City May Save Victorian House

A 19th-Century Victorian house scheduled to be razed by a developer in August may now be purchased by the city following a recent City Council vote.

Responding to community protests against the demolition, the council approved a motion Oct. 30 by Councilman Mike Hernandez directing the Community Redevelopment Agency to prepare a recommendation on acquiring the property at 2377 Scarff St. known as the Hodgman House, and to set aside enough money to buy the property.

The house, named for Edwin C. Hodgman, a Civil War ferry captain and a Los Angeles civil servant and businessman, is within the CRA’s Adams-Normandie project area. Two state preservation agencies and the U.S. Department of the Interior have designated it as a “contributing structure” within the St. James Park historic district north of USC.

Chris Carbonel, a Torrance developer who owns the property, said he planned to demolish the house and build townhouses for low- and moderate-income residents. Carbonel had received an expedited demolition permit from the city after he said the property was damaged during the April-May riots. The city had eased procedures to allow property owners to rebuild quickly.

But a few neighbors opposed to the demolition stopped the wrecking crew Aug. 8, and city officials later said the permit was improperly issued because there was no evidence that the damage to the house was riot-related. At Hernandez’s urging, the City Council postponed further attempts to demolish the house for two months before agreeing to ask the CRA to consider alternatives.

Among the alternatives proposed by some residents is the rehabilitation of the house for use as a child-care center, said Jim Childs, a neighbor and chairman of a CRA advisory group.

The CRA is to report back to the City Council this week with its recommendations for the property. Carbonel said he would be willing to sell the property for its fair-market value as long as the city agrees to seal the deal in “a timely fashion.”