A Handful of Adobe
              
An Update From
The Juana Briones Heritage Foundation
April, 2007

Dear Friend of the Juana Briones house:

The Demolition Permit for the Juana Briones House was issued on Monday April 9.

Since the court decision requires a 60 day period of time during which concerned individuals and organization may take steps to preserve parts of the building and document its existence, the demolition itself cannot take place until  June 9, 2007.  

Those seeking entry to the property for purposes of partial preservation and/or documentation must, by the requirement of the court, must be covered by insurance and sign waivers of liablility.  The JBHF is in the process of securing the required insurance, and will also coordinate the collection and submission of waivers.

However, there are further developments.  An independent group of citizens have begun legal action to injoin the demolition since an Environmental Impact Report has not been submitted.   It is unclear if this will affect the current situation, but there is a possiblity that it might further delay action.   You may read of this development here.

In addition other people have come forward to add their voices to the preservationist cause.  Some of these people have planned a public demonstration in support of the preservation of the Juana Briones House.  This demonstration will be held at Palo Alto City Hall at noon on Monday, April 23. 

As a final note: members of the foundation met with representatives of the City of Palo Alto Parks department and made plans to place a permanent State Historical Marker at the end of Old Adobe Road, where it meets Esther Clark Park.  This dedication of the marker will be announced at a later date. 

~ Clark Akatiff

The Palo Alto Daily News published an report on this issue.
Supporters of the cause of preserving the oldest extant dwelling in Palo Alto, and one associated with a significant Latina pioneer, Juana Briones, can help by writing letters to the Palo Alto City Council, or to the newspaper referenced above. View comments on this article.

Juana Briones House in Imminent Danger of Being Destroyed
Send inquiries to: Clark Akatiff

Join In The Action!
Our Public Relations Team brings together an enthusiastic group with experience in community leadership, education, fund raising, law, and business.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Juana Briones Heritage Foundation and our progress in saving her historic house from demolition and our plans for a living history program. Tax -exempt donations may be made out and mailed to: JBHF, 1685 Mariposa Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306

A Handful of Adobe, A Houseful of History...One Woman Built it, All of us can save it.

View Previous Action Updates from 2007
Update 1
Update 2

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