Fall 2004 came and went, and the sign changed to "2005." But suddenly, the city had second thoughts, and plans started circulating to demolish the gas station and turn the lot into parking for Adams Square businesses.
That brought out the big Adams Hill Homeowners Association guns. Even I got into the act in a small way, creating this blog in order to organize all of the pro-park, pro-preservation info for the gas station structure in one place.
Thankfully, the city agreed and new plans were drawn up. Glendale finally broke ground for the park in July 2006, with plans to open in December.
Then, another snag: Rather than follow the plans as approved by the city, somehow new plans emerged that crowded the small space with too much concrete, too many tables and two large play structures. Rather than settle for that eyesore of a park, the Homeowners Association again fought for what was originally envisioned -- and again, the city backed down.
That delayed the opening several more months... but finally, this past weekend, all that work paid off. The new pocket park opened, and it's beautiful. Not to mention one-of-a-kind, with the restored gas station structure. It's definitely a gathering space, and already Blogger Toddler has made good use out of the play structure. At night, what had been a dark, abandoned corner is now bright with lights. Here are a few pics from this Saturday's opening ceremonies:
The art-deco gas station, now sporting a new "Glendale" sign (and its original blue-and-yellow paint design).
A vintage gas pump will occasionally make it to the park -- but only every once in a while; you can imagine that thing would be vandalized/stolen rather quickly otherwise.
Crowd gathers for the park dedication.
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