Huntington Beach : Old Downtown Buildings to Be Studied, Catalogued

Old buildings in downtown Huntington Beach will soon be studied and catalogued by city staffers working with a historical resources expert and members of the Huntington Beach Historical Society and Antiquities Commission.

The City Council approved the concept Monday and called for proposals to have an expert coordinate the study. In addition, the city staff will work on the project using redevelopment agency funds, although no more than $15,000 may be spent.

About 15 volunteers will be needed, according to the society’s report, and the project would take from six months to a year for completion. It would concentrate on the downtown area, bounded roughly by Lake, Goldenwest and Clay streets, and Pacific Coast Highway.

Barbara Milkovich, who is heading the society’s end of the effort, said the committee would investigate as much as possible, including a rumor that Jean Harlow once owned a home on 9th Street. “We’re not looking for things like where George Washington crossed the Delaware,” she said. “We’re looking for where Tom Talbert (a city historian and former mayor) lived.”

Society president Kelly Losie, in a letter to the council, said the study should be done “before the city loses touch with its history. The purpose is not to delay future projects but to record fragile elements of daily life in Huntington Beach history.”