Harvey's Broiler Razed Illegally!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Guys,
This is what is going to happen if we don't pull together, He has doubled (was $14,794? to $28k) the rent per mo.on the building (one section=not even the original size!) and has has reduced the area of the lot. It was 90,000sf, in the listing, they have the GLA @ 21,k sf. where is the other 69k sf? (in my files I have the orig listing)

This listing was originally posted before the demo occured with all of the property. Land values are decresing especially in the commercial segment since consumers are paying more for food,goods & fuel and small business are loosing their leases or can't afford to pay high rents.

Most of these places (Mini Malls) are never fully rented and fall into disrepair. Don't let this happen to this place. It deserves a better place in history and continuity.

 

Kev- What's up with this guy selling Harvey's broiler stickers? We got to put a stop to that.

Thanks for the heads up Meatball...

 

...a Johnie's Broiler STRIP MALL?

Hmmmmm..... The original building could be rebuilt, the resteraunt kept running (albeit in slightly smaller form), and the tennants of the shops will pay the rent? Where does the line defining the "lesser of two evils" lie, and why does it beg to be moved about and trampled upon in order to effect a compromise?

Good... bad... where's the line? How much can one compromise without selling out?

~Jason

 

Well. I thought twice about posting this because this could be mis-constrewed? as a positive thing. It is not positive. These were the plans furnished to the city=actually the rendering in order to "skate" around it's historic preservation designation.

They are attempting to fit the actual buildings(which there are 5+ the restaurant a fraction of the size in the foot print of the original and enclosing the awnings/car canopy (an EIR is required here which was not submitted) .. What happens to the rest of the lot???

Again, we work on this around the clock seeking a financial backer that can save it as it was originally designed and built.(I'll put this in car terms-It would be like taking the Bob Mc Gee/****Scritchfield Deuce, that was a perfectly driving car when sold that made loads of history and giving it to Hot Dogs by Floyds and having his crew make a Billet Bullet out of it.

Take a look at Bob's Toluca Lake. They listened, It the highest grossing Bob's in the franchise. I patronize it as often as I can.

 

To keep the thread going, and for those who haven't seen this before...

The broiler in "License to Drive" (3 minutes in)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZWHQ9***F8&feature=related

 

CK.has anybody from the food industry showed intrest?

 

Hey, Big day tomorrow in the saga to save Harvey's. Here's the scoop in letter form from the Coalition:

Hi Everyone,

I hope this holiday season finds all of you well. As most of you know the fight for the Broiler is approaching the 6 year mark and almost a year ago we were devastated by the "ego" and destruction of the property. Tuesday 12/11 @ 7:00 p.m. Downey City council will be voting to extend the moratorium for another year on the Broiler. (A clean up of the property is due soon). The moratorium freezes any financial profitability for the owner of the property. We want to be there to encourage the extension. Let's not forget the egregious ***ault that took place to our cultural space and legacy and the outrage we all felt, and still feel, over the status of our beloved Broiler. The continuance of the moratorium will send a message that people are still outraged and demand a continued "penance" to, in some way, suffice for the crime. ( Of course a re-built Broiler is what our "Field of Dreams" yearns for! Rebuild it and they will come!)

Your presence and support at the meeting is critical. If you cannot attend please send a email to the council members -- go to www.Downeyca.org and you will find the links to all the members. Please forward and communicate this email to your neighbors and concerned citizens. We have been fighting the fight with a committed spirit; let's continue the labor of love!

See you Tuesday,

****isa Ridenour.
Coalition for the Broiler
alrid05@aol.com

Adriene Biondo, Chair
Los Angeles Conservancy, Modern Committee
astroluxe@mindspring.com


Also- here's a link to a story by Theo Douglas- HAMBer and writer for Long Beach's The District: http://thedistrictweekly.com/daily/writing-shotgun/2007/12/10/saving-johnies-broiler/



See you there.

 

This just in from Long Beach's District Paper:

Please come to the city council meeting tonight to show the city of Downey that this issue is still on your mind.


