78 Buildings Given Demolition Reprieve : Recovery: City is told funds are available to restore historic structures, even those not officially recognized.

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 structures citywide that were “red-tagged” and declared public nuisances. The owners were given 30 days to make repairs or face demolition.

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 are available to restore such structures.

In addition, they said the city’s record of historically significant buildings is not complete because a survey in the San Fernando Valley has not been finished.

“A lot of the Valley has historic buildings, despite the myth that the Valley has no historically significant buildings,” said Pam O’Connor of Historic Preservation Partners, an alliance of state and local historic preservation agencies.

Building and safety officials said public safety--not historical significance--was top priority when buildings were inspected after the quake. However, 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 many historic buildings, particularly in the Valley, have not been recognized by the city. “We believe we need time to review this,” said Linda Dishman, Los Angeles Conservancy spokeswoman.

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

Leon Valencia said the building’s owner was struggling to find the money for repairs. “I think it will be good news for the owner,” he said.

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

Senior Building Inspector Larry Galstain said the city has yet to file plans to repair the building. But he added that city officials have notified him that the building will be restored. “Obviously, it’s not going to be demolished,” he said.

Owners of the 78 buildings were notified two weeks ago that they had 30 days to make repairs or the city would hire a contractor to demolish the structures. More than 50 of the buildings are in the Valley.

On Thursday, the commission either granted extensions on the demolition deadlines or postponed final decisions for two weeks.

Most owners appealing for more time said they were in the process of submitting plans for repairs. A few said they needed an extension because they had yet to get loans or insurance settlements for repairs.

The owner of a red-tagged five-unit apartment complex in Sherman Oaks said she was debating whether to rebuild because quake-damaged buildings on both sides had been abandoned and overrun by gang members and graffiti vandals.

The commission gave her 45 days to get a repair permit and another 90 days to complete repairs.