101-Year-Old Shop to Be Bulldozed

A plan to bulldoze a 101-year-old shop to build low-income housing was approved today.

The Temecula Planning Commission approved the plan during a meeting Wednesday at the

Portola Terrace, a $12.5 million apartment complex, will go up on the 1.53-acre lot now occupied by the antique Arviso House.

To read about the history of the house,

The house was also removed from a list of historically significant sites in Temecula with the permission of the Temecula Valley Historical Society.

Numerous changes were made to the home since it was added to the list. For example, it was moved across the neighborhood from Mercedes Street to Pujol Street.

"When it was in situ, it was found to be worthy (of the historical sites list)," said Planning Commissioner John Telesio.

Its placement on the list might have been an error, said Planning Director Patrick Richardson.

"It's placement on the list was questionable, and in retrospect should not have been on the list," he said.

Usually if a building is moved, it maintains its historical value, but the changes the previous owners made -- including adding wood paneling to the exterior -- detracted from its value. "In this case, the structure was modified substantially," Richardson said.

The changes were made to make the house look older, said Wayne Hall, a Temecua resident who spoke at the meeting. "It was a ruse," he said.

Also, nothing of historical importance happened at the house, said Telesio. "An old building's only significant if it's significant."