On Saturday, August 14, more than a hundred members and friends of WAHA came together to bring back the Ice Cream Social. It was such a success, that I thought we should share the event with all of you. You may not even realize that WAHA has it's own facebook page, which provides all of us another way to share and stay in contact. If you are on facebook, be sure to add West Adams Heritage to your favorites list.
Just click on the link below to view the fun on facebook!!!
And if you're interested in lending a hand to help organize some of our upcoming WAHA Events, please drop us a line to . We would love to bring in some more folks to join our Events Committee. Whether for a single project, or to help with several, we'd really like to hear from you!!!
The Living History Tour is Saturday, September 25th. At the moment, we're looking for professionals willing to coach our volunteer actors in advance of the tour itself.
Then on Friday, October 15th, Pasadena Heritage Craftsman Weekend will be touring five wonderful West Adams homes as a special excursion to their weekend's activities. We need lots of people to volunteer as docents to help guide our guests, and to fulfill the role of WAHA ambassadors to folks coming into Southern California from all over the country. This will be a great opportunity for us to let a lot of new people know why we consider West Adams such a wonderful place to call home!!!
So it you're available on Friday, October 15th, or any of the other dates coming up on WAHA's calendar we'd be very pleased to have you join in.
The July 30 Los Angeles Times carries a well-illustrated story on one of the two winners of WAHA's 2010 garden contest. Emily Green, the Times' garden specialist, writing under the title "The Dry Garden: A Water-Wise Winner in West Adams," offered a text and photo tour of this Jefferson Park treasure. The garden was designed by well-known low-water landscape artist
Renee Gunter for homeowners Marina Moevs and Steve Peckman. Green begins:
"The West Adams Heritage Assn. celebrates the preservation of historic houses, but earlier this month, a markedly modern installation in Jefferson Park shared its “best garden” prize. Look at the home of Marina Moevs and Steve Peckman, and it's obvious why: Few gardens could do a better job accenting but not overwhelming their lovingly restored Craftsman home.
"After having taken pains to strip, then stain the clapboard for a weathered, muted effect, the first criterion that Moevs and Peckman put to a local garden designer was to keep the plants low. Herbs would be welcome, but they didn't want any specimens taller than 3 feet. Furthermore, they didn't want to water -- or at least water often. Finally, they wanted to capitalize on a cash-for-grass program that offers rebates for replacing turf with a low-water alternative."
WAHA is looking for the best exterior paint finishes and gardens in West Adams, to be
voted upon at the 4th of July event. Any house painted between June 1, 2009 to May 31,
2010 is eligible. Any garden in West Adams is eligible (newly planted or not). In both
cases, the property must be within the Historic West Adams District.
The nomination process is simple (but digital) –– you can nominate your neighbors' beautiful and creative handiwork, or your own. Please send digital photographs along with the specific address, homeowner name(s), and description of the restoration and/or garden planning work that was required to transform an ugly duckling into today's beautiful swan. E-mail your submission to
, by June 28. Attendees at the 4th of July event will vote for their faves (be sure to bring your posse if you are a nominee!)
We celebrate another National Preservation month this May with a general membership meeting traditionally and annually hosted by the Historic Preservation Committee. How appropriate that this year we will be in the former Stan’s Kite, an endangered Googie style coffee shop, whose demolition is part of the development proposals for the Washington Square Shopping Center mixed use project. Stan’s Kite, now Vintage Hollywood, is a very special venue. Located in the Washington Square Shopping Center at Washington Boulevard and 10th Avenue, the former Googie Style Stan’s Kite restaurant now houses Leroy Richardson III’s remarkable memorabilia collection of Afro-American celebrity entertainers.
At the May 23 meeting, the WAHA Martin Weil Award for excellence in preservation will be presented for the third time. Named after distinguished preservation architect and WAHA member Martin Eli Weil, it represents the highest honor WAHA can bestow specifically for contributions to preservation in West Adams. Martin was always there to investigate, analyze and support preservation, whether saving a vernacular house or a National Register District.
WAHA offers some wonderful opportunities in the coming weeks!
Saturday, May 15th, Book Signing Eventin Lafayette Square. WAHA invites you to meet TV producer Barney Rosenzweig and tour a literary legend’s former home at one of our periodic "Books in Historic Places" events.
This May's General Membership meeting will be a Sunday brunch, on May 23rd and will be in the groove for National Historic Preservation Month. The traditional mimosa brunch gig is down at Vintage Hollywood in the Washington Square Shopping Center on Washington Blvd. at 10th Avenue. Preservation BEAT, a cool celebration of history and land use set in a Googie coffee house, will jam with music and readings.
Preservation Issues
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