At UUCB’s congregational meeting on November 16th, the congregation voted to authorize the Board to sell or donate the church’s Freestone property. The conflict surrounding decision-making over this property has been a focus of congregational concern for many years, and the property holds symbolic and emotional significance, of many different kinds, for a number of UUCB’s members.
We now face the challenge and opportunity of holding a process that: 1. Prioritizes care for those grieving or hurt by the decision and the process by which it was made; 2. Takes time to honor what the Freestone property has meant to the church and our members, and memorializes its history, and 3. Engages in creative discernment about how we can best serve our mission and vision in how we donate or sell the property.
Click here for Directions to Freestone
On March 26, 2024 the congregation approved Board Resolution 22-1, thereby authorizing and launching the future development of UUCB’s Freestone property in Sonoma County. For ongoing information about the Freestone Property and the Freestone Oversight Committee (FOC), please read the Beacon on the Hill, our monthly publication.
Description of the property:
A forty-foot geodesic dome, stained in an earthen-redwood color, sits atop one of the rolling hills in Sonoma County. Pines, Douglas firs, oaks
and madrones creep up the nearby slopes, yet from its westward-facing deck, a panoramic view greets the eyes: gentle hills and valleys stretching to the horizon, a lone “mountain” rising in the distance. The peaceful nature – the space – of the surroundings, and the space within the dome lend themselves to the repose and quietude for a spiritual as well as a physical retreat.
For more active days during your stay, potential excursions abound. The property is located three miles from the village of Freestone, six miles from central Sebastopol, eight from Occidental, and thirteen from Bodega Bay.
Within the dome, a free-standing, glass-encircled, wood-burning fireplace with its towering chimney serves to take the chill off on cool days. Large picture windows on three sides frame spectacular views; and at the east curve of the dome, a double counter marks off space for the McDaniels memorial kitchen. Three sets of pine trestle tables and benches, and four couches with removable foam seat and back cushions – all designed and built by members of the Freestone Committee over the years – complement the rural setting. Outside, under the nearest of several 200-year-old valley oak trees, is a barbecue pit. There is also a fenced platform that has been used for weddings and tent camping. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms (one with a shower) adjoin the domed great room. Each bedroom can sleep two or more persons; with the couches and foam sleeping pads in the dome itself, a maximum of 16 persons can be accommodated overnight. A well, drilled in 1992, provides a plentiful supply of clear, fresh water. In order to help maintain the serenity of the surroundings, there is no television service. Cell phone reception is good.
See a 12-minute video of the construction of the Freestone Dome by volunteers in the 1970s.
For more information, to arrange a daytime visit, or to join the Freestone Committee, contact Dave Wemmer.
