Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Page 3
Supervisors Order Study Into Reopening Hall of Justice
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Board of Supervisors yesterday unanimously approved a motion by Supervisors Gloria Molina and Michael Antonovich to explore the reopening of the Hall of Justice.
The building, which once housed trial courts along with offices of the coroner, sheriff and district attorney, and a jail, has been closed since the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Notable residents of the Hall of Justice jail included Charles Manson and Sirhan Sirhan. Autopsies performed at the Hall of Justice include those of actress Marilyn Monroe and Robert Kennedy.
A restoration project in 2004 was halted due to uncertainties over the extent and related cost of seismic, structural and other retrofit requirements rendered the project potentially beyond its allotted budget, Antonovich explained in a statement.
The supervisors cited several factors as justifying the study, in particular the recent decrease in financing and construction costs and the possibility of receiving federal stimulus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They instructed the chief executive officer to report back to the board within 45 days.
Antonovich spokesman Tony Bell said there had been no discussion as to whether the building might eventually house courtrooms again, or of any specific use, because the feasibility of reopening the building needs to be studied first.
Copyright 2009, Metropolitan News Company