WAHA E-News 3-2-2007

Millions of Trees to Plant, Historic Homes to Save, and more!

By Laura Meyers

1). GET OUT YOUR SHOVELS - TIME TO PLANT TREES
Saturday, March 3 9 a.m.

Two tree-planting opportunities:

> The Leo Politi Neighborhood Association (in Westmoreland Place) has been awarded a Community Beautification Grant and in association with TreePeople, will be planting 21 trees on Elden Avenue, Hoover Street, 11th Street, and 12 Street. Please join us! For more information, please contact Jim Grace at jimpgrace@sbcglobal.net or call 213-385-4320.

> Free trees are available as a part of the Mayor's Million Trees program. Trees may be picked up at the Koreatown Youth & Community Center, 3727 West Sixth Street, Suite 300, TOMORROW, starting at 9 a.m. No need to RSVP. Arrive early for best selection (follow the links below to see what these trees look like.)

50 Tabebuia Pink - Pink Trumpet Tree - http://www.lacity.org/boss/ StreetTree/TabebuiaAvellanedae.htm 30 Metrosideros excelsus - New Zealand Christmas Tree - http:// www.lacity.org/boss/StreetTree/MetrosiderosExcelsus.htm

20 Brachychiton populneus - Bottle Tree - http://cals.arizona.edu/ pima/gardening/aridplants/Brachychiton_populneus.html

30 Jacaranda mimosifolia - http://www.lacity.org/boss/StreetTree/ JacarandaMimosifolia.htm

30 Melaleuca quinquenervia - Cajeput - http://www.lacity.org/boss/ StreetTree/MelaleucaQuinquenervia.htm

20 Heteromeles arbutifolia - Toyon - http://www.wildscaping.com/ plants/plantprofiles/Heteromeles_Toyon.htm

2). LECTURES AND EXHIBITION AT HERITAGE SQUARE
Sunday, March 4 Sunday, March 11 3 p.m. lecture Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer Street (Highland Park)

The Heritage Square Museum is offering several lectures on various arts disciplines: architecture, music, and literature, with presentations on Sunday, March 4, and Sunday, March 11. Each lecture will be followed by a reception honoring the speaker, affording an opportunity to meet and talk with them. Programs begin at 3:00 p.m. Cost of each lecture is $10 per person; museum members are free. Join at the door.

The lecturers are noted authorities on their subjects.

> Sunday, March 4: "Jim Jimirro: The Great American Songbook: How Gershwin, Porter, & Berlin Did It"

Jim Jimirro is creator and founding President of the Disney Channel and Walt Disney Home Video and Chairman of the Board of National Lampoon. He has a special interest and expertise in the Great American Songbook--the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, etc. and the popular music of the early 20th century. Enjoy the recordings and learn how their legacy still resonates in contemporary life and music.

> Sunday, March 11: "Richard Battaglia: Forward to Modern: Sociological Influences on Literature at the Turn-of-the-Century"

Richard Battaglia has been a beloved teacher of literature for more than 40 years. He will discuss an often overlooked topic -- the role that literature played in bringing about the Modernist period in the first decade of the 20th Century. The influence of Asia, the women's movement, theatre, art, and other new ideas had a huge impact, reflected in literature, which in turn produced its own effect on life and times. Space is limited and reservations are recommended. Call 323/225-2700 X222.

Also, on view through April 22, Heritage Square Museum presents "HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME! The History of Los Angeles Through Postcards," an exhibition of historic postcard views of Los Angeles. Included in the exhibit are a variety of other vintage cards which help to tell the story of the role postcards played in promoting the city. Postcards played an important role in promoting the region, encouraging people to visit and enticing them to stay. The images on postcards showed a city that was ripe with possibilities. Because the postcard was a recent creation, it was a popular medium, inexpensive, but with endless creative potential. The postcards on display include examples of a wide variety of subject matter, in addition to the scenes of Los Angeles. These pictures demonstrate not only how much has changed, but how much has remained the same.

