LC Real Estate 02 2021

MUSEUMS

STREAM

PET LOVE

Join in a virtual dig of Ice Age fossils at the La Brea Tar Pits.

Highs, and lows, of the water flow of the Brookside streambed.

Free adoptions in honor of Valentine’s Day take place this month.

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Page 2

Real estate MuseuMs, Libraries HoMe & Garden

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VIEW

Section 2

LARCHMONT CHRONICLE

FEBRUARY 2021

HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • GREATER WILSHIRE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT

440 S. Arden Blvd.| Windsor Square | $6,680,000 440Arden.com. 5 Bed /6.5 Ba + basement w/theater, new ba+gym, laundry. Pool/spa, guest house.

171 S. McCadden Pl. | Windsor Square | $6,495,000 Magnificent and exquisite turn key English Tudor. 6Bd / 7Bas, back yard with pool, spa & Guest house.

Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

Betsy Malloy 323.806.0203 CalRE #01293183

201 S. Plymouth Blvd. | Windsor Square | $4,799,000 Beautifully remodeled & restored English just 1 block to Larchmont. 3 bed/3.5 ba+1 bed GH

601 N. Larchmont Bl. | Larchmont Village| $4,550,000 What a fantastic opportunity to purchase a comm’l property. Two separate structures. Co-listed.

165 N. Las Palmas Ave. | Hancock Park | $4,499,000 Stately English Tudor on a beautiful treelined st. 5Bd / 4.5Bas, covered patio, large pool & 3 car-garage.

SOLD. Craftsman w/ 3Bd+4Ba. Large yard w/ pool & spa. Pool house. Seconds to Larchmont Village.

Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

Betsy Malloy 323.806.0203 CalRE #01293183

Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

Erik Flexner 323.383.3950 CalRE #01352476

571 Cahuenga Blvd. | Hancock Park | $3,099,000 All redone in 2018. 3Bd / 3Bas + studio apt, pool.

Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

238 S. Norton Ave. | Windsor Square | $2,995,000 IN ESCROW. Family friendly Traditional on Norton with 5 bedrooms, 3 baths & newer kitchen.

Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

316 N. Rossmore #606 | Larchmont Village| $2,299,000 IN ESCROW. Penthouse w/ sensational NW west views of golf course. Largest 3BD + 2BA floor plan.

Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, #0888374

637 Wilcox #1B | Hancock Park | $1,100,000 Rarely available 2Bd + 2.5Ba single level w/ terrace & golf course views. 24/7 security, community pool.

645 Wilcox Ave. #3D| Hancock Park | $595,000 Stunning remodeled top floor unit w/city views.

Large 1 bdrm, 1.5bas, fantastic kitchen

6151 Orange St #311 | Miracle Mile | $449,000 1BD / 1BA top flr unit. Bright & airy. Open flr pla w/ views of the hills. Liv rm w/fpl, rooftop pool.

Loveland Carr Group 323.460.7606 CalRE #01467820, #0888374

Rick Llanos | Kathy Gless 323.810.0828 | 213.304.0433 CalRE #01123101 | 00626174

Cecille Cohen 213.810.9949 CalRE #00884530

366 S. June St.| Hancock Park | $13,500,000 Exquisite 1928 French Chateau. 8Bd /10 Bas. Enjoy Life.

Betsy Malloy 323.806.0203 CalRE #01293183

Martin Beck | Major Properties 323.314.7729 CalRE #01778125

Martin Beck | Major Properties 323.314.7729 CalRE #01778125

Martin Beck | Major Properties 323.314.7729 CalRE #01778125

101 S. Norton Ave | Windsor Square | $5,299,000 Gorgeous Mediterranean w/4 Bdrms, 4.5 bas, bright airy rooms, stunning kitchen & 1 bed BH Rick Llanos 323.810.0828 CalRE #01123101

432 S. Lucerne Blvd. | Windsor Square | $3,785,000

1556-1558 Ogden Dr. | Mid-Los Angeles | $1,575,000 Very Attractive duplex, well maintained & has great appeal. 3Bd / 1Ba each. Co-Listed.

Betsy Malloy 323.806.0203 CalRE #01293183

Martin Beck | Major Properties 323.314.7729 CalRE #01778125

550 S. Arden Blvd. | Windsor Square | $9,750/MO Chic 3 bed@ w/ bath + powder! 2 bed/2 bath UP; Master w/ nu fab bath down!

