Gentle reader,
It was just over four months ago that urban wildfire erased vast swaths of two Los Angeles County communities settled in the early 20th century. The scale of loss and trauma cannot be grasped, but all Angelenos need to try.
It took a month until we could stomach seeing the damage for ourselves, and we went to Altadena. As is our habit, we found ways to be of service to the people we found there, aiding the Save the Tiles crew, advocating that viable trees not be chopped down by government contractors, and collaborating on a proof of concept for moving historic, demolition threatened houses from the City of Los Angeles to lots where Altadenans lost their homes.
More on that project, and the rather magical encounter that inspired it, to come.
Last week, we returned to Altadena at the suggestion of Eric Garland of Save the Tiles. Colonel Green’s daughter Altadena Green’s Estate (1912) on Maiden Lane, for decades home to the Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School and before that the Iranian consulate’s residence, had burned down—but the freestanding Khachkar genocide memorial was still standing, only a little scorched.
The Army Corps of Engineers would soon be coming to clear the lot, and school administrators feared that the intricately carved stone, a type of sculpture declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, might be damaged.
That couldn’t happen—the Sahag-Mesrob families have lost enough.
From past advocacy for the stewardship of William S. Hart Park and seeking immediate aid for fire victims, we had contacts in Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office. Preservation pal Rev. Dylan Littlefield made the call, got the attention of a deputy, and successfully advocated that the Supervisor intercede with Army Corps leadership to ensure the Khachkar would be protected from the demolition crews.
Now that the Khachkar is safe from immediate harm, efforts are underway to safely lift it off its base and into storage, until such a time that it can be reinstalled and rededicated at the school’s new building. It won’t ever be the same, but some relics salvaged from the beautiful mansion will be a part of what’s built.
We’re so glad we could help, but troubled that we needed to. Where are the systems to ensure that no more of our shared cultural heritage is lost? They don’t exist. It’s up to all of us to be those systems.
It’s easy to send heavy machinery and unskilled workers to turn an entire community into barren, flat lots. But not all that’s scorched is ruined or dead. Altadena’s surviving treasures are holy objects, deserving of great care.
Time is not on side. The bulldozers are already there. If you care about cultural, natural and architectural history and about Altadena, you can help by going up to the burn zone (safely and respectfully) and documenting things that you believe should and can be preserved—or if they can’t be saved, at least honored and remembered.
Stop and talk to the people you meet out in the neighborhoods and ask if there are surviving structures, landscapes or artifacts that they’re concerned might be lost. Patronize local businesses, which really need the support. Swing by West Altadena Wine + Spirits to see Noel McCarthy’s massive map of the fire’s impact, plot your route and grab a pick me up for after. Simply look and listen. That seems the least we can do for our neighbors who had such a special home, and have lost so much.
Then share your discoveries on social media, tag us, and we’ll amplify the message.
The expansive esoteric holdings of the Theosophical Library Center at 2416 Lake Avenue were completely lost in the fire, but the walls of the old Cobb Estate garage still stand, with warped metal balconies and the 1930s ghost sign you’ll see in the video at the top of the post. We can’t ever go there to read again, so we’re looking for untold Altadena stories instead.
Thanks to a repost on the What’s Up in Altadena Facebook page, we discovered that Altadenan historic preservation professional Steven S. Lamb has an interesting Substack, simply titled Steven’s Newsletter: American and Californian life and politics.
His observations, those of a skilled builder and student of organic California architecture who is deeply familiar with the functions of County government, are tough reading, and worth the effort.
Lamb writes of a friendly ghost that visited his eclectic Louis B. Easton-designed honeymoon house on the Carl Curtis Ranch, and how it and a lifetime’s collections were reduced to toxic ash in hours… of the failure of the Los Angeles County Fire Department to extinguish a flaming palm tree while circling repeatedly to capture video footage without Lamb and his garden hose in it (embedded above)… of rumors that some properties that survived were defended by retired firefighters… and of the costly 21st century Chapter 7 Wildland Urban Interface regulations that made him abandon hopeful plans to replace his lost 119-year-old redwood home with an architecturally distinguished new one and instead to put his land up for sale.
What a loss for Altadena! If Steven Lamb can’t make a go of building something beautiful here, who can?
For more insights into what went so wrong in Altadena, and how 1,228 unincorporated Los Angeles County citizens impacted by the Eaton fire perceived it, see the newly published ARISE (Altadena Resident Impact Survey and Evaluation), an independent report produced as a public service by The Future Organization. Those in charge who failed so miserably don’t want to entertain these questions, so it’s good that a community organization has stepped up to do the work.
Also, Pitzer College is seeking an Activist|Artist-in-Residence to tell the stories of the Altadena community as it emerges from the ashes. Interested? The deadline to apply is May 30.
Today’s walking tour begins at the landmark stone home of Charles Fletcher Lummis, winds along a lovely street hugging the Arroyo, then through the preserved landmark structures at Heritage Square. Along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating characters, living and spectral. It’s a cool day and a cool part of town—join us, do!
Yours for Los Angeles, and Altadena,
Kim & Richard
Esotouric
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Our work—leading tours and historic preservation and cultural landmark advocacy—is about building a bridge between Los Angeles' past and its future, and not allowing the corrupt, greedy, inept and misguided players who hold present power to destroy the city's soul and body. If you’d like to support our efforts to be the voice of places worth preserving, we have a tip jar, vintage Los Angeles webinars available to stream, in-person tours and a souvenir shop you can browse in. We’ve also got recommended reading bookshelves on Amazon and the Bookshop indie bookstore site. And did you know we offer private versions of our walking tours for groups big or small? Or just share this link with other people who care.
