Area History -

LODI NEWS SENTINEL

August 15, 2002

Lockeford MAC to discuss unoccupied 19th-century building

By Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel staff writer

Downtown Lockeford's most prominent structure has been vacant for at least 15 years, and community leaders are struggling for a way to find a use for the 19th-century building.

However, the owner of the two-story structure at the northwest corner of Highway 88 and Elliott Road, says he plans to finally fix up the two-story structure built in 1882 by Lockeford pioneer Dean Jewett Locke.

But it will take some time and money, said the building's owner, Thomas J. Romano, a mechanical engineer from Reno, Nev. Romano said that he has spent large sums performing a seismic upgrade required by San Joaquin County, and he has to complete that work, which is about 95 percent done, before making additional improvements to the structure.

Although the building has remained vacant since at least 1988, Romano maintains that he wants to restore the building to its original state and make it attractive for potential businesses.

"I want to get it done faster than anyone in the whole county," Romano said. "No matter what, it's going to happen."

The historical building, which dominates the downtown landscape, will be discussed tonight by the Lockeford Municipal Advisory Council. The meeting, which Romano plans to attend, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Lockeford Community Center's McDonald Building, 19456 N. Jack Tone Road.

The structure opened in 1883 as the Ambrose General Merchandise Store, which sold farming equipment, clothing, shoes, boots, food, drugs and medicine, according to a book called "History of Lockeford" by Margaret Lathrop. The post office was located in the Ambrose store for many years.

The upstairs was used as a meeting hall, dance floor and for school events, according to Lodi-area historian Ralph Lea. It was later the home of Sam Goehring Hardware for many years.

In the 1980s, the structure was the home of Lockeford Auto Repair, said Jerry Herzick, deputy director of the county's Building and Inspection Enforcement Division. Romano bought the building for $55,000 on Feb. 6, 1989. It has been vacant ever since.

The county's Environmental Health Department boarded up the building about two years ago because it had been unsecured for many years, Herzick said. Youths were getting in and pigeons were roosting inside, he added.

Romano says he has been hurt financially by the recession of the early 1990s and an expensive requirement by the county to retrofit the building to meet earthquake standards.

"It's like building a bridge across San Francisco Bay," Romano said.

Worse yet, he said, the steel columns installed inside the masonry building have cost Romano so much money he can't recall the cost. It has been impossible to acquire a loan to fix up the building, Romano said.

To complicate matters, Romano's permit from the county to complete the seismic upgrade expired Aug. 8, but he planned to renew it this week.

Romano let his permit expire because Herzick, who was on vacation last week, wanted to talk to him personally.

"We weren't automatically going to extend (the permit)," Herzick said. "We want a schedule of when the work will be completed."

Romano said Wednesday afternoon he was still trying to set up an appointment with Herzick.

Once he gets his permit renewed, Romano said he will complete the remaining 5 percent of the seismic upgrade. Then he plans to renovate the windows and other parts of the building to make it attractive enough for someone to use. The structure has redwood floor and trusses.

"You're looking at thousands of dollars," Herzick said.

"Financially it hasn't been a good deal for me," Romano said. "A lot of people think I'm crazy for not demolishing it and putting in a McDonald's.

"I don't want to see this thing demolished," he said. "I'm going to keep it as original as possible."

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