Pretty as a Picture : Volunteers Give a New Look to Landmark Oxnard Museum Building

It is a relic of downtown Oxnard’s booming past--a classical-style building built in 1906 that has served as the local library, City Hall, police headquarters in a 1970s detective show “Dan August” and now, the Carnegie Art Museum.

But in recent years the arts center, with its decaying facades and peeling paint, was not living up to its potential as an official Ventura County Historical Landmark--the first county building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, city officials say.

Large trees blocked the building from sight, and the once-striking ornamental fixtures on its roof were crumbling.

During a recent visit, Oxnard Councilman Tom Holden said he was impressed with the beauty of the building’s well-maintained interior but was saddened by its blighted exterior.

After Holden was told by city officials that there was no money to fix up the exterior, he talked with friends in an Oxnard paint firm to see if the company would donate the needed materials, and asked if they knew of any painters who would be willing to work for free.

He was happily surprised to find the answer was yes to both: Dunn-Edwards Corp. chipped in more than 100 gallons of paint and primer, and Holiday Painting volunteered to do the job.

The result: One of Oxnard’s most beautiful old buildings received a $20,000 make-over for a cost of about $2,800 to the city.

After accepting the job and examining the condition of the building, Mark Bowles, owner of Holiday Painting, worried that he was in over his head.

“It looked like an old building in disrepair,” Bowles said. “I thought the scope of the work was too much for us to do for free.”

But Bowles told his workers that they were not being asked to restore the building entirely, just improve its appearance.

“It looked real tacky, Bowles said. “Now it’s a clean, smooth building.”

Holden is already praising the volunteer effort.

“I’m glad to see that there is still a small-town commitment in Oxnard,” he said. “It brings back memories for the people who knew the building the way it was, and with the removal of trees, it shows the rest of the people what we have there.”

In addition to the painting and repair work, there are plans to spruce up the surrounding landscaping to highlight the museum’s new look.

“It’s been a long time and it was pretty obvious that it was needed,” said James Faulconer, Oxnard Recreation and Community Services director. “It’s a historical building, an important part of our community. It adds not only to the building but the whole downtown area.”

Meanwhile, museum officials hope the improvements lead to a new appreciation of the building--built with a $12,000 grant from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie--and the exhibits it showcases.

“Hopefully, it will increase the attendance,” museum curator Suzanne Bellah said. “It certainly is a major sprucing up of the building, and it will show everyone how valuable this facility is to the county and the arts.”