To save the West Steps and the Capitol Annex, please email these decision makers today:

Governor Gavin Newson:  https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact (link to on line form)

Pro tem Toni Atkins: senator.atkins@senate.ca.gov

Speaker Anthony Rendon: assemblymember.rendon@assembly.ca.gov

Senator Angelique Ashby: senator.ashby@senate.ca.gov

From National Trust for Historic Preservation

HERE IS THE LETTER!

March 7, 2023
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
The Honorable Toni Atkins
Senate President pro Tempore
The Honorable Anthony Rendon
Speaker of the Assembly


Re: State Capitol Annex Project
Dear Governor Newsom, Senate Leader Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Rendon:
On behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and our California members and supporters, I am writing regarding the potential negative impacts of the proposed Capital Annex Project on the historic California State Capitol Complex. The 1874 Capitol and attached 1952 East Wing (Annex), along with the surrounding historic landscape, are included on the National Register of Historic Places. As proposed, the Capitol Annex Project would result in demolition of the 1952 Annex, an important example of mid-century contextual design, and alteration of the West Steps and historic landscape around the 1874 Capitol building.
Given the significant impacts of the proposed project on historic resources listed on the National Register of Historic Places, we urge you to conduct a thorough, transparent, and public process to fully evaluate feasible options for meeting the programmatic and functional goals of the Capitol Annex Project, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The California State Capitol Complex is one of the state’s most prominent historic places, containing notable examples of architecture and landscape design and the shared memories of many historic events. The West Steps of the 1874 State Capitol building, with their view down the Capitol Mall to the Tower Bridge, are a particularly important site of civic protest, engagement, and celebration. The 1952 Annex is an early example of contextual design, compatible in form and detailing to the 1874 State Capitol, while also clearly reflecting its mid-century era of construction. Changes to these resources should be considered with the greatest care, inspired by the state’s legacy of restoration and stewardship of the 1874 State Capitol Building.
Planning for this project should include a thorough analysis of the feasibility of rehabilitating the 1952 Annex, rather than demolishing and replacing it. Rehabilitation – especially when using California’s exemplary Historical Building Code – is often less expensive, less disruptive, and less time-consuming than new construction. In addition, reuse avoids the significant carbon emissions that occur when materials for a new structure are mined, manufactured, transported, and assembled. National Trust research shows that it can take between 10 and 80 years to overcome the carbon debt that is incurred when an existing structure is replaced, even if the new building is highly energy efficient. At six stories and 325,000 square feet, the Capitol Annex should be seen as both an architectural legacy and a climate asset.
We recognize that important programmatic and safety issues at the Capitol Complex need to be addressed. The challenges of hazardous materials, lack of accessibility, inefficient systems, and inadequate space are real, but also not uncommon among public buildings in California and across the country. The planning and decision-making for how to improve one of the state’s most prominent public building complexes should be a model for other government agencies to follow.
Thank you for considering the views of the National Trust regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Katherine Malone-France, Chief Preservation Officer
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Cc: Wayne Donaldson, Save Our Capitol
Cindy Heitzman, California Preservation Foundation