Doomed Building to Get Historical Evaluation

The demolition of Glendale’s 61-year-old Public Service Building has been halted while its historical value and the costs involved in preserving it are explored.

Glendale’s three-member Environmental and Planning Board last Thursday unanimously ordered the preparation of an environmental impact report on the building after the Glendale Historical Society and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects objected to its proposed demolition.

The board--which consists of Glendale’s planning director, public works director and city attorney--rejected a staff proposal that the building be preserved only in photographs and videos.

The panel’s decision does not guarantee that the building will be saved, said David Bobardt, a city planner. But he said the environmental study will evaluate the building’s historical significance and look at ways to keep it in public or private use.

He said the study will take about eight months to complete.