City Council Votes to Sell Peirano Building : Development: Ventura Realty plans to destroy most of landmark. Artists and preservationists protest the sale.

Despite passionate appeals from local artists and historic preservationists, the Ventura City Council early Tuesday decided to sell the 117-year-old Peirano building to a developer that plans to raze most of it to show off an old Spanish laundry beneath.

Saying it would be too expensive to do an estimated $430,000 in seismic repairs, council members voted 6 to 1 to let Ventura Realty take the Peirano building off their hands for $75,000 to $100,000.

Councilman Gary Tuttle supports demolishing most of the old grocery across from San Buenaventura Mission, but voted against the measure because he wanted to preserve more of Peirano’s west wall.

“I’m in favor of historic preservation, but we can’t ignore the imposition on the city tax dollars,” Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures said before voting. “When we look at nostalgia, we don’t like to look at dollars.”

Ventura Realty plans to destroy most of the state historical landmark and highlight a lavanderia underneath that may have been used by Spanish missionaries 200 years ago.

To appease preservationists, Ventura Realty officials have decided to keep the front and west side of the city’s oldest brick building, and the lavanderia will be the main focus of a courtyard surrounded by a restaurant, shops and offices. City officials will also negotiate with Ventura Realty about leasing space in the complex for an art gallery.

But about 80 artists and preservationists packed the City Council chambers to speak in favor of another developer’s proposal because it would save the old grocery and an adjoining photography studio, which would be converted to a municipal art gallery. Preservationists submitted petitions with about 2,000 signatures to save the building.

“People who destroy their past have nothing to build their future on,” said an artist known simply as Marushka. “My concern is if that building comes down, other buildings will follow.”

Council members, however, told the audience that economic revitalization of the city’s downtown is more important. Few people came to speak in favor of the Ventura Realty proposal, which made the decision harder for council members.

“Downtown has been very shaky economically,” Councilman Steve Bennett said. “Politically, the wisest thing for me to do is support the (other) proposal.”

Hoping to win over some artists, council members directed that city officials negotiate with Ventura Realty about finding space in the project for a municipal art gallery.

To please preservationists, the council also decided to keep the front of Peirano’s and at least 25 feet of the west wall intact. Tuttle, Bennett and Councilman Jack Tingstrom pushed for keeping 46 feet, but were outvoted.

The council’s action ends years of debate over the fate of the old grocery. In 1987, the city purchased the Peirano building for $185,000, intending to preserve it and lease the space.

But few tenants were interested because city officials wanted them to pay for most of the $430,000 in needed seismic repairs.

When the lavanderia was discovered in September, 1991, it further complicated the building’s future. Last year, in an attempt to lure tenants, the council decided to give future renters the option of covering up the lavanderia.

On Tuesday, however, the council pushed for exposing and showcasing the lavanderia as outlined in Ventura Realty’s proposal.

The lavanderia , only one of seven discovered in the state, is a tile-lined pool that may have been used for the mission’s laundry. It is tied into the mission’s aqueduct system and dates back to the 1700s.

Ventura Realty officials said the project would be ready in as early as two years.