Watson School Historic Park
Christo & Jeanne-Claude Running Fence Watson School Historic Park
Location
15000 Bodega Highway, Bodega, CA
What You Need to Know
Hours |
The park is temporarily closed. For more information, see Watson School Restoration Project below. |
Parking |
There is no charge for day-use parking. |
Dogs |
Permitted on leash no longer than 6' in length. |
Facilities |
Portable restroom. Picnic tables on grassy area. |
Highlights
Watson School was built in 1856 and was active as a school until the late 60's. Although the interior is closed to the public, visitors are welcome to walk up to this historic building to get a close up view of a one-room schoolhouse.
Adjacent to this historic building is Christo & Jeanne-Claude Running Fence Park. This quarter-acre park provides a small parking lot and picnic tables. A port-a-potty is available.
Watson School Restoration Project
Estimated Completion Date: March 1, 2012
After nearly 2 decades of silence in the classroom, Watson School is getting a much needed facelift thanks to a generous donation to the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation by a former student. The school has been closed to the public for nearly two decades as a result of a failing foundation, and the building has been braced for several years to keep it from falling over from the strong winds that blow up the valley from the coast.
The project components include raising the building and installing a new concrete foundation, performing seismic work to the walls and roof consisting of new plywood sheathing, framing and connectors, constructing new decks, installing new siding, trim and fascia, new exterior paint and finishes, new accessible parking space and loading area, and accessible paths of travel to the building, family picnic site and portable restroom.
The construction of improvements to the historic Watson School will begin on November 14, 2011, and the parking area and other amenities will be closed during several phases of the project. The project is anticipated to take several months to complete, depending upon favorable weather conditions.
The purpose for restoring this structure is to stabilize the building and make it safe for limited public access, and to protect and preserve this invaluable cultural and historical resource for future generations to use and enjoy. The Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation hopes to have a dedication ceremony in the spring of 2012 to celebrate the completion of this phase of restoration.
For questions on this project, contact Mark Cleveland, Senior Park Planner at (707) 565-2041 or at Mark.Cleveland@sonoma-county.org.
Read more about this project, in cooperation with the Regional Parks Foundation.