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To Rebuild Hollywood Track As Fine as Ever Officials Have Moved Offices to Santa Anita for Coming Meeting HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., May 9. — In the wake of Thursday nights disastrous conflagration which reduced the multi-million dollar plant of the Hollywood Turf Club to a shambles, Jack MacKenzie, vice-president and general manager, announced that the structure would be rebuilt "as fine as ever." / Formal permission was also given for the transfer of the impending meeting to Santa Anita Park on May 17, as scheduled. Every effort will be made, however, to get the meeting under way as early as possible to avoid the possibility of conflicting with the scheduled Del Mar meeting or racing six days weekly to forestall such a conflict. Many of the Hollywood Park officials have already moved to Santa Anita, including Mort Shaw, head of the pari-mutuel department, whose main concern at the moment is to secure replacement of 70 ticket selling machines destroyed or damaged in the fire. Fortunately, the nerve center of the highly sensitive totalisator system, owned by the American Totalisator Company, escaped damage and can be transferred intact to Santa Anita. Another problem is the transfer of horses between the two stable areas. There were some 325 horses stabled at Santa Anita, many of which were not intended for competition at Hollywood Park. These are being transferred to the undamaged stable area at the latter track and the more than 500 thoroughbreds who had already arrived at the Inglewood course will be vanned to Santa Anita as early as stables can be allotted and transportation provided. All of the records and files of the Hollywood Turf Club were stored in offices on the ground floor of the grandstand and were undamaged, making it possible for track officials to remove them to their new quarters and go right along with the work necessary to getting the race meeting under way. Various estimates of the damage caused by the flames have been made but none as yet is authentic. Track controller D. M. Jessup, guessed it might take from ,000,000 on up to replace the immense grandstand, clubhouse and turf club, but that figure might be expected to cover an even more modern and spacious structure. The original cost of the plant, built in 1937 and 1938, when materials and labor were much cheaper, is said to have been something under ,000,000. This, of course, included the land and much construction that remains undamaged, such as barns, storage sheds, drainage, parking areas and landscaping. Last year ,600,000 in improvements were added and the cost of this years new construction was another ,070,000. Ironically, this section had just been turned over by the contractors as completed the day before the fire. The club is "adequately covered" by insurance, according to MacKenzie, and undoubtedly the new facilities to be constructed will incorporate every proved advance in the art and science of catering to the tremendous crowds that have filled the plant to capacity on numerous occasions.
