project is the FARO 3D Focus Laser Scanner. For this  particular project, we plan to use the FARO 330 Long Range Scanner. It's extended range is ideal for capturing the the building and surrounding property, providing us with the essential data required by the architects, general contractor, surveyors and most importantly for us, the preservationist. 

FARO 3D Focus
Laser Scanner

We've enjoyed tremendous success with FARO products...Lightweight, sturdy, easy to operate with superior quality; FARO Technologies

http://www.faro.com/en-us/home

Local Preservation Efforts Continue

The Reality Capture Technology Training Center at History Park.

2015 Summer Technology Camp Project:

The Historic Zanker House; Home of The African American Heritage House 

This fly-through video of the Historic Zanker House at History Park in San Jose developed and completed by Minh Chau Doan, an 11th grade student at San Jose's Notre Dame High School.
 The point cloud contains more than 400,000,000 data points and was developed using a FARO Technologies 3D Focus Laser scanner.

FARO 3D Focus

Built in 1868, the Zanker House was moved to History Park
in 1987 and restored in 1988

Arch Diocese of San Jose- The Historic Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph

The Beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph
Downtown San Jose, California.

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph, located in Downtown San Jose, is the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese in San Jose. The Basilica is named for Saint Joseph, patron saint of the universal church.
The first non-parish church built in California, the original church was called San Jose de Guadalupe. The adobe structure was built at the current site of the basilica in 1803.

...Following the Renovation in 1990

The first church was damaged by earthquakes in 1818 and 1822. A new adobe church was built from 1835 to 1846. The second church was severely damaged by the 1868 Hayward quake and work began in 1869. The third church was destroyed by fire in 1875. A temporary fourth church was built a few blocks away while construction began on the fifth church.

Interior Stain Glass Ceiling is 48' Above
the Cathedral Floor

The fifth church was dedicated by the Archbishop of San Francisco, Joseph Alemany, in 1877 while still under construction. The current portico was completed in 1884 and the large dome was completed in 1885. A major renovation project began in 1981 and in 1985 the basilica was elevated to a cathedral pending the completion of the renovation in 1990.

Amazing Technology.

These cables were extended around the interior of the dome to provide support and prevent the dome from expanding outward. The large bolts were used to tighten or loosen the tension as needed. Amazingly, these domes survived the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Seismic support systems were added to the ceilings and domes following the '89 quake.

Seismic Retrofits To Ceiling Added
Post 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

The Beautiful Interior of the
Cathedral Basilica

The cathedral survive the 1989 Loma Prieta quake and subsequent seismic bracing was added to support the ceilings and domes of the building.

The cathedral was made a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph is listed as a California Historical Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Among the Rubble in Downtown San Jose
following the 1906 Earthquake, the Domes of the
Cathedral of Saint Joseph stand in the background.

       

View of the Dome From the Roof

The Portico Completed
in 1884

Sources:
www.stjosephcathedral.org
www.historysanjose.org

The Original Dome
Still Exist

The familiar large dome on top of the cathedral hides a great secret. Rather than destroy the original smaller dome, the architects simply built the larger dome on top of it. The original dome can still be seen and accessed by people working in the ceilings and on the roofs.

Seismic Bracing to the Interior Dome
Added Post 1989 Loma Preita Earthquake

Dome on top of Dome

Mission Santa Clara de Asis

The Digital Documentation of the Historic El Camino Real

El Camino Real (Spanish for the Royal Road also known as the Kings Highway) refers to the 600 mile (966 km) California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 Missions and a number of submissions, 4 Presidios, 3 Pueblos stretching from Mission San Diego de Alcala' in the South to Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, Northern California.
CyArk  and their partners are currently working to digitally document all of the buildings along the historic California Mission Trail.

Early History
Mission Santa Clara de Asis  Founded in 1777

Oldest University in California

1769- First European Explorer, Gaspar de Portola’- traveled from Monterey up coast to SF.

1770’s Juan Bautista de Anza describes Santa Clara Valley as a broad grassy plain covered with oaks, well watered with marshy creeks and rivers, whose courses could be traced from a distance by trees growing along their banks.

1773 Spanish Viceroy Antonio Bucareli called for the exploration and occupation of the SF Bay Region to secure the valuable port of SF from Russian and British expansion.

1774 Viceroy Bucareli to select sites for future missions. Original site was on San Francisquito Creek near the Palo Alto redwood tree. Two years later, the site was changed to a place on a river to the southeast called Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

1776 Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Delores) founded

1776 Governor Rivera left Monterey with Fray Tomas’ de la Pena to make one last survey of Palo Alto site

1777, January 12th-  Fray de la Pena held the first Mass at the new Mission Santa Clara de Asis, the eighth mission in California

1777, December- Padres and assistants complete the church and priests’ residents. Another house was under construction. Original buildings were upright logs with dirt roofs. There were two corrals and a wooden bridge across the Guadalupe.

1779, January-  the Guadalupe River overflowed its’ banks, destroying the mission

1779, November- temporary church opened further from the banks of the river. Search for permanent location is ongoing

1781, November 19th- cornerstone for the third Mission Church was laid.

1784, May- construction on the third church with 4’ thick adobe walls completed. Dimensions: 100’ long x 22’ wide x 20’ high

Mission Santa Clara circa. 1785

1818, Mission Church suffers severe earthquake damage. A temporary adobe site was built on the present site of Kenna Hall (1819-1825) Building was raised in 1867

1822, Mexico gained independence from Spain

1830’s,1840’s Mission operated as a parish serving the religious needs of the town of San Jose.

1836, Mission Santa Clara secularized

1849, San Jose’s population grows due to gold rush

1850, Bishop f California, Joseph Sadoc Alemany offered buildings at  Mission Santa Clara to John Nobili of San Jose to open a school.

1851, March 4th- Bishop Alemany appoints John Nobili pastor of Mission Santa Clara

1851, May- Santa Clara College, the first in the State of California, began instructing students

1861, Mission Church remodeled

Mission Santa Clara
Post 1861 remodel

1885, Mission Church interior remodeled to increase seating capacity

1926, October 4th- Mission Church destroyed by fire, caused by faulty wiring. Students managed to save many statues and paintings

Mission Fire 1926

1926, Reconstruction of the church began almost immediately. Rather than a duplication of the church that just burned, the restoration attempted to recapture the appearance of the 1825 church.

Mission Santa Clara Today

Sources:
 History Of Mission Santa Clara de Asis ...by Teresa Pugh
Mission Santa Clara website

Unidentified Staples & Charles. San Francisco after the earthquake and f...