BUENA PARK : Historical District Considered for City

Two historic homes may be moved to a new location on Beach Boulevard across from City Hall to be part of a newly created historical district to preserve the city’s past.

The City Council today will consider the relocation of the homes, the establishment of a historical district and the purchase of the property.

The council’s meeting has been changed from Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the council chambers, 6650 Beach Blvd.

The Whitaker-Jaynes estate and Bacon House, both owned by the city, are on Manchester Boulevard near Beach Boulevard next to the Santa Ana Freeway.

The Whitaker-Jaynes home was built at the site in 1887. The Bacon House, a squatter’s shack built sometime in the 1850s, was moved in 1976 from its original location on Beach Boulevard.

“For the sake of preservation, we’re supporting the action to move the houses,” said Dean Dixon, a board member of the Buena Park Historical Society. “I think it’s kind of a win-win situation. The city gets property for economic development, and we get a historical district that uses these two houses as a centerpiece.”

The house relocation is proposed to make room for expansion of the Manchester Boulevard auto center.

“Whether a dealer opens there or not, the idea of centralizing those two historic buildings closer to downtown and the Civic Center helps to unify in one place the historical picture” of the city, said City Manager Kevin O’Rourke.

“There’s been too much destruction of our heritage,” he said. “Here’s an opportunity to preserve Buena Park’s heritage.”

Wes Morgan, director of recreation, parks and community services, said the city’s vision is to create a place where the homes will be permanently preserved and other buildings of historical significance are protected.

The proposed site is on the west side of Beach Boulevard, between 9th and 10th streets, south of the Santa Ana Freeway.

Other landmark structures on the block include the First Congregational Church and the former Stage Stop Hotel, which are among buildings planned to be included in the historic district.

The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, will consider spending $568,000 for the project. The money will come from the Redevelopment Agency.

May Hui, assistant director of development services-economic development, said the property owner has accepted the city’s offer of $225,000 for the quarter-acre parcel. An additional $15,000 is planned to be spent on relocation costs. An office and a home are currently on the property.

The cost to move the two historic homes is about $20,000. About $300,000 was budgeted for landscaping and construction of restrooms.

The council will also consider awarding a contract for $8,100 to hire a landscape architect to develop a master plan for the historical district grounds.