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

Well done all of you I emailed the city council from great britain, Johnies was a must do in the 80,s when I was in LA , I think Frisco,s killed it when they opened and had the meet on the same night, but without fail I,d always cruise Harveys some times stopping at spires. Once stayed at the Embassy suites as well

 

The run sounds like fun. Another suggestion if I may, weekly or monthly "cruises" to Johnies Broiler with signs supporting the reconstruction (again to keep this in the front of peoples minds). I would love to help in any way I can, I will keep in touch with you regarding this Kevin. As another poster suggested, money is the issue, maybe we can start a "Friends of Johnies" Foundation to raise money. Or find a potential purchaser through real estate trusts, if you can convince them this place is a money maker people will step up.

 

atleast we have a positive/ understanding response from the city gov't. thanks to all who went to the meeting.

 

His favorite quote is "You little shits will look funny when this old man kicks your ass!" Those are for the guys that mess with me or my mom or our cars.

And we'd still like to get rid of our neighbor.

 

Chili & Kevin... I'm all up for the ghost cruise. If I can give you any help let me know.

I can probably get some non hot-rod clubs to participate.

Also, I suggest that you invite the Downey City Council and Downey Officials to ride along.

 

my first ever nite in la was in that diner,glad ive got some video of it,,1989,strait from lax and into jonnies/harveys,,wow i was in paradise

 

We went to a cruise night there in 1989 too. It wasn't our first night in LA, but it was definitely sometime in the first week.

Between there, Frisco's and Texas Loosey's, it was definitely a night to remember !

 

Kevin,

If I'm in town I'll join you...if can I drive my bulldozer...just kidding.

Just a thought...please don't think I'm trying to rain on the parade...but after the fines have been paid and the owner is out of jail (if that happens), I suspect they will just go into bankruptcy on the property rather than rebuild what was removed. You cannot force someone to stay in business. If he has the money and is not in need of the income, expect him to sit on it for a while as an empty lot untill he needs to sell it or the HAMB storm blows over. I wish y'all luck and like I said, I'm happy to join in if I'm around...would like to meet some of you guys.

John

 

John,
Have you noticed what happens to certain business owners that violate Historical Landmark laws. This isn't simply going to be a fine, This is jail time as well as a fine. This property is for lease right @ this moment. That makes this even worse for the owner which actually makes this act pre-meditated on top of illegal.

You're a property owner so I think that you have a pretty good grasp on the laws and what is required of a slum/landlord. That's what he was trying to turn this place into.

As for him going bankrupt, I doubt it, This may have to become an eminent domain issue in the best interest of the city as well as any traveller that motors past the place.
Let me ask you this Do you honestly think that the HAMB membership or even just I will let this die If you do, then you obviously don't know me too well.

When I came aboard Cook's-Cyclone it was still a business, but nothing like what my customers as well as I have done for it.
Most people never knew that Cyclone was a companion company-unless you really knew Hot Rods.

Cyclone is nowhere near the type of company that Offy,Edelbrock etc is, nor will we every grow to that size. I meet many different people in this business and I have already informed my family that they will be the ones carrying on this business. So when one has a passion-which I do for many things,then one lives with that forever. It will never die!

Your welcome to come on the ride when the city gives us more of a heads up on what will transpire and what will be needed in order to help.
Kevin

 

At what point does "Private" property become the domain of the people? I'm sorry that your fond memories of cruising the drive-in burger joint are gone, but frankly I feel more sorry for the property owner who has had the gun of some commie-pinko "Preservationist Society" held to his head and had to resort to some low-rent and mis-calculated way of getting out from behind this mess.

What if the owner is not some "Rich Fuck" but rather some average joe who bought at a lucky time and has been holding onto this non-economically viable piece of property in the hope that it could be his retirement nest egg. I hate it when the "little guy" gets screwed.

Not at all surprised to see socialism is alive and well in California......

 

You nailed it.....thanks

 

Wow... I've been out of town and not checking in too much... but Chilli Phil and others have been keeping us up to speed on the Boulevardos' web site (Thanks Phil).

I'vebeen sending emails to the city councel and I'll mail a letter when I get home.

Count me in for any fund raisers, cruises,and other.

Goozgaz

 

I'm with this guy!! Well said!! The current owner bought and paid for the place, in my book that means it's his and he SHOULD be able to do whatever he wants with it.

If somebody wants to turn it into a historical landmark then they should have to buy it at his price.

 

Not in this case. The owner of any place of historical value has the responsibility to find a buyer before he destroys it.. This douche made NO effort. I'm all for the free marketplace, but we gotta fight to save what little is left from an increasingly better past. I'm a developer myself. You can still make money in this country without tearing it up. The outrage is deserved in this instance.

 

Your "historical" may just be my "garbage"......buy it from me and THEN your definition counts. Until then, you are a bleeding heart preservationist. Put your money where your mouth is.

