Volume 10, Number 6

June 2011

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Weve just received a grant of $26,300 from the Hind Foundation to finish restoration of the Cambria Chinese temple. When this is done it will end an amazing chapter in the Greenspace story, a chapter about extraordinary community support that began in 1999. For the first time were recounting the process through which nearly $600,000 was raised and spent to help enrich our community environmentally and culturally. It starts with a vision Greenspace directors had of a nature reserve in the East Village. As it happened the nature reserve-to-be included a rare 19th century Chinese temple. (There are only five left; the others are up north.) From the start we had two goalsa publicly accessible nature reserve and a restored temple that could testify to the role of Chinese in Cambrias history. Brad Seek, the property owner at the time, sold it to us at a bargain price, and the realtor was the first of many professionals (contractor, architect, and others) who contributed to the project. We used a previous gift toward the down payment, but the key to putting the project on a sound financial basis was a group of people who pledged to help us with mortgage payments for a period of time, time we needed to develop other financial support. During these years many things needed to be paid for, including property taxes, fees, and maintenance of all sorts, as well as a Historic Site Preservation Plan. Why? Because the site had been the social, business and religious center for local Chinese between the 1880s and 1910s. Early grant support for the temple restoration amounted to $4,000 and came from three sources, including the San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation. Otherwise the projectuntil nowhas been supported solely by donations. Fund raising for the larger site development part of the project included money raised at the Annual Art and Adventure Auction, concerts and two festival-like occasions: Chinatown on Center Street and then East Meets West held in conjunction with the Cambria Historical Society which was raising funds for its own historical/cultural project across the street.

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Individual donations helped us move forward step by step. Then, suddenly, we were able to move faster when a very large donation from a long time supporter allowed us to pay off the balance of our mortgage. We celebrated this with a mortgage-burning ceremony and a rededication of the Chinese temple and commissioning of a detailed Restoration Plan for the building. We sold engraved bricks for the Patrons Path and several dedicated benches (we still have bricks and benches available). Other gifts from many caring people, along with some of Greenspaces general funds, enabled us to move the temple onto a secure foundation and to hire local professionals to restore the exterior and roof to the exacting standards of our historical consultants. Following a great effort to clear away brush and debris, they built fences and a beautifully designed gate, paths, seating area, and parking spaces. In April 2008 we opened the newly named Greenspace Creekside Reserve to the publicand waited. We waited for funds for the next challenging job: restoring the interior of the temple to standards set in the Plan we had commissioned. That process begins now with the important help from the Hind Foundation. We consider it remarkable that this community and friends of this community have managed to preserve a beautiful piece of creekside land and restore the rare 19th century Chinese temple on this culturally significant site. 99% of the effort was paid for with private donations from people who care about Cambrias environment and history. People like you.

How Many Folks Does It Take To Save a Temple?