Garvanza Sign Debate

See this LA Curbed Article about Garvanza:

Who needs community meetings when you can just post your renderings for the world to see? For the last two weeks, this sign was up at the corner of Avenue 66 and Crescent Street in the Garvanza section of Highland Park, the notice talking up a seven-unit condo building. Not surprisingly, there's a tangled mess behind the story of the sign: Developer Alex Ma has stated he wants to tear down two homes on the site for his building, while locals in the neighborhood--an area known for its historical late 19th and early 20th century homes--want him to incorporate the structures in his condo development. It's a "volatile and contentious situation," says Tina Gulotta-Miller, Secretary of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, who has been battling Ma for years over the site. Who knows why exactly the sign was put up (presumably it was put up by Ma or an associate), but is it supposed to taunt the neighbors? Get them on his side?
Complicating everything: Here comes an HPOZ.>>>
While the purpose of the sign may not be clear, Ma originally submitted plans to the city back in 2006 to tear down the two homes on the site, and put up the condo project. According to a rep for the Dept of City Planning, Ma was told by the department to do an environmental impact report for his condo building because of the historical nature of the bigger house. Ma, who didn't respond to request for comment, hasn't completed an EIR yet.
But complicating his plans is the fact that this neighborhood is in process of being designated an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ), a label that makes altering residences more difficult. Once the HPOZ is in place, "he would have to get approval to tear down [the homes]," says Charlie J. Fisher, Co-chair of the Garvanza Improvement Association. "Which he won’t get from the HPOZ board."
Both Gulotta-Miller and Fisher believe that Ma could preserve the two existing homes, and build his seven units on the site. "I've said to him, 'take the existing structures, you got three units and they could be converted to condos,'" says Fisher, who works as a historical consultant. "And you have space to build out the rest."
For now, neighbors have to deal with a boarded up properties, which haven't seen tenants in years, according to Gullata-Miller. She also accuses Ma of trying to tear down the larger home three years ago, and says he was only stopped when neighbors came out and called the city to complain.
Meanwhile, back to that big sign. Building and Safety launched an investigation after a complaint was made, and the sign was removed yesterday.
And for those interested in the HPOZ issues, there's a workshop tonight (6pm and on) for the proposed designation at the Highland Park Senior Citizen Center 6152 N. Figueroa St. This new HPOZ would essentially expand the existing HPOZ and rename the whole area to the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ. It's expected the study will go before the Cultural Heritage Commission on July 15th.

This Old House Looking for Old LA House to Renovate

THIS OLD HOUSE® PLANS FIRST-EVER RENOVATION IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

The ever popular television series This Old House is looking for a historic home to renovate in Los Angeles County. Below is an article describing the submission process:

"The TV crew is hoping to find a dynamic family with a classic old house in need of help, with plenty of things to save and update. However, the project's scope must be "just right" - not a whole house, but more than just a kitchen. The renovation must be able to be completed in about five or six months, with constructionpotentially beginning as early as August 2010 and finishing by January 2011. The ideal project should already be underway with architectural plans and/orhave the ability to be "fast-tracked" to the building phase.
The selected project will be featured on multiple This Old House episodes airing on PBS in early 2011. The deadline for submissions is June 14, 2010.
Please note that the renovations are completely funded by the homeowners and not by This Old House, though the show coordinates product discounts and donations where possible. All donated items are considered gifts, on which the homeowners pay taxes.
This Old House is reviewing proposals now. To be considered, submit the following:
· Brief description of the renovation project - be sure to also include house style, location and year built· Low-res digital pictures of the home's interior and exterior· Brief description of the current owners· Low-res digital pictures of the homeowners· How much you plan to spend· When you need to start and conclude the project
Please e-mail proposals to pickmyhouse@thisoldhouse.com or submit them via regular mail to: This Old House Project Proposals, P.O. Box 130, Concord,Massachusetts 01742.
Select homeowners will be contacted by show producers for furtherinterviews. Due to the volume of proposals received, This Old House willnot be able to respond personally to everyone or return submitted materials.
For more information about this and other This Old House projects, pleasevisit http://www.thisoldhouse.com/. Viewers can also become a fan of This Old House on Facebook or follow the show on Twitter.
* * *
MEDIA CONTACTSDawn NewellSenior Account ExecutiveWGBH Boston617-300-5344dawn_newell@wgbh.org
Tara Rafieymehr PettinatoAccount ExecutiveWGBH Boston617-300-5328tara_rafieymehr@wgbh.org
Karen AffinitoSenior ManagerThis Old House Ventures, Inc.212-522-3740karen_affinito@timeinc.com
* * *
This Old House is produced by This Old House Productions, Inc., for This OldHouse Ventures, Inc., and is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. VicePresident of Television Operations is Michael Burton. Senior producer and director is David Vos and senior series producer is Deborah Hood. Series creator is Russell Morash. Funding is provided by GMC, Home Depot, Lumber Liquidators and State Farm. This Old House is the No. 1 multimedia homeenthusiast brand, offering trusted information and expert advice throughaward-winning television, a highly regarded magazine and an information-driven Web site. This Old House Ventures, Inc., is a business of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner.
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the sourceof fully one-third of PBS's primetime lineup, along with some of publictelevision's best-known lifestyle shows and children's programs and many public radio favorites. For more information, visit http://www.wgbh.org/."