SAVING JOHNIE’S BROILER

Theo DouglasMon. December 10

The remains of Johnie’s Broiler–one of Southern California’s last large-scale drive-in restaurants, where custom cars were king and even the food was fast–needs your help.
It’s been nearly a year since a man driving a bulldozer managed to flatten most of the 1958 Downey landmark. What’s left of the Googie-style restaurant–replete with flagstone, exuberant script and a hamburger-loving lad on the sign–could be saved. Whether it is depends partly on you.
After the unauthorized demolition–which some say was done with the owner’s knowledge–the Downey City Council voted to put a one-year moratorium on any development at the site, at 7447 Firestone Blvd., where it curves around to meet Old River School Road.
At tomorrow night’s Council meeting, council members will consider extending that moratorium for another year, while members of The Coalition to Save Harvey’s Broiler–the restaurant’s original name from roughly 1958 to 1965–work to preserve and possibly purchase and restore the remains.
Coalition members are asking folks to show their support at the 7:30 p.m. meeting–or in writing, at the City of Downey’s website.
“Your presence and support at the meeting is critical. If you cannot attend, please send a e-mail to the council members,” the Coalition’s ****isa Ridenour wrote in a recent e-mail of her own.
“Right now, one of the things we’re doing is, we’re working with the Los Angeles Conservancy to have a design charrette–consisting of an architect, a historian, people from the community–and what we hope to do is have a one-day symposium discussing what can be done with the property,” says Ridenour, who went so far a few years ago as to hire Downey’s famed roots-rock pioneers The Blasters to headline a Broiler benefit at the city’s Rio Hondo Country Club.
That will probably happen in March, and will most likely be preceded in February by a Coalition fundraiser with a slideshow by popular historian Charles Phoenix, Ridenour says.
But why all the fuss about an old, albeit historically significant drive-in restaurant where, in its last years, the food wasn’t very good anyway? Because despite its name, the Broiler was never just about the food.
From the very moment Harvey and Minnie Ortner opened it in 1958, the Broiler became one of the Southland’s premier cruise spots for its cavernous parking lot and prime location–in car-crazy Downey, a nexus of kustom kulture. (Their son even worked on the ***embly line for a while, at General Motors’ South Gate plant.)
Fibergl*** fakir Ed Roth was a coupla towns over in Maywood; kustomizer Bill Hines was either headquartered in Paramount, or would be shortly. Metalflake master Larry Watson–the man with the huevos to lower and panel-paint a ‘59 Coupe de Ville–was just down the street.
Located on the former home of a poultry farm–and designed by architect Paul S. Clayton–Harvey’s Broiler was the right place at the right time.
It was situated at the precise point on Firestone Boulevard where it curved south–meaning that if you were driving west on the Boulevard, the drive-in jumped off the curb at you like a giant neon car circus.
Things were great for a long time. In about 1965, the Ortners sold the Broiler to its present owner, Downey resident Christos Smyrniotis. Smyrniotis, whose middle name is John, changed the Broiler’s name to match his own–to Johnie’s Broiler.
And while Model T Ford club members stopped there regularly as recently as 10 years ago, the cruising eventually stopped. During the late ’90s, when I covered Downey for the Press-Telegram, it was frequently closed for filming–but it survived intact until a few years ago, when Smyrniotis leased the restaurant to a used car seller.
It became, unbelievably, a used car lot–and the kitchen was gutted.
Then–in a move Smyrniotis told The District earlier this year rocked him to the core–a man on a bulldozer allegedly hired by agents of the car dealer managed to flatten most of the Broiler.
That was Jan. 7, 2007. Tomorrow night is your chance to show your support.
Tags: ****isa Ridenour, Bill Hines, California, Christos Smyrniotis, downey, Ed Roth, General Motors, Harvey Ortner, Harvey's Broiler, Johnie's Broiler, kustom kulture, Larry Watson, Long Beach, Maywood, Minnie Ortner, Paramount, Paul S. Clayton, press telegram, South Gate, Southern California, The Blasters, The Coalition to Save Harvey's Broiler, The District, Theo Douglas
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>SHARETHIS.addEntry({ ***le: "SAVING JOHNIE&#8217;S BROILER", url: "http://thedistrictweekly.com/daily/writing-shotgun/2007/12/10/saving-johnies-broiler/"});</SCRIPT>

• • 

 

Hey, everybody,

Just wanted to say thanks to ****isa for the link to my piece on Harvey's Broiler in The District--and to wish everyone who goes to Downey City Council tonight at 7:30 very good luck. (Want to go but not sure where Downey is? Visit www.downeyca.org. And The District is at www.thedistrictweekly.com)

AGAIN, here's the deal: after Harvey's was mostly knocked down ILLEGALLY by a man with a bulldozer and no permits--they even kept the gas on during the demolition--the Downey City Council voted to prohibit any development of the Broiler for a year.

