Decision on Historic House Delayed

Faced with stiff public opposition, the La Canada Flintridge City Council has postponed adopting an agreement that would make the city responsible for operating a historic local home as a public museum.

The decision came Monday night after a vocal protest by members of the audience who said the city has not adequately estimated the cost of operating the Lanterman House, located in the 4400 block of Encinas Drive.

The council scheduled a study session and public hearing for March 19, immediately before the next City Council meeting, to further discuss the matter.

The draft document considered at Monday’s meeting would establish the financial obligations of the city and the Lanterman Historical Museum Foundation, which was established to direct the restoration and raise funds for the project.

The draft, written by foundation members, calls for the city to manage the property, pay for insurance and hire a professional museum director.

A grant for $500,000 from the State Office of Historic Preservation for renovating the house has been extended through June, 1991. The grant does not provide for maintenance, utilities or insurance.

Councilman Chris Valente said he could not vote to approve the proposed agreement without first knowing what it would cost the city.

Councilman Ed Phelps said he believes immediate council action on the agreement could incur operating and restoration expenses of more than $1 million for the city, based on cost estimates made by the foundation.

After presenting his concerns to the meeting by means of a series of overhead transparencies comparing the Lanterman House with Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach, he proposed a dozen initial changes to the agreement.

Phelps moved that the council appoint a neighborhood committee and delay consideration of the document until that committee has gathered input from the community.

But council members Joan Feehan, O. Warren Hillgren and Ed Krause said they want to consider the financial obligations in the draft of the document before appointing a neighborhood committee.

After a 3-2 vote against Phelps’ motion, the audience began to chant “3-2, 3-2,” disrupting the meeting for about half a minute. The audience’s response referred to the fact that council votes have often split, with Valente and Phelps pitted against the three other members.

The conditional-use permit for the Lanterman House stipulates that a committee be appointed to monitor the impact of the museum on the community, although no deadline was set for its creation. Foundation members are eager for the city to appoint the committee and approve the agreement so that they can begin work on the Lanterman House before state funds expire.

The Lantermans were one of the pioneer families in La Canada. Their 1915 Craftsman house was donated to the city in 1985 by Lloyd Lanterman, the last surviving member of the family. However, the estate did not provide funds for renovating or maintaining the house.