By Brooklynn Wong
Giving some attention to the homes in the Buena Park Historical District has been a goal of the city for some time, and it may come to fruition very soon.
In 2015, the city started looking at renovating the two homes across the street from City Hall, the Whitaker-Jaynes Estate and the Bacon house. Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva helped obtain funding from the state to go towards preserving historic landmarks like this, so all signs point to the two homes being renovated very soon at no cost to the city. An architecture firm has been hired to put the plan in motion.
Oldham Architects was hired, and a representative spoke before the Buena Park City Council last week.
He gave the history of the two homes, and told of some of the specifics they’d like to accomplish.
Both homes were elsewhere before being moved to their current location. The Whitaker-Jaynes Estate is a relic from Buena Park circa 1887, and the smaller Bacon house was built in 1884.
According to Oldham, some of the renovations that have been made to the homes over the years have rendered them historically inaccurate, so as part of their work they hope to retroactively improve the historical integrity.
As for the Whitaker-Jaynes Estate, Oldham said the home itself is “structurally pretty good,” so their work will be cosmetic, such as repainting, putting on new shingles and replacing rotted wood.
They want to restore it to a “general Victorian style,” which would mean removing the wallpaper, carpet and crown molding.
As for the Bacon house, Oldham wants to maintain its rustic, imperfect character as well.
City Council Member Beth Swift said, “I love these homes…[let’s] preserve our heritage.”
She expressed a desire to explore using the homes as meeting places after renovation is complete.
The state grant secured half a million dollars to go towards this project; it will have no impact on the city’s budget.
