Fading Treasures of Ventura is about influencing the future to include respect for what has come before. Ventura considers herself the Rising Star of the California Coast. This means that more and more public attention will be placed on Ventura as time moves on. Because of this focus on Ventura's image, it is important that we in the community take a stand and make a statement about how our city can be best represented, not only to others outside the community, but to those who live within its boundaries as well.

The old is as important as the new, because new growth takes place on the foundation of the past. Just as we have personal scrapbooks and photo albums to remind us we are members of a clan with a family heritage, so too we have a community album and history that helps us define ourselves and our roots in our greater collective awareness.

Ventura possesses unique features in its architecture and natural surroundings, yet almost daily we can see some change or erosion of her landscapes and landmarks. For example, 2005, one of Ventura's most dramatic panoramic landscapes underwent a great transformation and loss. Seaside Wilderness Park, more commonly known as Hobo Jungle, caught partially on fire and floods washed away the foundation sands under the trees that lined the waterway. (See before photo on the right and the after photo below).

The gradual erosion of natural and architectural landmarks triggered the Fading Treasures of Ventura project. As we invest our emotional identification with our surroundings, we feel great internal loss when what we experience and view is taken away either by human progress or nature's unforgiving evolution. Often, that which is left or replaced does not measure up to the pride and elegance of that which came before. This is one reason why people protest what is ironically considered progress. Too often progress is synonymous with inferior materials as well as inferior craftsmanship. Memories too tend to suffer loss at the demolition or destruction of the physical entity - a building or natural environment. This we witnessed when the old but not forgotten Mayfair Theatre gave way to the future in 2004. A great controversy over the fate of the gutted building proved that Venturans really care about what goes on in and around their city limits.

Fading Treasures of Ventura was not created as a protest against progress and development, but as a reminder of how we can better appreciate the unique charm of Ventura. By bringing attention to her well established iconic character, we encourage preservation of quality, which leads to a better vision of Ventura for the 21st century.