CIVIC OFFICIALS OPEN HART HALL; NEW COMMUNITY CENTER CALLED A TRIBUTE TO ITS NAMESAKE.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

With the snip of cartoonishly large, gold-colored scissors, Friends of Hart Park and county officials unveiled Thursday a $1.3 million hall at William S. Hart Park that, beginning in December, will host weddings, community meetings and other galas.

City and Los Angeles County officials who celebrated the morning event with 200 invited community representatives and the Hart High School band agreed the building's design and intended use would have met the approval of its namesake, the late western film star William S. Hart.

``I know Bill would have loved it,'' said Friends of Hart Park Vice President Laurene Weste, a member of the Santa Clarita City Council.

The building's Old West design complements other historic structures from the original Hart estate, Weste said. And its availability for various events - including performing arts, weddings, reunions and community and group functions - would respect Hart's desire to leave his estate to Los Angeles County for public enjoyment, she said.

The single-story, 3,000-square-foot, white clapboard structure - which includes a kitchen, meeting room, patio, picnic areas and footbridge - was converted from an open barn that had housed historic farming equipment.

Friends of Hart Park raised $30,000 for the outdoor gazebo, indoor appliances and other furnishings, while the county funded the remainder through taxpayer-approved initiatives in 1992 and 1996, according to Karen L. Grant, regional recreation director.

Designs, functions and amenities were decided with community input gathered since 1997. The Alpha 26 Construction Company began building the structure 10 months ago, officials said.

Finishing touches on the interior and surrounding landscape are expected to be completed within 30 days. The facility may accommodate up to 400 people, depending on whether functions are held indoors or outdoors, officials said.

County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and other community leaders said Hart Hall's proximity to the wooded foothills at Hart Park, wildlife preserves and buildings preserved by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society made the new building a unique and pleasurable location for various gatherings.

``I know it will promote the glory and beauty of nature for generations to come,'' Antonovich said.

Others regarded the new building as a tribute to the late screen legend Hart, known for his benevolent and welcoming nature.

``Bill was my dad's greatest hero. My dad admired the man who was onscreen and I admired the man he was offscreen,'' said Friends of Hart Park President Bill Crowl, who sported a red bandana and white cowboy hat for the occasion.

Crowl told how Hart was considered a progressive thinker for his time for denouncing racial segregation and willing his estate to be enjoyed as a park by all races and classes. He also relayed how Hart had helped the community recover from the St. Francis Dam disaster of 1928 by paying families' funeral bills and helping recover the dead.

``Bill had grown up on the American western frontier where people had worked together,'' Crowl said, adding that Hart Hall would bring together people of all backgrounds from the community.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO (color -- ran in SAC edition only) The public gets a chance to check out the new Hart Hall at William S. Hart Park on Thursday. Once landscaping and minor details are complete, the Newhall facility will be available for meetings, weddings and other events.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer