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

[Cyclone Kevin]

Can you friggin believe this
The current owners of the once very famous Harvey's Broiler=Cruise spot of Watson,Roth Jacobs,Chapouris,Jeffries,Hop Up Mark and a shitload more was razed/damaged tonight w/o any city permits!

Man, I am way pissed because this very same thing almost happened to Bob's Toluca Lake in 1991 and a group of preservationists prevented that from legally happening by getting it appointed as a Historical Landmark,That place is busy 24-7, 365 & 1/4 days a year!
Mickie D's attempted to do the same a few blocks away from Harveys with the Oldest Original Style Mc Donalds on Florence/Lakewood, It too was declared an Historical Landamrk!

In reality it was never part part of the Ray Kroc contrieved chain(started in 1955-This one was built in 1953 along ith 7 others and franchised out by the Mc Donald Bros themselves) Mc Donalds always considered this particular location a "Renegade" operation but they had a 99yr lease with the bros and the corp had to honor it).
The owners sold out to the corp in 93 and in Jan 94 they closed it and the land was gonna revert back to the Pep Boys Corp, who actually owned the dirt.

Public outcry was too great and the land ended up being purchased or re-leased to the Mc D Corp and the restaurant was saved and even restored by the corp as well as adding a gift shop and museum.
It is now owned by a private franchisee who seems to be making bank!!!!
I think that is what the owner of Harveys/Johnnies felt was gonna happen!

Already the city had refused to allow a demo of the site and the signage which is (soon to be was) spectacular along with it's canopies and it unique Googies Style achitecture,This guy is not a righteous dude!!!!!

Letters need to written to the City of Downey in protest and this guy who knew what he had/has should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law due to his desecration of a very historical landmark!!!

Man. don't we have enough problems with earthquakes taking out our rich Car Culture History
This place could still even be saved!!!! Just put that SOB in the joint and find a benefactor who could fence off the joint while the legal entanglements are being dealt with and believe me, there is sure to be many now that this has hit the 11 o'clock news here in So Cal!!!!
Get to writing,
Kevin

[eric]

HOLY CRAP!!!! friday night i was driving past it to drop off my g/f and i was bullshitting with her cousin saying how i wished i could buy that place but its a car lot, as i drove by it i noticed that ALL the used cars that were parked inside and the lot were all gone. i was like WTF!!??? maybe my wish came true. i NEVER would have thought they would knock that F*CKER down!!!! =(

[Cyclone Kevin]

Originally Posted by eric

HOLY CRAP!!!! friday night i was driving past it to drop off my g/f and i was bullshitting with her cousin saying how i wished i could buy that place but its a car lot, as i drove by it i noticed that ALL the used cars that were parked inside and the lot were all gone. i was like WTF!!??? maybe my wish came true. i NEVER would have thought they would knock that F*CKER down!!!! =(

Roadside Peek : Preservation Alley - Johnie's Broiler
Here is the carnage, ck it out for yourself!
Simply amazing that some asshole would destroy this landmark!!!!!!

[seymour]

are you fucking kidding me??????? wtf

[Omega]

That place looked amazing, fucking corporate assholes.

[battersea boys]

mutha f....kers, A quick buck and all that history melts into the ether

[seymour]

Originally Posted by Omega

...fucking corporate assholes.

I think that's a movie.

[Old Roadster]

Originally Posted by Cyclone Kevin

Roadside Peek : Preservation Alley - Johnie's Broiler
Here is the carnage, ck it out for yourself!
Simply amazing that some asshole would destroy this landmark!!!!!!

How can we help? Use to cruise there in the late sixties, that was the place to go. My mother in law had said something about it but I wasn't really listening.

[Jerry_Rolls&Pleats]

That is so sad... such an historical landmark

The asshole who did this needs to do time!!!

[Danimal]

Someone should chain the owner to the building. I bet THEN he'd want the demo stopped. Stupid people. Don't realize they could make MORE with it restored than demolished but the real question is, would people come if he did save it?

It sucks, but it is still business.

[Cyclone Kevin]

Originally Posted by Old Roadster

How can we help? Use to cruise there in the late sixties, that was the place to go. My mother in law had said something about it but I wasn't really listening.

Write to the City of Downey and express your sincere discontent with what you have just heard & have seen. This is a very sad thing to have happened. I too have spent a lot of time there - even supplied cars for movies that were filmed there. To see these shots that are posted on the site just shocked the sh*t out of me.
I don't usually put myself out here like this, but this is something that needs many voices to be heard.
Do what you can ok?
Thank You,
Kevin

[Old Roadster]

Originally Posted by Cyclone Kevin

Write to the City of Downey and express your sincere discontent with what you have just heard & have seen. This is a very sad thing to have happened. I too have spent a lot of time there - even supplied cars for movies that were filmed there. To see these shots that are posted on the site just shocked the sh*t out of me.
I don't usually put myself out here like this, but this is something that needs many voices to be heard.
Do what you can ok?
Thank You,
Kevin

Kevin ,My wifes family lives in the area and they will express there opinions to the City of Downey in writing. Sorry to see that,it's part of my past that i enjoyed very much. Being from the east coast then moving to california and marrying a california girl whos family built hot rods was like having a wet dream. Harvey's was the place......Jack

[Cyclone Kevin]

Originally Posted by Danimal

Someone should chain the owner to the building. I bet THEN he'd want the demo stopped. Stupid people. Don't realize they could make MORE with it restored than demolished but the real question is, would people come if he did save it?

It sucks, but it is still business.

If you go check out the highlighted sight in my above post that has the pics, you will see that he had it leased out as a Used Car lot as of 2K3.
I'm not postive if this is the same owner that owned it when it was a operating restaurant? But when there were cruise nights there. One couldn't find a place to park cuz that lot would just fill to the rim.

The owner made alot of jing off of us as well as truckers that patronized it when the crowds weren't taking up the lot.

Yes, This place could still make a killing if the management had a clue of what they actually had on there hands. Real estate values being what they are here in So Cal make property owners do some pretty unethical things and since when has one ever started a demo job on a Sunday afternoon @3pm PST?
One knows that this SOB thought that they'd destroy the joint before the city could stop em or even know about it & then the owner would just pay the fine for not putting up the perimeter construction fence and the lack of not having a demo permit=big fine here when it done illegally.

[kustombuilder]

Bastards!!!!

[Kustm52]

Go to the bottom of this page for pics... damn.
http://www.roadsidepeek.com/preserv/...ohniesbroiler/



Brian

[Harrison]

I don't know the owner or his history with the property but you would think he could have sold it to someone/group who wanted to preserve it & made more $$ than he will by tearing it down & selling the lot.

Question for someone in the know - Why wasn't that an option?

Offer for someone in the area - I'll give $20 for one of the stones from that stone wall.

JH

[John B]

I went to Roadside Peek and looked at the pictures. Kinda wish I hadn't. That depresses adn outrages me at the same time. I swear my stomach turned sour when I looked at the destruction some greedy a-hole inflicted.

[Degreaser]

damn man, I really wish I hadn't seen that. Makes me wanna beat on the guy. Even though im on the other side of the country, I will contact them!

What a prick!

[RetroJoe]

It is sad that every day we lose more of our history to progress. That could have been such a cool place to see saved.

[**MCQUEEN**]

Sickening. Who starts demolitions at 3:30 Sunday afternoons ? Those fuckers knew exactly what they were doing, swoop in and at least damage the shit out of it so it'll have to be torn the rest of the way down.

If there was any justice they'd fine the bastards about 3 million and give them a choice....pay the 3 mil. or pay 1.5mil to rebuild it, take your pick cocksucks.