More Arroyo Seco Parkway Updates

Below is a photoshop rendering of the median and side barrier proposed by Caltrans:
All photographs are courtesy of Martha Benedict. This is a current photo of the existing condition on the same stretch of freeway:

Poppies along the parkway...

Historic Curb on the Avenue 43 offramp.

Arroyo Seco Parkway Progress or Preservation?

It's time to blog about what is happening on the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the Parkway "Improvements" and the preservation impacts to this Historic Scenic Byway. Anyone who drives on the 110 Freeway from Pasadena to Los Angeles has seen the construction activity. The surrounding communities of Highland Park, Garvanza, Hermon, Mt. Washington and Montecito Heights have expressed serious concern over the proposed "improvements" to the scenic byway, but our concerns have mostly fallen on the deaf ears of Caltrans.

Since construction began in November 2009, a number of hot issues have arisen from Caltrans's insensitivity to the character-defining features of the freeway. Indigenious Western Sycamore Trees were slated for removal in the name of saving the historic curb.... Then days later, HPHT Board Member, Steve Crouch found original curb material of the Arroyo Seco Parkway next to the northbound Bridewell exit in the staging area. Photographer Martha Benedict, who sits on the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council took these images which show an original stamp "Haddock Contractors LTD, 1940". This is historic material that was not supposed to be removed for the barrier project but obviously has and is on it's way out.

On Thursday April 15th, our underserved community received a small victory in our battle to preserve the parkway. Assemblymember Anthony Portantino called on Caltrans to investigate urgent concerns about the Arroyo Seco Parkway upgrade. He has asked Caltrans District Director Michael Miles to address the problems with the community's input before any irrevocable steps occur. See his letter to Caltrans.

The Last Day of the Southwest Museum

View from Parking Lot towards the Southwest Museum and Carcacol Tower: At 5:15 pm on Sunday, December 27th, the Southwest Museum closed its doors indefinitely. According to the Gift Shop staff, the Museum might reopen in five to six years. It will probably not open back up as a Museum, but as a Cultural Center. This was a sad day and a loss for our community. One older couple drove all the way from Orange County to visit the Museum for the last time. They took their children to the Museum 40 years ago! They found out it was closing and felt compelled to say goodbye.

The first Museum of Los Angeles closed its doors and gates on Sunday, December 27, 2009.

The Southwest Museum Store is closing!

If you've never been to the Southwest Museum, now is the time to do it! The Museum Store will be closing its doors by December 31st.

This is jewel of our community and the subject of a controversial preservation battle in Northeast Los Angeles.

Come visit and show your support!!!


Saturday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Address: 234 Museum Drive Los Angeles , 90065
Major Cross Streets: North Figueroa Street and Avenue 45

Painting of the Museum by Wendy Hultquist.
http://wendyhultquist.com/index.htm

See the recent LA Times Article Below for more info:



Southwest Museum of the American Indian store is closed
Supporters of the institution feat it's a sign that the Autry National Center is relegating the institution to a secondary role.

By Mike Boehm
December 18, 2009

The only part of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian regularly open to the public -- the museum store that had weekend hours only -- will close next month when its space is taken over by a conservation project.The decision by the Autry National Center of the American West, which runs the Southwest Museum in Mount Washington and the larger Museum of the American West in Griffith Park, to virtually suspend public operations for an estimated three years immediately inflamed the already heated suspicions of some Southwest Museum supporters.The Autry critics, including Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar, fear that the Southwest is being relegated to a minor role, if not being written off entirely as a site for displaying a prized collection of almost 300,000 Native American artworks and artifacts."I'm very disappointed," Huizar said Wednesday. "It's actually confirming our suspicions that they had no intent to make this a viable destination" for museum-goers.But Autry spokeswoman Joan Cumming said long-range plans remain unchanged. They call for revitalizing the Southwest Museum as a "multiple-use" facility that would include space for educational programs and community events, as well as galleries that would show parts of the collection not being displayed in Griffith Park.

The project that is prompting the closure is the conservation of the museum's collection of Native American beadwork. Like much of the Southwest Museum's collection, Cumming said, the beads are fragile and need preservation work and that outweighs devoting more resources immediately to making the Southwest a public attraction."We understand it's a historic building and it's important to the city, but I don't think [critics] understand how complicated it's been. The collection could just disappear, so it's got to take priority," Cumming said.

