SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Couple Alters Fate of 110-Year-Old House

A historic cottage was saved from demolition this week when a local couple agreed to buy it and move it to an adjacent empty lot.

The 110-year-old Hankey/Rowse house, a crumbling, blue-gray Victorian just off Ortega Highway that is on the list of the city’s historic landmarks, will be restored. The house, formerly the center of one of the area’s earliest citrus farms, at one time was the home of a French priest who served at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

City officials expressed relief Tuesday that the house would be saved.

“I’m really excited the house will be preserved,” Mayor Collene Campbell said. “It’s a win-win situation all the way through.”

As recently as August, it appeared the deteriorating house would have to be demolished. After living in the home since the 1920s, the Hankey family had vacated the deteriorating structure and requested permission from the city to demolish it and subdivide their one-acre parcel.

A year ago, city officials attempting to preserve the city’s history denied their request. But the Hankeys appealed to the City Council and won permission to demolish the home in August.

Ultimately, it was San Juan Capistrano residents Michael and Lisa Palmer who came to the home’s rescue. The couple agreed to buy the home and restore it for Michael Palmer’s parents, said Marjorie Le Gaye, the Hankeys’ attorney.

The final hurdle in saving the home came this week, when the council unanimously voted to allow the Hankeys to subdivide their property. Under the proposed agreement, the Palmers will buy one of the lots and move the home just a short distance, Le Gaye said.

As envisioned, the house will be turned around to face Via Cristal. The garage will sit on the Ortega Highway side, Le Gaye said.

The other three lots will be eventually sold as sites for single-family homes similar to those in surrounding neighborhoods, Le Gaye said.