Locals, architects protest center’s demolition

Newport Beach Arts Commissioners were a little overwhelmed Thursday night by nearly 20 citizens who crammed in the Newport Beach Public Library to decry the tearing down of the Mariners Medical Arts Center.

At the commission’s monthly meeting, citizens lobbed architectural history at the commissioners and detailed the center’s importance. One person was nearly in tears. But in the end, the arts commissioners could only throw up their hands and say there was nothing they could do.

The building was designed in 1963 by Richard Neutra, a California modernist architect. Posthumously, Neutra received the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects, and a number of his works have sold at high prices due to his stature and the beauty of his designs.

But a new building complex is slated to go up next to Neutra’s, with the potential for the building to be demolished altogether to make way for a three-phase project. The citizens, mostly architects or people who work at the complex, are trying to prevent that from happening.

But stopping the construction around the building is a tall order for activists to ask. The first phase of building calls for a new office structure — about 9,000 square feet — atop the parking lot behind the building, Newport Beach Planning Director David Lepo said.

The building permit has been issued, but a stipulation of that permit asked that no demolishing commence until an architectural survey could be performed to determine the building’s significance, Lepo said.

But activists argue that the initial development could already demolish some portions, and that the historical significance of the building should prevent any action, but hasn’t yet.

Activists for the structure are outraged this is possible, but they know saving buildings can be a tough sell.

“There was probably one time the world didn’t know about the pyramids,” said Costa Mesa architect John Linnert, who is fighting to preserve the building. “The world finally came around and said, ‘Oh my God this was important.’ Maybe this is not to the scale of the pyramids, but still important.”

Linnert, a member of the American Institute of Architects, points to simple aspects of Neutra’s design, the use of vertical stones in a wall, the fact the building isn’t showy, but takes a person to walk through it to experience its true elegance and various components.

“It is not a building that stands out and screams at everybody,” Linnert said. “It is not an attention grabber like some designs are these days. It is like a fine wine: You take another sip and say it is even better than it was before.”

Architect Barbara Lamprecht drove from Pasadena to defend the building and its significance at the commission meeting.

“He is not a builder of cathedrals,” Lamprecht said. “But he is incredibly astute of the persons sitting at the foot of the cathedral.”

Surveys that determine significance and save a structure are rare, especially when the owner is looking for a return on an investment, such as the owner, Venture Real Estate, is looking for here, Lepo said.

Phone calls to Venture Real Estate were not immediately returned. Efforts to reach Newport Councilman Don Webb, whose district the building is in, were unsuccessful.

The city is aware of citizen concerns, and officials are hoping for a compromise or some sort of balance, but they haven’t yet spoken with the building’s owners.

“On one hand, those preservationists would like to have the current building restored to pristine original condition, but we are balancing that with property owners’ desire to maximize investment,” Lepo said.

For opponents of the construction like Linnert, there isn’t a question of the building’s significance.

“It needs to be saved,” he said.

And Linnert, and those with him intend to take it as far as they can. The commissioners only offered them two pieces of advice at the meeting — talk to the city council and get a lawyer.

The group plans to do both.