San Luis Obispo County has produced a video providing updates on the project
Work is progressing on the rebuilding of the Cayucos Veterans Hall, and San Luis Obispo County has produced a YouTube video giving an update on the $11 million-plus project.
The video uses a drone to fly over and around the Vets Hall, including a close-up view of the new bell tower and advertising signs that adorned the original Cass Warehouse.
That’s what the hall was built as, a warehouse to store goods like dairy and other farm products that Capt. James Cass shipped out of Cayucos on ocean-going steam and sailing ships starting in the 1870s.
Cass built the hall, the pier, and a Victorian mansion, which sits across Ocean Avenue. Once the Vets Hall restoration is completed, it will mark the total refurbishing of Cass’ buildings and preservation of a significant era of Cayucos history.
The Vets Hall’s new roof and siding are complete, according to Shelly Cone, the spokeswoman for County Public Works. It should be noted that while the bare wood look the hall sports now is attractive, the project calls for it to be painted white, as it was in its heyday.
The Vets Hall was in sad shape when the county closed it in 2016 after an inspection revealed a serious failure of the foundation underneath the stage and walls that were no longer properly connected to the massive roof.
Initially, they closed the Vets Hall for further evaluations that led to a condemnation of the old building as being unsafe.The fear was that if the wind blew hard enough it could blow the roof off and collapse the whole thing.
The hall’s closure came just a couple of years after completion of a total rebuilding of the iconic Cayucos Pier, which had lost dozens of support piles and badly swayed in heavy weather and when there were a lot of people on it, like for the Annual Lost at Sea Memorial.
The fact that it’s a historic landmark activated a whole new set of rules the state has regarding preservation of historic structures. So while being historic helped with getting funding, it also helped make the costs rise considerably.
The new Vets Hall also had to be raised 2 1/2 feet to satisfy new building requirements that address sea level rise. So when it’s done, it’ll look very different than what Cayucans and visitors are used to seeing.
For example, the dolphin sculpture entitled “The Great Communicators,” produced by Cayucos native and sculptor Dale Evers, remains in place, but with the new taller building, it doesn’t seem diminished in scale. There will howeverbe seating wrapping around the sculpture.
As for the bell, the new bell tower replicates what the building had when first constructed, according to the County. The bell had been moved to Cayucos Fire Department many years ago, and when the County decided to remodel the fire station, it was moved back. That had always been the intent with the bell, according to the county.
The contractor on the job is JG Contracting of Nipomo. The architectural firm is Studio Design Group Architects, Inc. of San Luis Obispo.
When it’s done, the Vets Hall should not only look very much as it did in the 19th century, but also it’ll return to the place of importance as the heart of the community, as it’s been since the county took it over in 1944 from State Parks.
As it is Cayucos, the citizens have been intimately involved with the project, raising several hundred thousand dollars to help with funding the construction and continue to fundraise to pay for furnishings like tables and chairs. A citizen group formed a nonprofit and is raising money for that part of the project; see restorecayucosvetshall.org for information on ways you can help out.
And the county, which borrowed millions to bridge a gap in funding the construction, will be in charge of booking it for events both public and private into the future.
To see the YouTube video posted by the county go to youtube.com/watch?v=CwM81AI6srg.
