Gas station will be part of park

Robert Chacon

A 70-year-old gas station on the site of a proposed mini park in

Adams Square should remain part of the park’s design, a city

commission recommended Wednesday.

The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission decided to

recommend to the City Council to approve a design of the

12,548-square-foot park that preserves and incorporates the former

Richfield Oil Co. Station at the corner of Palmer Avenue and Adams

Street as a gathering place for the community.

The streamline-moderne gas station, built in 1936, has divided

Adams Hill Homeowners, who want the gas station preserved, and a

group of Adams Square business owners, who wanted the station’s space

for more parking in the area. Advocates for demolishing the gas

station saw hope when the commission last month wavered on an earlier

decision to green-light the park’s design by the firm Rios Clementi

Hale Studios.

The commission’s concerns were based on false information,

commissioners said. Last month, commission member Armond Agakhani

said that the estimate for preserving and refurbishing the gas was as

high as $500,000, and that the commission was leaning toward

demolition of the building and instead adding more parking for

merchants.

Preserving the 160-square-foot gas station would cost about

$37,400, said Hagop Kassabian, a project manager with the Parks and

Recreation Division.

“We have something here that is workable, and I hope the City

Council agrees with us,” Commissioner James Ward said.

The park project will bring the community together, once it is

complete, Agakhani said.

“We will be working closely with the Historic Preservation

Commission,” he said.

In a meeting last month, the Historic Preservation Commission

voted to send a letter to the City Council in support of the project.

Among the many supporters of preservation that spoke out at the

meeting were Historic Commission members Ruben Amirian, Deborah

Dentler and Eric Axene.

“Historic buildings, at certain times in their lives, are

ignored,” Amirian said, addressing concerns of some who thought the

building was an eyesore. “But this land was purchased by the city for

a park, without and --ing at the end. You can not come at this late

stage to recommend more parking.”

Among those concerned about the gas station’s size was John

Cianfrini, president of the Adams Square Merchants Assn.’s board.

The station was taking up too much space in the park’s design,

Cianfrini has said, adding that the children’s play area was too

small because the gas station was there.

But he seemed to change his tune on Wednesday.

“If we had this rendering in the beginning, you guys would have

broken ground.”

Adams Hill residents have overwhelmingly approved of preserving

the gas station. Adams Hill Homeowner Assn. members collected more

than 640 signatures from residents there during a petition drive to

drum up support for preservation.

Pat Salinas, the granddaughter of the original owner of the gas

station, talked about her memories of the gas station.

“I don’t like everything being torn down to build bigger, better

things,” she said. “We need to make an effort to show our kids and

grandchildren where we came from.”

* ROBERT CHACON covers business and politics. He may be reached at

(818) 637-3239 or by e-mail at robert.chaconlatimes.com.