Lisa Hutchins 323.460.7626 CalRE #01018644

COLDWELLBANKERHOMES.COM Hancock Park 323.464.9272 | 251 N Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90004 The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2021 Coldwell Banker Realty. All Rights Reserved.

Coldwell Banker Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. CalDRE #: 00616212

2

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

The highs — and lows — of Brookside’s El Rio del Jardin de las Flores

By Rachel Olivier Brookside’s stream, El Rio del Jardin de las Flores, has had some highs and lows over the last few years, both in the amount of water moving through the streambed, and in the ongoing research to preserve the stream.

Last September, Brookside resident Nancy Levine reached out to the Larchmont Chronicle with an update, letting us know that while the stream seems to have a normal flow where it “daylights,” just south of Wilshire Boulevard, that the flow was weak between 8th and 9th Streets, and dry where it flows south of 9th Street. Residents were also concerned about flourishing mosquito populations because of the standing water. They have been working with the Watershed Protection Division of Los Angeles Sanitation and field deputies from Council District Four to get answers.

Levine contacted us and wondered if we could help.

The Chronicle covered the depletion of water in the streambed in 2017, when residents of the Brookside neighborhood first noted the decrease in water flow. Oddly enough, according to the Los Angeles Almanac, 2017 had been a year of steady

BACKYARD of Brookside home shows bridges over stream in March 2018.

winter rains after a five-year drought. At that time, residents reached out to the Los Angeles Dept. of Public Works and Councilman David Ryu’s office to begin investigation into where the water had gone.

Four reports study the problem After four reports by the Watershed Protection Division, several conclusions have been reached. In the Phase 1 report from March 2018, it was noted that water levels and flow rates were not consistent at all properties along S. Longwood Avenue; the stream at some properties had more water than at other properties, suggesting that there may be more locations along the Brookside Stream where groundwater was feeding the stream.

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The Phase 2 report from June 2018 noted that there was a time, before the 1930s, when the brook had been connected to the storm drain system, but had been disconnected when the storm drain system had been updated. In addition, while the stream does lose some water through filtration into the ground, that amount is relatively small.

The report also noted that for there to be a consistent stream level of a half a foot of water flowing at .24 feet per second, there needed to be at least 238,500 gallons flowing through the stream per day. It was determined that the best source to replenish the stream was the dry weather runoff in the Longbrook Avenue storm drain, but there needed to be a feasibility study to see if that

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could work.

The Phase 3 report from November 2018 researched whether or not the Longwood Avenue storm drain could work in replenishing the stream. However, the average water runoff from that drain was 33 gallons per minute, but the stream needed a source that offered an estimated 135 gallons of water per minute.

There is a second storm drain that could be used located under Wilshire Boulevard that would deliver more water, but it would take more work to connect the conduit to the spring, and cost more money.

In 2019, after another winter of steady rains, the levels of the stream increased slightly — for a time — which was when the Chronicle learned from the Watershed Protection Division that the source of the brook, the natural spring fed by groundwater, had been decreasing from years of drought, and the storm drain alternatives were still being studied.

Since then, a Phase 4 study conducted in July 2019 has looked into other causes of water depletion, other problems caused by the water depletion, and what it could take to return the flow of water to the brook.

One of the possibilities that

was in the Phase 4 report was that construction on Metro’s Purple Line had depleted the groundwater because of the pumping stations put into place along Wilshire Boulevard.

Michael Scaduto, an engineer with the Watershed Protection Division, pointed out that those pumping stations are not really very close to the stream, and that it is more likely that the groundwater was depleted through years of drought. He also pointed to development in the area that would siphon off some of the water. However, the pumping station is due to be removed by 2023 or 2024 and that could help with surrounding groundwater levels.

David Sotero at Metro also believed that the pumping stations were not close enough to the spring to be the cause of the depleted water levels, and that it was more likely to be a decrease in groundwater from drought.

In both cases, when I asked about the possibility of somehow infusing water back into the groundwater table after the Purple Line construction is completed, there were references to budget cuts and not knowing if there would be funding for such projects.

(Please turn to page 3)

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Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

Brookside

(Continued from page 2) Other causes and issues Three other problems noted in the Phase 4 study include water stagnation and an increase in the mosquito population, construction activities by some property owners that may be impacting the stream and the right of property owners to use water from the stream as it runs through their property.

