Fort Vancouver Cultural Landscape Report

GENERAL DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

One of the major objectives of the design recommendations for Fort Vancouver is to develop preservation treatments that support the park's general management objectives; to reserve, restore, and reconstruct (when appropriate) key cultural landscape features that are critical for interpreting the landscape at the height of the HBC historic period (1844/46). This objective also strengthens the goal of the park's Interpretive Prospectus to interpret two major historic themes. The primary interpretive theme is the role of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in the exploration, settlement, and development (including agricultural development) of the Pacific Northwest. The secondary theme is the western military frontier and the role of Vancouver Barracks in opening the Northwest to American settlement. Expanding these interpretive themes can be accomplished through the implementation of the following management concepts and general recommendations, which constitute the framework of the landscape plan.

Two areas within the park boundaries are not addressed in the design recommendations; the army-owned portion of Vancouver Barracks, and the Burlington Northern Railway berm/right-of-way which is maintained by the railroad company. If the army-owned property south of East Fifth Street becomes Army surplus, it is recommended that this property be acquired by the National Park Service. Upon acquisition, historic resources at Vancouver Barracks should be documented and evaluated. If there is no historical significance or integrity associated with the Vancouver Barracks landscape, reconstruction of HBC historic features should be considered.

General design recommendations are organized into six program areas: Management Concepts, Interpretation Circulation, Structures, Vegetation, and Small-scale features. The final landscape plan is implemented in three phases: more detailed recommendations are included within each phase.

MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS

1) Reestablish the overall organization of the cultural landscape illustrating the extent of the historic development by reestablishing boundary-defining features such as fences, gates, roads, and paths. Interpret or reconstruct key HBC landscape features such as the garden, orchard, cultivated fields, Kanaka Village, the stockade, the river front, native vegetation, and circulation systems.

2) Clarify interpretive objectives for the Vancouver Barracks Parade Ground and the relationship between Vancouver Barracks and Fort Vancouver.

3) Restore, when accurate documentation exists and when possible, historic land use patterns and relationships related to the cultural landscape.

4) Materials and designs should be compatible with the historic period but should allow for contemporary maintenance practices, accessibility, and visitor safety concerns. Remove, relocate or screen contemporary intrusions that interfere with the historic scene, such as the maintenance storage area.

5) Designs, materials, and landscape treatments should be compatible with historic practices and used consistently throughout the park to provide visual continuity, and enhance the overall historic character of the park (including the noncontignous parcels).

6) All reconstructions and restorations must be based on accurate documentation. Implementation of the final plan is contingent on additional research and planning as outlined on pages 139 to 163.

INTERPETATION

1) In collaboration with park and regional staff, expand and implement the "Interpretive Prospectus" and incorporate the design recommendations outlined in the Cultural Landscape Report.

2) Expand the preservation and awareness of the park's archeological resources by undertaking additional archeological investigations and incorporating these ongoing projects into the park's interpretive programs.

CIRCULATION

1) Reestablish historic circulation routes based on historic documentation while protecting archeological evidence. As appropriate, establish pedestrian routes that provide access to all major historic landscape features such as the stockade, Kanaka Village, the river front, the garden, orchard, fields, and pastures. Follow historic routes when possible.

2) Reestablish the historic entry to the stockade by relocating the primary entrance and parking lot south/southwest of the stockade. The proposed entry road is to be connected to a proposed Highway 14 frontage road. The parking lot should be located in Zone II. No parking should be allowed within the core historic area (management zone I).

3) All parking lots and trails should comply with current accessibility standards, and should be compatible with the historic scene by being informal in character. The surface material should be soil and/or a compacted, crushed aggregate surface, treated to control dust, and roads should not have curbs.

4) Restore East Fifth Street to its historic appearance in order to mitigate contemporary traffic problems (vehicle speed) and for visual continuity. Replace asphalt with the same surface material used for the above circulation features.

STRUCTURES

1) All historic reconstructions should be maintained and included in a cyclic maintenance preservation program that addresses long-term preservation requirements for individual buildings.

2) Initiate archeological investigations to accurately locate non-extant historic structures that are important in understanding the historic character and function of the landscape. Based on this research, three levels of preservation treatment are recommended:

A) If a structure is not located archaeologically but its general location has been depicted on the historic base map, interpret the building or cluster of buildings with appropriate wayside exhibits/panels.

B) If a structure is accurately located, visually delineate the location of structures by constructing " post-on-sill" foundations.

C) If a structure is accurately located, reconstruction may be considered. Reconstructions should not be undertaken unless accurate archeological and historical documentation is available. When considering a reconstruction the following criteria should be met before it is approved:

a) There must be enough artifacts excavated and historical documentation available to accurately develop architectural construction drawings. Base the level of research required on the type and degree of research used for the existing stockade reconstructions;

b) Reconstruction of a building must be critical to the interpretation of the site;

c) In situ archeological material must not be adversely affected by the reconstruction.

3) Contemporary structures, except wayside exhibits and a fee station, should not be located in the core area (management zone I). Whenever possible, reconstructed historic buildings should be adaptively used for contemporary functions.

VEGETATION

1) Reestablish key cultural and native vegetation from the historic period including the garden, the orchard, cultivated fields, the pasture/prairie, and native vegetation such as the coniferous forest edge, the riparian edge, and landmark specimens such as the five Douglas-fir trees along Lower Mill Road.

2) Any remnant historic vegetation, such as the two Douglas-fir and two Oregon oaks on the parade ground, should be evaluated by a tree specialist and placed on a cyclic maintenance schedule. The pear tree north of East Fifth Street, that has been identified as an old variety, should be evaluated to determine if it is a species that originated in the historic period and could be grafted for the garden and/or orchard. Seeds from historic vegetation should be gathered to use as replacements when the historic vegetation dies.

3) In collaboration with resource management staff, prepare a comprehensive Vegetation Management Plan which addresses reestablishing the historic vegetation (introduced and native).

4) Whenever possible and as appropriate, mitigate the contemporary visual intrusions and create a visual boundary for the site by reestablishing the historic vegetation. For example, planting portions of the Douglas-fir forest west of Kanaka village serves two purposes, it screens the transportation corridor and reestablishes the historic scene.

5) Contemporary, non-native ornamental trees north of East Fifth Street should remain, unless there are safety concerns, until recommendations to reconstruct the historic vegetation are implemented. For aesthetic reasons, prior to implementation, a consultation with park staff and a historical landscape architect should occur to consider selective removal (rather than total removal) of trees.

SMALL-SCALE FEATURES

1) Determine the historic locations of small-scale features and when accurate documentation exists, reconstruct key features that enhance interpretation of the landscape, including fences, wells, belfry, gates, flagstaff, and cold (or hot) frames.

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