UPCOMING WALKING TOURS
• Highland Park Arroyo Time Travel Trip (5/17) • The Run: Gay Downtown History (5/24) • Evergreen Cemetery, 1877 (5/31) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (6/7) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (6/14) •Know Your Downtown LA: Bradbury, Basements, Dutch Chocolate Shop (6/21) • Miracle Mile Marvels & Madness (6/22) • Westlake Park Time Travel Trip (6/28) • Film Noir / Real Noir (7/12) • The Real Black Dahlia (7/19) • Early Hollywood’s Silent Comedy Legends (7/26) • Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice (8/9) • Weird West Adams / Elmer McCurdy Museum (8/16) • Christine Sterling & Leo Politi: Angels of Los Angeles (8/23) • Evergreen Cemetery, 1877 (8/30) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (9/6) • Film Noir / Real Noir (9/20) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (9/27)
CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS
We happened to look under an awning of one of the Silverwood's Building storefronts on a recent tour, and spotted this very old and striking ghost sign of St. George and the hand of God. "I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers." (Psalms 89:25)
Alberto Hernandez was the genius behind Hollywood Forever’s Day of the Dead and his 1906 home is still bedazzled with tile mosaics and sculpture. But an LLC paid $1.3M and two days later filed to demolish it. Save 1647 N Maltman!
In 2004, Alberto was interviewed about his garden, now threatened with erasure: "I have a lot of friends who’ve passed away, and I decided to make something for every friend I have—a kind of Walk of Fame in the sidewalks back here. Friends put their footprints and handprints in the concrete, and they’ll come back to see their spaces, and they’re so happy. They leave something here. I feel like the keeper of the spirits for the people who die. Everything comes back—you recycle things, you give something to the air, and the air gives something to you. When you have love, you want to give love to everybody.”
Fascinating Reddit comment from someone in TV production who encountered Richard Ramirez at San Quentin 20-some years after the Night Stalker spree.
On The Haunted Path, Karina Wilson explores her former Hollywood bungalow court neighbor Maila Nurmi's astonishing career as Vampira, and after.
Big news from Downey: The Sizzler restaurant (c. 1965) next to the National Register McDonald's (1953) has closed for renovations, a deep maroon 1970s inspired rebrand! Opening day is May 24. Maybe a good home for that Hollywood Arby’s sign that Raising Cane’s wants removed?
1175 W 37th St is a sweet 1909 Craftsman bungalow with river rock columns a block from USC. Longtime owner seeks to demolish for yellow zigzag ED1 tower. Good materials don't belong in the landfill: this house could be moved to Altadena instead!
We're quoted in the L.A. Times story "Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House could close due to Los Angeles budget cuts," expressing mortification that Mayor Karen Bass' austerity budget threatens its UNESCO World Heritage status and public access.
The alarm was raised about the demolition threat to Japanese American landmark Tuna Street on Terminal Island by folks feeding feral cats. Cheers to preservation pal Emma Rault for her advocacy. It's now on the National Trust's list of 11 most endangered sites. Meow!
Shades of the Papa Cristo's crisis: Legacy business Simon's Caterer (est. 1983, as seen at all the top Glatt Kosher events) is on a month-to-month lease, and their wee kitchen at 2627 S La Cienega is listed for $1.7 Million.
Wise Tire, Inglewood's oldest business (est. 1923) has had the same phone number OR7-1515 since the 1950s. But real estate is getting dear around SoFi Stadium and the building is on the market for $2.4M. Will Wise make it to 103 years? This place matters!
As preservationists predicted before the demolition permits were approved, the gutted, derelict Fairfax Theatre site is not actually being redeveloped with 71 market rate units, and has just been listed for sale by Alex Gorby for $45 Million as a “Once in a Generation” development opportunity. Thanks to preservation pal Jordan Cohen for taking a photo, scanning the barcode posted on the facade and breaking the news to the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page. The offering memorandum, which cynically highlights the theater’s historic and architectural significance and suggests it has not been wrecked by the demolition, is below. For shame! More here.
Bukowski Court hustlers Pillow and Coffee go viral for all the wrong reasons after Airbnb customer Tanya_Sabrinaaa Tweets that there is a problem with the hot water… but the virtual assistant manning the chat pane says there will be no refund, since hot water was not explicitly listed as an "amenity!" The listing appears to misrepresent a property in Los Feliz (in the City of Los Angeles) as being in the neighboring municipality of Glendale, which suggests it might not be a legal listing. Will the City Attorney do anything? Stay tuned!
Raising Cane's has its beady little chicken eyes on another L.A. landmark, seeking to remodel Westwood's Stan's Donuts into a generic fast food joint. Hearing 5/21. There are serious questions about alteration of historic resources.
After a decade’s delay, ex-Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet pled guilty to taking bribes from developers. The DA cries foul, but looks like the court wants the scandal to go away. John Elroy Wessman's case continues. Listen to preservationists!
Astonishing public comment to City Council from Brandon Brinson, owner of social equity marijuana dispensary The Green Paradise in CD10. He is praying to god for the FBI to investigate Herb Wesson, Cat Packer and others in the City family.
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