Levine said she and other Brookside residents were particularly concerned about the increase in the mosquito population. Getting residents to clean debris out of streambeds, thus removing a possible harbor for the insects, is one solution, and also helps to increase the flow of any water running through the streambed. Obtaining mosquito fish was another suggestion.

Construction activities and making personal use of the water as it flows through backyards of some property owners also could have impacts on the stream. Because the stream is a natural watercourse, the Los Angeles Municipal Code (Sections 64.07, 64.08, 64.09 and 64.10) specifies that “…No person shall do anything to any natural water course or any channel carrying storm water that will in any manner obstruct or interfere with the flow of water

THIS PHASE 2 investigation map shows the stream above ground in three sections, beginning at Melrose Ave. near Wilcox Ave. and ending just south of San Vicente Boulevard.

through such water course or channel,” unless there has been a permit obtained from the Board of Public Works.

In the end, the question is, who is responsible for the depleted water flow in the stream? Who is responsible for bringing the water flow back up to normal levels?

The answer is that while, for

PLANNERS OF the Brookside neighborhood in 1921 developed lots around the stream, as can be seen in this Phase 4 map.

the most part, each property owner is responsible for the care of his or her part of the stream, that stream is also part of a larger water system that could impact other water systems downstream, and other ecosystems. The Phase 4 study reports that while bioswales and other natural easements have been put in place in repairing

other waterways, those were on public lands. There needs to be funding for such projects.

Most recently, when asked about the state of the streambed, Levine noted the flooding of the waterway after one of the rainstorms this winter, but the streambed had quickly dried up again.

Sandy Boeck, another con-

3

cerned resident, noted that while she still had a dry streambed, it was good to see some neighbors cleaning up their parts of the stream.

This will not be an easy fix.

The solution most likely will be a combination, or intertwining, of public and private work.

History of stream and neighborhood The history of the stream and the neighborhood is also intertwined. According to the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society, the neighborhood of Brookside was carved out of the original Rancho Las Cienegas (Ranch of the Marshland), owned by Mexican native Don Francisco Avila.

In 1921, the Rimpau Estate Company began to sell home sites with many properties along Longwood Ave., where the developers laid out deep rear lots bisected by a natural underground stream. Not wanting the stream to run on only one side of the street, the planners developed around it, with the stream winding from one side of the street to the other, preserving some of the natural arroyos, barrancas (gorges) and hills of the original tracts.

Although it was first known as Windsor Crest, the neighborhood became known as Brookside because of the stream that ran from the Hollywood Hills to Ballona Creek.

4

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

Larchmont Chronicle

Pizza perfection and exquisite cheese, charcuterie boards

Remember when the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in the early 1980s declared that pizza was a healthy school lunch because it contained tomato paste, a vegetable? Never mind that the red orb is actually a fruit. Nutritionists now agree that our health isn’t wellserved by digging into a tomato pie. However high the riboflavin count in a mushroomtopped pizza, the carb and fat

On the Menu by

Helene Seifer quotient overrides our meager attempts at meal choice justification.

Nonetheless, pizza con-

sumption is a basic human right in the United States, and one that inspires rabid fans for particular takes on cheese and tomato-sauced stretchy dough. Outside of New York, I maintain the best old school oozy-cheesy pie is one from Larchmont’s Village Pizzeria. But once one steps into the competitive gourmet marketplace, my allegiance fluctuates. First, I always

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turned to Mozza. Then Jon & Vinny’s stole my heart. Now, I’m enamored with Pizzana’s perfect pies.

Founded by Candace and Charles Nelson of Sprinkles cupcakes fame and baked

by Napoli chef Daniele Uditi using flour, cheese, and tomatoes imported from Italy, Pizzana’s West Hollywood and Brentwood locations are a little further than most Larchmont Chronicle readers are willing to go for a simple pizza, but it’s worth it. Not only is everything delicious, but they offer a smart option for carry-out times: almost baked. Pick up your order and pop the pizzas in a hot oven for five minutes to finish baking. Voila! Hot, freshly-baked pizza.

The flavorful thin-crust base comes in 16 different variations, including the vegetarian squash blossom, burrata and gremolata, and a carnivore’s dream concoction of pepperoni, fennel sausage, prosciutto and cotto.

Prices range from $19 to $24 for a pie that serves two, especially if one orders a side.

But order two pies, anyway, because they’re so different and delectable. I love the cacio e pepe, which does a wonderful job of approximating the classic peppery pasta dish. The earthy, salty pie has smoked cheese from Campania, fresh mozzarella, parmesan crema and a healthy grind of peppercorns. Those who enjoy food with some added heat should try the diavola pizza. Topped with spicy salami, mozzarella, shallots and a zesty pork and walnut

spread, the pizza comes with a side of honey to drizzle on top to balance the fire.

