Vandenberg US AFB, Lompoc, CA

Harris Environmental completed documentation and analyzed adaptive reuse options for the Sudden Ranch, a circa 1880s to 1960s cattle ranch located on the Pacific Coast within Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California. We documented a total of 12 structures through architectural descriptions, and digital photographs, and used this information to evaluate each structure, and the ranch as a whole, for their eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), including an assessment of their integrity. The ranch also was evaluated as a possible historic district under the context of coastal cattle ranching. Harris Environmental performed extensive research at the local and state level to document each building and the district with California Department of Parks and Recreation forms and then analyzed many adaptive reuse options for the property. This included the use of the property as a nature preserve, university research facility, archaeological field school, or recreation facility. Each option, as well as alternatives that include documentation and demolition or moving one or more of the structures to another location, were evaluated and analyzed in the resulting adaptive reuse report to assist Vandenberg AFB in determining the best options for managing the Sudden Ranch property and the historic structures within it. Analysis included contacting parties interested in using the property, arranging a site visit for these parties and recording rough order of magnitude cost estimate for each option with consideration to viability, expected costs, safety issues, and any expected public relations impacts. Our report was presented to the Commander of the 30th Space Wing of the United States Air Force to aid in providing direction on the best course of action for the Sudden Ranch property.