Iconic LaPorte Mansion has been demolished
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON AUGUST 28, 2023 AT 3:30 PM- Crews have demolished the iconic LaPorte Mansion in Pacific Grove on Monday afternoon.
The mansion was damaged in a structure fire in late May. City building inspectors detected that lead and asbestos were found in the structure during an inspection.
The owner of the mansion, William Turrentine will get to decide what comes next for the site that the mansion was on.
UPDATE ON JULY 20, 2023 AT 12:35 PM- The LaPorte Mansion in Pacific Grove will no longer be standing by the end of September.
John Kuehl who is the chief building officer for the City of Pacific Grove confirmed to KION that a demolition permit has been issued to the mansion's owner William Turrentine. Kuehl said that Turrentine is currently in the process of selecting a demolition contractor.
The mansion which was featured in the 1959 movie "A Summer Place" was damaged in a fire that happened on May 26.
During an investigation into the mansion, Kuehl said that most of the structure's integrity was badly damaged and was too hazardous to occupy anyone.
In mid-June, Kuehl did sent a letter out to Turrentine saying that he had two options, to either demolish the mansion or restore it to a safer condition.
Turrentine was originally suppose to have a decision made by July 5 but was given a two-week extension to this week.
According to Kuehl, Turrentine did test the mansion to see if any hazardous materials were found in the structure and Kuehl said that lead and asbestos were detected.
Once the mansion is demolished, those materials will need to be taken to a certified special disposal site.
Kuehl did say it will be up to the owner of the mansion to decide what will the property look like post-demolition.
We did reach out to Monterey Fire to see if a cause of this fire has been determined and they said that they are not conducting any further investigation and it is still unknown on what caused the fire.
Firefighters battling a structure fire at iconic LaPorte Mansion in Pacific Grove
A KION reporter confirmed firefighters are on the scene of a structure fire near 17 Mile Drive and Lighthouse Avenue.
You can see flames shooting out of the home, our reporter says the mansion on fire is the LaPorte Mansion located at the corner of Lighthouse Avenue and 17 Mile Drive.
This movie was the location of the Pine Island Inn for the 1959 movie " A Summer Place" which starred Richard Egan, Dorothy McGuire, Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue.
Firefighters said at 9:48 a.m. they were dispatched to reports of a structure fire at 1030 Lighthouse Avenue. When they arrived they saw active smoke and fire coming from the second floor.
A person was inside the home trying to extinguish it initially and he came out on his own. Nobody else was inside the building when it caught fire, said firefighters.
Firefighters are trying to save as much of the structure as they can but the old Victorian houses make it hard to extinguish when fire gets into the walls, said firefighters.
A cause has not been determined as of yet.
As of noon Saturday, all roads are now open.
