Historic Pinney House Saved from Wrecking Ball

In a decision which surprised many, the Pasadena City Council last night upheld the recommendation of the City’s Design Committee by denying the appeal of local developers wanting to demolish a 1906 Mission Revival Arts and Crafts building on Euclid Avenue in Pasadena’s central district.

The City’s Planning Department had originally stated that the early historic property was “consistent with the purposes of design review and the design guidelines in the Central District Specific Plan,” and would “not cause a significant adverse effect on a historical recourse” and approved the building for demolition.

The Planning Department also recommended that the applicant, Balian Investments LLC, shall “study the incorporation into any future development project on the site features on the street-facing elevation that recall the scale, covered and elevated front porch, porte cochere and former pergola of the existing house on the property.” The department report added that such features “need not be exact replicas of the existing features, but should be stylistically compatible with the design of the new project, and would be subject to review and approval by the Design Commission.”

The Design Commission disagreed, and found twice—most recently in February of 2016—that the property qualifies for historic designation, and disapproved the recommendation of the Planning Department. In April, however, the Planning Department, looking at newly submitted evidence and examining the integrity of the building according to national Historic Register standards, once again recommended that the building be approved for demolition.

Structural expert Dale Brown of HomeWorks Inspections, acting on behalf of the developers, told the council that in his inspection, he found that the building suffered from dry rot, cracked plaster throughout, and termite damage, as well as a damaged rear staircase. He disagreed with the recommendation to preserve the facade and other historic elements, saying, “You don’t take pieces of a building and try to re-do it,” and added that an idea, proposed by Pasadena Heritage Trust to at least preserve elements of the building was not a viable solution.

“I think the physical defects of the building, while challenging, are not insurmountable,” said Mayor Terry Tornek, “and I think that this is a truly unique building that should be preserved, though I don’t think I can get a lot of support for this position.”

The Planning Department recommendation to approve demolition required five votes to pass, and only received four, from Councilmembers Tyron Hampton, Margaret McAustin, Andy Wilson, and John Kennedy. Councilmember Masuda and the mayor voted against the recommendation, and Councilmember Madison was absent.

In other matters, the Council spent more than two hours questioning Police Chief Phillip Sanchez over the proposed 2017 police department budget, before continuing the discussion to the next council meeting. Meanwhile, the sale of new Tasers for the police department was approved, and the discussion to approve the purchase of body-worn cameras was tabled until the next full Council meeting, due to the length of Monday’s agenda.