APRIL 2009

Alhambra Preservation Group (APG) Plans Spring Field Trip to El Molino Viejo, “The Old Mill”

	The Alhambra Preservation Group (APG) has chosen The Old Mill, originally knowned as the "El Molino Viejo," Southern California’s oldest commercial building, as the site of its annual spring Field Trip on Saturday, April 18, 2009. Nestled amid beautiful homes along Old Mill Road, the thick-walled structure, built of sun-dried adobe slabs, and oven-baked brick and volcanic tuff, was completed about 1816 as a grist mill for the Mission San Gabriel. Nearby Lacy Park was the original millpond. During the 20th century, it served as a private residence for decades, before being restored and turned into an historic site, surrounded by gardens. Docents will lead APG members and guests through the two-story structure, explaining its fascinating history and pointing out important artifacts such as the set of millstones discovered by Gen. George Patton during his childhood growing up in this neighborhood and now on display in the patio
The Old Mill’s present entrance room, decorated with antique paintings and furnishings, served as the Grinding Room, where heavy millstones ground the grain harvested on the mission’s sprawling lands. The upper room originally was the Granary, where the milled grain was stored. Downstairs, a small historical display features an operating model of the mill as it was in the early days. A pictorial display chronicles the life of the Mill since 1816 and the families who have called it home. In addition, the California Art Club maintains a gallery where outstanding paintings are displayed for sale. The exhibitions change every three months. Outside, the structural outlines of a water tank, which provided energy to operate the mill machinery, can be seen on the western side of the building. The water flowed through the mill eastward through a ditch to Mission Lake, which was dammed by the padres. Today, this lake area is San Marino’s Lacy Park. A well-maintained garden highlighting native California trees and plants surrounds the Old Mill, and is set with the charming stone-paved Pomegranate Patio. APG members and guests are invited to bring a sack lunch and meet at 1 p.m. in the Old Mill’s Pomegranate Patio for cookies, tea and coffee. Enjoy a moment of living history, and share the comraderie of APG members and friends. The docent-led tour will begin at 2 p.m. Admission is free. The Old Mill is located at 1120 Old Mill Road, San Marino; 626-449-5458, www.old-mill.org.

MARCH 2009

Alhambra Preservation Group will be represented along with 60 other regional historica/preservation organzations on March 22nd, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Highland Park's Heritage Square Museum located at 3800 Homer Street along the Arroyo Seco in northeast Los Angeles (the vintage Victorians can be see from the freeway). This event is sponsored by the Los Angeles Heritage Alliance, a group dedicated to promoting and protecting our region's historical heritage. APG members can be admiitted free by downloading and printing this flyer and presenting it, along with their APG Membership Card, upon entry.

More information can be found by visiting www.heritagesquare.org

Report on the March 16th Planning Commission Meeting
APG's Michael Lawrence's comments from the meeting:

"Some good news folks. Last night at the PC, the 1105 South Stoneman project was denied a permit for the tear down of a Spanish bungalow and construction of the mansion monstrosity. Eleanor, Nong, Michael Messina and 2 neighbors showed up to speak against the project. The neighbors had a petition with about 14 signatures voicing opposition against the project. Almost all of the PC commissioners had driven down the street and commented on the charm of the neighborhood and how incompatible the project was with an imposing 2 story structure in a single story neighborhood.

Sam Yum, the "architect" took a beating, but he did say he had taken the advice that I had given him earlier about retaining the original house to the owner but the owner rejected it flat out. The owner wants a new house period. Someone said let him buy a new house somewhere else! Eleanor and I mentioned that the plans looked suspect as there was a large area in the garage that could be converted later that was labeled "laundry room" at over 200 sq ft. Eleanor pointed out to the commission that this was not even counted in the floor area ratio figures (F.A.R.) and that this is a loophole that needs to be plugged.

It seems that the PC is firmly against this type of project in neighborhoods that are relatively cohesive, but in crappy areas it appears that is another matter. The design guidelines were mentioned several times and I think they will be used a lot in the future once they are implemented. One of the commissioners mentioned that APG always has a representative at the DRB meetings. A big thank you to Cris for all of her hard work. So in conclusion, a high 5 to all of my fellow board members. We did it!"

FEBRUARY 2009

APG's bi-monthly meeting will take place Thursday February 19th at the Robinson Home, one of the recipients of the inaugural APG Heritage Award which were presented in October 2008. For more information on the meeting location, please call (626) 755-3467 and leave a message. We will return your call.

