Adobe Park Expansion Wins Tentative Approval : Preservation: Supporters applaud move, but are still upset that quake repairs have not yet been made.

MISSION HILLS —  Members of the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, angry over delays to repair quake damage at the historic Andres Pico Adobe, finally got some good news Wednesday: An expansion plan received initial approval.

The city’s Recreation and Parks Commission backed a plan to move four historic bungalows to the 2.5-acre adobe park to house a research center and tour office for the historical society, which manages the adobe.

But while happy about the expansion, members of the society say they are still upset that the city has yet to spend $800,000 in federal emergency funds to repair severe quake damage at the adobe, the second-oldest structure in the Valley.

The Spanish mission-style house has been closed for two years, first to undergo seismic retrofitting and then because of severe damage from the Northridge quake.

“It’s like the city doesn’t care about this building,” said Glenn Thornhill, president of the society.

The need for repairs was most evident Wednesday as a winter storm pounded the crumbling adobe, drenching the building’s interior and turning the cracked adobe walls into a soggy mess.

“Dry mud doesn’t like water,” said Harold Rockwell, vice president of the society.

The adobe, which was built in 1834 and was home to Mexican Army Gen. Andres Pico, brother of the last Mexican governor of California, was closed in December, 1992, so that the city could launch an earthquake stabilization project.

But the effort was delayed and, before the work began, the Northridge quake struck Jan. 17, cracking walls and shearing off the chimney and parts of a courtyard adobe wall. The white- and red-tiled building has since been closed.

The historical society was forced to move to a nearby trailer where it stored most of its books, old newspapers, photos and other historic artifacts. Historical clothing and other items have been locked in storage.

“We are going on two years and not a bloody bit of work has been done,” an angry Rockwell said.

Making matters worse, a broken drinking fountain at the park has been spewing water since it was hit by a city truck nearly two months ago, Thornhill said.

City recreation officials reject charges that the city has neglected the building, saying they are working as fast as possible to begin repairs at the adobe.

Dallan Zamrzla, a supervisor at the Department of Recreation and Parks, said the delays were due to the slow bureaucratic process of getting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to approve the $800,000 for repairs.

Now that the funding has been approved, he said the city plans to seek a contractor in the next 30 days to make repairs at the adobe. If all goes as planned, the adobe should be repaired by the end of the year, Zamrzla said.

The bungalows that will house the expansion project at the adobe were built in 1912 and are about 800 square feet in size. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency acquired the bungalows to make way for a development in Hollywood, according to a report by the Department of Recreation and Parks.

Once they are moved to the adobe park, they will be restored to serve as a tour office, meeting hall and research offices to house the historical society’s library, archives and office of the curator, the report said.

Although the commission approved the plan to move the bungalows, it did not provide funding to do so, leaving it up to the historical society to pay for the move.

The city has yet to determine the cost of such a move, but Thornhill was optimistic that the society can raise enough money.

“We will have to pay for it through fund-raisers,” he said. “We are still in the formative stage.”