ORANGE : Orange Unified Fears Historic Designation

The federal government is studying whether to list the former Orange Unified School District headquarters on the National Register of Historic Places despite the opposition of school district administrators.

The California State Office of Historic Preservation made the recommendation earlier this month after the Old Towne Preservation Assn. nominated the 79-year-old structure for the honor.

But district officials contend that the building, at 370 N. Glassell St., is unsound because of earthquake damage and that it would cost the cash-strapped district millions of dollars to bring the building up to safety codes.

Moreover, the district administrators say the four-acre parcel could lose more than half its appraised value of $2.4 million if placed on the National Register because the listing would significantly limit future development on the site.

According to a study by Donahue & Co. Inc. of Newport Beach, tearing down the former headquarters and building townhomes in its place would bring the greatest financial gain for the school district.

“The building is just not salvageable,” said Frank Remkiewicz, the district’s planning director. “This (historic designation) substantially decreases the value of the building. If you take $2.4 million out of the hands of any school district in California in this day and age, you really have shortchanged the children.”

But area preservationists say it’s more than a matter of money. If the building is destroyed, Orange will lose an important part of its history, said Robert Boice, an Old Towne Preservation Assn. board member.

“We consider the property in jeopardy,” Boice said. “I believe there is firm support for the preservation of this building both inside and outside the city.” Remkiewicz said that if the structure receives the historic designation, its future uses will be limited to such public facilities as a library, museum or community center that could not generate enough revenue to pay for the extensive rehabilitation the site would need.

But Boice said similar buildings on the East Coast have been converted into housing and retail shops.

“If the building is in disrepair, that’s the district’s fault,” Boice said. “I realize we’re in difficult financial times and it’s easy for any entity to say they can’t afford it, but from a historic standpoint, the building is irreplaceable.”

Remkiewicz said the district plans to document the building’s hazards in hopes of demonstrating to Orange city officials that the site is unsafe and should be torn down despite its possible listing on the National Register.

The two-story building was built in 1914 and served as Orange’s first junior high school. It was also used as the district’s administrative headquarters.