We Can’t Survive on Memories Alone : Farmers Market: A venerable institution needs an expanded economic base, lest it go the way of other well-known landmarks.

In this increasingly diverse city, where opinions differ on everything from malathion spraying to whether Robert Guillaume or Michael Crawford is the better “Phantom,” one thing seems remarkably free from controversy: No one wants to lose Farmers Market.

The market is a wondrous world of hustle and bustle, of freshly made fudge and the first kiwi fruit you ever saw, of tourists in saris and turbans and irresistible puppies tumbling over each other in the pet store window.

The market is a reflection of times past, when Los Angeles seemed simpler, girls wore poodle skirts and penny loafers and you could take the Red Cars to Pasadena or the beach. The market is Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, “Father Knows Best” and “Leave It to Beaver.”

The market is Los Angeles as we like to remember it--and Angelenos are determined that nothing will destroy it.

No one is more determined to preserve the market than I am. My great-grandfather, Arthur Fremont Gilmore, pioneered the 3rd-and-Fairfax area in the 1870s, and my grandfather, Earl Gilmore, opened the market in 1934. My happiest childhood days were spent at the market, running up and down the aisles with the boys and girls whose parents owned the food stalls. Like me, many of them followed in their parents’ footsteps. The market has many second- and even third-generation businesses.

For me, the question was never whether to preserve the market--but how.

Throughout the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, the market was unique. Where else could you find peaches out of season or ripe, red apples almost as big as cantaloupes? But improved farming techniques and refrigerated trucks and air freight changed all that. In recent years, “farmers” and “ranch” markets have sprung up throughout the Southland, often linked to major retail malls. They have been joined by multiplex theaters and food courts offering a range of fast foods and ethnic menus. In short, today’s mall is an entertainment mecca, the gathering place of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Of course, Farmers Market remains special. Local shoppers and tourists are still drawn by the wonderful array of specialty food items and by the spectacular quality of the produce, meats and seafood.

But in today’s competitive climate that’s not enough. And I worry about that.

The market may be a neighbor of the La Brea Tar Pits, but I don’t want it to go the way of the dinosaurs. Everyone mourns the loss of Los Angeles’ unique landmarks: the Brown Derby, Punch and Judy ice-cream parlors, the Ambassador Hotel and the glamorous Mocambo and Ciro’s. And you frequently hear the complaint, “Why didn’t someone save them?”

The answer is surprisingly simple. We may treasure the memories, but without an adequate economic base, these landmarks simply couldn’t be saved.

That’s what the project we’ve proposed will provide for the Farmers Market--an economic base to ensure its future. Surrounding the market with acres of surface parking may be a quaint reminder of the ‘50s, but it doesn’t work in the economic reality of the ‘90s.

The Farmers Market project will provide many benefits to the community: shopping, entertainment and dining options, jobs, local revenues and new housing. But the project’s primary focus has always been on preserving the market. Extraordinary pains have been taken to ensure its historic integrity and to protect it during construction.

* The project planner was selected because of his firm’s track record in combining new construction with historic restoration.

* The construction schedule was carefully designed so that market operations can continue uninterrupted, even though it will result in significant additional cost.

* About $22 million will be spent on specially located parking for the market and on new kitchens, loading docks and warehouses to replace outdated facilities.

Farmers Market has endured for more than 55 years; many consider it a Southland institution. But even institutions fail without sufficient drawing power. The proposed development at the market will provide that drawing power and protect a venerable landmark, ensuring for future generations an increasingly rare experience--a glimpse of Los Angeles as it was more than half a century ago.