Community Corner

Cultural Heritage Commission Supports Barry Building Preservation

The L.A. Cultural Heritage Commission supports the preservation of the Barry Building and asks Green Hollow Square developers for alternatives to demolition.

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to support preservation of Brentwood's Barry Building, a city-designated historic-cultural monument at the center of Charles Munger's proposed development project, Green Hollow Square.

"We're not in support of demolition in any way, shape or form," said commissioner Tara Hamacher.

The commission instead voted to support an alternative that "retained and rehabilitated," and would essentially incorporate the 61-year-old building into the design of the shopping center proposed for San Vicente Boulevard.

Wendy-Sue Rosen, Brentwood resident and president of the Brentwood Residents Coalition, wants to see a realistic attempt by Munger's team to integrate the building into the Green Hollow Square design. 
 
"Everybody understands that the developer needs to have a project and has a right to have a project. We all support that," said Rosen. "We believe that this can be a really exciting project for the community."

However, as it stands, the project plan calls for the demolition of the Barry Building, the developer citing several building code violations and millions of dollars in estimated costs associated with addressing those violations that Munger is unwilling to pay.

"Mr. Munger is not interested in preserving the Barry Building," said Joel Miller, vice president of consulting engineering firm Psomas. "Maybe the city needs to be very careful about designating buildings in the future because … this is a very challenging experience for those that are either in favor of Green Hollow Square or those people that are opposed to Green Hollow Square because now the historic designation has made it very difficult to develop the property."

Miller said the project team is looking at other preservation alternatives that could potentially keep some elements of the Barry Building, but that none are ready to share with the city.

Munger has promised to make the building available to anyone who wants to take it, said Miller. His team estimated that the Barry Building's removal could cost upwards of $250,000 if a third party decided to do so.

There are two things at issue here, City Councilman Bill Rosendahl told Patch, preservation and traffic.

"Part of the community doesn't want anything more (to be built) in Brentwood, it's overwhelmed and all that," Rosendahl said. "But part of the community says 'Come on, this gridlock we're in shouldn't stop us from having a quality of life here in our area.'"

Rosendahl supports the preservation of the Barry Building and said that he's proud of the discussion that he's been able to help facilitate between the developer and the community.   

"This is Democracy at its best," said Rosendahl.

Read more about the Barry Building and Green Hollow Square:


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