LA HABRA : Fate of Nixon’s First Law Office Pending

The fate of former President Richard M. Nixon’s first law office was delayed this week by the City Council, which will decide whether restoration costs will justify saving the 70-year-old structure that houses the office.

A group of residents have been lobbying the city to restore the law office at 135 W. La Habra Blvd., where Nixon practiced law from 1939 to 1942. The group is also pushing to preserve the old Westin Hotel, at 121-125 W. La Habra Blvd., and integrate both buildings into a community center.

The law office and the hotel are two of several condemned structures along the 100 block of West La Habra Boulevard that are currently slated to be torn down. The city-owned buildings, constructed before 1933, do not meet earthquake-safety standards.

The council on Tuesday night voted to advertise for demolition and to solicit separate bids for knocking down all of the structures on the block or destroying all except the law office and hotel. The final decision on the demolition bids and on the future of the two buildings will be considered at the council’s March 17 meeting.