A plea to honor the last will and testament of William S. Hart and protect his house museum

Gentle reader,

In his 1946 will, the silent film actor William S. Hart left his 254-acre Horseshoe Ranch in Newhall, personal possessions and a trust account "for the benefit of the American public of every race and creed," to be maintained and administered as a free public park by the County of Los Angeles. His Spanish Colonial Revival ranch home La Loma de los Vientos (Arthur Kelly, 1927) operates as a house museum managed by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

The City of Santa Clarita, in which Hart's ranch is now located, wants to take control of William S. Hart Park, the house and collections from the County, and Supervisor Kathryn Barger has prepared a motion to initiate such a transfer. It comes up before the Board of Supervisors for a vote on Tuesday, July 12 at 9:30 am, and it is item #7.

William S. Hart's gift to the American public was carefully considered, and there is a clear clause in his will that states if the County "shall fail, neglect or refuse to perform each or any of the other conditions hearby imposed" that the property would immediately be conveyed to the State of California to be maintained and operated in the same way.

You can read Hart's original will, along with the 1991 judgement that allows the County to hold ticketed and paid fundraising events on site, for the benefit of the park, the current motion and agenda, here.

The citizens of Santa Clarita love William S. Hart Park and make great use of the grounds all year round. We imagine their Parks Division could maintain the property in the manner that County Rec and Parks has for seven decades. And the dedicated volunteers of The Santa Clarita Historical Society and Friends of Hart Park and Museum would continue to provide passionate interpretation, programming and research to bring Hart's life and films into focus.

Pictorial California, 1929 (Santa Monica Public Library)

But a house museum, packed with delicate and valuable artifacts, requires skilled staff, specialized resources, conservation, restoration, climate control, offsite storage, security and curation. All of these things are ably provided by the professional staff and facilities of the Natural History Museum. Santa Clarita cannot possibly offer the same level of care as an accredited regional museum that has been looking after William S. Hart's legacy since his death, nor can it be expected to budget for the sorts of unexpected physical plant expenses that the County can afford to cover as needed.

We call on the County Supervisors to respect the spirit and intent of William S. Hart's generous gift, and not attempt to break his will. If you share our concerns, you can let the Supervisors know that you want the County to remain the caretaker of William S. Hart Park by calling in to the July 12 meeting, and/or by sending written public comment. To address the board by phone, call (877) 226-8163, then enter participant code: 1336503 starting at 9:00 A.M. Press 1 then 0. You are giving comment on item 7: Initiate Negotiations for the Proposed Transfer of William S. Hart Park to the City of Santa Clarita. Written public comments may be submitted through the website at https://publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov

One of the most sacred responsibilities of elected officials is the stewardship of resources held in the public trust, which are to be protected and maintained for current and future generations. Los Angeles is suffering a breakdown in stewardship, and the losses are piling up: the Egyptian Theatre sold to Netflix and gutted, LACMA demolished after false testimony by museum staff to the Board of Supervisors, State Landmark Old Trapper's Lodge dismantled with sculptures thrown into the back of a truck. William S. Hart Park belongs to the citizens of the future, and nobody now alive has the right to risk taking that away from them.   

You’ll find us exploring Los Angeles history this Sunday, with an all new walking tour the La Brea Tar Pits Time Travel Trip, on which we’ll share wild tales of our efforts to protect LACMA from ill-conceived demolition, along with the cultural, architectural and offbeat true crime history of this fascinating corner of the city. Also on the calendar are All Around the Auto Club on July 23 and Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles on August 6. Join us, do!

yours for Los Angeles,

Kim & Richard

Esotouric

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