Ford House Restroom Remodel

White ford house remodeled restrooms on mendocino coast
 

Heritage-Inspired Renewal

Completed: 2021

Location: Mendocino

Climate Conscious Measures:

  • Art and Architecture

  • Recycled Greywater Ready

 
 

Mendocino Headlands State Park is the home of the Ford House Visitor Center and the only public restroom in the downtown of Mendocino. Built in 1986 in the Victorian Vernacular style of Mendocino, the building had become rundown and not representative of the quality of life in Mendocino. The non-profit, Mendocino Area Parks Association (MAPA) prioritized raising funds to begin the process of upgrading the facility. They hired local architect, Debra Lennox, to study how to best upgrade and expand the restrooms to add more accessibility as well as quality to the experience of being at the Headlands Park for locals and visitors alike.  

Art & Architecture complement each other, and this was an opportunity to incorporate educational artwork into the tile design of the restroom walls. The program called for gutting the existing building, incorporating the space of the existing porch, and adding small gable entry porches over each door, while increasing the number of fixtures available to the public.  Facing the ocean, the mens’ & womens’ rooms accommodate multiple users, and the tile refers to the colonial wainscot of the early Mendocino logging community, while the individual universal family restrooms that face Main Street are embellished with unique nature tile murals, created by local native artists, Eric Wilder, Meyo Marrufo & Bonnie Lockhart. Elizabeth Cameron, Executive Director of MAPA facilitated the connection to the Native community.  Working at the Mendocino Art Center, with funding from the Mendocino Community Foundation and local donors, they created artwork that speaks to the natural world of the Mendocino coast, as well as using basket patterns from the Pomo Basket weavers tradition as a framework for each mural.  

Working with the excellent staff of MAPA (now MendoParks) and CA State Parks, this project addressed the current issues of accessibility as well as sustainability. The plumbing in the new building was built in anticipation of the community availability of recycled water, with “purple pipe” installed to be activated later when the recycled water became available. The exterior lighting is “Dark Sky compliant”, meaning the light doesn’t interfere with viewing the spectacular skyscape at night by being shielded, downcast, and low wattage. Mechanical ventilation is energy efficient, and there is even a water fountain that overspills into a stone basin for the thirsty dogs visiting the town! Thanks to Jenny Heckaroth from MAPA for that idea. 

 
RemodelTorrey DouglassCommercial, Mendocino Coast, Remodel