Officials Ask Welder to Return Historic Church Gates

Almost two years ago, welder Dan Giles rescued eight gold-painted gates to a shrine at St. Vibiana’s Cathedral from a scrap heap.

On Wednesday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Conservancy and an attorney with a powerful Los Angeles law firm said they want the gates returned.

“We are going to ask for the gates,” said archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg.

The request followed a Times story Wednesday that recounted how Giles was given the ornate gates by a construction supervisor for the archdiocese while working at St. Vibiana’s.

After storing the gates in his yard since May 1999, Giles said, he recently decided to auction them on the Internet, and that’s when the controversy began.

Early Wednesday, attorney William Delvac said, he was contacted by one of the top officials of the archdiocese, Msgr. Terance Fleming, and asked to call Giles about the gates.

“I think the starting position [for negotiations] is that the gates were moved in error,” said Delvac, whose clients include the conservancy.

“Mistakes happen. People are human,” said Delvac, a lawyer with Latham & Watkins who has also represented the archdiocese.

Officials were so serious about recovering the gates that Delvac contacted the Internet auction company to have the items removed from the Web site. Giles agreed late Wednesday to take the gates off the auction block.

Giles said he was uncertain whether he will simply hand over the gates.

“What am I going to do? I don’t know,” the 60-year-old Silver Lake resident said.

Although he agreed to remove the gates from the auction and meet with Delvac, Giles said, he was troubled by what he considered threats of legal action if he did not haul the items back to St. Vibiana’s.

Delvac “said it was inappropriate that I have the items,” Giles said. “But I don’t think so. I think it was inappropriate the way the church handled them, just tossing them aside.”

Delvac said he simply told Giles he wanted to make sure “nothing bad happens” to the gates, and said it was unclear what would be done with them.

“The plan for the former cathedral is to reuse it as a preforming arts venue and the plan for the rehabilitation is in its . . . formative stages,” Delvac said.

Linda Dishman, executive director of the conservancy, said it was likely that the gates would be returned to St. Vibiana’s interior.

Neither she nor Delvac, however, said a decision has been reached about financially compensating Giles for the gates.

And that could prolong the dispute.

“I’m not broke, but I do work for room and board,” said Giles. “I told the attorney, ‘You have tens of millions of dollars floating around in the church. You are building a new cathedral.’ And at the same time, they are asking me to make a sentimental decision about returning the gates.”