Before it leaves Dailynews.com forever, don't miss the story that recounts the fate of the old Van Nuys Library -- the 1926 Deco/Spanish/Colonial mixed breed building that, unfortunately, is leaving the public domain for that of a new owner who's got a little money. Since, for reasons that don't hold water, stories only last two weeks on Dailynews.com, here it is:
Auction of Van Nuys Library is one for the books
BY KERRY CAVANAUGH, Staff Writer
LA Daily News
Article Last Updated:10/01/2007 10:46:09 PM PDT
The historic Van Nuys Library fared well on the auction block Monday as a longtime admirer doled out $1.52 million to become the building's new owner.
Winning bidder Tony Nasr with NTR Consultants said he's admired the 1926 Spanish Colonial Revival-style building for more than 20 years and used to frequent the building for business when the Fire Department used it as an office.
"I was in love," Nasr said after placing the winning bid during an auction at City Hall.
"I studied in Greece and I love the history of the buildings. I respect historic things. I want to keep the building as it is."
Nasr - who paid more than a half-million dollars above the library's appraised value of $950,000 - said he plans to restore the building and use it as an office.
The auction capped several weeks of controversy as some San Fernando Valley groups tried to persuade the city to retain ownership and let a local nonprofit use the building as a public space.
The one-story masonry building at 14553 Sylvan St. is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Allison and Allison, which built many public buildings - including Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The building was among the Valley's first libraries but was vacated in 1964, when the library moved to a more modern home in the Civic Center complex.
The Fire Department used the building as an office until 2005, and it's been vacant and surrounded by a chain-link fence since.
The city decided to auction the historic building to expand library services in the area and, perhaps, build a new, larger library if the city can raise additional money, officials said.
Said Reginald Jones-Sawyer, director of real estate for the Department of General Services: "$1.5 million, that's a lot of books."
The money from the sale will be used for libraries in Council District 6, which includes Van Nuys, Arleta and Sun Valley.
"The proceeds of this sale will give the other libraries in the Valley the resources necessary to better serve our families," said Councilman Tony C rdenas, who represents the area.
"If we had not sold this facility, we would have denied these families a vital funding opportunity and we would have risked burdening the taxpayers with hefty costs."
Some in the community noted that the library's final sales price was higher than they had expected.
"That's certainly higher than I would have been able to bid," said Sara Fisk, president of the New Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Fisk had collected about $500,000 in pledges toward buying the building and is still hoping to find a home for the orchestra.
"I'm so sorry," Fisk said. "We already have a glut of office space in Van Nuys. It had the feel that it should have been an arts center," she said.
Bidding on the library started at $950,000. Although the building has been modified over the years and the interior looks more sterile than the original version, bidders quickly pushed the price up to $1.52 million in the fast-paced auction.
Susan Kudo-Leeds, who owns Leeds Investment and Management with Ben Leeds, was hoping to buy the library and restore it to its former glory.
"It's stately and old," she said. "And it just needs a little help."
kerry.cavanaugh@dailynews.com
(213) 978-0390
Copyright ©2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
How does Blogger compare to Movable Type
Blogger kicks Movable Type's ass.
But at the Daily News, we're getting Movable Type 4.0, if the upgrade ever goes through.
Blogger will continue to kick its ass, but MT will at least be better (and eventually have Captchas to keep out the spam comments).
But at the Daily News, we're getting Movable Type 4.0, if the upgrade ever goes through.
Blogger will continue to kick its ass, but MT will at least be better (and eventually have Captchas to keep out the spam comments).
Ilene update
Ilene has a lot going on. Besides teaching nutrition to five dozen or so at CSUN, her father is in a coma after falling from a ladder. In lighter news, she got a new bike.
Other things we're doing: dealing with clutter. Ilene moved a bunch of our Lulu's boxes o' crap out of the living room and into the kid's own room. It's her crap, and she's got her own room, so there. The 4-year-old loves to collect and save any old thing.
We've got bags upon bags of old clothes, toys, baby detritus, plus assorted electronic gear and other various and sundries in The Back Room. We need to have a garage sale to get rid of as much as we can. We must reclaim The Back Room, which is also filled with various two- and four-wheeled vehicles, has become a staging area for crap and the spiders who love it.
It's easier to make mess than it is to deal with it. But dealt with it must be.
