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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Saratoga Recreation Department supervisor Adam Henig hangs out at the historic Warner Hutton House. Teens hope once the house is renovated, they will be able to hold concerts there again.

Historic Hutton House is getting a once-over

Teens are hoping to move back in after completion

By Jason Sweeney

The Queen Anne-style farmhouse is a historical landmark that serves as a reminder of Saratoga's agrarian past. It's also a great place for a rock concert.

As the Warner Hutton House undergoes renovations, Saratoga teenagers hold out hope they will still be able to have concerts there.

"Bands love playing there, and people like hearing music there," said Phillip Baker, chairman of the Saratoga Youth Commission. "It's easy to get to. People know where it is."

The youth commission sponsors about 12 concerts a year at the house that was once home to the Hutton family, which owned about 200 acres of orchards near Sousa Lane.

Last March, the Warner Hutton House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and listed in the California Register of Historic Places. The house was an orchard residence from the time of its construction circa 1896 until 1983, when ownership was transferred to California's Department of Transportation. In 1990, the house was moved from Sousa Lane to Fruitvale Avenue to prevent its demolition during construction of Highway 85.

In 2004, then-mayor Ann Waltonsmith asked the Saratoga Heritage Preservation Commission to apply for California Landmark status for some of the city's most historic buildings. Heritage Preservation Commissioners Beth Wyman, Phylis Ballingall, Bob Louden and Patricia Bailey met twice a month over eight months to work through the application process for several Saratoga landmarks. On March 17, the Warner Hutton House won approval and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and subsequently on California's list of historic places.

The house was used as an after-school youth center from 1991 until 2005, when the program was cut due to a budget crunch at city hall. The Saratoga Youth Commission continued to use the house as a venue where local teens could meet on a weekend night and see rock bands up close. With parking, a kitchen, bathrooms, a back patio and a gazebo on the lawn, the Warner Hutton House is a place where teens like to hang out that's not too far from home.

Saratoga Recreation Department director Joan Pisani said renovations at the Warner Hutton House are long overdue. "Regardless of whether the teens are still using it or not, it needed renovations either way."

Pisani said renovations begin in June and will be completed by the end of July. The interior of the house will be painted, the wood floors refinished, some of the carpets will be replaced and the back stairs will be replaced.

"Basically, for years it was a teen center for an after-school program," Pisani said. "It's taken a beating. Once it's fixed up, I'm not sure it's the proper venue for 150 kids at a rock concert on a weekend night."

While the youth commission covered the costs of concerts at the Warner Hutton House by charging admission, the 12 concerts a year there did not provide revenue to the city. Pisani said the city is looking mostly at fee-generating options for the house once renovations are completed. Some of those options include weddings, wedding receptions, community classes and renting the house for private use.

"No one wants to use it now because it's in such bad shape," she said. "The city council will have to decide what to do with the teens. One option is to move the concerts to the Community Center."

Although Baker is preparing to leave for college, he hopes Saratoga teens can continue using the house. He said the Community Center does not have the acoustics the house has, and the Community Center is much harder to fill up for smaller bands. "We would definitely like to keep the house for concerts and for expanded uses. We don't think we would have an adverse impact on any other activities the city would have in the house."

The city council will decide on the issue at its regular meeting on June 7.