Historians worried Chinatown project could destroy Chumash aqueduct

Early-phase construction on a hotel and walkway that’s part of the San Luis Obispo Chinatown project was halted Monday to further document the historical value of a local aqueduct built by the Chumash 250 years ago.

A 60- to 80-foot portion of the mission-era aqueduct on the southwestern property line past the Palm Theatre — exposed to the public eye by excavation — is expected to be removed for the new development, according to the city.

But local Chumash and history enthusiasts say it represents an irreplaceable part of San Luis Obispo’s past, and are lobbying for it to stay.

The aqueduct and other historical artifacts may be removed as long as the history is preserved through data records such as photos, writings and maps that keep a log of its existence, city officials say.

“I would hate to see it go,” said Mona Tucker, chair of the Yak Tityu Tityu Northern Chumash tribe. “It’s one of a kind in our community, and not just culturally significant to the Northern Chumash but the history of San Luis Obispo.”

The aqueduct was identified months ago. Portions of it along Monterey Street, which weren’t as well held together, already have been removed.

The aqueduct was built from stone and ceramics, leading from the top of a hill on what is now Palm Street down a slope past the Palm Theatre toward Monterey.

Barry Price, an archaeologist who initially assessed the site but is no longer involved with the work, is advocating to keep the exposed portion of the structure in place.

“The aqueduct and associated archaeological features are highly unusual and are exceptional representatives of the earliest history of our city,” Price said. “… We know with certainty that Chumash Indian people were living on the hilltop where these features originate, and it is likely that the aqueduct was built by Chumash laborers under direction of the padres. Its preservation therefore honors Chumash history as well as the mission’s.”

Local history buffs have questioned whether the developer, Copeland Properties, has properly mitigated the impacts under the city’s required environmental impact report.

But Michael Codron, the city’s community development director, said the removal complies with the requirements of the project’s final EIR and with the city’s Archeological Resource Preservation Program guidelines.

Construction on the project around the site of the aqueduct was halted temporarily Monday to allow Rebecca Allen, a cultural resources consultant hired for the project, to further document the structure’s history. Allen’s assessment should take a few days to complete, before building there resumes. Construction continues elsewhere at the site.

“The aqueduct is not a newly discovered feature; however, a portion of the aqueduct (that) was planned to remain in place will now have to be removed” for the project, Codron wrote Monday in a memo to the City Council and city staff. “As a result, additional investigation of this area will occur.”

Initially, project architect Mark Rawson said, developers hoped to preserve the aqueduct, possibly by creating a glass walkway over it, but he said that proved to be infeasible.

Codron said the project’s archaeological consultant, Environmental Science Associates, will prepare a final report on the entire site that will serve as an important research tool for understanding mission-era settlements in general, and about the city’s mission in particular.

Months of mapping and documentation of other historic resources relating to Chumash and local historical relics already have been documented at the site. Photos and 3-D imaging undertaken for a few months before building began documented the history as well.

Allen’s latest work will provide a more detailed analysis.

“We’d like to better understand the entirety of the land use around the mission,” Allen said.

James Papp, a member of the Cultural Heritage Committee, rushed to the site Monday morning to watch the construction, fearing the aqueduct would be destroyed.

Rawson said the workers were cutting into asphalt and not the Chumash-built structure. But Papp said he saw the backhoe make contact with the old rock channel.

“If you destroy the old mission aqueduct, it’s gone forever,” Papp said. “There’s only one of them. It’s not like other Victorian homes, where if you remove one, others exist. This piece of history was almost lost at 7:30 a.m.”

Rawson, however, said the slope of the site near where the aqueduct exists is steep and worker safety laws require cutting into the area. But he said the aqueduct wasn’t touched.

Rawson also said that interpretive displays and even rocks from the aqueduct could possibly be used on the walkway that will go where the aqueduct is located.

“We’re looking at what can be done after completion of the work,” Rawson said. “It’s in the interest of the hotel group to do something to recognize a lot of the history of the site.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Historians worried Chinatown project could destroy Chumash aqueduct."