The exhibit is included in the entrance fee to the museum: $10/adults, $8/seniors, $5/children ages 6-12. If you attend the lecture series events, entrance to the exhibit is included.

Heritage Square is an open-air, living history museum dedicated to telling the story of the development of Los Angeles. Heritage Square Museum is located at 3800 Homer Street, off the 110 Arroyo Seco Parkway (110/Pasadena Freeway) at Avenue 43, just north of downtown Los Angeles. For further information about either of these events, call 323-225-2700, ext. 222 or visit www.heritagesquare.org.

3). WAHA AND UNNC SEEK TO SALVAGE HOMES FROM A NEW SCHOOL SITE

The West Adams Heritage Association along with United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council (UNNC) have been working diligently with the LAUSD to move or salvage the homes slated for demolition at the new Washington Street School located on Washington just west of Arlington. While initially rebuffed, the community rallied with the help of school board member, Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, to force the LAUSD to work with us to help save the houses.

The goals are two-fold -- salvaging our historical heritage and keeping these items out of landfills.

While the plans are still being worked out, we have toured the homes and made a list of houses to move and items to salvage, including windows, doors, hardware, built-ins and cabinets, siding, flooring, etc., from structures that will not be moved. We will e-mail you again with details, but there will probably be a specified day when workers will remove house parts for salvage, and a list of material available.

Importantly, WAHA and UNNC are working with community members to move at least two of the houses. There are still some wonderful little bungalows that are available for moving if you have room in the back of your house. (756 square footages - 36 feet by 24 feet)

If you are interested, you must act now. Please be aware there are many governmental hoops to go through and probably no more than 3 or 4 months to do so.

1. Contact Eric Bronson (eb@birdmarella.com) and tell him you are interested. He will notify you of important dates and time frames.

2. You can view the bungalows at 3rd and Washington- they are the fenced in bungalow court just south of Washington. We will attempt to arrange an opening of the houses with the LAUSD in the near future.

3. Please be aware that it will cost around $13,000 to move the house to your lot - more if you are far from the location. Electrical and utility lines are around $600 dollars to move if needed. These bungalows are likely small enough not to require movement of the lines. In addition, a foundation meeting current codes would be required, which itself will likely cost in excess of $12,0000, as well as upgrades to the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems.

4. There are more expenses in moving the houses, including city and permit fees. Those fees can be very expensive, especially if you have zoning issues on your lot. Zone changes take time and money. (It is very important for you to visit the Dept. of Building and Safety to find out the limits of what you can do on your lot. Get the facts first.)

Please watch WAHA's website for updates.

4). SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINTER'S BREAKFAST
Wednesday, March 14 6:30 to10:00 a.m. Sherwin Williams, 1367 W. Venice Blvd. (one short block east of Hoover)

WAHA members and other house restorers have been invited to attend Sherwin Williams' annual Painters Breakfast. Everyone is welcome. The store will be having different vendors and food for all. Sherwin Williams is one of WAHA's Member Discount vendors, so please do support this event. 213-365-2471

5). CHESTER PLACE BOOK SIGNING AND TOUR - HOLD THE DATE!
Saturday, March 24 1 to 4 p.m. Mount St. Mary's Doheny Campus

WAHA is sponsoring a reception, book signing and author talk with Don Sloper, writer of the new Arcadia Press book, "Los Angeles's Chester Place," at the historic William Bayley Residence (10 Chester Place) on the Mount St. Mary's campus, followed by a stroll through the historic enclave. Details will follow in the WAHA Matters newsletter and on the WAHA website, www.WestAdamsHeritage.com, but please do mark your calendar now. Reservations requested: RSVP to mike@craftsmanhomes.com or to 323-301-9815.

6). 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 not 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. Submit your material to Laura Meyers, editor, lauramink@aol.com.