Tonight, they're going to think about prohibiting development for another year--and what Cyclone Kevin and ****isa say is right: if some of you show up to spectate, I'm sure they'll see how supportive folks still are toward this landmark building and that may make a difference in how they vote.

I still just can't believe this place was destroyed. Seriously--and believe me, I keep track of this stuff--this has to be one of the four or five top most egregious examples of destruction in the Los Angeles area in the past 20 years. (That's my opinion; I'm not on here writing an article.)

But here's something else for everyone to think about: if ****isa and the Coalition are successful in purchasing the Broiler and restoring it, this would be something very close to a first--if not a first--in local architectural history.

No one has done this, to my knowledge--and yet it is totally possible. It's a great--if lofty--goal to have. Very very few people or groups have every done anything like this; they get props from me for even trying.

Good luck out there. I'll probably be covering Long Beach City Council tonight (pay raises on their agenda), but I'll be watching this one.

 

Thanx Theo for the article,
Yes we do need help here & it is a monumental task!
I have said this before, It has consumed my life=Lol! Well I went out to the Parasol to see whats going on, Owner Steve Weiss was in. we had an impromtu meeting regarding the Broiler.
He just roughly put $2 mil into the former Parasol, so if you get a chance,drop on by It opens officially tomorrow @ 6am, Hot Rods & Customs welcome.
When we spoke, I got some of the same opinions that I received from JJ@ WCC. He was worried about demographrics, We all know that a community doesn't wholly support an establishment on it's own,infact they rarely do.

We as automotive enthusiasts travel to places like these as an adventure and exercise for our R&C's and mostly to check out the scene and eat the grub!
If you can, express your interest in patronizing a place like Mel's & Harvey's.
I mean let's get real here, Most of the Mel's whether they are in No/So Cal doesn't have adequate parking, Harvey's Broiler does!!!on top of that,It is a real drive in!
Email Steve@ melsdrivein1@yahoo.com
It is going to take several million in order to get a place like this up & running again, so if you can, come to the meeting tonight @ Downey City Hall 7pm.
Let's have a standing room crowd like we had in Jan.
Show your support and let Steve know that we as a group would be able to support the Broiler.

 

I commend you guys for fighting this battle....I wear my "Save Harvey's Broiler" T (thanks Burny) regularly....not that anyone here knows what a broiler is! Hell, I'm not even sure.

All the best of luck for tonight.

 

You got it CK...emailed steve, ya know Mel's Broiler sounds ok to me.......

 

We have to take a good look at what, and who we are dealing with. They figure it's better to ask for forgiveness that to ask for permission. Most of the time they get away with it. So they keep doing it .

 

Back east we have lost all of the Drive-Inn theaters, and resturants and I think most people wish they were still around. But they could never be considered Historical they are simply not old enough.

There is a resturant a few miles from my house The King George II Inn it has been open since 1681.

The bad news is my 17 year old son has never been to a drive_inn movie. What a shame!

Gary

 

I want to commend you guys too. 35chevy.com is so right, all the cool deco diners are going the way of the strip mall, it is a real shame. I wear my Harvey's shirt as often as I can.

Hope the meeting goes well.

