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

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Cyclone Kevin, Jan 8, 2007.

  1. Cyclone Kevin
    Joined: Apr 15, 2002
    Posts: 4,221

    Cyclone Kevin
    Alliance Vendor

    Can you friggin believe this:confused:
    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!!!!!:mad:

    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!!!:mad:

    Man. don't we have enough problems with earthquakes taking out our rich Car Culture History:confused:
    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
     
    jnaki and kidcampbell71 like this.
  2. eric
    Joined: Jun 4, 2001
    Posts: 1,643

    eric
    Member

    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!!!! =(
     
  3. Cyclone Kevin
    Joined: Apr 15, 2002
    Posts: 4,221

    Cyclone Kevin
    Alliance Vendor

    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!!!!!!
     
  4. seymour
    Joined: Jan 22, 2004
    Posts: 5,125

    seymour
    Member
    from PNW

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

  5. Omega
    Joined: Jul 11, 2006
    Posts: 874

    Omega
    Member
    from Mass

    That place looked amazing, fucking corporate assholes.
     
  6. battersea boys
    Joined: Dec 29, 2005
    Posts: 717

    battersea boys
    Member
    from surrey

    mutha f....kers, A quick buck and all that history melts into the ether
     
  7. seymour
    Joined: Jan 22, 2004
    Posts: 5,125

    seymour
    Member
    from PNW

    I think that's a movie. :D
     
  8. Old Roadster
    Joined: Jul 2, 2006
    Posts: 611

    Old Roadster
    Member


    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.
     
  9. Jerry_Rolls&Pleats
    Joined: Apr 19, 2006
    Posts: 327

    Jerry_Rolls&Pleats
    Member
    from Europe

    That is so sad... such an historical landmark :(

    The asshole who did this needs to do time!!!
     
  10. Danimal
    Joined: Apr 23, 2006
    Posts: 4,149

    Danimal
    Member
    1. A-D Truckers

    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.
     
  11. Cyclone Kevin
    Joined: Apr 15, 2002
    Posts: 4,221

    Cyclone Kevin
    Alliance Vendor

    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
     
  12. Old Roadster
    Joined: Jul 2, 2006
    Posts: 611

    Old Roadster
    Member


    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
     
  13. Cyclone Kevin
    Joined: Apr 15, 2002
    Posts: 4,221

    Cyclone Kevin
    Alliance Vendor

    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.
     
  14. kustombuilder
    Joined: Sep 18, 2002
    Posts: 7,750

    kustombuilder
    Member
    from Novi, MI

  15. Kustm52
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 1,981

    Kustm52
    Member

  16. 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
     
  17. John B
    Joined: Mar 9, 2001
    Posts: 1,433

    John B
    Member

    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.
     
  18. Degreaser
    Joined: Nov 9, 2006
    Posts: 935

    Degreaser
    Member

    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!
     
  19. RetroJoe
    Joined: Sep 7, 2003
    Posts: 194

    RetroJoe
    Member

    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.
     
  20. 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.:mad:
     
  21. NoSurf
    Joined: Jul 26, 2002
    Posts: 4,459

    NoSurf
    Member

    http://www.downeyca.org/city_contact_email.php

    There's an email directory.

    I can't believe that happened. Well- I kinda do, I think it has to do with greed. Guy sitting on an historic piece of property- won't fix it up- let's it go to shit, and will only sell it for some outrageous sum, which prices it out reach of someone who would care enough to fix it up.

    Where's Jay Leno? What's he think about this?
     
  22. Da Injun
    Joined: Dec 22, 2006
    Posts: 410

    Da Injun
    Member

    It's bullshit. We live in a disposable society and there are way too many people who don't care to save this shit. They want us to live in a "cookie cutter" world. And the sad thing is, the owner will pay a small fine and that will be that. Just look at Roadside Peak and all the other similar sites to what we have lost and continue to lose. Sickening
     

  23. They used the tried and true concept of:

    "It's easier to obtain forgiveness than permission."

    Don't be surprised if a little palm greasing is involved as well.
     
  24. If I were Jay Leno I'd grease the palms of the man on the dozer, hire a sign company, & make off with the sign at least.

    JH
     
  25. Silhouettes 57
    Joined: Dec 9, 2006
    Posts: 2,791

    Silhouettes 57
    Member

    I was born and raised in Los Angeles County graduated Artesia High School in 1963. I cruised Bellflower Blvd. to Lakewood Blvd. to Firestone Blvd. thru Downey to Harvey's, sometimes we'd cruise on over to South Gate and do Tweedy Blvd.
    I tell ya my gut is wrenching from those pictures at the Roadside Peek... All the old places are going away, seems our society has no thought of our past unless it's a public building or to honor some politician:confused: . I guess if there was an old trash dump under there they would erect a monument on the site.:rolleyes:
    How many of you remember the Clock Drive-Inn in Bellflower? I was a young pup when they knocked it down. Just thinking aloud!!!
     
  26. ramrod2624
    Joined: Dec 19, 2006
    Posts: 648

    ramrod2624
    Member

    All I can say is WOW!
    I lived in the area for many years grew up around there and always loved looking at the place. I have drove by there in recent times lhave seen the changes but never thought it would go down like that! it will very intersting to see what happens. most likely the place will disapear , the owner will get slaped with a fine for no permit, and he will rebuild what he planed on building.... its a very busy street and the area is going thur a major renovation so the owner is problay looking to make a fortune on the property! so how do we lock it up for yrs in court so he can bulid or sell?
     
  27. Jeem
    Joined: Sep 12, 2002
    Posts: 5,882

    Jeem
    Alliance Vendor

    That's DISGUSTING! Sickening.
    Heartless, soulless, pricks.

    Been happening here in Phoenix at an alarming rate too. We are a newer city comparatively, mid century architecture is what we have, what we should preserve.

    Hey, at least maybe they're going to put in a new, state of the art children's hospital on the site. Right.

    PHUKKIT, enjoy your new Walgreens, etc., etc.....
     
  28. axle
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 3,979

    axle
    Member
    from Drag City

    america doesn't care about americana !
    road side attractions,diners,drive-in theatres,loud race tracks,out of the norm architecture,signage above roof lines will eventually be something of the past.

    we're making progress......right !?!?!?!
     
  29. Stone
    Joined: Nov 24, 2003
    Posts: 2,279

    Stone
    Member

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