Oceanside

Oceanside officials, faced with evidence that a building due to be razed to make way for their new civic center was designed by noted architect Irving Gill, agreed Tuesday to study the old structure’s significance before permitting its demolition.

Council members, sitting as the Community Development Commission, voted unanimously to spend as much as $10,000 for an environmental impact report that will evaluate the building’s historical and architectural significance and give civic leaders some ideas on what to do with it.

The building in question is Oceanside’s existing City Hall, a simple white adobe structure completed in 1934. On Monday, officials announced the discovery of evidence revealing that Gill, a California architect known for his “anti-ornamental” style, had designed the building.

A second Gill building, a fire station just east of City Hall, is being retained as part of Oceanside’s new $17.5-million civic center, a campus-style complex designed by Charles Moore. But Moore did not include City Hall in his plans. That building appears as a grassy knoll and parking area in the architect’s renderings.

Among options the council will consider are retaining the building’s facade, relocating it or proceeding with its demolition as planned.