LA HABRA : $2-Million Center Is Dedicated

About 150 residents and elected officials on Monday dedicated the $2-million Community Center at La Habra Boulevard and Euclid Street.

The center, which is not yet completed, will have meeting rooms and receptions halls for group gatherings and social events. Officials said the center is expected to serve thousands of people annually.

Twelve old buildings--including the office where former President Richard M. Nixon practiced law--were torn down to make room for the center.

Preservationists had fought for more than a decade in an effort to get the city to keep Nixon’s law office and other historic buildings from being razed. They lost their battle when the city decided to erect a new community center, but history will be preserved, officials said.

The spot where the former President’s desk once stood will be remembered with brick marker and a plaque honoring Nixon.

The center is expected to open in January.

Officials said the center cost less than the cost of restoring the old buildings, which included the Wester Hotel and the city’s first two-story brick business building.

Kent A. Roberts, a former councilman who fought for the preservation of Nixon’s law office, said he looked forward to seeing the building complete.

“I hope (the center) will be a benefit for the city,” he said. “Nothing can be done to bring back the Nixon building. That’s history, and we’ve got to move on.”