FULLERTON : Old Mansion’s Days Could Be Numbered

City officials say no developer or contractor has yet presented a plan to save a 19th-Century mansion, dimming hopes that the historic structure can be saved from the wrecking ball.

The residence, known as the Stanton Home, is one of only a dozen or so Victorian-style houses left in the city. It was to be moved from 233 E. Amerige Ave. to make way for a 50-unit apartment complex for low-income senior citizens, but the house was seriously damaged in an Aug. 3 fire that left rehabilitation plans in limbo.

The city’s Redevelopment Agency has received no concrete proposals for saving the mansion, distinctive for its oversized windows, layered-shingle siding and towering roof. In September, the Planning Commission agreed to delay a decision on whether to demolish the home until at least Nov. 13.

“If we don’t have anyone on line or anyone in mind, the Planning Commission may grant the demolition permit,” City Planner Bob Linnell said.

Terry Galvin, the city’s redevelopment director, said that some people have expressed interest in saving the structure, but he has yet to hear from them regarding any specific plans.

A preservation group, Fullerton Heritage, is also trying to find a developer or contractor to save the 3,000-square-foot home, which was built in 1895. One developer has been trying to find a vacant lot in Fullerton for the home, said David Zenger, a member of Fullerton Heritage.

“We have only a handful of these two-story Victorians left,” Zenger said. “We’re still hopeful.”

Although the home is believed to be named for one of its early occupants, Jenny Daniel Nunlist Oswell lived there for almost 50 years until 1974.

“It was a great old house,” said Marge Yorba, Oswell’s granddaughter and the wife of Yorba family descendant Bernardo Yorba III. “We had a lot of good times there. We sure would love (to have) it saved.”

After Oswell’s death, the home was sold to the First Lutheran Church of Fullerton and leased to a shelter for battered and abused women, and later to a Cal State Fullerton wrestling fraternity, Yorba said.

The First Lutheran Church of Fullerton has an agreement to sell the half-acre site where the home sits for $750,000, Galvin said. But the church is responsible for clearing the land before turning it over to the city.

“From our point of view, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of urgency to see the demolition,” Linnell said, adding that the senior complex developer has not yet submitted drawings.