Westside : Landmark Damaged by Fire Should Be Torn Down, Officials Told

Santa Monica officials heard testimony Wednesday that the nine-story Sea Castle apartment building, ravaged by fire last week, should be torn down.

Firefighters, police officers and structural engineers expressed health and safety concerns about the burned-out structure to the city’s Nuisance Abatement Board.

The board continued the hearing on the fate of the Sea Castle until Friday to give attorneys representing the building’s owner a chance to present information on their plans, said Laurie Cottrell DeVarney, spokeswoman for the city.

However, members of the Nuisance Abatement Board have indicated that the testimony they have heard is swaying them in favor of issuing an order to demolish the 70-year-old building, DeVarney said.

Robert Braun, the Sea Castle’s owner, was present at the hearing but declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the board directed Braun to erect security fencing around the property and to board up openings in the structure. Braun also must provide 24-hour security once the city has completed its investigation, DeVarney said.

In the interim, the Santa Monica Police Department will continue to provide security, she said. The city also will monitor the air quality around the building and, if there is evidence that hazardous materials have floated into the air, it will wet down the building, DeVarney said. . . .