Nonprofit organization Catholic Charities Inc. is again asking for an L.A. court's OK to demolish a historic property over mold and structural flaws that made the building inaccessible to the public. The group submitted its latest petition to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Daily News said the organization bought the Westlake District property in September 2018.
The group cited the building's proximity to the organization's main office and the Immaculate Conception Church and school as reasons for purchasing it.
Serious Building Safety Issues
According to its Los Angeles Superior Court petition, Catholic Charities said that it intends to demolish the facility over several safety concerns.
The group said the property has mold, aside from structural and seismic instabilities. Catholic Charities argues such issues make the property both hazardous to use and financially unsustainable to maintain in its current state.
The organization added that it spends huge amounts each year to maintain and safeguard the building 'despite being abandoned, dilapidated, and unsafe.'
No Land Use Plans Yet
The news report bared that Catholic Charities did not present concrete land use plans once the historic structure was demolished.
While Catholic Charities has considered several possible property uses, the petition labeled those ideas as "theoretical" and aligned with the organization's stated objective.
Pushbacks Against Demolition Plan
Petitioners claimed that in 2019 and 2020, they submitted two applications for demolition permits. But on both pleadings, the petitioners encountered pushbacks.
The first application was swiftly rejected, and the second was denied in February 2020.
The organization was told to coordinate with the city's Office of Historic Resources because of concerns about the building's historic integrity.
Catholic Charities disagreed with the historical preservation claims in several settings, including a hearing in front of the Los Angeles City Council in June 2022.
The report added that the city eventually dropped its historical and cultural claims about the building.
It instead reasoned that there should first be a comprehensive environmental evaluation and a more detailed project description before it could issue a permit for the structure's removal.
About Catholic Charities Inc.
Catholic Charities runs more than 50 programs to help the poor, such as food banks, thrift stores, in-home care for homebound elders, and refugee resettlement. The organization also has 22 community centers and seven homeless shelters.
In addition, one of the programs offered by the organization is called the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). It coordinates interscholastic athletic competitions for elementary schools throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
According to the organization's website, Catholic Charities provided over 850,000 different services to approximately 100,000 people over the previous years, most of whom were women and children.
In 2019, Catholic Charities celebrated its centennial year of operating in the Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties. During that time, it offered assistance to those in need and inspired them with hope.
As stated in its history, in 1919, the Most Reverend John J. Cantwell, Bishop of the Diocese of Monterey and Los Angeles, legally organized several Catholic charitable institutions that provided services throughout the city of Los Angeles under the name of the Associated Catholic Charities.
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