When it opened, it spawned a political firestorm due to the ornate interior and expensive imported materials, leading to its being called the "Taj Mahal" of firehouses.

Motion pictures filmed at the station include the Ghostbusters movies, The Mask, Police Academy 2, Flatliners, Firehouse and National Security.

"[3] The Los Angeles Times reported on its opulence as follows:"It is the interior which is to reincarnate man and beast in the fire department.

"[3] The third floor was covered in Peruvian mahogany with French bevel glass mirrors, a mantel of Vermont marble, polished inlaid oak floors, a private slide pole, a massive brass bed, private roof garden, and "a tub big enough for two chiefs.

"[3][5] The Times reported: "Notice the Peruvian mahogany carefully, and you will see that the heart of the log has been chosen and that its grain has been placed so that it gives the appearance of real flames.

[5] The Times noted that the quarters rivaled the finest suites in the country, referred to it as a "Sybaritic effort," and offered its sarcastic speculation that the house captain would be expected to "wear evening dress after 6 o'clock, at least.

The original equipment included a horse wagon, chief's buggy, and a pumper that used a vertical tube boiler.

"[7] Looters stole most of the copper tubing and brasswork, banisters, doorknobs, firebells, and even the five brass firepoles.

[7] However, in 1979, the Fire Commission announced plans to restore the rooms back to their 1910 condition and turn the station into a museum.

23 became the subject of controversy again in 1995 when the Los Angeles Times ran a 2,200-word, front-page article reporting on alleged misuse of city funds by Olde 23, the nonprofit charged with restoration of the station.

[8] Investigations by the Times and the City Controller also revealed that some filming fees had been paid in cash to James Croak, an American artist who leased the building from the City of Los Angeles from 1978 to 1985, but no illegality was found as Mr. Croak had the right to sub-lease the property for short periods as long as he notified the landlord that he was doing so.

Taylor also solicited donations for filming at the Fire Station which he put into his own nonprofit called Corporation for History, Art and Culture.

On occasion, Taylor made the Fire Station available to neighborhood groups and sought to turn the space into a community center.

23 became a popular filming location for motion pictures, television productions, commercials, and music videos.

"[8] The first major motion picture filmed at Station 23 was Hammett (1982) by German director Wim Wenders, followed two years later by Ghostbusters.

23 has since then been used in more than 50 productions,[8] including Big Trouble in Little China (1986), Ghostbusters II (1989), The Mask (1994), Police Academy 2 (1985), A-Team (1986), V.I.

In 1996, Los Angeles voters approved Proposition K, which was designed to fund the acquisition, improvement, construction and maintenance of city parks, recreation facilities and other youth-oriented spaces.

In fact, many in the surrounding community question whether a youth arts center is even an appropriate use for the building given the demographic shift since 1996 and several other factors.

K, Local Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committees or "LVNOCs" are created by the city for each proposed project.

[15] Several concerns by the LVNOC were raised including lack of a budget to analyze as well as a desire to see adult, in addition to youth programming.

Architectural firm Brooks + Scarpa has been hired by the city to design the interior of the Fire Station, although it is unclear if the project will be complete before Prop.