Red Car repair talks go off the rails
After 50 years in front of the library, Pacific Electric relic became an eyesore to many. Historical Society power couple, though, beg to differ.
Old Town Seal Beach can be a fishbowl, where everyone has an opinion about how best to preserve its Main Street, USA, charm.
Witness the debate surrounding Red Car No. 1734, a remnant of Southern California’s past that has sat on a greenbelt across from the library for five decades.
In recent years, some Seal Beach residents have grumbled that the onetime rail car desperately needed repairs. And, last fall, vocal critic Elizabeth Kane started a petition demanding that the Seal Beach Historical Society — which owns the antiquity — change leadership. Almost 700 residents signed.
“People were complaining about how the Red Car looked,” said Mayor Joe Kalmick, who represents Old Town. “We were watching it deteriorate.”
However, the husband-andwife executives who run the Historical Society deny all allegations of neglect.
“Over the past year, we spent $10,000 out of our own pockets repainting it and fixing a leaky roof,” said board president Marie Antos.
Her husband, Charles Antos, worked as a Seal Beach city planner and served eight years on the City Council. Marie Antos said accusations against them amount to
a “political takeover” based on old grudges.
“Now, everyone in this town wants to be the king or the queen,” she said. “We’ve been directors for years with no problems.”
Just a ‘paint job’
Kalmick dismissed the car’s recent face-lift, calling it a “horrible paint job.”
The ongoing dispute between officials and the power couple came to a head in late January when the city notified the Historical Society it was canceling the $1-a-year lease for use of public land. “It was our only leverage,” Kalmick said.
That bit of hardball meant the Antoses had 30 days to either move the Red Car or sell it.
On Monday, the Seal Beach Lions Club announced an agreement to buy the car for $1,501. The purchase includes some 20 feet of defunct trolley track and a faded crossing sign.
“We will be the Red Car’s custodian for a while, but I don’t see long-term ownership,” said Lions Club vice president Scott Weir. “We’re glad to help however we can.”
For the Antoses, the deal constituted an act of revenge. In November of last year, Seal Beach officials offered to take the Red Car off the Historical Society’s hands for $10,000.
“The Lions Club is the better choice,” Antos sniffed.
Kalmick called the Antoses’ move “pure spite.”
“At least this Seal Beach landmark will now be taken care of by a responsible organization,” he said.
A link to history
The lone Red Car symbolizes a romantic yesteryear.
For the first half of the 20th century, the intricate Pacific Electric Railway connected Orange County beach communities with cities in the Los Angeles area. But by the 1950s, cars, freeways and booming land values had usurped the ingenious mass transit system.
Most of the perky Red Cars wound up in junkyards or were dumped into the ocean to become manmade reefs. A lucky few were rescued as souvenirs.
Red Car No. 1734 is the only Red Car on display in Orange County. Built in 1925, it was a “tower car” — used to repair electric lines rather than to carry passengers. On one hand, its enchanting presence means a lot to locals. On the other hand, the Red Car has become a familiar sight somewhat taken for granted.
Duties as a museum
For a couple of hours twice a month, it served as a museum — where visitors could view memorabilia such as vintage photos, period clothing, posters, newspaper clips and Native American artifacts.
Yet limited access and, perhaps, growing lack of interest distracted many residents from ever stepping inside.
Then over the past year, the coronavirus made the car off-limits altogether.
As of now, there’s not much to see, anyway. Technically, the Historical Society owns the contents of the car, much of which have been donated over the years.
So a week before the sale closed, the Antoses packed up all the items and hauled them to a storage container. They even sawed off a Historical Society park bench implanted outside the Red Car and took it, too.
And they didn’t stop there. They asked City Hall to return photos, Kalmick said. And they repossessed their coffee maker from the Senior Center.
“They wanted to exact whatever punishment they could from the city,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Antoses remain at the helm of the Historical Society — saying they hope to find a new place to exhibit the treasures. Eventually, someone may need to form another nonprofit to take ownership of the Red Car.
“They are very obstinate,” Kalmick remarked.
Marie Antos said she and her husband, both longtime residents, simply love Seal Beach and its history. “And I have always been fascinated with trains,” she said.
Antos alleged that Historical Society members “are so angry about how the city has treated us.” But many residents wonder who those members are since it has been some time since the Antoses released a members list.
“A lot of us paid $200 early on to be lifetime members, but we haven’t received any communication from the Historical Society in years,” said Mike Buhbe. “There is no transparency.”
Mum about members
When the city inquired about a list of members last year, the Antoses balked. “Do they ask other organizations in Seal Beach for that information?” Marie Antos said. “I doubt it.”
At least some of those members now want back the keepsakes they bequeathed.
“We gave them placards that hung in our store,” said Julie Konowitz, whose family owned the venerable John’s Food King Market, which closed in 2002.
“People donated their artifacts because we thought they’d be safe at a museum,” Konowitz said. “We feel burned.”