VENTURA : Landmark Status Urged for Aqueduct

A 200-year-old portion of an aqueduct system built by Chumash Indians for early settlers stands hidden in homeowner Ron Smith’s basement. While the cobblestone-and-mortar aqueduct may be out of sight, it definitely is not out of the minds of either Smith or Ventura city officials.

Two years after he came under fire by members of Ventura County’s Cultural Heritage Board for attempting to demolish the aqueduct, Smith is trying to prove his interest in the historical structure by petitioning the state for historical landmark status.

“I never intended to tear the aqueduct down,” said Smith, who built his house in 1989 to sell as a real estate investment. He has since moved in with his wife, Carmen, and the house is still for sale.

Smith preserved most of the 20-foot-long section of aqueduct, removing only a three-foot portion to erect a stabilizing wall. The house has been built around the aqueduct, and Smith installed a glass window so the structure can be viewed from inside the basement.

But Monica Nolan, associate city planner and staff member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, said she is concerned that future owners of the house on Cedar Street may not understand the aqueduct’s significance. Even if Smith obtains state historical landmark status, she said, the aqueduct could be demolished by future owners.

The key is to catch development projects before they start to do any damage, Nolan said.

Ron Smith was allowed to build his home on the aqueduct because the city did not discover any record of the archeological site in its computers. Since then, city officials have updated their computers to include all historical and potentially historical sites so they can be alerted when developers apply for building permits.

In addition, she said, the city recently adopted a new ordinance enabling officials to require developers who plan to build at such sites to appear before its Environmental Review Committee.

The archeology study of the aqueduct on Smith’s property provided more information than any other previous dig conducted on the seven-mile system. The aqueduct once carried water from a dam near San Antonio Creek and the Ventura River to farms throughout Ventura as well as the San Buenaventura Mission.

City officials believe that the city computer now has a record of all other parcels that contain portions of the aqueduct. Before development can take place at these sites, an archeological study must be made, Nolan said.