A New Vibiana’s Could Be Close to Current One

If Cardinal Roger M. Mahony decides to build the new St. Vibiana’s Cathedral at another location, he might not stray far from home.

Mahony and his advisors have been studying six sites within about a mile of the current, earthquake-damaged cathedral, according to sources involved in the search.

Two of the downtown sites are across the street from the existing St. Vibiana’s, and three are within a few blocks. Another strong contender reportedly is adjacent to the former Union Oil building, along the west side of the Harbor Freeway between 6th and 4th streets.

Mahony is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday to announce whether he will abandon the current site at 2nd and Main streets because of legal tussles with preservationists and because of delays in acquiring adjacent land on the same block. Mahony wants to demolish the old church and replace it with a $50-million complex.

Some city officials and archdiocese advisors expect the cardinal to say he will move the site. One source familiar with the negotiations said Mahony might announce a tentative agreement to buy one of these properties, but that a final decision on the location will not be made by Monday.

Some preservationists have long suspected that talk of finding another location is another pressure tactic in the cardinal’s campaign to tear down the old building and lower land purchase prices.

Two properties outside of downtown also are being considered--in part because the archdiocese already owns them. Those are the former campus of Alemany High School, now sitting unused in Mission Hills near the San Fernando Mission, and a former Catholic school, now leased out to the nonsectarian Ribet Academy, near the Glendale Freeway in Glassell Park.

However, archdiocese officials have said those are unlikely contenders because of their distance from the archdiocese’s new administrative offices in the Mid-Wilshire district and because of the industrial surroundings of the Glendale Freeway site.

Brother Hilarion O’Connor, the archdiocese’s construction director, declined to discuss specific locations for Cathedral Square, which is to be designed by Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo and is to include a cathedral, rectory and other buildings on an estimated four acres.

He acknowledged, in general, that prime considerations are whether land can be acquired quickly at a fair price and without any zoning or historic preservation questions. The cardinal has said that land might cost at least $6 million.

“Obviously, we want to be in a suitable location, not overshadowed by high buildings,” O’Connor said. And the prospect for improving the surrounding area remains important to the cardinal, according to O’Connor.

But some city officials and downtown business leaders fear that Mahony’s desire to dedicate the cathedral by September 2000 might put a premium on a fast land purchase instead of finding the site that will best aid a revival of downtown.

Some participants say that land held by a single owner might be most appealing even if the land is not centrally located or attractive. Privately held land might presentfewer problems than sites that have multiple owners or are government-owned and encumbered with extra rules of sale.

“We are concerned that if the church is fed up, it will take the easy choice and make a 1,000-year decision out of frustration,” said one city official. “We hope a decision will be made to stand the test of time.” That source, like others interviewed for this article, requested anonymity.

All six downtown sites present advantages and problems, according to several people familiar with the properties. They are:

* A slice of the area surrounding the now vacant Union Oil building xjust west of the Harbor Freeway, between 6th and 4th streets, Beaudry Avenue and Bixel Street. Its one owner is eager for new development. Although the location might offer spectacular freeway views of a new church, a cathedral there might be too isolated and too far from mass transit.

* The county-owned site that now contains an aging parking structure running along the top of Bunker Hill between Grand Avenue and Hill Street, 1st and 2nd streets. Close to the new subway and the downtown core, it would face the unbuilt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank O. Gehry. “When Disney Hall gets built, having a Moneo cathedral across from the Gehry design would be pretty interesting,” said one official. But the cardinal might not want to compete visually with the concert hall, and the site’s slope might add expenses.

* The county-owned parking lot between Temple Street and the Hollywood Freeway, Hill Street and Grand Avenue, often used by visitors to the Music Center and the county Hall of Administration. Part of its appeal is its proximity to historic La Placita Church and Olvera Street, but the freeway presents some barriers and aesthetic issues.

* The site along 1st Street between Spring Street and Broadway, which has been vacant for 20 years since demolition of a quake-ruined state office building. Facing City Hall and the Criminal Courts Building, this is a highly prominent spot but joint ownership by the state, county and city might present complications. It might be too much in the shadow of City Hall.

* Just across 2nd Street, between Main and Los Angeles streets, to the north of the current cathedral. Much of the block is a parking lot owned by the California Department of Transportation, which usually requires more time and evaluations to sell than do private owners. This site would give the cathedral high visibility. The current cathedral land might be incorporated, perhaps for a rectory. “Urbanistically, it would be really nice,” said one city official. But several private owners along 1st Street might be involved, and the plan might require moving the new Latino Museum of History, Art and Culture.

* The block immediately to the west of the current cathedral, now dominated by the long-empty Higgins Building, at the southwest corner of 2nd and Main streets. It might entail complicated acquisition with several private owners.

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Possible Sites

In downtown Los Angeles, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese is looking at six alternative sites for a new St. Vibiana’s Cathedral. Their approximate locations are shown here.

1. Part of the property surrounding the now vacant Union Oil building.

2. A county-owned site that now contains an aging parking structure facing the proposed Disney Concert Hall.

3. A county-owned parking lot often used by Music Center audiences.

4. A vacant lot across from City Hall and next door to the Criminal Courts Building.

5. Just north of the current cathedral, consisting mainly of a parking lot owned by Caltrans.

6. A block immediately west of the current cathedral, now dominated by the long-empty building that once housed the county engineering department.