&#8211; MRAK

 

This just in from Eric Pierce from the Downey Patriot.
Johnie&#8217;s Broiler

<SMALL>December 12, 2007 on 9:46 am | In General News | No Comments</SMALL>
Progress may be coming soon to Johnie&#8217;s Broiler, after the City Council voted last night to let the property&#8217;s moratorium expire in January, while seeking ways to redevelop the land with the aid of historical preservation architect.
Whether or not Johnie&#8217;s is entirely rebuilt will be in the hands of the architect, who will be be paid by property owner Christos Smyrniotis. The architect, however, which will probably come by way of the Los Angeles Conservancy, will report to the City.
Smyrniotis, as well as former tenant Ardas Yanik, were both in the audience last night, along with members of the Coalition to Save Johnie&#8217;s Broiler.
Smyrniotis also signed a letter allowing the City to have a say in what is or isn&#8217;t developed on the property.

Keep writing letters to the city, we'll keep working on it. Together perhaps we may get this place back????
The city stipulated that if the moratorium were to be lifted that the agreement between the city and Christos would have to follow the achitectural recomendations set force by the LA Conservancy-Modern Commitee approved architect. If it isn't followed,the the city will observe what is currently taking place and no permits will be issued for further demolition or building a non-conforming structure.
I know that we are dealing with property owners and city officials and things are said that aren't carried out,but we'll be watching this one closely.

This city again stated that they'd like to see it rebuilt/restored but want the current debris moved off of the property asap under the watchful eye of an historical architect that can identify what is actually salvageable.

Please help us keep an eye on this place,because people have already been on this property taking souveniers,that could be used for the rebuild.

Thanks for you support.
CK

 

Well I can't believe a year has gone by since The LandMark HARVEY'S brolier was razed in a very illegal fashion. We did a cruise around the site, Coalition members placed signs on the fence (only to have them ripped down by Christo's & Yaniks cronies if not they themselves). These clowns are too much!
and must be in this together,The city is demanding a clean up of the site and citizens are getting more than a little p o'd that neither Yanik/Christos have cleaned it up yet. If anybody see's the a-hole(s) busting up the signage as well as the graffiti. You have the right to kick their ***es!=Lol!
We'll keep ya posted!

 

Kev,

Thanks for the update. Sorry I couldn't make it by...

 

Keep the flame!!!

I think it's time for the city to enact "eminent domain".

 

Let me see, You put a sign on a fence You don't own, and You have the right to kick the owner's **** if he takes it down?????

 

it's a west coast thing................really,you need to read the whole thing to really understand,it would also help to have a sense of humor as CK would never encourage anybody to willfully break the law

 

Originally Posted by racingonerobb
Let me see, You put a sign on a fence You don't own, and You have the right to kick the owner's **** if he takes it down?????



Original Posted by Cyclone Kevin
The city is demanding a clean up of the site and citizens are getting more than a little p o'd that neither Yanik/Christos have cleaned it up yet. If anybody see's the a-hole(s) busting up the signage as well as the graffiti. You have the right to kick their ***es!=Lol!

Originally Posted by meatball
it's a west coast thing................really,you need to read the whole thing to really understand,it would also help to have a sense of humor as CK would never encourage anybody to willfully break the law

Thank you Kent (meatball) for knowing that I am just poking fun!
This whole year has been very trying It has been that way all year. We have been lied to by many different people,we have given away prizes and printed shirts with help with OUR HAMB family we have thrown Ghost Cruises that are online for viewing to educate our participants and let others who could not attend see places that are similar that survived and others that have fallen victim to irresponsible developement.
I have endurred quite a personal loss with the p***ing of my father who wondered why I was out saving the world,but really understood.
Met many great people over the past year and watched the broiler be razed,looted,vandalized & graffited. Spent endless hours in court and outside the courtroom and watched the legal system plea-bargin with the perp before the case ever went before the judge.

So racingonerobb,
The signage that I speak of is actually the FAT BOY Sign that the taggers either kicked or threw a rock through as well as tagged and since that famous broiler sign is what is left and being tagged as well as the formerly untouched flagstone which now has a 4' x by 11' area of graffiti as well.
The signs that were posted on the fence by the coalition were paper,wrapped in Saran Wrap which the owner didn't have any problem thowing onto his side of the property-not the publics and further making a mess of the site, we knew they'd only last a day, In certain cities, especially if the commercial business is zone a public establishment-ie;restaurant the signage must comply with the business, The Mod-Com as well as Adriene Biondo especially put out Multi- Thousand of $'s in order to have the city vote in a varience so that the world's largest twin canopied drive in signage could stay intact even though it was then a used car lot.The owner didn't pay for it,nor did he ever take care of it when it was a restaurant (as do***ented in the movie "Can't Hardly Wait"the spent thousands on it as well in 1998).
So we are not bad guys, we are just making sure that people with similar interests have a place to take their cars,families and friends to, I would hope that you'd do the same thing to a World Famous place in PA/FL that made such an impact in your life.