Starters and sides run $13 to $16 and feature such savories as fried baby artichokes, arancini (rice balls) and Caesar salad. I’m partial to the shaved Brussel sprouts salad with toasted pistachios in a caramelized shallot vinaigrette, which beautifully complements the richness of the pies.

Pizzana, 460 N. Robertson Blvd., 323-657-4662.

• • • Sometimes all I crave for dinner is a dry martini or a glass of red and a charcuterie and cheese plate. Often, places offer one or the other, but I recently learned about a takeout storefront in West Los Angeles whose platters include a mingled milk and meat option, presenting an exquisite mix of tastes and textures.

Lady & Larder is the brainchild of twin sisters Sarah Simms Hendrix and Boo Simms, and they keep their menu simple while serving museum-quality artistry on a plate. Along with Dagwoodworthy sandwiches, salads and a small marketplace, there are six different platters on offer, including one with cheese and fruit, one with a variety of cured meats, and one with crudites and dips, available in sizes serving four all the way to 24.

A favorite is the celebratory bloomy rind “cheesecake” board, in which rounds of soft cheeses are arranged in three or four wedding cake-like tiers and surrounded with fruit and flowers. Most assortments for four to six people are $90; (Please turn to page 10)

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

5

We need others to polish our minds: Anthropology of pandemic life

On this darkening, cold, winter afternoon, I have just lit a piñon-wood fire on my Albuquerque patio. Wind chill has brought the 35-degree temperature down to I don’t know what. I wanted to smell the smoke — the fragrance of burning piñon is one of the sensory pleasures of winter here on the high desert.

I can walk to Albuquerque’s Old Town, cradle of this city’s agrarian Hispanic roots, from my adobe house, but bitter is the wind today, so I drove. I parked on the main plaza, next

Home Ground by

Paula Panich

to the historic church. (The city was founded in 1706.) I looped around Old Town’s tiny roads and alleys and courtyards on foot.

In the warren of 200-yearold adobe structures, a few small shops and restaurants were open, and a scattering of people sat, well distanced, in the cold wind on benches and chairs. I smelled piñon smoke; I saw signs for “Breaking Bad” tours; a small white empty van, a tour for other film sites on offer, idled along the main plaza, music blaring. Perhaps 70 percent of the small businesses are closed, some permanently. Old Town feels melancholy, but shows signs of life; during New Mexico’s first lockdown, 11 months ago, it was shuttered, and CHARM AND HUMOR invite silent. patrons of this small shop in AlbuIn my favorite courtquerque’s Old Town to mask up. yard here, where in

spring a riot of flowers beckons and fountain water flows, two people sat with coffee. A sign illustrated the distance of six feet. The shapes of big feet on the ground are not misunderstood by anyone, nor signs on doors indicating how one is to enter.

How are we to think of our changed landscapes now? J.B. Jackson, landscape philosopher and writer, suggests that landscapes in human life mean far more than how they look.

They “satisfy elemental needs: the need for sharing … sensory experiences in a familiar place.” Belonging to Old Town in Albuquerque or Larchmont Village in Los Angeles suggests that spatial organization establishes, encourages, and strengthens bonds between people. Ideally, anyway.

Jackson also writes of how the U.S. Army organized space in war-destroyed landscapes, employing abstract visual signs, lines, and color; these cues are at work today. Old Town has stood since the early 18th century, but the pandemic has created a spatial order of its own here and everywhere, “a great web of boundaries,” dividing places into sectors by a system of lines and signs and colors that communicate to us

SHUTTERED RESTAURANT under the portal facing Albuquerque’s early 18th century Old Town Plaza.

TINY, LOCAL COFFEE SHOP in Old Town Albuquerque offers a way to think about the proper social distancing.

where to stand, where exactly to place our feet, how to wear our masks properly. All these things are necessary. But what will happen after? Will we once again move into the dance of public social life?

We line up, we distance, we are alert to our environment in different ways. Two guys puffing fat cigars under a portal? I scurry away, crossing the street.

The pandemic has reordered space, and human behavior.

How we move in space, how we feel in it, what we do in it, and, especially, how we interact with others, or not, is now negotiated moment by moment.

