LINCOLN HEIGHTS : Groups Engaging in Jail vs. Rail Debate

The recent designation of the former Los Angeles City Jail as a historic building could stall by as much as one year efforts to demolish the building to make way for the Glendale-to-Burbank extension of the Blue Line.

The designation was approved by the City Council two weeks ago. Still, it remains unclear whether the jail ultimately will survive and if community organizations based in the building will be allowed to continue their work there.

“There’s no definitive decisions made yet,” said Carmen Zapata, a founder of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, which has operated a community theater at the building since 1980. The foundation takes up 20,000 square feet of the 300,000-square-foot Art Deco building at 401-421 N. Avenue 19.

Unless public outcry grows or alternative plans are offered, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority could very well tear the building down, said Michael Diaz, a board member of the Los Angeles Conservancy and a member of the Lincoln Heights Preservation Assn.

The transit authority is considering two plans: one that would tear down the old jail and a building behind it, and another that would tear down privately owned buildings across the street.

Because the agency would have to relocate the community groups in the jail to other rent-free locations, the cost to tear it down and extend the rail line there would be $55 million, said project manager Peter De Haan. The alternative of relocating the businesses across the street would cost $54 million.

Although the jail’s historic designation does not automatically save the building, De Haan said it does say something about the desire of residents to save it.

“It is something that we are required to take into account” in the final environmental impact report, which will be submitted to the board early next year, De Haan said.

The building has been used in recent years by community groups that lease space from the city for nominal fees. The Los Angeles Youth Athletic Club has occupied the top floor for several years, Zapata said. Other tenants include the Community Youth Gang Services, the Aztlan Cultural Foundation and artist Leo Limon.

The second floor, which has original jail cells, is frequently leased by movie and TV studios.

“The bigger issue is not the issue of just saving the building because it’s historical, but saving the building because it’s a terrific resource for the community,” Diaz said.