New Life for a Vacant Building

Moving the Conejo Valley Arts Council Center into the too-long-vacant former Thousand Oaks City Hall is a good idea that should make productive use of a languishing community asset and help energize the Conejo Valley’s arts scene.

From 1974 to 1988 the two-building complex on West Hillcrest Drive--known as the Eyebrows on the Hill for its distinctive shape--housed the municipal government of a much smaller Thousand Oaks.

Then asbestos was found in the ceilings and city workers moved out--temporarily, they thought. But city leaders, already contemplating building a performing arts center, decided instead to consolidate operations in a single building. The idea grew into the Civic Arts Plaza on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

The city considered selling the old City Hall complex to developers, whose proposals have included everything from condominiums and townhomes to restaurants and apartment complexes. But none of the proposals passed muster with the growth-averse city and so the buildings sat vacant, attracting squatters and vandals.

In 1997 the National Park Service leased the south building for its regional headquarters. By next spring the north building is expected to house the Arts Council Center and the administrative offices of the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

For now, the north building is gutted and fenced in to keep out vandals. Renovations are expected to begin by August and include new wiring and plumbing and drywall repairs. The city plans to spend $4.6 million to renovate the 36,000-square-foot building; the park district will contribute another $1 million, expected to come from the sale of its administrative building on Wilbur Road.

For 25 years the Arts Council Center has offered visual and performing arts programs at the Janss House, a 5,000-square-foot, single-story home built in 1931 as a summer retreat for Edwin Janss Sr. and his family.

In its new location the Arts Council will have triple the space, allowing for expanded art, dance and theater programs. There also will be a black-box theater with seating for up to 102 people--more than double the seats in the council’s current theater, which used to be the Janss family’s living room.

Thousand Oaks is blessed with a lively community of artists and performers of all kinds. Moving the Arts Council Center to a larger and more easily accessible space is a master stroke.