Earthquake: The Long Road Back : Council Panel Backs Bid to Raze Peirano Building

Saying that needed seismic reinforcements would be too costly, a Ventura City Council subcommittee Wednesday recommended a developer’s proposal to tear down the historic Peirano grocery store to reveal an 18th-Century Spanish laundry under its foundation.

The recommendation dealt a serious blow to local history and art leaders who want to save the 117-year-old landmark across from San Buenaventura Mission and convert it into a municipal art gallery.

The three-member subcommittee threw its support behind a proposal by Ventura Realty Co. to buy the Peirano building from the city and demolish it to show off a lavanderia that may have been used by Spanish missionaries.

Ventura Realty wants to raze the structure, then rebuild the facade of the Peirano building on Main Street. Under the proposal, the lavanderia would be the main focus of a courtyard surrounded by a restaurant, shops and offices.

Although the Peirano building is designated a state landmark, the city can allow its demolition as long as a series of federal and state environmental reviews are conducted, state officials said.

If the building is not sold to Ventura Realty, the city could tear it down. Otherwise, the city would have to reinforce the structure at 204 E. Main St. and make other seismic repairs before leasing it to tenants.

City leaders have balked at the estimated $430,000 cost to repair the old brick grocery store, which is boarded up and vacant.

“We have to ask ourselves some pretty hard, cold questions,” Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures said. “At what point, at what cost, do we do historic preservation?”

Following last month’s 6.6-magnitude earthquake, city officials said the unreinforced masonry building suffered some cracks in its walls, and some plaster is ready to collapse. No one is allowed to enter the building without a hard hat, Associate City Planner Monica Nolan said.

Ventura Realty’s proposal to take the Peirano building off the city’s hands is a tempting one for Ventura officials, who have been unsuccessful in leasing the building since 1987 because of the high costs to make it satisfy earthquake safety codes.

Discovery of the lavanderia under the building has further complicated its future. The lavanderia , a large pool that may have been used for the mission’s laundry, is only one of seven discovered in the state. City officials unearthed it in September, 1991, when they were planning to replace part of the floor.

Tom Wood, president of Ventura Realty, said the lavanderia has a greater historical significance than Peirano’s grocery store and would be highlighted in his proposed development. Wood said he would like to keep the Peirano building, but it would be too costly to upgrade.

As part of a compromise, Wood met with historical and art leaders Wednesday to discuss the possibility of carving out space in his proposed development for a municipal art gallery.

History and art leaders want to keep both the building and showcase the lavanderia as part of the proposed art gallery. They argue that the city has an obligation to preserve the Peirano building, the oldest brick structure in Ventura.

Under the plan submitted by the Ventura Artists’ Union, art shows would be held at the Peirano building year-round, and the gallery would be rented out to groups for special events. The group is offering to operate the gallery for the city for free, and is asking that the city pay for restoration costs.

“The money is there if the City Council wanted to preserve it,” Ventura artist Richard Peterson said. “It’s obviously not a priority for them.”

Miriam Mack, the city’s former redevelopment director, said a previous council had purchased the building in 1987 for $185,000 for historic preservation purposes.

“We bought the building because we wanted to ensure that it would be rehabilitated correctly,” Mack said.

But the political makeup of the council has changed since then. Most of the present council members were elected on pro-business platforms, and the three-member subcommittee’s view is likely to be adopted by the entire council, since only one more vote on the seven-member City Council is needed.

With that in mind, the Ventura Artists’ Union is marshaling for a political battle to win over a majority of the council. The 31-member group, made up of artists and historic preservation activists, is preparing to write letters of support to local newspapers and the council, and hold fund-raisers to help pay for the building’s rehabilitation.

“If we have 200 people at the council meeting, maybe we can change their minds,” Peterson said.

City officials said the council is scheduled to make a decision on the Peirano building by early next month.