We need other people. Those

spontaneous conversations, sharing the news of the world with others, even wordless interactions, are gone for now.

As a person who lives alone, I can tell you the absence of these connections is souleroding.

Michel de Montaigne (b.

1533), wrote of the world as a “mirror where we must see ourselves in order to know ourselves,” and travel as an opportunity “to rub our minds and polish them by contact with others.”

Will we again sit smiling, faces in the sun, on the edge of that Old Town courtyard fountain, mirroring the world passing by?

6

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

History of Bunker Hill to be told on ‘Essence of Sunshine and Noir’ Hear author Nathan Marsak speak on the history of Bunker Hill and its architecture at a presentation through the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society Wed., Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.

The talk, in conjunction with Angel City Press, is based on the book by historian Marsak, “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir,” published in September, 2020.

Marsak will cover the many different types of architectural styles that have been on Bun-

THE BOOK tells the history and architecture of Bunker Hill.

ker Hill throughout the years, from Victorian spindlework, Mission and Modern to Queen Anne and Frank Gehry.

Bunker Hill is known to have been the first suburb of Los Angeles, and it was once home to many wealthy Angelenos and a hub of arts, politics, business and tourism.

The book covers its inception in the mid-19th century to present day.

Tickets to attend are $10, or $40 including an autographed copy of the book.

Next up in series Next up in the series is “Clubhouse Turn, The Twilight of Hollywood Park Race Track” Wed., March 17 at 7 p.m.

“Master of Architects of Southern California, 19201940: Paul R. Williams” is Wed., April 21 at 7 p.m.

For more information on these and other talks in the series, visit windsorsquarehancockpark.com.

Real Estate Sales

Thank You For Your Continued Support May You and Your Family Stay Well & Healthy Available

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Compass is a licensed real estate broker (01991628) in the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice.

Single family homes 114 Fremont Pl. 452 S. Las Palmas Ave. 322 S. Windsor Blvd.

530 S. Rossmore Ave. 315 Lorraine Blvd.

621 S. Mansfield Ave. 501 N. Stanley Ave. 560 N. Cahuenga Blvd.

640 N. June St. 332 N. Citrus Ave. 527 N. Cherokee Ave. 233 S. Lucerne Blvd.

840 S. Cloverdale Ave. 339 N. Highland Ave. 208 N. Beachwood Dr. 319 S. Sycamore Ave. 941 S. Ridgeley Dr. 826 S. Citrus Ave. 126 N. Martel Ave. 222 N. Windsor Blvd.

546 N. Sycamore Ave. 658 S. Sycamore Ave. 251 N. Beachwood Dr. 936 S. Citrus Ave. 585 N. Beachwood Dr. 809 S. Orange Dr. 864 S. Wilton Pl.

$8,750,000 6,126,000 5,154,807 4,625,000 3,850,000 2,800,000 2,510,000 2,500,000 2,470,000 2,410,000 2,375,000 2,350,000 2,250,000 2,140,000 1,995,000 1,969,000 1,840,000 1,800,000 1,720,000 1,688,911 1,599,000 1,560,000 1,550,000 1,525,000 1,487,000 1,430,000 870,000

Condominiums 4925 Wilshire Blvd., #103 739 Lorraine Blvd., #201 611 N. Bronson Ave., #9 5848 W. Olympic Blvd., #102 4813 Oakwood Ave., #404 421 S. Van Ness Ave., #30 750 S. Spaulding Ave., #335 4568 W. 1st St., #304 750 S. Spaulding Ave., #320 750 S. Spaulding Ave., #107 109 N. Sycamore Ave., #205 631 Wilcox Ave., #2F 433 S. Manhattan Pl., #305 533 S. St. Andrews Pl., #408 532 N. Rossmore Ave., #406 620 S. Gramercy Pl., #239 525 N. Sycamore Ave., #416

$1,249,000 945,000 899,000 890,000 880,000 820,000 805,000 785,000 735,000 715,000 660,000 577,000 575,000 540,000 450,000 430,000 427,500

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

7

Celebrate the Paul Williams legacy in Hancock Park and Windsor Square The release of the new book on Paul R. Williams, Angel City Press’ newest volume in its “Master Architects of Southern California 19201940” series, is an exciting start to 2021’s African American history month.

This new work by Bret Parsons, Marc Appleton and Stephen Gee celebrates the life and work of Los Angeles’ and perhaps the United States’ most renowned African American architect. Certainly of his generation. While Williams is often associated with Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Brentwood, the architect also designed a substantial body of work in and around Hancock Park over the course of four decades.

