Plummer Park Buildings Deemed Historic

The California Historic Resources Commission recommended landmark status Wednesday for Plummer Park's Great Hall-Long Hall, WEHOville reported.

The commission's unanimous recommendation goes to Washington, D.C. for final approval from the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, which includes more than 80,000 properties.

“This is a very exciting moment in recognizing our history,” West Hollywood Preservation Alliance president Jen Dunbar told WEHOville. “I think this is something that the people of West Hollywood, the people of Los Angeles County and the state of California should be proud of.”

Dunbar's group along with a coalition of West Hollywood residents opposes the city's plans to extensively renovate Plummer Park, which would include demolishing the Great Hall-Long Hall. The renovation, however, is currently in question due to funding issues.

According to WEHOville:

The commission approved the nomination on the grounds the buildings are strong examples of Spanish Colonial revival architecture and because they were built by the Work Projects Administration (WPA), the Depression-era government-funded department that constructed many highways, parks and public buildings across the nation.

Jay Correia, a supervisor with the state’s Office of Historic Preservation, told the commission the Great Hall-Long Hall buildings still have a “high degree of integrity.”

The commission received 73 letters of support for the nomination and two different petitions supporting it (one with 90 signatures, the other with 61).

The approval comes despite opposition from West Hollywood. The City Council’s plan to renovate the park and demolish Great Hall-Long Hall stalled earlier this year when redevelopment funds were denied from the state. On April 1, the council voted 4-1 to oppose the Historic Register nomination.

It is highly unusual for a city to oppose a National Register nomination. Out of the roughly 50 state nominations made each year, only one will be opposed by a city, according to Correia.

Speaking briefly for the city, planning manager John Keho told the commission West Hollywood was committed to historic preservation but decided that additional green space in Plummer Park was a higher priority.

National recognition doesn't prevent demolition. The council still has the option of voting to raze the building.

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