Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-09
TEMPLE BLOCK
SITE ACCEPTED
COUNCIL RECEIVES CERTlFI-
CATE OF TITLE
Interested Property Owners on An%-
ious Seat While Adverse Re-
port of Committee Is
Being Read

After what was apparently nerve
racking and heart rending struggle
for r. A. Rowan, Joseph Mesmer, Cal
Hunter, Lee G. Gates and other inter-
ested persons the city council yester-
day finally disposed of the Temple
block proposition by accepting the
certificate of title to the property and
practically giving it sanction as
city hall site
The corner in the council chamber
where sat Messrs. Rowan, Hunter ct
al. was damp with the drops of cold
sweat that flowed from them unere-
strained when the land committee pre-
sented a. report to the city council
yesterday morning which appeared to
spell "repudiation" of the contract Tor
tire purchase of the Temple block
which had been entered into by the
former city council. The report was
written by Judge Lusk chairman OF
the committee. 1t recited that the
contract terms provided a certificate
of title showing the property free OF
all incumbrances should be PROVIDED
by the sellers, but that this part OF
the agreement had not been kept as
the certificate of title showed leases
on the property that provided that the
owner of the property should pay the
holder of the lease a certain stipu-
lated price per month If the lessee
was forced to vacate the premises be
fore the expiration of the term of the
lease. This, in the opinion OF the
committee, constituted an incum-
brance on the property. Further, the
committee declared the price was en-
tirey too high and said that II IL was
an original transaction it would rec
ommend the property be not accepted
But because of the incumbrance rep
recommended the certificate of title be
not accepted.
The adoption of this report meant
the abrogation of the contract, and IN
stantly brought Lee c. Gates to his
feet. He declared the contract for the
purchase recognized the existence OF
these leases and that the portion OF
the contract providing for an unln-
numbered title and the portion recog-
nizing the leases must be read togeth-
er. He stated the objections con-
tanned in the report were captious and
critical and hardly sufficient to repu-
diate the contract. The leases, IN
stead of being membranes, he said,
were safeguards to the title, as they
provided immediate revenue for the
city from the rents that could be col
lected. "
AS soon as Mr.. Gates had made his
speech IN reply 10 IHe Iepoi - 'ilo NOi
ell adjourned for the noon recess.
At the afternoon session Mr.. Gates
offered to deposit cash sufficient to
cover any loss the city might sustain
by reason of these leases The posi-
bic loss was figured at $321O, and Mr..
Gates deposited a check Of the Title
Insurance and Trust company for TINS
amount. This took away the chief op-
lection that had been raised, ana all
members of the council except Martin
Retkouski voted to accept the certifi-
ate of title.
The purchase price of the Temple
block was s5O0,000. OF this amount
S125. QUO was raised by interested prop
erty owners. The city is to pay $50.0OO
year, beginning two years after the
date of the contract, until the sixth
year, when 1t pays $4,000, and the
seventh, 100000.