OCEANSIDE — The Mission San Luis Rey de Francia will breathe life into a more than 200-year-old structure on its historic grounds that once served as a place to bathe and wash clothes.
The Oceanside City Council unanimously approved a historic permit to repair and restore walking paths and fencing, install interpretative signage and benches, and plant a native plant garden at Mission San Luis Rey’s lavandería site.
The lavandería, or open-air laundry, once operated as the mission’s bathing and laundry site. Aqueducts diverted water from the San Luis Rey River to the washing station, channeling water into the Spanish mission’s gardens and fields for irrigation.
Designated as an archaeological site in 1955, the lavandería is now accessible to the public and is a stop on the mission’s walking tour. Visitors can see remnants of its tiled stairs, water channels and stone pools that still stand today.
The restoration will address portions of the lavandería overgrown by plants and where its structures have deteriorated. The area also lacks educational signage, which would be added throughout the site during restoration.
The project would also extend a pathway to the Hacienda Mission San Luis Rey assisted living apartments, located next to the lavandería.
“This is a project we’ve had on our radar for about 20 years,” said Gwyn Grimes, the Mission’s executive director, referring to the City Council’s adoption of the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia Planned Development Plan in 2003.
Grimes noted the mission had to scale back its plans for site restoration since the plan was approved 20 years ago. However, she believes now is the perfect time to restore the site with the Hacienda apartments online.
“This is literally the front door of their community,” Grimes said. “It would be wonderful for them to stroll the grounds of the Mission San Luis Rey lavandería.”
According to Grimes, the lavandería was the first place in the present-day United States where aqueducts diverted water from the San Luis Rey River.
“It’s just an amazing archaeological and educational area,” Grimes said.
The mission, one of 21 California missions stretching from San Diego to Sonoma, welcomes approximately 8,000 fourth graders from around the region each year to learn about its history.
“They learn about ecology and conservation and how it’s been done for centuries, so it’s a wonderful area that we really feel needs a lot of love right now,” Grimes said, adding that the Mission now has funding for the project and support from the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians.
Oceanside Senior Planner Shannon Vitale said tribal monitors will be present during restoration work that requires ground disturbance.
