transbay terminal archaeology
DESCRIPTION
At the October 2009 AC Transit Transbay Taskforce meeting, attendees were treated to a great historical presentation. Heather Price from William Self Associates presented facts and findings from the excavation process related to the construction of San Francisco's Temporary Transbay Terminal. She was followed with a presentation by Joyce Oishi on the salvage and historical preservation efforts within the existing Transbay Terminal. Several smaller items salvaged from the Terminal will be on display in an interpretive exhibit at the new Transbay Transit Center (not the Temporary Terminal), while larger items not taken by local museums will be properly recycled.TRANSCRIPT
Archaeology
October 13, 2009
RegulatoryGuidelinesGuidelines
Section 106 National Historic Preservation Act (1966)Section 106, National Historic Preservation Act (1966)– TJPA must take into account the effect of the program on historic
propertiesproperties
– Historic Properties are buildings, structures, objects, sites, districts, or
archaeological resources that are listed, or eligible for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
• Historic building recordation
• Archaeological treatment plan (testing, data recovery)g p ( g, y)
Historic ContextHistoric Contextof the
Transbay Transit CenterTransbay Transit CenterNeighborhood
P hi tPrehistory
Locations of oca o s oknown prehistoric archaeological sites
Spanish Period
from 1776
Post Gold RushView from Rincon Hill, 1851
Temporary Terminal (Block 2)
Fremont Street
Post Gold Rush
1856 photo1856 photoFolsom and Second streets
Second Street Cut1869 view north1869 view north
Industrial Developmentp
Temporary Terminal
Risdon Ironworks
View from Harrison and Main 1872
1906 Earthquake and FireFire
Third and Howard streets
T t tiTransportation Center
1930s
History of Land Formation
A h lArchaeologyof the
Region
300 Spear Street Site1906-1950s
8 to10 feet deep
Brick warehouse foundation
8 to10 feet deep
300 Spear Street Site
10 to 15 feet deep
thick layer of coal coated floor
12
Mineral Water
300 Spear Street Lumber Yardca.1886Lumber Yard
WalkwayFallen fenceWood-lined well
Photo 1872
300 Spear Street Site
Wood-lined Wellca. 1886
Child’s Shoe
Marbles
300 Spear Street SiteArtifacts from WellArtifacts from Well
300 Spear Street Site
Ship-breaking yard 1850 18571850-1857
15 to 21 feet deep
Whaling Barque Candace, 1818-1855300 Spear Street Site
28 feet deep
Shipyard artifacts300 Spear Street Site
S pya d a ac spre-1857
Rope Pulley
SpikePipe
Prehistoric spear pointsEmeryville Site
Prehistoric spear pointsca. 1,200 years old
Salvageable Items
Mitigation Measures in FEIS/EIR
Cultural and historic resources are addressed in the Mitigation Measures adopted as part of g p pFEIS/EIR of April 2004 by:
• Transbay Joint Powers AuthorityTransbay Joint Powers Authority
• Federal Transit Administration
• Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board• Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
• City and County of San Francisco
• San Francisco Redevelopment Agency• San Francisco Redevelopment Agency
Memorandum of Agreement
Memorandum of Agreement addressing historic and archaeological properties was executed in June 2004 by:
• Federal Transit Administration
• California State Historic Preservation Officer
• Transbay Joint Powers AuthorityTransbay Joint Powers Authority
• City and County of San Francisco
• Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers BoardPeninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
• California Department of Transportation
Salvageable Items
• MOA requires interpretive exhibit in new Transit Center
• MOA requires salvageable items beMOA requires salvageable items beoffered to other interested agencies
Transbay TerminalTransbay Terminalyy
1939 photo courtesy of Paul C. Trimble CollectionCollection published in The Bay BridgeArcadia Publishing, 2005
The Present
Salvageable Items
Documenting Salvageable Items
g
Documenting Salvageable Items• Archival research• 1993 historical assessment report by Caltrans• Site visits with agency staff, historians, architects• Documentation with photographs• Conversations with Terminal and Caltrans staff Conversations with Terminal and Caltrans staff---------------------------------------------------------Categorization of items• Architectural features• Artifacts/objects/ephemera
• Historic• Non historic• Art
Historic Architectural Features
Historic Objects and Artifacts
CONTACT INFORMATION
Transbay Joint Powers Authority201 Mission Street, Suite 2100San Francisco, CA 94105(415) 597-4620www transbaycenter orgwww.transbaycenter.org
Robert BeckSenior Program Managerg [email protected]