Other things we're doing: dealing with clutter. Ilene moved a bunch of our Lulu's boxes o' crap out of the living room and into the kid's own room. It's her crap, and she's got her own room, so there. The 4-year-old loves to collect and save any old thing.
We've got bags upon bags of old clothes, toys, baby detritus, plus assorted electronic gear and other various and sundries in The Back Room. We need to have a garage sale to get rid of as much as we can. We must reclaim The Back Room, which is also filled with various two- and four-wheeled vehicles, has become a staging area for crap and the spiders who love it.
It's easier to make mess than it is to deal with it. But dealt with it must be.
Van Nuys auto dealers shuttered
Have you noticed the now-closed car dealerships on Van Nuys Boulevard. One is the Suzuki dealer (who ever bought a Suzuki car, anyway?), and I'm not sure, but I think the other one is/was Miller Nissan. There's still Miller Infiniti a few doors North.
Is it me, or is Van Nuys Auto Row (or whatever it is they call it) going totally updscale. Sure, there's Toyota and GM on the other side of Burbank Boulevard, but with Keyes replacing its Hyundai dealership with Acura, which is directly across the street from Hummer.
And south of Burbank Boulevard, I think used BMWs are now in the lot that used to be Chrysler. So you've got BMW, Mercedes (Keyes European), Lexus, Infiniti -- I don't even think Honda is there anymore (yeah, I do drive by every single day, and it's still a bit of a blur. And I already name-checked Acura and Hummer.
Still, I bet that Toyota dealer sells more cars than just about all the others combined.
Is it me, or is Van Nuys Auto Row (or whatever it is they call it) going totally updscale. Sure, there's Toyota and GM on the other side of Burbank Boulevard, but with Keyes replacing its Hyundai dealership with Acura, which is directly across the street from Hummer.
And south of Burbank Boulevard, I think used BMWs are now in the lot that used to be Chrysler. So you've got BMW, Mercedes (Keyes European), Lexus, Infiniti -- I don't even think Honda is there anymore (yeah, I do drive by every single day, and it's still a bit of a blur. And I already name-checked Acura and Hummer.
Still, I bet that Toyota dealer sells more cars than just about all the others combined.
Al fresco dining in Van Nuys adjacent
Four 'N' 20 Pies used to be in Van Nuys proper, in that funky, totally-early-'70s building that was replaced, I believe, by the Toyota dealership on Van Nuys Boulevard.
After the demolition, Four 'N' 20 moved south of Burbank, into what is nominally Sherman Oaks. No matter.
Anyhow ... they have a few outside tables, and we had a nice coffee/tea 'N' pie afternoon there last Sunday while the little girl was at grandma's.
As always, the service, the coffee and the pie were all great. And at 2-ish, the place was packed.
After the demolition, Four 'N' 20 moved south of Burbank, into what is nominally Sherman Oaks. No matter.
Anyhow ... they have a few outside tables, and we had a nice coffee/tea 'N' pie afternoon there last Sunday while the little girl was at grandma's.
As always, the service, the coffee and the pie were all great. And at 2-ish, the place was packed.
2,000 Days, 10,000 page views
I'm almost never over here, yet this site manages somehow to draw 15 to 20 page views a day.
Kinda makes you think. My Van Nuys-ish site under the auspices of the Daily News, Come on Feel the Nuys, is similarly neglected, and I bet it doesn't get as much traffic as this one.
As has been the case for almost a year now, most of my blogging is about technology. It's just easier, for the most part -- both to write and in terms of finding an audience.
When you focus on one subject over almost all others, your world closes in. I haven't been to L.A. Observed in a few months. Not because of anything over at the blog itself, just because my attentions are elsewhere.
It wouldn't kill me to pay a little more attention.
More Van Nuys items coming right up.
Kinda makes you think. My Van Nuys-ish site under the auspices of the Daily News, Come on Feel the Nuys, is similarly neglected, and I bet it doesn't get as much traffic as this one.
As has been the case for almost a year now, most of my blogging is about technology. It's just easier, for the most part -- both to write and in terms of finding an audience.
When you focus on one subject over almost all others, your world closes in. I haven't been to L.A. Observed in a few months. Not because of anything over at the blog itself, just because my attentions are elsewhere.
It wouldn't kill me to pay a little more attention.
More Van Nuys items coming right up.
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