2 Landmark Houses to Be Part of Planned Heritage Court

Two landmark Redondo Beach houses, which have narrowly escaped developers’ bulldozers, will be moved to Dominguez Park to become centerpieces of a planned historical and recreational area, the City Council has decided.

The council’s unanimous vote Tuesday will allow the historic Morrell House, which is on a temporary foundation at Perry Allison Playfield, and the Queen Anne Cottage on South Broadway to become part of a proposed Heritage Court at Dominguez, the 19-acre park on Flagler Lane at 190th Street.

The cost of moving the houses, both of which had been threatened with demolition, will be about $80,000, said Senior Planner Douglas McIsaac.

City officials envision that the homes, once restored, will be a cultural attraction for residents and visitors alike. Plans call for a third historic house, which has not yet been chosen, to be moved to Heritage Court, on a 1.2-acre site in the park.

Archie Snow, a former Redondo Beach council member, had filed an appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of the project. Snow told the council Tuesday that although he does not oppose moving the houses to the park, the city should have done a master plan for the park, which needs a permanent community center.

At one time, the two historic houses were discussed as sites for a community center, but it was agreed that they would be too small, council members said. In approving the relocation of the houses, council members said that a modular building there, which serves as a temporary community center, would not be demolished without council approval. Councilwoman Barbara J. Doerr said community space at Franklin School, a 27,000-square-foot city-owned building now being leased, might become available for recreational activities.

The relocation ends months of debate over the fate of the historic homes.

In March, the city rescued the 89-year-old Colonial Revival-style Morrell House from demolition by a condominium developer, moving it from North Catalina Street to the play field, on 190th Street and Cluster Lane. The city intended to create Heritage Court there, but nearby residents loudly complained that the house is an eyesore and that it wasted recreational space. The council voted in May to move the building again.

The Queen Anne Cottage, a Victorian-style house built in 1922, was to be razed in August to make way for a condominium project, but the developer agreed to delay the razing for up to 60 days.

The two houses will be moved late Friday night and early Saturday morning, city officials said.