Restoration has been a long time coming to Capitola's Rispin Mansion, and it has often seemed like it would never come at all. The now-unusable 7,000+ square-foot mansion was last occupied in 1959, and the City of Capitola bought the property in 1985, but just this year construction finally began to turn the landscaped and extensively hardscaped grounds into a city park named "The Park at Rispin Mansion". In 2011, the city "entombed" the building by restoring its roof and floor, and closing up all openings to the outside. No further restoration of the building is planned. Situated across Wharf Road from the new Capitola library (see Changes post #), the new park will be another nice public amenity in that neighborhood.
