By Ken Magri
A new update on the recovery plans for Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park was presented at the Chico City Council meeting on February 4. The presenter was Matt Teague, District Superintendant of the California Department of Parks and Recreation for the Northern Buttes District. Commonly called “State Parks,” this department will make the final determination about what a recovery plan for the mansion will look like and how to enact it.
Teague started his presentation by acknowledging that the initial recovery phase of the operation has yet to officially begin. The Butte County District Attorney’s Office asked that the mansion site be left untouched as a “crime scene” until February 15, while investigators continue seeking evidence for a trial against the suspected arsonist arrested on January 2.
In the mean time, a more formal “midterm” fencing system will surround the three-story, 26 room mansion, replacing the emergency cyclone fencing and 24-hour security service that keep curious onlookers at a distance. Teague said the fence is not permanent, but will remain during the recovery period.
Teague complimented both city leaders and residents on their engagement during the entire process so far, including the multi-agency arson investigation which lead to an arrest. “It’s an inspiration to see how quickly we all come together,” said Teague.
Once begun, the first phase will include a cleanup of the site, damage assessments, building stabilization, recovery/salvage efforts and security.
During this phase, structural engineers will determine whether the building can be made strong enough to support a complete restoration, or if reconstruction or memorialization makes more sense, Current building codes and the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for the treatment of historic properties will also be a determining factor in the final decision.
In 1972, Bidwell Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Teague mentioned this national designation as another key component that adds gravitas to the state park’s recovery and helps define how that moves forward.
It will also be determined how to re-establish public access to those sections of the state park that are still intact. “We have a visitor’s center that’s still on site, we have an exhibition and a theater,” said Teague. “Those are all going to be key components to the direction forward.”
“I think with phase one, we are looking at a year at least,” said Teague.
The second phase comes with a re-imagining of what the recovery should look like. Teague mentioned “guiding principles” that will help determine how the land is used and how visitors would be able to interact with a rebuilt park that is more inclusive regarding the Bidwell’s history and their relationship with indigenous peoples.
“We have entered a memorandum of agreement with the Mechoopda Tribe. We already have a strong relationship by working with them on other projects in the county,” Teague said, adding that the tribe is in full support of the process and fully engaged.
“That’s where we look at the optimistic side of this,” he said.
Other priorities will include maintaining historical integrity, adding resilience and security to the rebuilt structure and updating the park’s interpretive programming for schools and visitors.
”This is really the core of how we move forward with stakeholder and public engagement,” said Teague.
Phase three of the recovery involves the implementation process that would finally result in opening the park to public access while any ongoing construction continues. State Parks has promised transparency and timely communication with Chico during the whole process.
In estimating timelines for all three phases, Teague said, “Obviously, it’s a long-term process for recovery on this incident.” He mentioned “several years,” adding that structural restoration efforts for California’s first ever state park, Big Basin in the Santa Cruz Mountains, have yet to begin.
The Big Basin headquarters, lodge and ranger’s station, all built in the 1930s, were destroyed in 2020’s CZU Lightning Complex Fire. “They have gone through a very robust re-imagining, re-visioning and planning process that is still underway and they still have not yet started the major redevelopment,” explained Teague.
He also referenced the recent losses of historic structures in Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Park during the recent Palisades Fire in Southern California. “We lost a 54-room historic hotel that was built by William Randolph Hearst in that fire and we also lost the original ranch house of Will Rogers.”
“I hate to say it’s the norm these days, but we are going through a lot of tragic historic cultural resources in our department,” he lamented. “This planning process is becoming not so unique.”
Regarding the financial challenge, Teague mentioned that larger recovery donation or grant dollars will be handled through the California State Parks Foundation, which has already established its own Bidwell Mansion Recovery Fund which can be supported here.
But smaller individual donations can also be sent via PayPal to the Bidwell Mansion Association can be made here. Likewise, donations can be made through the North Valley Community Foundation’s recovery fund at any Tri Counties Bank branch, or online here.
After the presentation Councilmember Katie Hawley, who once worked at the mansion, asked what kinds of toxins may have been released into the Chico air while the 12 thousand square feet building burned for so many hours. Teague answered that lead was present, but contrasted the possible toxicity from materials in such an old structure with modern industrial fires that contain many more hazardous materials.
“So what I’m hearing is that there were no reports of anyone having any side effects of smoke,” said Hawley, to which Teague responded, “Not that we know of.”
One footnote: The Bidwell Mansion Association has asked that anyone who “comes across any artifacts, documents, or remnants from the fire, please contact State Parks at 530-922-0934.” The association said that recovering “even small pieces of the mansion’s story” is vital to preserving its history for the future.
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