Huizar and members of a community group called the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition say they have trouble believing the Autry's promises. They fear that the Autry wants to turn the 1914-vintage building into a mere warehouse for the collection, avoiding the expense of running it as a public museum while commandeering its collection to bolster the Griffith Park site as an attraction.Failing to keep it open and busy could hurt the northeastern Los Angeles neighborhood's economy, the group has said. They see the museum store's imminent closure as a sign that the Autry could revoke promises it made when it rescued the financially tottering Southwest in a 2003 merger that kept the Native American trove in L.A. when it was feared that it might be dispersed.But Cumming said closing the museum store now for an expected three years is a matter of needing its space for a large project to conserve the Southwest's large holdings of Native American beadwork, preparing them for an exhibition that could be three years off. Conservators "need a lot of space to lay out tables, shelves and equipment," she said.While the Southwest remains closed, she said, the only public programming will be monthly Saturday events, including lectures, that will require an admission charge for people who aren't Autry Center members. Annual membership dues start at $55 for two people and $65 for a family. The events will be promoted on the Autry's website.The first lecture, on Jan. 23, is "Surprising Discoveries Inside the Braun Library," in which a librarian or curator will show some of the prime holdings of the research library on the Southwest Museum's campus. The library remains open to researchers by appointment, Cumming said.

Conservation work that was already proceeding on other parts of the collection besides the beads will continue as before, as will renovations to the museum building. Autry officials say they've spent about $7.5 million since the merger on repairing the building and conserving the collection.A small gallery space in the Southwest Museum has been used once a month for contemporary art shows by NELAart, a consortium of artists and galleries in northeastern Los Angeles. Cumming hopes they can still be accommodated, perhaps in the Casa de Adobe, a reconstruction of a 19th century ranch house that's on the property.Last summer, Huizar and other City Council members had hoped to secure a formal written guarantee from the Autry that it would get the Southwest up and running as a fully functioning museum. The guarantee was to be a condition for the Autry to proceed with a planned $100-million-plus expansion and renovation of its Griffith Park campus, which is on city-owned parkland.But in August, the Autry pulled the expansion off the table. Its president, John L. Gray, wrote to council members that legally binding promises to upgrade the Southwest and keep it open no matter what would be "financial and programmatic commitments we cannot responsibly make."Museum officials say they have raised $136 million in donations and pledges toward the $175-million project. That includes $53 million for non-construction endowment funding. Cumming said the donors are willing to let the construction money go to an alternate plan, and Autry leaders are exploring ways to expand exhibition space within the existing Griffith Park building.An alternate project that wouldn't change the museum's footprint might not require the lease amendment and environmental impact report approval that had given city officials leverage over the previous plan.

Although planning is in its early stages, Cumming said, one of the goals, held over from the abandoned expansion plan, is to carve out 20,000 square feet of exhibition space that would house artifacts from the Southwest Museum's collection.Huizar said he's trying to find funding sources that could alleviate Autry leaders' fears that it could stretch their institution's finances if they take on improving the Griffith Park museum while renovating, reopening and running the Southwest Museum.A low-interest construction loan drawn from the city's share of federal economic stimulus funds could speed the needed improvements to the Southwest's building, Huizar said. He added that he's exploring the creation of a "park assessment district" that would collect special taxes from property owners near the museum and funnel them to the Autry to help offset the cost of operating the Southwest.Huizar said that would require a vote by the affected property owners to create the district and OK the assessments. He said he's been trying unsuccessfully to set up a meeting with Gray of the Autry to go over those possibilities."We have options we think could really work," Huizar said. "We still want them to honor their commitment to restore it and reopen it."

Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times

The Little 6422 Garvanza House

Here is an example of advocacy on a small level that has made a difference to our community in Garvanza!
This is an early 20th century or possibly late 19th century bungalow with all its original features, that is until they showed up one day and gutted the interior. There were permits for an addition but no permits to knock down interior walls, knock out exterior walls and replace windows and doors. I was called by Danny Bohbot, a fellow Garvanzan to go check out the property. They were in the process of demolishing this house. But I stopped them through Building and Safety and the Housing Department came out and sited them and posted a stop work order! They were also ordered to restore the house, to put back the windows and doors and exterior walls they had begun to demolish on the sides and back of the house. I know they gutted the inside, as I was too late for that, but at least they restored the windows and did the new addition with clapboard instead of stucco. They are also landscaping it and put up a really nice looking fence along the alleyway. Oh and there are security bars inside the windows, at least they are not obtrusive. Anyway, just wanted you to see these pictures. (6422 Garvanza St.)

Tina Gulotta-Miller, Secretary Highland Park Heritage Trust