Ansel Adams Gallery Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment

This rehabilitation project includes the Ansel Adams Gallery and two residences behind the Gallery. These buildings are historic for their association with the internationally recognized photographer, Ansel Adams who lived and worked there for half a century. Originally constructed as Best's Studio in 1902, and improved upon and occupied by Ansel Adams and his family through the 1970s, these buildings are in the Yosemite Valley Archaeological District, the Yosemite Village Historic District, and on the National Register of Historic Places.

The environmental assessment evaluates the No Action Alternative and three action alternatives.
• Alternative 1 (No Action) - assumes that existing conditions would continue including routine maintenance and repairs.
• Alternative 2 (Conservation) - focuses on the preservation and repair of existing fabric and intact character-defining features.
• Alternative 3 (Building Performance) - maximizes building performance by providing a higher degree of seismic safety and energy efficiency with a greater level of intervention.
• Alternative 4 (Balanced Rehabilitation - balances conservation of historic fabric and the optimization of building performance.

Alternative 4, the environmentally preferred alternative and the NPS Preferred Alternative, balances conservation of historic fabric and optimization of building performance. This alternative rehabilitates the Ansel Adams Gallery Complex using architectural and structural design tailored to improve building performance and retain historic integrity. To implement comprehensive seismic and structural strengthening and energy efficiencies, this alternative would preserve and repair certain historic materials and elements where feasible, and replace in kind others. Alternative 4 would provide reasonable accessibility, safety, site circulation, and drainage improvements while retaining the historic materials and features that characterize the property.

Document Content:

Ansel_Adams_EA.pdf   (6.4 MB, PDF file) Ansel_Adams_EA_Fact_Sheet.pdf   (150.5 KB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.