IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Apple Valley has assumed ownership of Hilltop House, a city landmark that was built during the 1950s by two local developers.
The town council on Wednesday closed escrow on the property, paying $360,000 for the structure on Bass Hill that was once used as a conference center but has been vacant for several years, according to a statement on the town’s website.
The purchase will be paid for with $200,000 from the city’s general fund a $160,000 grant from the National Park Service.
One local non-profit, the Apple Valley Legacy Trail Organization, has proposed building nature trails around the structure and installing a 360-degree observation deck. The High Desert Community Foundation and the Apple Valley Unified School District have also made suggestions regarding the property, according to the statement.
Because the structure is in disrepair, it’s not clear what its function will be, said Charlene Engeron, Apple Valley spokeswoman.
“It will be operated by the parks department because that was a condition of the loan, but other than that we don’t know what will happen,” Engeron said of the structure, which is visible from Highway 18. “There will have to be a few discussions to figure something out. There hasn’t been any talk of making it a conference center again.”
Developers Newton T. Bass and Bud Westlund built Hilltop House as a way to promote their development business, Apple Valley Ranchos Land Co. The building, which was bought by a private investment group in 2000, was damaged by fire in 1967 and again in 2009, according to the statement.
