Rockhaven Sanitarium – The History of the Lawsuit

Demolition by neglect. That’s the only way to describe what the City has been doing to Rockhaven. Leaking roofs, flaking paint, caved in ceilings. The buildings are so wet and moldy that they are in danger of melting into the landscape.

How did things get to this point?

Let’s go way back, exactly 100 years ago. A middle-aged nurse, Agnes Richards, had worked her entire life in insane asylums. She witnessed the terrible abuse of women patients who were held in prison-like conditions. She felt she could do better, so in 1923 she created Rockhaven Sanitarium. The female patients would be treated with dignity and respect. They would get outside in the sun, communing in the beautifully landscaped grounds. With this new treatment, they would get better.

This was a giant leap of progress in mental health treatment. Rockhaven was owned and operated by women, in a time when they too were marginalized. It was run by women, for women. It flourished until 2006, when it was put up for sale to developers. The community rose up and the City saved the property, the last intact example of the sanitarium industry that the Crescenta Valley was founded on.

In 2008 when the City purchased the property, hopes were high for the City’s stated goal of creating a public park. They hired a firm to assess the buildings and property. The buildings themselves were in good shape. However, the report noted that all the buildings needed work on the roofs and the property needed to have repairs to the walkways that had been lifted by tree roots.

In the 15 years since then, the City has done neither. The roofs were particularly critical as they began to leak heavily with each rainy season. The City threw on a few plastic tarps, but none of them lasted more than a few months, either blowing off or disintegrating. As well, the peeling paint on the building exteriors created warped and rotting siding, letting in more water. With each instance of deferred maintenance, the repair price grew, basically wasting public funds.

The Friends of Rockhaven formed as a volunteer group to help with maintenance. As each winter produced more caved-in ceilings in the buildings, the Friends of Rockhaven politely reminded the City of the damage being caused by the lack of maintenance. They begged and cajoled, always polite. They tried to be the friendly partner, but they soon realized the partnership was one-sided.

The final straw came this winter. The buildings went through this year’s record rains with no tarps at all. The Friends were told by the City that “black mold” was now growing inside every building, and no one would be allowed inside the buildings. The Friends were further told that the building reserved for a museum would have to be entirely gutted. All the while, the $8 million grant State Senator Portantino awarded a year and a half ago for Rockhaven’s rehabilitation sat untouched. It was pure and simple: demolition by neglect. The Friends felt they had no choice but to push the city hard.

The Friends of Rockhaven filed a lawsuit against the City. It is not for a dollar amount. It is simply to require the City to do the maintenance it should have been doing all these 15 years since its purchase. Maintenance such as new roofs (not another round of tarps), weatherproofing and mold remediation.

The City’s reaction? They have banned the Friends from Rockhaven. The Friends will no longer be allowed on the property to clean and weed, or to conduct tours. The Friends are sad and heartbroken. And they’re angry as well.

But the Friends are not sorry they filed the lawsuit. When they win, and they will win, the City will be required to repair (using taxpayer money) the damage they have allowed to happen under its watch. The Friends may have sacrificed their ability to serve Rockhaven, to do maintenance and tours, but perhaps ultimately they will have saved Rockhaven from destruction. This is their gift to Rockhaven on its 100th birthday.