​State Awards Home Front at Camp Anza the 2016 Governor's Award

October 10, 2016
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The State of California will give its highest honor in the field of historic preservation to a new Wakeland affordable housing community in Riverside, California, that transformed a rundown old Army training camp into a vital new community of homes for veterans.
 
On November 10, Wakeland's Home Front at Camp Anza project will be presented with the 2016 Governor's Historic Preservation Award at a special ceremony in Sacramento. The housing development includes 30 new two- and three-bedroom bungalows arranged around a restored historic building that was an Army Officers Club during WWII and is now a community center for residents that includes a history room commemorating the site's rich military past as "Camp Anza."
 
Home Front at Camp Anza was developed by Wakeland in partnership with the City of Riverside and Mercy House Living Centers, which provides on-site services for residents in the historic community building.
 
"Wakeland and our partners are so honored to receive this award for a property which has restored new life to a little-known treasure of WWII military history," said Wakeland President & CEO Ken Sauder.
 
The project has become a point of pride for the local neighborhood and garnered attention at the state and national level for its unique concept.
 
"This is the culmination of several different entities working successfully together with the common goal of providing quality affordable housing and excellent services to our veterans," said Riverside City Councilman Jim Perry. "This award brings prestige to the neighborhood and the City of Riverside. It's through this historic preservation project we are able to provide others the opportunity to succeed."
 
To ensure the historic preservation process went smoothly, Wakeland hired a consultant to help the development team navigate the delicate balance between preservation standards and modern building methods and materials.
 
"Home Front at Camp Anza is model for affordable housing and historic preservation partnership," said project historic consultant Jennifer Mermilliod. "By uncovering the story of Camp Anza and reinventing the Officers Club for a new generation, this project has demonstrated a true commitment to neighborhood revitalization while also honoring our veterans and the City's critical role in the WWII war effort."
 
Funding for the $14 million project came from a variety of sources, including the City and County of Riverside, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, U.S. Bank and the Home Depot Foundation.
 
ABOUT GOVERNOR'S HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARDS PROGRAM
Established in 1986, the Governor's Historic Preservation Awards are presented annually under the sponsorship of the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) and California State Parks to projects, individuals, and organizations whose contributions demonstrate significant achievements in preserving the heritage of California. The history of California is embodied in buildings, structures, sites, and objects that provide tangible links to the people and events that shaped California's growth and development. Since 1986, more than two hundred Governor's Historic Preservation Awards have been given in recognition of exemplary efforts to preserve those connections to California's past.