Red-Tagged Buildings Get Reprieve

Although a Los Angeles city panel granted 78 quake-damaged buildings reprieves from demolition, preservationists warned Thursday that the city’s demolition process may be moving too fast to save historically significant structures.

The buildings reviewed by the city’s Building and Safety Commission were the first of more than 360 quake-damaged buildings citywide that were “red-tagged” and declared public nuisances. The owners were given 30 days to complete repairs or face demolition by city-hired contractors.

State and local preservationists said they fear that many historic buildings may be razed because property owners do not know that $5 million in federal grants is available to restore historic structures.

In addition, they said the city’s record of historically significant buildings is incomplete because it has yet to complete a survey of historic buildings in the San Fernando Valley.

Despite public perceptions, “A lot of the Valley has historic buildings,” said Pam O’Connor, a spokeswoman for the Historic Preservation Partners, an alliance of state and local historic preservation agencies.

Building and Safety Commission officials said public safety--and not historical significance--was top priority when buildings were inspected after the quake. But they said buildings declared historically significant by the city or state will not be demolished without a city review.

But O’Connor and other preservationists said the city has not recognized the significance of many historic buildings, particularly in the Valley. “We believe we need time to review this,” said Linda Dishman, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Conservancy.

News of availability of historic restoration funds came as a welcome surprise to the engineer hired to restore a 96-year-old, four-unit apartment complex on Carlton Way in Hollywood.

Engineer Leon Valencia said the building’s owner, who was struggling to find money for repairs, learned of the funding after the hearing and expressed hope.

Another historic building declared a public nuisance was the Cahuenga fire station in Hollywood, the largest fire station west of the Mississippi.

Senior Building Inspector Larry Galstain said that city officials have said the building will be restored.