Girard House Denied Historic Status : Preservation: The ramshackle home of Woodland Hills’ founder is now under renovation. It could still become a landmark.

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission has denied historic status to a tiny, ramshackle cottage home built by Victor Girard, the founder of Woodland Hills. But commission members agreed to reconsider their decision once renovation of the currently uninhabitable house at 4164 Saltillo St. is complete.

The commission’s 5-0 vote Wednesday means that the house still may be demolished if city building and safety inspectors feel the rehabilitation work now under way is proceeding too slowly.

“Right now, it is just a bare-bones structure,” said Nancy Fernandez, the commission’s executive assistant. “When there is a finished product, the commission can see if the restoration meets” city and federal guidelines for historic sites.

The tiny Hansel-and-Gretel cabin was built in 1929 by Girard as a summer home. The house has not been occupied since the last tenants moved out in 1988. It has been a continuing source of irritation for neighbors, who complain that rowdy youths hang out there, drinking and partying.

Bettina Bass, 38, whose family owns the house, said she was not disappointed with the commission’s decision. She said she hoped the renovation would qualify the structure for landmark status.

Since work began a month ago, many of the structure’s internal walls have been torn down. “They had to reject it,” Bass said. “It’s hard to tell what we’re doing because most of its exterior and interior walls are being replaced.”

After years of not having the money for renovation, Bass arranged a $90,000 bank loan this summer, she told the commission. Past efforts to fix the cottage have been hampered by vandals as well as a lack of funds.

“It’s just been a nightmare,” she said. “The neighbors think I’m lying. I’ve wanted to live here for years.”

The city’s building and safety inspectors have been trying to have the house demolished since 1988 because of neighbors’ complaints. In April, Councilman Marvin Braude introduced a motion to demolish the house.

“Until this present time, they have not shown any indication that they were going to repair the home and make it habitable in any way,” said Judith Hirshberg, an aide to Braude. “Gang members would hang around there and threaten the neighbors verbally or physically. One of our constituents was struck with a board.”

Hirshberg questions the house’s historical value, and Braude’s office said earlier that he would ask the council to oppose historic status if it were granted by the commission.

But preservationists said the building should be renovated to comply with city, state and federal historic preservation guidelines.

“It definitely has historic merit. It’s an early piece of Woodland Hills,” said Portia Lee, a historian and consultant to the California Archives, a private, nonprofit firm devoted to historical research and preservation. “It is definitely worth saving. The problem is getting it to the point of its being habitable and within federal guidelines.”