Paul Williams’ first house in the community was in Windsor Square, 524 Lorraine Blvd., built for financier Frederick Leistikow and his wife Esther and their five daughters.

At this house on Lorraine, Williams eschewed the popular Spanish revival for his version of a pared-down Tudor style, which resulted in a light-filled interior at once traditional yet thoroughly modern. Even as his volume of work increased on the Westside, he regularly returned to projects in Han-

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

cock Park, completing over 20 houses with the last residence finished in 1965 for Edwin Ridgway at 232 Rimpau Blvd.

For families Today, Paul Williams houses are sought after and command premium prices.

Architect Linda Brettler, who worked on one of Williams’ three Banning family residences on McCadden Place, described, in an interview last month, the enduring allure of his houses. She explained that many houses of the period were designed to be very formal. Paul Williams, however, was sophisticated enough to provide high style and grandeur while accommodating the growing desire for a more informal family life. “His designs were geared towards families,” she said.

“There is no ego involved in his work. His houses are lovely and livable. They seem to adapt to whatever family is in them.”

Paul Williams himself ex-

plained his philosophy for the “Los Angeles Times” in 1970, saying, “Good design is a pleasing assemblage of parts; and not the assemblage of pleasing parts.”

Experienced contractors For those looking to restore or update a Paul Williams house, it’s best to find designers and contractors experienced with the architect’s work. Gary Drake of Drake General Contractors, who sponsored the new book on Paul Williams, is one such contractor. A long-time homeowner in Brookside, Gary has worked on more than a dozen Paul Williams houses. In Gary’s experience, Williams houses are all “beautiful, sound homes,” and regardless of his builder, Williams “always built a good structural house.” Aside from the standard upgrading of baths and kitchens, Gary says that the only regular upgrade that is asked for is larger closets. His biggest challenge however is reversing bad remodels and restoring original details.

Houses endangered For all of the fame and the renown of his work, Paul Williams houses are not always wanted nor protected. As recently as 2019, developer Philip Rahimzadeh, of Core Develop-

ment Group, bought 100 N. Delfern Dr., the former home of Eva Gabor, Audrey Hepburn and Frank Sinatra in Holmby Hills, and then promptly tore off the WILLIAMS-designed home at 232 Rimpau. façade to prevent the house from being de- sion to become the first Africlared a landmark. It has since can American member of the American Institute of Archibeen demolished.

Paul R. Williams remains tects. His works are among a towering figure of cultural the most sought after houses importance in Los Angeles. in Los Angeles.

His work transformed not So, this month, in appreciaonly the urban landscape of tion of his legacy, pick up a Los Angeles but also the im- copy of “Paul R. Williams” at age of Hollywood domestic Chevalier’s Books on Larchglamour. But he is no less he- mont and go visit some of his roic as an American success works in the neighborhood, story overcoming poverty and reflecting upon the man, his challenging the conventions story and his work. You canof race in his chosen profes- not fail to be amazed.

Activist honored at LWSD event

Look What She Did (LWSD), a nonprofit organization founded by Brookside resident Julie Hébert, will be having a fundraiser Sun., March 7 at 1 p.m.

The virtual event will highlight the life of Dolores Huerta, a civil rights activist who,

with Cesar Chavez, co-founded the National Farmworkers Association. A film on Huerta will be premiered at the event.

LWSD produces short films of trailblazing women to inspire other women and girls.

For more information, visit lookwhatshedid.com.

8

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Larchmont Chronicle

Holocaust survivor’s book tells of fear, loss and triumph

By Suzan Filipek Holocaust survivor Gabriella Karin wrote her memoir as a 90th birthday present to herself. While her story speaks to the horrors of war, it also celebrates the triumph of the human spirit.

In 1944, Karin hid in a cramped apartment for nine long months. But unlike Anne Frank — the diarist in the Netherlands who perished in a concentration camp — Karin survived.

After the war, she moved to the new state of Israel, and she eventually settled in her Hancock Park home of 52 years with her now-late-husband Ofer and son Rom. “I am very excited about it,” she said last month of the book.

“I was working like crazy 12 hours a day when the COVID-19 started, and I finished the book in two months.

“Then came the editing and finding a printer, and, on my 90th birthday, I had in my hands a first copy of the book!”

