They completed the renovation in a little less than two years by refinancing their home and Weston ’ s parents ’ home , but they got it done and paid off the loans .
“ We lived on Cheerios for a while ,” Weston joked .
“ When the Granary was finished , the potential of Depot Street to be a part of downtown community life became clear to others . We had to wait about a year while Depot Street was ripped up and paved , from Fifth Street to Main Street . Once that was done , we were able to begin leasing space ,” Weston said .
Granary Wins the Gold
In 2007 , the Granary was honored as the 25th LEED Gold certified project in the world , only two points shy of Platinum , the highest level of certification .
“ We were not just the architect , but the owner , developer , and contractor ,” Miles said . “ Literally every day we encountered new situations and requirements that had to be met . We even hired a full-time structural engineer to oversee the entire demolition phase .”
The most dramatic moment came when it was time to disassemble the enormous grain hopper . They brought in a big crane to secure the hopper while they removed the legs in stages , but it was too heavy and the crane began to tip precariously to one side . According to Weston , “ The crew had to bring in three more cranes to counter-balance it , during the night , with flood lights .
“ It ’ s really a building inside a building . This allowed us to design the interior without changing the load on the exterior .
“ Adding natural light and views throughout the space was an important component in getting our LEED rating . It took a lot of work to accomplish , design-wise , but we welcomed the challenge because of the positive work environment the building now offers to everyone who works here , in every office ,” Weston explained .
The Granary is widely considered an impressive achievement in terms of design and construction given its modest $ 2 million budget . In 2009 , it achieved the Redevelopment Agency Award of Excellence ( Commercial Project of the Year ) from the State of California .
“ When it comes to the Granary , we were the right people with the right passion at the right time ,” Weston said . “ It ’ s seriously cool to think about what we were able to achieve despite all the obstacles .”
“ It was definitely a vision and our passion ,” Miles added . “ Today we enjoy sitting here from time to time and just observing people in the community enjoying the space .”
They gave a nod to the historic exterior catwalks by bringing the original grate material inside and repurposing it for walkway corridors on the second floor .
The front entrance to the building incorporates the original truck scale used to weigh the grain trucks , now welded in place .
“ To retain the historic character , we kept Isaacson ’ s star , a large metal star covered in lights and mounted near the top of the silos . It was one of the highest points of the Morgan Hill skyline . We turn the lights on every year during the winter holidays ,” Weston said .
“ It ’ s been twenty years since we bought the property ,” Miles said . “ Many farmers and ranchers have stopped by to share stories about the agricultural history of the area . Others have stopped by to talk about the architecture .”
Top Left : the Granary , circa 2003 . Top Right : the Granary scale where feed mixes were weighed since 1940 , now sits inside the renovated Granary building . Photo by Barry Swackhamer . Above : Charles Weston and Lesley Miles at the Granary circa 2003 ( left ) and in 2018 ( right ).
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