MODJESKA CANYON : Plans for Historic Home Gain Support

When county officials ventured up through this canyon’s olive groves last fall to talk about the historic Modjeska Home, a meeting with residents turned into a long and angry session. Residents complained bitterly about some of the county’s plans to manage the landmark as a park.

On Thursday, county officials came back with more plans in tow. But despite some lingering disagreements, this time officials found the going a little smoother.

“You’ve come a long way toward meeting our needs,” one resident told county officials. The rest of the approximately 75 canyon residents applauded as he spoke.

The residents gathered to review the latest draft of a management plan for the historic residence. Although some continued to complain that the proposed working hours for the park should not include Sundays, most of the other disagreements appeared to be resolved.

“I think we’ve gotten agreement on most of the important points,” said Kathie Matsuyama, the project manager for the county.

In 1986, the county bought the sprawling bungalow-style home built for Shakespearean actress Madame Helena Modjeska. Since purchasing the property, officials have stated that they intend to use the home as a park site. But residents balked at proposals that threatened to increase noise or traffic in this remote community.

At one point, the county proposed holding weddings, receptions and parties on the grounds of the home. Residents furiously objected to the idea, complaining that they would soon be swamped in drunken revelry from those events.

Some of those events would still be allowed under the new proposal, but they would be limited to four per year, down from 10 in the management plan’s previous draft. The latest proposal also calls for eliminating a picnic area and for limiting visits to approximately 60 people a day, down from 150 proposed in an earlier draft.

Liquor also would be prohibited at the park.

“It sounds a little better than what the county had been proposing,” said Suzanne Holt, a 13-year-resident of the canyon and a critic of the earlier plan. “This is our home, and we’ve been upset about the prospect of big crowds and traffic.”

Built for Madame Modjeska in the late 1880s, the home has long stood as the jewel of the 180-home community near the base of Saddleback. The home sits back from the narrow road running up the canyon, hidden by groves of shade trees.

The building is undergoing extensive renovation, and the park is not expected to be open until late next year at the earliest. Meantime, county officials are conducting an environmental impact study, and they hope to return that, along with a final management plan, to the Board of Supervisors this fall.