Rockhaven Sanitarium friends object to new asylum proposal for historical Montrose site

Proponents of converting the long-shuttered Rockhaven Sanitarium into a public park didn’t appear motivated to budge from their position Thursday after meeting with a psychiatrist who wants to revive the property as a treatment center.

Timothy Pylko, who practices in San Marino, said he got goose bumps the first time he toured the 3.4-acre site and saw potential in treating nonviolent patients who would be there just for some “propping up.”

“People need a place of asylum, so that they can get away from the stresses of everyday life and be able to do some intensive work,” he said during a meeting of the Crescenta Valley Community Assn.

Part of his vision includes preserving the more than 20 structures on the Rockhaven campus — closed since 2006 — that would house patients. Adding a few structures to serve as medical offices and constructing a subterranean parking lot with spaces for about 100 cars are also parts of the plan.

There would also be a small public park, but, for the most part, the property would be closed to the public.

Most of those in attendance were members of Friends of Rockhaven, which wants to reopen the entire sanitarium to the public, so the idea of cutting off public access didn’t go over well.

Resident Sue Fitzsimmons, a member of Friends of Rockhaven, said she wants people to be able to walk inside every single structure.

“If you were to move in, you would be using the building, and that kind of takes away the idea,” she said.

It would be as if the historic Doctor’s House in Glendale was to be restored, but the public would be prohibited from visiting it anymore, Fitzsimmons said.

Rockhaven opened in 1926 and is bounded by Pleasure Way as well as Honolulu, Hermosa and La Crescenta avenues. The city bought it in 2008 for $8.25 million to protect it from development. However, in 2014, numerous proposals to add retail or housing came forward but ultimately fizzled.

Now, there’s renewed interest from two outside groups whose plans have already been heard by the Glendale City Council, which will have the final say. However, there’s no indication currently of moving forward with either proposal.

Aside from Pylko’s plans, Brooks Street and Lab Holdings, LLC want to add a commercial element by converting the existing structures into stores and restaurants, said Jo Ann Stupakis, president of the Friends of Rockhaven board of directors. Also, there would be new on-site housing, so shop owners could live there.

Stupakis said the developers have a reputation of preserving existing buildings while adding new uses.

“They’re very interested in our input, and they don’t want to butt heads with us,” she said. “They don’t want to bulldoze it, that’s not what they do.”

Resident Bill Weissman, another member of Friends of Rockhaven, said when considering these proposals, it may ultimately come down to picking the “least worst” option. He said he would rather leave Rockhaven undeveloped and open it to the public.

“We’re patient. We can wait as long as there’s enough money to keep the site in its state of arrested decay,” he said.

Neither of the interest parties has met with the City Council, but their plans were presented to council members by city staffers during an Oct. 6 closed-session meeting.

City Manager Scott Ochoa said the city has no commitment at the moment about doing anything with Rockhaven.

Mike Morgan, who serves on Friends of Rockhaven’s board of directors, said the group will continue its push for a park and part of that entails constantly mailing postcards to council members.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @arinmikailian