Preservation… the Right Way
By Marianne Gerdes
On a bright winter afternoon, sunlight animates an exposed adobe brick wall on Ilan-Lael’s Living Room/Kitchen building. Across the way at Jim’s Studio, another patch of adobe is open to the elements.
It’s captivating to see these historic materials partially exposed to reveal Jim Hubbell’s organic building ideas. But what’s actually happening is that a protective layer of lime plaster is falling away. Years of sun, rain, and environmental stressors have caused the building’s protective exterior to rupture. Over time, if left untreated, adobe will erode back to the earth from which it came.
In the same cluster of residences, the dome-shaped Master Bedroom has a crack in its exterior waterproof coating. Rain is seeping into the structure that was once the boys’ bedroom annex, threatening to compromise the underlying steel and concrete assemblage of Jim’s sculptural design.
If you’ve visited Ilan-Lael during the past two years you’ve likely seen the scaffolding, a worker or two on top of a structure, or someone digging deep into the earth next to one. Our team of highly skilled and experienced architects, contractors, artists and crafts persons meet the challenges daily of keeping the beautiful buildings of Ilan-Lael functioning and beautiful. This work comes at significant cost to the Foundation. Donations of support made to our Studio Society and to ILF in general provide us with the needed funds to continue doing this vital work.
Caring for the beloved and iconic buildings of Ilan-Lael is one of the most important responsibilities of the Ilan-Lael Foundation. Daily, we manage thirteen standing works of art and their built-in countertop and floor mosaics, embedded stained glass windows, custom metal railings, handles, and hinges, hand-built cedar cabinets, doors, window casings, and floors. Not to mention the exteriors, which are fragile works of art in themselves.
“We do a lot of research,” said Wayne Donaldson, Preservation Architect who enjoys statewide and national reputation in historic preservation. Wayne is also a long-time friend of James Hubbell and a member of the Ilan-Lael Board of Directors.
“We try to do a faithful restoration. Our purpose is to be sure that when people visit the house, they get a sense of time as to when Jim Hubbell was creating these spaces: not only just in terms of materials, and the way that the design is constructed, but also what the social attitudes were at the time … what the culture was going through.”
Architect Drew Hubbell, Jim and Anne’s son, is another key part of the restoration team. “Growing up at Ilan Lael, when construction and maintenance were a part of our daily lives, I gained a strong understanding of what it takes to care for older buildings. My father believed in working with natural building materials such as adobe bricks and reclaimed cedar. These materials are beautiful but do require maintenance, though the process sometimes can be less effort than repainting a home.”
The work is a labor of love for Ilan-Lael’s staff, volunteers, and a cadre of construction and preservation professionals who offer consultation and often the skilled labor needed to restore the buildings. Over the past three years, a grant from Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, supplemented with donations from our community, have funded closing a leak in the Big Studio roof, reconstructing eroding adobe bricks and French drains around the Kiva Gallery, and adding a new, more robust waterproof exterior coating to the Ilan-Lael Center, just to name a few.
Another big project is about to launch this spring with repairs to the exteriors of the family residences. Over the past several months, animated discussions have taken place among architects, construction managers, preservation specialists, and outside consultants as we prepare to embark on a major preservation and restoration of buildings dating back to the 1950s and 60s.
The three original residence buildings were destroyed by the Cedar Fire in 2003. Everything wood or glass was turned to ash. However, the adobe walls and stone fireplaces remained structurally intact. The buildings were reconstructed with special permits that allowed Hubbell to keep the standing adobe and rock work.
“The plaster that was applied after the 2003 Cedar fire rebuild is beginning to fall off.” remarked Drew. “We are looking for the best option to repair and replace it. Consulting with Wayne, we’ve decided to work with an earthen clay and lime plaster that is often used when restoring historic adobe structures.”
Mark Sauer, a preservation contractor with extensive experience restoring historic buildings, including old adobes, has been called to the job. One of his recent projects was the restoration of the Vallecitos Stage Stop, part of the Overland Stage Route, a stagecoach and wagon trail that passed through the Julian area during the 19th century
His expertise in adobe construction is highly valued, and he quickly identified key preservation issues. To stay true to the buildings’ historic character, a series of trial applications will be required to find just the right mix of materials that match the texture and color of the plaster to make the repair look seamless. There is no one ‘recipe’ for lime plaster, so Mark’s knowledge and experience will be tapped as we make these essential and highly visible choices for the repairs.
Taking care of these buildings today sets the stage for tomorrow. The buildings of Ilan-Lael support all our programs including tours, retreats, artist workshops, and student education programs in architecture and design. They contain an archive of Jim Hubbell’s body of work and provide office space for Foundation operations. They contain a treasure trove of art, and they tell the story of the life of one of southern California’s most significant artists. They are worth preserving and protecting so that they may continue to change lives for generations to come.