By Nick Casey

When the Duveneck family purchased Hidden Villa Ranch in 1923, they could not have foreseen the minor uproar in 2006 that has delayed restoration of a porch on its small white house.

The house and its original porch were constructed nearly a century before the Duvenecks’ purchase. Legend has it that the materials were brought around Cape Horn in the late 1840s for the daughter of a Spanish consul.

Today the house is used as a communal residence for young adults serving in Hidden Villa’s internships, live-in programs that focus on environmental education and organic farming.

After research into the original structure on the site, funds remaining from a 2002 capital campaign were appropriated to restore the deteriorating porch, said Beth Ross, executive director of Hidden Villa.

The construction met resistance from some board members, she said.

“Concerns have been raised as to the historical appropriateness of the peak in the porch roof,” she said. “The peak was added to enable the porch to be widened in that area, ensure necessary head clearance and provide more usable outdoor space on that side of the building.”

One board member, Steve Barrager, e-mailed the Town Crier in February: “Last week while visiting Hidden Villa, I discovered a porch being added to the house. It is not even close to the original architecture. It changes the whole look of the building.”

Balancing the needs of the resident interns and concerns about the historical accuracy of the house has been a dilemma since designs for the restoration were approved in the late 1990s.

“The goal,” said Ross, “is to create a safe, comfortable and functional living space for Hidden Villa interns while not losing the historic character of the white house.”

She said the California building codes raised additional hurdles.

Barrager said, however, that he worries that Hidden Villa staff may not appreciate the full historical significance of the building. He said the staff “took the liberty of designing a new look for the ‘White House.’”

“It isn’t too late to modify the improvements to respect (its) historical integrity,” he added.

Because of board members’ concerns, Ross said, plans have been temporarily halted while the board members, the Duveneck family and the construction teams are consulted further.

“The executive committee of the board is reviewing options going forward and will make a decision on how best to proceed in the very near future,” she said.