DECEMBER 2008

There will be no meeting scheduled for December due to the holidays. Have a wonderful Christmas!

OCTOBER 2008

Alhambra Preservation Group Sponsors "Meet the Candidates" Forum

AUGUST 2008

Alhambra Preservation Invites You to Cool Off and Save Money!

The Alhambra Preservation Group will host an old-fashioned ice cream social at its August general membership meeting. The event will occur at 7:00 PM on Thursday, August 21, 2008 at Story Park Joslyn Center located at 210 N. Chapel Avenue and will feature Alhambra's own Fosselman's ice cream.

At the meeting, Ed and Batya Sanchez of Window Restoration and Repair, Inc., will talk about how to successfully preserve and repair wood and steel windows. The approach is proven to help retain the value of a home, maintain its architectural features and save money. The event is a must for anyone considering the replacement of windows, especially in older homes with original wood or steel windows. Topics will include the following.

• Keeping your home green and your budget lean
• How to decide if your window is worth keeping
• The difference between a sash and a window
• How to maintain your window
• How to repair a damaged window
• How to paint a window 4 or 5 times without affecting operation
• How to weather strip a historic window
• Do's and don'ts of preserving historic wood and steel casement windows
• The point of diminishing return when restoring old windows
• How to replicate an original window
• How to find old style replacement hardware

Please R.S.V.P by calling (626) 755-3467 and leaving a message, or sending an email to APG.

Photos from the evening can be seen here.

JUNE 2008

6-26-08: Photos from the June 19th meeting can be seen here.

The Alhambra Preservation Group will celebrate its fifth anniversary at this June general membership meeting by hosting an evening tea in the front garden of the 1886 Victorian located at Elgin and Stoneman Streets — and behind the Renaissance Theaters. Light refreshments including birthday cake and tea will be served. The Alhambra Preservation Group’s president, Oscar Amaro, will give a presentation entitled Early Alhambra’s Main Street on noteworthy businesses in Alhambra at the turn of the last century. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their own stories and memories.

The home selected for the June 19 meeting is one of Alhambra’s first residences and was home to Samuel and Emma Crow, proprietors of Crow & Drake’s, Alhambra’s first grocery store. Celebrating its 122nd birthday this year, future plans for this quaint Victorian include renovating it into a tearoom for future generations to enjoy.

To RSVP or for more information, please contact the Alhambra Preservation Group at (626) 755-3467.

MAY 2008

APG President Oscar Amaro attended the Los Angeles Heritage Alliance's May 31st meeting held at the famed Heritage Square Museum. The topic was increasing the communication and collaboration between heritage/preservation organizations throughout the Southern California region. Guest speaker was Zack Behrens, editor of the highly successful Los Angeles News Blog who gave an overview of the myriad of free/low-cost online marketing tools that can be used for outreach purposes.

In addition to the Alhambra Preservation Group, other organizations included the Lanterman House, Los Angeles del Pueblo, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Old Mill (El Molino Viejo) Foundation, the Santa Monica Conservancy, and the Society of Architectural Historians. Photos from the meeting can be viewed here.

APRIL 2008

Our next general meeting, which will take place Thursday April 17th is titled, "Is Your Home Historic?"

Spanish Mediterranean. Craftsman. Tudor. French Fantasy Chateau. All these are home architectural styles – and all of them can be found throughout Alhambra. With the trend – and value -- in architecturally interesting, handcrafted homes on the rise, the Alhambra Preservation Group is pleased to focus its April 17 program on the city’s prolific home architecture and clarify the meaning of having an historic residence.

APG VP Chris Olson and Board Member Gregg Miller will explain and showcase the architectural details that define the 20th century Spanish Mediterranean style homes which are abundant in Alhambra. The speakers will also touch on the Craftsman, English Tudor and French Chateau home styles.

The confusion surrounding what makes a home “historic” will be cleared up as they will explain in simple terms when a home is – and when a home is not -- historic. The benefits that homeowners can derive from having a historic home will also be discussed.

A question and answer session will follow both presentations. If you need directions and address information, please email APG.

We hope you can join us.

MARCH 2008

On March 31st, the City of Alhambra will hold a public meeting for the purpose of garnering input from the community on the proposed Design Guidelines for R-1 Neighborhoods. Also present will be Mark Broder of the consultant firm Downtown Solutions, who will field any questions residents may have. APG members are strongly encouraged to attend.

