Historic Rebirth in Simi

SIMI VALLEY —  A bit of the city’s past is just now recovering from the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Ever since the Jan. 17, 1994, temblor, which collapsed a chimney and wreaked havoc on the roof and walls, the historic Strathearn House has been off-limits to the public. School field trips and weekend jaunts to the historic property continued, but with the main attraction closed, attendance plummeted.

But the earthquake had an upside for caretakers of the adobe-turned-museum, offering them a chance to regroup, refurbish and refresh.

So now, more than three years after the 6.7-magnitude quake, the Strathearn House--which includes a 187-year-old adobe and its 104-year-old Victorian add-on--is going to have a housewarming.

The grand reopening gala tonight will mark the public’s first peek at the house since repairs have been made, with regular visiting hours to begin this weekend. Visitors will notice one big change right away.

“It smells a lot better,” said docent Chickie Wilson.

It should. The cracked walls have been stripped, newly papered and painted. The carpets have been cleaned. The books have been dusted, the draperies vacuumed.

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But that’s just housekeeping. The most dramatic changes have been structural, although they might not be immediately noticeable. The felled chimney and scarred roof have been replaced; steel beams have been installed above the dining room and kitchen ceilings; the north wall was shored up as well; and a new green kitchen floor has been laid.

The damage, in fact, wasn’t even a surprise, said Pat Havens, president of the Simi Valley Historical Society, which oversees the Strathearn Historical Park and Museum. The property owner, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, had commissioned a report prior to the Northridge quake that identified every weakness in the prized Strathearn House.

The district pooled money from insurance and federal grants to pay for the $160,000 repairs. Structural repair work was actually completed in October.

Since then, Havens and the volunteer docents have been sorting through and cataloging their household goods, some of them originals from the Robert Strathearn family, who bought the ranch in 1892.

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Visitors to the house will now be able to view a portion of its original adobe bricks and dirt floor, which were exposed during the repair work. Workers encased the opening in plexiglass.

Also on display will be artifacts recovered during the construction phase, including an unscathed bottle and a woman’s shoe, circa 1860.

Outside, new grass surrounds a gazebo, with a rose garden in full bloom off to one side. The park district plans to rent the facility for weddings.

Walking through the house, Havens stops and points out that the dining room still needs borders for its new brown leaf wallpaper.

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But, she adds, “Nothing’s going to hold up opening it back up. We never quite reach perfection.”

Tonight’s gala will be from 5 to 8, and include wine and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are $5 for Historical Society members and $7 for nonmembers. Regular visiting hours with guided tours are offered from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and at 1 p.m. Wednesdays.