A hardcopy of the 303-page book, “Trauma, Memory, and The Art of Survival: A Holocaust Memoir,” is available at gabriellakarin.com and as an e-book at amazon.com.

“I am signing the books that are ordered on my website.

This is the only way I could sign the books,” she says, during the pandemic.

Pre-war Bratislava Before the war, she describes having had a happy childhood.

NEW BOOK was published in time for the author’s 90th birthday.

Her family had owned a delicatessen in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

With anti-Semitism on the rise, she attended a school in a Catholic convent for three years with the help of false papers to disguise her Jewishness. Then, in 1944, her aunt’s boyfriend, a 25-yearold lawyer, Karol Blanar, defied “the murderous Nazi regime and risked his life to hide eight people,” including 13-year old Gabriella and her parents. They were in hiding across the street from the Nazi-Slovak Gestapo in a building with bylaws that prohibited Jews, and so the building wasn’t searched, she writes.

Blanar would sneak in food — it was never enough, recalls Karin — and books on history and works by Dostoyevsky to Tolstoy — what-

ever he could muster. Karin read hours a day.

After the war, at 15, Karin entered a fashion design school in Bratislava, the youngest of her peers — a feat she attributes to the books she devoured in hiding. She later worked as a fashion designer for many years, and in retirement, learned to sculpt.

Holocaust Museum Karin first came to the Holocaust Museum LA (then called Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust) in hopes of getting help in finding the heroic attorney who saved her life. When the then-head of the museum saw her Holocaust-inspired sculptures, Karin was invited to join in a group exhibition.

Michele Gold, current board chair of Holocaust Museum LA, gives great credit to Karin for sharing her story “to students and communities far and wide.”

Gold writes in the book’s foreword. “… through powerful and inspiring storytelling, you can make a difference, and that she has, making her mark on thousands of people.”

March of the Living Karin became a volunteer docent at the museum in Pan Pacific Park (now closed because of the pandemic), and she has participated annually in March of the Living, when thousands visit the concentration camps from Auschwitz to Birkenau, including many Los Angeles high school seniors.

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“These trips are amazing.

They change the lives of these kids… They see the survivors are optimistic and believe in a future, and it changes them,” Karin said.

These students are also “the last, the very last, to live in the presence of survivors,” historian Michael Berenbaum writes in the book’s preface.

Karin’s story is also documented with the USC Shoah Foundation, which filmed her on site in Bratislava.

Karin is perhaps most proud of her family and her three surviving grandchildren; one of them, Ben, helped her publish the book.

And, recently, she welcomed a great-granddaughter into the family fold. Her growing family is the ultimate triumph over Hitler, she writes.

The kind lawyer

She did eventually trace the kind lawyer who saved her life, only to find he had died. His brother accepted a Medal of Honor in the Mayor’s Palace in Bratislava, and Gabriella also placed a tombstone on his then-unmarked grave in Columbus, Ohio.

Her book is a personal one but with a timeless and universal message.

Her wish, she says, is shared by all mothers: peace for their children. “How can we achieve this? Is there a magic formula?” she asks in the book.

There is not.

“It’s us. It’s me. It’s you… We are the people who can bring peace if we work together with a common goal… Accept everybody, as they are, regardless of race, gender, religion, denomination… Together we can make a better world.”

Tar Pits launches virtual Ice Age dig to help transcribe field notes

Join a community science within 100 years of typed pages project, “Sedimental Values: of fossils and geology samples Digging in to La Brea’s Past,” is a rich source of data. to digitize Ice Age fossil find- Anyone with a computer and ings with the La Brea Tar Pits web access can join in at tinyurl.com/yx9uf2mm. & Museum.

The worldwide endeavor is based right here at the Miracle Mile museum.

Volunteers will help transcribe field notes for fossils excavated since 1969. Paleontologists have been collecting fossils at the site SABER-TOOTHED cat skeleton is comsince 1913. Buried posed of fossils found at La Brea Tar Pits.

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

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9

Master architect Paul R. Williams left a local legacy

By Billy Taylor As we celebrate the triumphs and struggles of African American History this month, there is perhaps no local example that highlights such achievements better than the residential designs of architect Paul R. Williams.

In his six-decade career, Williams worked on more than 3,000 projects that ranged from modest homes to extravagant mansions commissioned for the city’s elite.

Renowned for his mastery of harmonious proportions and signature undulating lines, Williams’ residential designs were simultaneously graceful and relaxed.