 

If we built pyramids, they would be torn down to build condos. Wasnt this place closed because a lawsuite? It was a profitable buisness, just not worth the hassle.

 

Ugh......you can have my share of that stuff, its crap. Give me real American food like pizza and tacos.

 

I see your point of view, and I agree with that for the most part.

But.

At some point it doesn't become so clear cut.

We all hear the story, some old guy has some old car he won't sell, and it rots away into the ground. Or he is asking some totally off the wall high price. "So what?" you say, "it's his he can do what he wants with it." You are correct, he can do what he wants with his own stuff. But he's still an ass.

With mass produced cars, where there were millions of cars built and you can usually find another one, it's no big deal. But Harveys/Johnies at some point became an icon for alot of people, and it morphed into a public place with idealism.

I think that slowly, the American flock is becoming more attentive to our recent history. And many of us realize we aren't really owners of things like cars and property, we are caretakers.

I know I won't change your opinion, and I don't want to. Maybe Johnies will be smashed up and hauled to the landfill. But by voicing our opinion, sharing our concern, maybe we will bring attention to other places like this, and those others might not be destroyed, (even legally).

All I know is I will do what ever I can to save America for my children.

 

Right on!

 

So...you're stuff is your stuff until a few people covet it, and at that point it becomes theirs. Bullshit, this ain't China.

At the point that Johnies "became an icon for alot of people" those people should have ponied up and bought the joint...can't afford the owners asking price?...then tough shit.

 

Johnnies wasn't just "an icon to a lot of people", it had been designated a historical landmark (probably due to the efforts of many of the folks who consider it an icon). When a property is designated a historical landmark, like it or not, the owner has a responsibility to abide by the laws that apply to historical properties (see Nads earlier post).

In this case, the owner ignored the law and began demolishing the property illegally.

 

AMEN !
what part of that don't a couple of you understand !?!?!?!?

 

That about sizes it up...........however remember its not just the people thinking it was an icon,the Sturcture its self was declared a landmark (yeah like a Frank Lloyd Wright building) so this is where it becomes more of caretaker status,and the owner knew this! oh did I mention the asshole was asking $14.497.00 a month just to lease this building saying it was a HISTORICAL place!.........thank the HAMBers and the city of Downey for tryin to save this!!!!!!!!

 

If it had been done legally, someone probably would've stepped up & saved it - as it was, doing it late on a sunday afternoon, w/o permits, knowing full well it had been granted landmark status (although the owner declined to accept it, so no legal protection) - just plain wrong.

Yes, it is his to do with as he wants - within the letter of the law - just like you & me. You can't decide you want to rebuild your house & just set fire to it. You have to apply for a permit, tear it down responsibly, etc. Meanwhile, all of that is a matter of public record & someone could go to court to get an injunction to halt your "progress" while an alternative is sought.

Doing it w/o the due process portion of the legal aspect is foolish & un-American regardless of which side of this you're on.

 

I been thinkin' about knocking that mosque off the temple mount in Jerusalem and puttin' a big Holiday Inn on top. I mean, people make a pilgrimage there every year, I bet I'd have a ton of customers. I'd even have a little gift shop with disposable cameras and plastic dashboard Muhammed's that you could buy.



Honestly, I'm not sure about this one. I do think it's a shame that a cool old place is getting torn down, but I don't see how it's the right of the people to tell the guy that he has to keep it around and re-open it.

Where were all these concerned citizens for the past 20 years while it sat there empty?

I highly doubt that it'll get rebuilt. The owner wants it gone and it's not protected as a historical landmark. The govennment doesn't have the power to make the guy rebuild it on his own dime either.

I'd think if anyone really wants to do something realistic, then they should be raising funds to buy what's left and move it somewhere else. Save the sign, the awning uprights, and whatever's left of the exterior windows and such, to put it up somewhere else. Like it or not, the owner is going to pay his fine and finish tearing it down, so if you want to do anything, you should try to save what's left before it's all gone.

 

This goes right along with the "Editor's Letter, Holeshot - History Lesson" on page 14 of the February 2007 issue of Hot Rod Magazine.

The first sentence of the article says "The people of Los Angeles, a town with a incredibly rich history in the 20th century, don't care about anything historical."

We have the same crap happening everywhere. Gotta build that new WalMart or strip mall.

 

If you guys want to preserve something, pick something worthwhile....like our natural resources....water, air, or land.....not some old building that only ONE guy was interested in.....at least interested enough to actually BUY it.

 

ONE GUY? ....I understand YOU dont care and thats just fine.However thousands of people have been trying for years to save this.....this is much bigger than just us on the HAMB (thanks for everything Ryan!) Ive found many groups working on this .....How do ya think it got to the Historical foundation for status rating?.bottom line the guy broke the law BIG TIME........This is our American history.....hell this country is still very young we need to save some of this for the future