A Landmark Event Will Take Place at Old City Hall

When Police Capt. Chuck Babcock started his career in 1970, Placentia was a small city with a small Police Department in a building so small the property room was a closet with a lock on the door.

The space was “crowded and we were constantly trying to adjust for growth,” Babcock recalled.

But the former City Hall building at 120 S. Bradford Ave., completed in 1940 as a Works Progress Administration project, played a role in shaping the future of the city.

As orange groves disappeared and houses sprouted, plans for community development made their way through the one-story Spanish Colonial building with a red-clay tile roof.

Today, to preserve the building, now privately owned and converted to the College for Appraisers, the City Council has declared it a historical landmark.

“We’ve wanted to do it for a long time and we felt it was appropriate because it was the first City Hall,” said Marie Schmidt, vice chairman of the Placentia Historical Committee.

The building, accented with interior archways and arcaded porches in the courtyard, was City Hall until October 1974, when a new city administration headquarters was built on Chapman Avenue and Kraemer Boulevard.

The old City Hall joins 12 other structures in Placentia that have been deemed historically significant. Those buildings include the former Placentia Library, Valencia High School, George Key house and Bradford house.

David Long, who bought the City Hall building four years ago, said he supports the historical designation.

“We looked at 30 different buildings” when the college was searching for a place to build a campus for its 1,300 students studying for certificates in such fields as antiques and collectibles, fine arts, textile, vehicle and gemology appraising.

“This was just perfect. It’s beautiful and I think it’s an honor to have a building that qualifies for historical designation by the city.”

Long said the building’s exterior has not been changed, although a decorative wrought-iron fence has been added to the front. Interior restoration also has been done. Some changes inside include turning the jail cell into a college book store.

A ceremony dedicating the historic landmark will be April 12 at 2 p.m., followed by a reception. An art and antique show will begin at 9 a.m.

Information about the event: (714) 579-1124.

To share information about the building: Adrienne Gladson, city liaison to the historical committee, (714) 993-8124.