 

Just found this is L.A's Wave Paper. Read on My Friends We may have another Big Boy Hangin on that Broiler Sign!

Big Boy has interest in Johnies site
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=1 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>A view of the former Johnies Broiler restaurant after a former tenant tried to demolish the restaurant with the distinctive 1950s architecture and sign in January 2007. The city of Downey reports that the national restaurant chain Big Boy is interested in possibly purchasing the site and opening a new restaurant.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>By ARNOLD ADLER, Staff Writer 14.FEB.08
National chain is negotiating with property owner on purchase of former restaurant.

DOWNEY &#8212; A chubby kid eating a hamburger &#8212; the trademark sign of the former Johnies Broiler Restaurant here &#8212; may be joined by another stocky lad, this one dressed in red plaid bib overalls.

Representatives of the Big Boy restaurant chain are negotiating with the owner of the Johnies site, 7447 Firestone Blvd., to purchase it, reports Gilbert Levas, deputy city manger for community development.

It is not a done deal, but the national Big Boy chain is interested in rebuilding the partially demolished Johnies building the way it was in the 1960s, keeping the boy and the scripted roof-top sign, even drive-in slots for car hop service, and operating it as a diner, Livas said in a report to the City Council Tuesday night.

More than half of the building was illegally demolished Jan. 7, 2007. A former tenant on the site, Ardas Yanik, who operated a used car dealership there and sought to build a shopping center, was found guilty of illegal demolition last October.

The lease reverted back to owner Christos Smyrniotis of Downey, who has pledged to cooperate with restoration efforts by the city.

&#8220;Our goal is to rebuild it as it was before,&#8221; Levas said, adding that the entire site is larger than needed for the restaurant, but plans are to lease it to an incoming Nissan dealership for vehicle storage.

In a related move Tuesday night, the City Council hired Chattel Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Sherman Oaks as a consultant to advise on preserving what&#8217;s left of the building and to go through the surrounding rubble to see what can be salvaged.

The fee is not to exceed $25,000.

John Perfitt, director of community development, said the city will review the architect&#8217;s findings with the property owner to decide how to preserve or restore the partially demolished building and perhaps allow retail uses on the site.

Cost of the consultant services will be reimbursed by Smyrniotis, Perfitt said.

He said work to clean up the rubble should begin in 60 days.

But Tricia Rodriguez, one of the residents seeking to restore the historic restaurant, said immediate steps must be taken to secure the site, which has apparently been breached by vandals who have painted graffiti on the structure.

Council directed Levas to look into that issue.

Mayor Dave Gafin earlier had said the architect&#8217;s study was needed before any decisions can be made or community input solicited, but he has ***ured residents &#8220;we will not issue any permits on the property under an agreement with the owner.&#8221;

So we will see what happens with site, Harvey's Broiler turns 50 on April 17,2008 This would make a great 50th Anniversary-Birthday Present.

 

That would be really cool!!!

 

I hope so. That would be waaaaaaay cool to see it brought back. It's a shame about the whole thing though.

 

It would be cool if the Big Boy company did this. For a while, there was talk of the Mel's Diner people taking it over. I'm glad THAT didn't happen. Mel's Diner "Saved" the Parasol resturant on Seal Beach Blvd and only preserved the ROOF. This conservation stuff is very complicated! But, the involvement of the Bob's Big Boy would be cool. They didn't change the gorgeous Googie look of the Toluca Lake Bob's at all.

So thanks for the small ray of hope for Harvey's, Kevin. Maybe all this work will come to some good.

 

Man, I'm still waiting to see what happens with this one...

~Jason

 

Wow - great update - we'll keep our fingers crossed it goes through!

 

Holy ****! Waaay cool!

 

Could this be a ray of sunshine breaking through?