Archaeological Resources Expected and Unexpected, the Challenges - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Archaeological Resources Expected and Unexpected, the Challenges John M. Foster, RPA Greenwood and Associates

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Determining Impacts, the Process:

• 1. Inventory: research, survey, consultation, and report;
• 2. Evaluation of Resources to determine importance and integrity;
• 3. Assess impacts to important resources;
• 4. Recommend treatment as warranted based on potential impacts
• A. Avoidance
• B. Excavation (data recovery)

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Two Case Studies

Los Angeles Chinatown, Metropolitan Transportation Agency, Union Station Pierano’s General Store, Ventura Redevelopment Agency, City of Ventura

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Los Angeles Chinatown

• ca. 1880 - 1933

JOHN M. FOSTER, RPA SENIOR ARCHAEOLOGIST GREENWOOD AND ASSOCIATES

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Where?

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Union Station Today with Subway Station Overlay

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Personnel and Consultants

Consultants:

Glass beads Dental items Elemental Constituent Analysis Art Objects Nuts and Seeds Faunal analysis Fish bone analysis Translators (11 persons) Asian Coins Bottles Historical Groups

• Chinese Historical Society of Southern California
• Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society, Michael Jarel, Director
• Golden West Press, Michael Duke
• Interurban Press, Jim Walker
• Troxel Models, Ed Kielty
• Huntington Library, Brita Mack
• Natural History of Los Angeles County, William Mason
• Regional History Center, University of Southern California, Dace Taube
• California State University, Northridge, Dr. David Hornbeck, Digital Services

Greenwood and Associates Staff: Principal Investigator Project Manager 2 Field Directors 1 (overworked) Laboratory Director 34 field archaeologists 12 laboratory technicians Several monitors

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In the beginning it’s all about the research

The Place

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People and Community

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The Laborers

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The Professionals

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The Buildings

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Buildings and Streets

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Union Station Before Construction

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Union Station Under Construction

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THE ARCHAEOLOGY

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The Challenge? You gotta do it fast… Because if you don’t – There are trains waiting… There are 1,000 Construction Personnel waiting….

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The Excavation

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The Excavators

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Artifact Recovery

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The Artifacts

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Chinese Figurines

Utilitarian

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Toothbrushes Hair Comb

Medicine

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Containers and Tableware

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Artifacts are curated at the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

What made the project successful?

The MTA recognized its responsibilities early in the planning process and hired a cultural resource team to conduct extensive research on each station in order to save time and money during construction. Extensive research by the archaeological team prepared the way for efficient and effective recovery of important resources.

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In the End?

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Approximately 4 million artifacts were recovered as well as dozens

• f archaeological features

Streets, building footings, refuse deposits, and other items were documented and recovered The project resumed on time and an important part of the City’s heritage was protected and today provides For continuing education for the citizens of Los Angeles

Pierano’s General Store Adaptive Re-Use Project Redevelopment Agency, Ventura, California

SEPTEMBER 10, 1991 24 YEARS AGO TODAY

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Downtown Ventura

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Pierano’s Market Today as a Restaurant

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The Project:

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The undertaking was originally designed to include a general clean-out of interior furnishings, discards, and structural debris; removal of the flooring; and excavation of a trench below the crawl space in Delivery Room 2

When the wood floors were removed: 1,000 1880 Beer Bottles were found Hundreds of Chinese Artifacts were recovered AND BELOW THAT?

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The Ventura Mission Lavanderia

(Clothes Washing)

• ca. 1780s – 1800s

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The Project went on hold until Archaeologists were called in. The Challenge: Recover the artifacts Document the features Preserve the important features Provide a means for the project to continue

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Santa Barbara Mission Lavanderia

Dated the beer bottles to the ca. 1880s and removed them Recovered and identified the Chinese artifacts Exposed and identified the Mission feature, documented it, and recommended Preservation in place Found an alternative location for the utility trench

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What the archaeologists did:

Why didn’t the City know about the resources prior to construction? Up to the 1980s and 90s there was an assumption that any archaeological resources under extant buildings would have been destroyed.

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What made the project successful?

• 1. There was an archaeological team with

experience with the same resources on call.

• 2. The City was flexible enough to build

around the resource to preserve it

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In the End? The City was able to preserve an important piece of Ventura History, and find ways to implement the adaptive re-use of an historic structure.

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Questions