The structure in question remains in legal limbo.
BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer`
The Signal Hill Historical Society’s half-ownership of a house it wants to convert into a museum may be challenged in court. So said Garden Grove resident Art Holland, the other half-owner of the property located at 2437-77 Gaviota Avenue in Signal Hill.
Holland showed the Signal Tribune a preliminary title report completed by a local title company, requesting the omission of the company’s name. “As far as the title company is concerned, there has not been a title change to the property since Willard Gillam and I purchased it many years ago,” Holland insisted. He acknowledged that Los Angeles County does have a copy of a quitclaim deed transferring Gillam’s interest in the property to the Historical Society, but he said the deed was faulty. “The county does not check on the legality of a deed,” he said. “They only look to see if it has been notarized.”
Apparently, at this point, the title company is not yet satisfied as to the deed’s legality. A statement in the preliminary title report reads as follows: “The (title) company will require satisfactory evidence that the deed was an absolute conveyance for value and that there are no other agreements, oral or written, regarding ownership or occupancy of the land described in the deed.”
“Title companies research who are the owners of a property before they will issue title insurance,” Holland said. “They will not issue insurance until the Historical Society meets that requirement, and I do not think they are going to be able to do that. The title company does not accept the quitclaim deed as proof of ownership.”
Until recently, the property was jointly owned by Signal Hill resident Willard Gillam and Holland. Last July, Gillam donated his half-ownership of the property, which contains two lots, to the Historical Society. Gillam died a few weeks ago.
In September, the Historical Society announced its desire to convert a house and yard into a museum displaying photographs, artifacts and documents dating back to the early 1900s. Also in September, the Signal Hill City Council directed staff to determine how the city might be able to help bring that about.
Several months ago, Holland told the Signal Tribune that he would be willing to divide ownership of the property, giving the Historical Society sole ownership of the house and himself sole ownership of the other lot. Now, however, the possible legal problems with the deed might complicate the process.
“It’s a mess. I am sure there is litigation coming from someone although I don’t know who,” he said. “I may have to go to court too if the problems affect the marketability of my interest in the property.” He added that he has already talked to an attorney.
According to Holland, Gillam sent a letter to the Historical Society requesting a rescission of the quitclaim deed shortly before his death. “Will’s letter basically asked for the title to be restored to the way it was before the quitclaim deed,” he said, noting that Gillam’s request was based on the discrepancies in that document that might make it invalid.
Mary Justus, president of the Historical Society, said: “I never got any letter from Will Gillam.”
Holland said that she told him the same thing recently, so he gave her a photocopy of the letter.
“I never read it,” she said, adding that, as far as she knew, Gillam never requested a rescission of the quitclaim deed. “When you give someone something like that you can’t change your mind and ask for it back,” she said. She insisted that the Historical Society had not changed its plans to turn the house into a museum.
“Art Holland is trying to do everything he can to get all the property to his self, and I am not playing games with him,” she said. “Willard Gillam gave this house out of his heart and I would like to put a memorial on the property for him. He was a very nice man and I thought a lot of Will.”
Meanwhile, a man claiming to be a friend of Gillam’s nearest relatives said they are planning on filing legal action to wrest half-ownership of the property away from the Historical Society. “The heirs of Mr. Gillam are at this time planning legal action, calling into question the signature on the quitclaim deed and the legality of the deed,” he said, promising to supply proof of his claim when he returns from an out-of-state trip.
“He was a friend of Will’s, and I believe he is telling the truth,” Holland said.
The man’s name and information about the possible lawsuit will be reported in an upcoming issue of the Signal Tribune.
Contacted by phone, two Historical Society members said that Justus has not informed the membership of anyone disputing the legality of the quitclaim deed.
