Council Gets $9-Million Plan for Civic Auditorium

The Glendale Parks and Recreation Division on Tuesday unveiled a $9-million plan to renovate the Civic Auditorium.

The new plan, presented to the council in a study session, should be ready for council consideration by the end of next month, said Parks and Recreation Director Nello Iacono.

The renovation project calls for the addition of 5,000 square feet of meeting-room space to the main building and the construction of a three-level parking structure.

Other enhancements include new floor covers, plumbing and electrical improvements, and installation of two full-service kitchens, a new sound system and landscaping.

The Civic Auditorium, a Spanish colonial revival-style structure, was built as a public works project in 1938. It is home to popular community events such as antique shows, high school dances and beauty pageants.

The cavernous building is structurally sound, but in recent years has begun to decay.

Iacono said the renovations would take three to four years to be completed.

Long Struggle

Council members had grappled for years over whether to preserve the city-owned auditorium on Verdugo Road and Mountain Street or to build a new one, then voted last year to undertake a restoration project.

Three council members praised the plan Tuesday.

“This is a good plan and we have to get something done,” said Councilman Larry Zarian, who in the past had favored tearing down the auditorium and building a new one.

Councilman Jerold Milner said he also supported the renovation project because the alternative was “too expensive and too emotionally charged.”

While the building is not considered a monument of great architectural worth, community leaders and neighborhood associations have led efforts to preserve it. Many longtime residents say the auditorium carries memories they cherish.

Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg and Mayor Carl Raggio, both strong supporters of restoring the Civic Auditorium, left the study session midway through the staff presentation without commenting on the plans.

With the parking structure, the auditorium would add more than 260 spaces to its existing 734. The auditorium parking lots are heavily used by students at nearby Glendale City College, which has little parking of its own.

The proposed plan would allow the city to control and regulate student parking by limiting incoming vehicles to one entry point.

The added parking and traffic circulation improvements would cost the city slightly more than $5 million.

The auditorium’s renovation and the additional meeting-room space would cost $4.1 million more.