Los Angeles Debates Fate of 1910 Firehouse
By Heath Gordon | Online Only | Oct. 1, 2009
Firehouse 23, Los Angeles
A 99-year-old fire station in Los Angeles has been in limbo for years, but the city council may soon decide on the future of the National Register-listed site.
On Sept. 1, the city of Los Angeles declared Fire Station 23 surplus property. Already both a developer and the head of a local arts organization have expressed interest in the site.
Constructed in 1910, the station was the headquarters for the Los Angeles Fire Department until 1920 and served as a firehouse until 1960. It was designated a city landmark six years later.
The firehouse exists in a legal grey area, however. In 1996, city voters passed Proposition K, which allocated $2.3 million to renew and restore the firehouse as a youth arts center. Developer Miles Cotton wants to turn the station into a restaurant, and Kristen Gunn of the Artist Collective hopes to turn the building into a center where high school dropouts are trained to be art teachers. There's a chance that Gunn's group could be able to use the funds allocated by Proposition K to take cover the renovation.
"We have to work through the Proposition K issues. There are some restrictions on what we can do," says Councilwoman Jan Perry, who oversees the Central City district, where the firehouse is located. "We're working on it."
This is not the first time Fire Station 23 has been put in a controversial position. Starting in the 1980s it was frequently used as a set for films, including Ghostbusters. Unfortunately, former Fire Chief Donald O'Manning was accused of pocketing the fees instead of turning them over to the city. The current caretaker, Daniel Taylor, is fighting being evicted from the firehouse for a number of reasons, ranging from his role in the movie fees scandal, to allegations of illegal hot dog vendors standing outside the building. The city's general services department says it will shutter the building on Nov. 1.
Both the city's general services department and attorney's office are investigating the impact of Proposition K on the building; their reports are due to the city council in November.
"My primary goal is to see the structure preserved," Perry says. "It's an absolutely gorgeous structure, both inside and out. That's my number-one goal—and to find a use for it that will hopefully generate some revenue so some deferred maintenance can be done."
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