FEBRUARY 2008

JANUARY 2008

APG members Oscar Amaro and Michael Lawrence will give a presentation on the activities and future plans for the group at the Alhambra Historical Society meeting Wednesday January 23. 2008 at 7:30 PM. Location is at the Masonic Hall on Woodward between Garfield Avenue and 1st Street.

DECEMBER 2007

The Alhambra Preservation Group's Board of Directors met for a Christmas social at the Olson/Selje home to discuss APG's plans and goals for 2008.

Happy New Year!

NOVEMBER 2007

Several members of the APG attended the City of Alhambra Planning Commission November 19th meeting arguing against the proposed demolition of a 1922 kit home to make way for two "big-box" homes. More here.

OCTOBER 2007

APG's Thursday October 18th, 2007 general meeting took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Evans, 816 E. Alhambra Road with guest speaker author and restoration expert Jane Powell, who also had copies of her popular — and extremely informative books for sale. Photos from the evening can be seen here.

The Alhambra Preservation Group, now an official 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, is launching its Inaugural Fall Membership Drive. Please donate what you can via Paypal's secure web site, or by downloading a membership form and returning it along with your tax-deductible donation check to:

AUGUST 2007

Please join us at our general meeting for a presentation on "The Storied History of Story Park" Thursday August 16, 2007 at 7:00 PM to be held at the Joslyn Center, 210 N. Chapel Street. You can download a flyer or click here for more information..

JULY 2007

On June 8th, APG sent out a notice to the membership informing them of a Pasadena Star News article stating the City of Alhambra's intent on building 175 condos on the Story Park property. Residents within proximity to the park also learned of it only in the paper -- not by the City -- and were incensed. A community meeting was called held on July 16th and was attended by over 100 concerned residents in vehement opposition to the City's plans.

	On July 30th, the Alhambra City Council held a special meeting at the Joslyn Center and nearly 200 residents showed up to hear the City's decision to reverse their plans on the development. Story Park will not be developed into yet another condo project. Photos and community comments from the meeting can be viewed here.

JUNE 2007

A special treat for APG members; the next general APG meeting will feature a FREE tour of the famed Pasadena Playhouse on Saturday June 23rd, 11:00am to noon at 39 S. El Molino (that's just south of Colorado Blvd.). Tour highlights will include a docent describing the history and architecture, access to the balcony (which will soon be remodeled by the famed Frank Gehry) and the backstage and Green Room areas, as well as the library and archives.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 20th 2007 by calling (626) 755-3467 or emailing the APG. We will meet at the Playhouse.

APRIL 2007

On Monday April 16, the City of Alhambra's Council, Planning Commission and Design Review Board will have a joint meeting with the consulting firm Downtown Solutions on the status of Alhambra's Neighborhood Design Guidelines for R-1 Neighborhoods. We are asking that all Alhambrans, as well as APG members attend in lieu of our usual general meeting.

In other news, the target date of the Historic Resources Survey update which was scheduled for April 28th has been postponed until Fall.

MARCH 2007

APG members Chris O., Eleanor C., and Joyce A., attend and report on the City of Alhambra's Design Review Board meetings. These reports, along with photographs of the homes up for review can now be read here.

Also, APG members Eleanor Carter and Oscar Amaro were recently appointed by newly-elected Councilman Luis Ayala to the City's Planning Commission and Art and Cultural Commission, respectively.

FEBRUARY 2007

The Alhambra Preservation Group will resume their bi-monthly meeting schedule on Thursday February 15th at the home of J. Birney, 821 N. Bushnell Avenue. Our featured guest will be newly-elected 5th District Councilman Luis Ayala. We hope to see many of you there!

JANUARY 2007

1-29-07 — O. Amaro gave a presentation to the City of Alhambra at the joint session City Council, Design Review Board, and Planning Commission meeting held Monday January 29th at the Joselyn Center. The City's consultant Downtown Solutions, who will be responsible for the preparation of the neighborhood design guidelines for R-1 neighborhoods, were also present.

Mr. Amaro, representing the Alhambra Preservation Group, spoke of the timely need for these design guidelines by showing photos of both inapproporiate additions and remodeling in Alhambra, as well as home owners who have carefully blended new construction with not only the existing structure, but are also compatible with the neighborhood.

Another issue of great concern to Alhambrans is the city's rapidly diminishing greenspace due to over-development. Mr Amaro's presentation featured satellite imagery taken of Alhambra, as well as surrounding cities that clearly show abundant tree canopies in neighboring South Pasadena, San Marino and San Gabriel, while Alhambra -- literally beginning at the city's borders -- is shown as a grey barren landscape.

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