In 1935 the Laguna Beach Sewage Treatment Plant, including the tower structure known as the digester, was completed and the town celebrated their accomplishment. The New Deal Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $190,000 in funding to build this architecturally unique facility that would later win professional design awards. The labor to build the plant was provided exclusively by unemployed local residents, using mostly hand tools rather than machinery. The skilled workers were paid $1.10 per hour and unskilled workers 40 cents an hour. Like other New Deal projects nationwide, this project saved families and restored human dignity. This building is more than bricks and mortar: it has a soul.
On Sept. 24, the City Council voted 3-2 (Blake-Kempf-Whalen) to begin environmental documentation to demolish the digester structure and replace it with parking. Fortunately, the decision is not yet final, and the digester has a lifeline that could hold off the wrecking ball. The city should make one of the following choices: 1) Paint and patch the building to continue passive public uses such as storage; 2) Restore the building for active city uses such as a Visitors Center, Art Center, or museum; or 3) Lease the building to a private party for refurbishment and commercial use such as a sidewalk café. Such public-private partnerships are common in other cities, such as the leasing of restaurants on public piers and golf courses.
In the short time since the Council’s decision, architectural preservation groups such as Living New Deal (UC Berkeley) and Preserve Orange County have voiced strong opposition to the digester demolition. New Deal projects are considered national treasures for many reasons. We have a notable and documented New Deal structure right in our front yard. To destroy it would be unconscionable.
Bob Borthwick, Laguna Beach
