A Victory (For Now) on Historic Interiors, WAHA Living History Tour, Newcomers Dessert, and more!
1). SWEETS FOR ALL -- WAHA NEWCOMERS DESSERT
Thursday evening, September 17
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
2650 S. Kenwood Avenue (south of Adams, east of Normandie.)
WAHA members new and old are all invited to a "Newcomer Dessert" on Thursday, September
17, hosted by WAHA and at the home of WAHA Board member Suzanne Lloyd Simmons.
Existing WAHA members are encouraged to bring a dessert to share with their fellow
members. Newcomers, those who have been members of WAHA for less than two years, are
invited as our guests, as are prospective members. Beverages will be provided.
Please come and meet your new neighbors, and let them meet y ou.
2). LIVING HISTORY TOUR 2009
WAHA presents the 19th annual Living History Tour at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery
Saturday morning, September 26
(Early Bird pricing deadline is Tuesday, September 15)
History comes alive each year at the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, which celebrates its
125th anniversary in 2009. Founded in 1884, it is one of the City's oldest, most
historically significant cemeteries, and is now home to many generations of Los Angeles'
early citizens, representing every race, faith and creed. Every year, WAHA focuses on some
of their life stories by presenting a Living History Tour at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery,
featuring actor portrayals, graveside, of some of the individuals buried at the cemetery.
This year you'll meet:
* Jean Goldkette––The "Prince of Jazz," a jazz pianist and bandleader
whose orchestras included, at various times, Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, and Tommy
Dorsey
* William H. Shores––The first African American employee of the Security
Trust & Savings Bank, founded in 1889 (predecessor to Security Pacific Bank/Bank of
America)
* Katharine Putnam Hooker and Marion Osgood Hooker––Mother and daughter
adventurers, artists and creative spirits who were friends of John Muir and astronomer
George Ellery Hale
* Remi Nadeau––Grandson of a Los Angeles pioneer whose family once owned the
land the cemetery sits upon
* Everett Sloane–– Actor and member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater
troupe
Tours depart every 25 minutes beginning at 9 a.m. These are guided tours with small
groups, and some tours may have already sold out. Tickets are available by reservation
only. $25 general admission –– after September 15, all tickets are $30 (WAHA
members $20 before September 15). You may pay online OR download the flyer from the WAHA
website and mail your check and time preferences to: WAHA Angelus Rosedale Living History
Tour 2280 West 21st Street Los Angeles, CA 90018
Angelus Rosedale Cemetery is located in Historic West Adams at 1831 W. Washington Blvd. This is a 2-3 hour walking tour over uneven terrain; please dress accordingly. More information:
, or visit www.WestAdamsHeritage.org.
2). CULTURAL HERITAGE ORDINANCE UPDATE: WE WON, FOR NOW
WAHA contacted you last week about the proposed revisions to the City's 47-year-old
Cultural Heritage Ordinance, which was (and is) in danger of being hijacked by a small
group of Downtown business interests who would like to exclude most interiors from
historic designation. On Thursday, September 10, the City Planning Commission voted 7-1 to
approve the Office of Historic Resources (OHR) staff recommendation on the proposed
amendments, including the retention of interiors as potential historic sites, to the
Cultural Heritage Ordinance. Here is OHR Manager Ken Bernstein's review of the day's
events:
"Most of the discussion focused on the review of interior spaces in Historic-Cultural
Monuments. The Commission supported the staff recommendation, which emerged from meetings
of a Working Group on Interiors, to go back to the status quo on interior review. Under
this proposal, all interior permits would continue to be referred to the Cultural Heritage
Commission and the Office of Historic Resources for review, as has occurred since 1962.
As in the current ordinance, the CHC could not deny approval of interior work altogether:
it could only object to the issuance of the permit for no more than 180 days, with a
possible 180-day extension of the objection period upon approval of the City Council.
"We felt that this compromise lessened any potential burden on property owners, while
still protecting Monuments whose significant interiors are often inseparable from the
building's overall architectural significance. The new ordinance would require that
exterior work, additions, or new construction be subject to a "Certificate of
Appropriateness" that could be denied. The ordinance version approved today also
maintains our staff recommendation to enhance protections for historic properties by
giving the Cultural Heritage Commission the power to deny demolition requests for
Monuments.
"Next, the ordinance will go to the City Attorney for review and possible refinement.
The City Planning Commission also voted to request that the City Attorney and Department
of City Planning staff review and refine how the Cultural Heritage Ordinance provisions
will interact with requirements of the California Environ mental Quality Act (CEQA).
Because these reviews may take a few months, we anticipate that the ordinance may not
proceed to the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee and City Council for
final approval until early 2010."
4). HISTORIC DOHENY MANSION TOURS – INCLUDING RENOVATION PROJECT
Saturday, September 19
Four tours: 9, 9:45, 10:30, and 11:15 a.m.
The Doheny Mansion at Mount St. Mary's College in Historic West Adams, former estate of
early-1900s oil baron Edward L. Doheny, opens for public tours with an added twist: the
in-progress renovation will be featured. In July, the College began the first extensive
restoration of the home in 70 years, and visitors will be able to see this work up close.
The first phase of exterior renovations includes reinforcement of the roof and walls of
the Gothic Renaissance-style Victorian mansion. The home's central architectural element
is a cupola- capped turret rising from the ground floor to the left of the property's
exotic, red-marble grand entry. The turret has begun to lean into the building, and
contractors are adding steel supports to reinforce existing framing in order to prevent
further damage. Other major restoration includes exterior stucco work, painting the
home's façade, and waterproofing and preserving the roof in addition to repairing
damaged copper finials. The stained glass and dome in the famous Pompeian Room are being
cleaned and repaired.
Home to the Doheny family for nearly 60 years, the mansion was designed by Theodore Augustus Eisen and Sumner P. Hunt in 1898. Doheny and his wife, Carrie Estelle Doheny, frequently remodeled the mansion. Public tours, which cost $25 a person, include the first floor of the mansion and surrounding grounds. Some discounts apply. Call 213-477-2962 for tour information, or go to www.dohenymansion.org for tour information and other mansion news.
5). SUBMIT YOUR NEWS
We welcome your contributions to the WAHA E-News and West Adams Heritage Association's
monthly publication, "West Adams Matters." Please understand that we do have deadlines.
Material for the print newsletter should be submitted no later than the 1st of the prior
month (i.e.: April 1 for the May issue). If your event is scheduled for early in a month,
we suggest you request coverage for the prior month (i.e.: May issue for a June 3 event),
because it's entirely possible that=2 0not all of our members will have received their
newsletter by then (we do try hard.) We reserve the right to edit submitted material. For
the WAHA E-News, we prefer to only send it out once or twice a month. Please don't wait
until two days before an event to let us know about it. It may not be sent out.
EXCEPTION: If you suddenly hear of an important city hearing or other public meeting
that is important to West Adams, we will endeavor to send out a special bulletin.
