Court Bars Demolition of Historic Mansion

An appeals court has issued an order preventing demolition of the historic Anoakia mansion until litigation is resolved over whether the structure should be removed to make way for a gated community.

The 2nd Appellate District issued the temporary stay late Monday at the request of an attorney for the Friends of Anoakia. The preservation group is suing the city over its December 1999 approval of a plan to raze the 50-room mansion and related buildings, located on a 20-acre estate at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Baldwin Avenue.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe last month gave the go-ahead for the demolition by rejecting that lawsuit’s claims that the Arcadia City Council failed to consider alternatives that would preserve the mansion.

“This means the judgment of trial court is suspended,” said Susan Brandt-Hawley, attorney for the members of the friends group. “We’re claiming the historic resources have to be protected. The court of appeal is asserting jurisdiction over the case and has stopped the demolition.”

Brandt-Hawley said she hopes the court makes the order permanent once she and city attorneys file further legal briefs in the case.

City officials say they have complied with state law and explored all viable options.

The estate, which has sat empty for nearly a decade, was built in 1913 by Anita Baldwin, the daughter of Arcadia founder Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin.