Plans to bulldoze the Lake Elsinore home of the man who brought the fictional character Tarzan to life have been delayed for one month.

The Lake Elsinore City Council was scheduled Tuesday to decide the fate of a hilltop house owned by Johnny Weissmuller, an Olympian and actor who portrayed Tarzan in movies. But the council put off a decision for a month at the request of the house’s owner.

In the 20 years that it has been vacant, the "Tarzan House," as it is called by some locals, has been the target of graffiti and vandalism and a magnet for squatters, a city staff report stated.

Both the property owners and the Lake Elsinore Historical Society oppose the demolition. The house has historical value, opponents of the demolition say, because Weissmuller lived there.

Weissmuller won five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal before he went on to star in 12 Tarzan movies from the 1930s to 1960s. He capitalized on his Olympic swimming prowess when he starred as Tarzan.

The popular character sprang from the imagination of American author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who died in March 1950 at age 74.

Weissmuller was just one of several celebrities who left his mark on the community when the lake was a resort and a refuge for Southern California movie stars, writers and other notable figures.

A home once owned by muckraking writer Upton Sinclair still stands and a Moorish-style home owned by evangelist and faith healer Aimee Semple McPherson anchors a ridge between the lake and Interstate 15.

Movie legend Bela Lugosi, best known for his 1931 portrayal of "Dracula," lived in Lake Elsinore. A tiny lakeside park still bears his name.

The Weismuller house, which sits at 523 W. Minthorn St., anchors a tract of land that is slated to be developed for housing, according to city materials.

The city is concerned about the house’s questionable structural integrity, which may have been compromised by an illegal renovation project.

Several years ago, Eric Lunde, the current owner of the house, leased it to a tenant who began major renovations without city permits. The tenant removed several interior walls and did plumbing and electrical work before leaving the home in disrepair.

The city stopped the renovation because the tenant failed to get permits, according to an official document. Though the city told the tenant he could continue with the renovation after the permitting process was complete, the tenant never filed for permits and abandoned the property.

The Lake Elsinore Historical Society toured the home in May with the homeowner and wrote a letter opposing the city’s planned demolition.

"After examining the house, it is our belief the house should not be torn down," Ruth Atkins, Historical Society president, wrote in the letter.

If Lake Elsinore demolishes the house, it wouldn’t impact city coffers because the owner would be required to pay those costs.

If the owner failed to reimburse the city in full, a lien could be filed against the property to recover the money owed.

The property owner has appealed the city’s move to demolish the house, but city staff has recommended the council deny the appeal.

The property owner also asked the council to delay making a decision until Aug. 11. The council granted that request.

That meeting is slated to begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 11 in the Lake Elsinore Cultural Center at 183 N. Main Advertisement
St. in downtown Lake Elsinore.

LAKE ELSINORE - "Tarzan's" old home in Lake Elsinore won't face the wrecking ball today.

The nearly gutted home at 523 W. Minthorn St. is believed to have been owned by the late "Tarzan" star and Olympic swimming champ Johnny Weissmuller, but it has been unoccupied for about 20 years, except for a squatter or two. It has been tagged by graffiti vandals and suffered through at

least one aborted remodeling job.

Now, city officials have started the process of having it declared an eyesore, which would enable the city to raze it and make way for a housing development.

But the developer of the proposed Spyglass Ranch, Eric Lunde, is also the owner of the 3,616-square-foot, 1930s-era house and does not want the city to tear it down.

The house once had six bedrooms and three bathrooms, with a swimming pool built about 300 feet away from the structure.

The pool has since been filled in and some walls between the rooms were torn out.

The Lake Elsinore City Council delayed a decision on the tear-down at last night's council meeting, granting a reprieve until Aug. 11, "to give the property owner and code enforcement staff time to reach a conclusion," city spokesperson Mark Dennis said.

Lunde, who has put his Spyglass Ranch development on hold because of the current economic climate, has appealed the city's efforts to declare the house an eyesore. He could not be reached for immediate comment today.

Ruth Atkins, the president of the Lake Elsinore Historical Society, has also urged the City Council not to raze the structure. She was unavailable for comment today.

LAKE ELSINORE - The Lake Elsinore City Council will hold a public hearing today to decide whether to tear down a house that historians say once was associated with the late "Tarzan" star and Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller.

The property at 523 W. Minthorn St. has been vacant for more than 20 years, according to a staff report. The house sits on a hill in the middle of a proposed housing development, the report states.

A prospective buyer leased the home some years back but the lessee took out walls, pulled out the plumbing and electrical systems and began remodeling without city building permits, the report states.

The city tried to work with the potential buyer to submit plans for the rehabilitation but the person never officially submitted anything and left the house in a state of disrepair.

The house is "in a questionable state of structural integrity," states the report.

Over the years, the house has been vandalized and tagged by graffiti and recently, a code enforcement action was undertaken to remove a squatter from the property.

The city has taken action to place the property into structural abatement so it can either be rehabilitated or demolished. However, owner Eric Lunde and the Lake Elsinore Historical Society have filed an appeal of that action.

"After examining the house, it is our belief the house should not be torn down," said Ruth Atkins, president of the Lake Elsinore Historical Society.