A Passion for Preservation

From plans for the Fox theater to concern over trees, Fullerton has been demonstrating an infectious enthusiasm for preserving its past and making its downtown a center of community life. The city is showing that the suburbs don’t have to mean sameness.

Earlier this month, residents showed once again their passion for preserving the beauty of their downtown area. Residents had complained, then looked on sadly as flowering floss silk trees that lined the sidewalks along Harbor Boulevard were cut up and hauled away. In a triumph of caution over aesthetics, the City Council ordered the trees removed because they had cracked the sidewalks, exposing the city to liability.

The good news for tree lovers is that not all the trees were removed--those in the median will remain--and those cut down will be replaced with smaller trees that have the benefit of thinner trunks.

Also on Harbor Boulevard, Fullerton Heritage, a local nonprofit organization with a goal of preserving local landmarks, has been planning to save the decaying Fox Fullerton Theatre. The theater, which opened in 1925, is a reminder of the era when matinees included silent films and vaudeville, and people could say with certainty that they knew what their youngsters were doing on a Saturday afternoon. The theater fell on hard times and shut down in 1987. Supporters have been canvassing malls, theaters and neighborhoods in an effort to build support for the restoration.

The renewal has been evident in other efforts to revive the downtown area. The Redevelopment Agency, established in 1974, has allocated $18 million for rehabilitation and seismic retrofitting of the train station, a banquet hall and the Villa del Sol commercial center. The latter formerly was the California Hotel and now is home to a restaurant, bar and other shops.

The city’s Transportation Center, which includes the original Union Pacific depot, now a restaurant, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe station, serves more than 900 Amtrak and Metrolink passengers daily.

These laudable efforts reflect the commitment to a simple mission outlined by A.B. “Buck” Catlin, a former mayor. He said, “We wanted the downtown to remain the center of the city.”