Altadenans Want Victorian for Town Hall

Taking the first step toward transforming a Victorian-style house into a combination town hall, museum and community center, about 20 representatives from 16 local organizations said they will form a nonprofit group to raise funds for the project.

“It’s going to take everybody’s effort,” said Tim Gregory, chairman of Altadena Heritage, a preservationist group, at a recent meeting of the representatives. “We’re facing a very grim deadline.”

Supervisor’s Support

To save the building from demolition, the community must come up with an estimated $220,000 to move and restore the Hawkins House in central Altadena before the buyer of the house wins county approval to build a mini-mall on the site.

An official of Nottingham Ltd., the Baldwin Park-based development firm that is buying the 6,000-square-foot structure, expects the approval process to take at least six months.

Another $250,000 will be sought to construct a multipurpose room and theater addition after the building is moved to county-owned land less than a mile away on El Molino Avenue.

Supervisor Michael Antonovich, whose 5th District includes the unincorporated community of 42,000, agreed at a meeting with Altadena Heritage representatives in May to support a proposed lease of the county property.

The house, built in 1891 by the Rowan family amid an orange grove, was a barn-like structure until it was remodeled in 1897 by Adelbert and Sarah Stevens. In 1915, the house became a home for retired Methodist ministers.

The Hawkins family has owned the property for the past 50 years.

Council Meets at Library

The 14-member Altadena Town Council, which has not had a permanent home since its creation 13 years ago, now meets at the Altadena Public Library.

A town hall would “improve the pride in the community,” said Councilman Duane Merrill before the meeting. “It would give you a place to hang your hat, store your records.”

Minutes from council meetings are now kept at the library. Also, historical memorabilia of the area has been in storage for three years because there is no museum, said Mary Jane Crunk, president of the Altadena Historical Society.

Nottingham Ltd. has agreed that, if it does not have to pay to demolish the house, it will contribute to the project some of the money it expects to save.

Developer’s Plan

The firm, which intends to build a small shopping center at the site, will also provide expertise from its community relations staff to publicize the project.

“We’d anticipated we might have some trouble getting a demolition permit” because of the house’s architectural value, said Jonathan Webb, director of development for Nottingham Ltd. He offered to donate the house when he met Gregory at an Altadena Land Use Committee hearing to review plans for a mini-mall.

Giving the house to Altadena Heritage “just seemed like a perfect match,” Webb said.

The nonprofit group, which seeks to protect historical and cultural resources, will be the custodian for funds raised until the new organization is incorporated, Gregory said. After that, the project would become a communitywide effort, with representatives from various local groups--including the town council and Chamber of Commerce--forming the board of directors.

“The broader the participation, the more chance for bucks,” said Ned Estey of Theatre Americana, Altadena’s 55-year-old community theater group, which also does not have a permanent facility.

Gregory, the chairman of Altadena Heritage, told the gathering that, even if enough money is not raised in time, the effort to find a building should continue.

“It doesn’t have to be (the Hawkins House),” he said. “It’s the idea of a town hall.”

Gregory said the organization would eventually assume responsibility for managing the building.

Land Use

The group plans to meet with county officials to draw up the lease for the El Molino property. Located between a fire station and a sheriff’s station, the land is designated for general public use, said Ollie Blannin, Antonovich’s senior deputy.

The County Board of Supervisors must approve the lease, and the county Regional Planning Commission must approve the use of the land.