Fire Destroys Historic Bungalow

A suspected arson fire Saturday destroyed a historic bungalow that was abandoned and overrun by weeds but had been part of an elegant Pasadena resort in the 1920s.

The fire that gutted the structure by the former Vista del Arroyo Hotel at Grand Avenue near Green Street and threatened others may have been set by two teenagers seen running out of the brushy three-acre lot about 2:45 p.m., said Pasadena Fire Department arson investigator Steve Lawhorn.

A building housing a branch of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, several lots away from the bungalows, was once part of the hotel.

No one was injured in the fire.

For Battalion Chief Raymond L. Gordon, the fire shows how much need there is to develop the vacant property.

“It’s a nuisance for vandalism, and over the years there’s been quite a few fires,” he said. Age has weakened the structures, creating a dangerous situation for firefighters’ doing their job, he said.

Conservationists, however, are concerned that development would compromise the integrity of the buildings, some of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Gordon said.

On Tuesday, Pasadena officials are to discuss a proposal to build 45 housing units at the old resort.

Neighbors said they would like to see the property developed after decades of decline.

“It would be nice if they did something. It’s a real eyesore. There’s vagrants there, and there’s always the fear of fires,” said Bill Forman, who lives on Grand.

The Vista del Arroyo and adjacent Grand Bungalows are south of the Rose Bowl on the east end of the Colorado Boulevard Bridge.

The facilities were built around 1900, said Ann-Marie Villicana, an agent with Dilbeck Realtors who is representing the owner of the bungalows, Dr. Gopal Batra.

In the first half of the 20th century, the hotel and bungalows were a preferred destination for vacationing Easterners, Villicana said.

“The weather was really the draw,” she said.

Eventually, the hotel closed, and during World War II, it served as a U.S. Army hospital. Later, it became home to the appeals court.

Most of the bungalows have been vacant at least 25 years, though one was restored and houses the Western Justice Center, Villicana said. Seven of them are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Still, their physical condition has deteriorated.

“All of the buildings are in very bad repair because they have not been utilized in decades,” Villicana said, noting leaky roofs and termite infestations.

Through the years, the bungalows have been used by transients, she said.

Villicana has represented the owner, who bought the property at auction, for six years. The 2.9-acre parcel is listed for $2.2 million.

Villicana said it has been difficult to find an environmentally sensitive buyer. But she has worked with a potential buyer who has plans to restore the bungalows and add new housing units.