DATE: February 11, 2003
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT: Relocation of the Historic Granite House

Summary: Approval of this item would express the Board of Supervisors' support for preserving and relocating the historic Granite House in Santee next to the Polo Barn located along Magnolia Avenue.

Recommendation:
VICE CHAIRWOMAN JACOB
Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to work with the City of Santee, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), and Habitat for Humanity to relocate and reassembly the historic Granite House in Santee next to the Polo Barn located along Magnolia Avenue.

BACKGROUND
The Granite House is a small granite block building constructed in the early 1930's in Santee from locally quarried granite. It remains the only building in Santee constructed entirely from Santee based materials. The
structure also has a broader significance to the region as an architectural remnant of the granite industry in San Diego County, which produced tons of high quality granite used in the construction of the Sweetwater and El Capitan dams, the San Diego breakwater, and to pave the streets of downtown San Diego. On May 10, 1995, the City of Santee formally designated the Granite House as an historical landmark.

The Granite House is currently located on the site of the City's maintenance yard, which is being acquired by CalTrans for the SR-52 freeway construction project. CalTrans has offered to move the Granite House to a new location if one can be identified. In addition, the organization Habitat for Humanity has committed to reconstructing the Granite House once it's moved to the new location.

The Polo Barn, another historical site in Santee, is owned by the County and located on County property along Magnolia Avenue. Locating the historical Granite House next the Polo Barn will allow for the preservation of the Granite House and provide the residents of Santee with an opportunity to save a symbolic link to the City's origin.

Approval of this item will allow the County to join the effort to save this irreplaceable structure by finding a permanent location for this historical building.

Sincerely,

DIANNE JACOB
Vice Chairwoman