Williams’ inspiring story is examined in a new book, “Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940: Paul R. Williams,” published last month by Tailwater Press and Angel City Press. The 212page book is the fourth in a series co-authored by local real estate agent Bret Parsons along with architect Marc Appleton. Stephen Gee also is a co-author of this volume.

The book examines the unlikely story of Paul Revere Williams, an orphan son of a fruit and vegetable merchant, who would become the first

African American tectural division, member of the says that local American Instihomes designed tute of Architects

by Paul Wil(AIA), as well as liams command a dominant force top dollar from in Southern Calisavvy buyers: “In fornia architecfact, most of his ture. In 2017, homes are sold the AIA posthuin multiple offer mously presented situations. There its highest honor, are only a dozthe Gold Medal, to en architects to Williams. garner that level In addition to of interest. He’s highlighting 30 the king when of the architect’s it comes to resiprojects that were dential architects previously featured from Southern in “The ArchitecCalifornia’s Goldtural Digest,” the en Age.” new book pro Williams’ vides an extencraftsmanship is sively researched still very much on account of Wildisplay in Hancock liams’ rise to NEW BOOK examines the life and work of architect Paul R. Park and Windsor p r o m i n e n c e . Williams. Cover photo is the Collins House located in Wind- Square, includAmong the many sor Square. ing the following interesting anecproperties that are dotes is this excerpt, written survived a few hardships which featured in the new book.

by Williams on the impact race might have been avoided had Local houses my face been white. But I do In 1927, the Bachman had on his career: “Naturally, I encountered not regret those difficulties, for House was built on land purmany discouragements and I think that I am a far better chased directly from develrebuffs, most of which were craftsman today than I would oper G. Allan Hancock, who predicated upon my color,” be had my course been free.” had begun to subdivide HanWilliams wrote in a controver- Co-author Parsons, who cock Park. Investor Walter sial article for “American Mag- serves as Compass Realty’s Bachman and Juliet Bachman azine” published in 1937. “I executive director of its archi- recruited Williams to design a

Spanish Colonial Revival residence on the lot.

Three years later, financier Alfred Dewey Davey and Ruth Davey recruited Williams to create a relaxed, two-story Monterey-style residence in Fremont Place. The property, known as the Davey House, was acquired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico in 1994 to be occupied by that nation’s local consul general.

In 1931, Sarah Belle Goodwin, the wealthy widow of oilman James Franklin Goodwin, commissioned Williams to design the Colonial-inspired Goodwin House on S. McCadden Place in Hancock Park.

The home was designed to be large enough to comfortably house her daughter Bessie Hazzard, Sarah’s twin grandchildren and a maid.

The Collins House is a dreamy French Country-style two-story residence on Lorraine Boulevard in Windsor Square built in 1932. Designed for William and Helen Collins, the house is ranked among the architect’s personal favorite works.

The book “Master Architects of Southern California 19201940: Paul R. Williams” is available at Chevalier’s Books and angelcitypress.com.

10

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

SECTION TWO

AUDREY IRMAS PAVILION at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple continues construction.

Photo by Gary Leonard, January 12, 2021

On the Menu

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BIG SUNDAY’S MLK party participants find things they have in common.

Big Sunday throws party for MLK Day

By Helene Seifer Big Sunday, a nonprofit organization located on Melrose Avenue, participates every year in the national Martin Luther King Jr. day of service, usually mounting a local clothing drive and celebratory party.

This pandemic year is not usual, however, and it called for a new approach to the nonprofit’s mandate to connect people through volunteer opportunities. The economic fallout from the coronavirus has also made this a year with greater than average need.

Civil rights leader honored Thus was born Big Sunday’s Virtual MLK Day Block Party & Clothing Collection. Over 150 households linked into the virtual realm to honor the civil rights leader, contribute new clothes purchased from Big Sunday’s Target registry and just have fun.

Hancock Park resident David Levinson, founder and executive director of Big Sunday, stated, “I can hardly think of a better moment for folks to get together to stop

and think about what Dr. King fought so hard for, how far we’ve come and how far we’ve got to go.”

Harris' sorority too Individuals and representatives from schools, businesses and groups such as AKA (Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kamala Harris’ sorority) contributed to the success of the clothing drive, which is anticipated to surpass the goal of collecting 10,000 items of clothing by the end of January. The total value of donated clothing is expected to exceed $100,000.

The roughly 90-minute program included warm-up exercises, wild dancing, a game about the accomplishments of civil rights heroes, and acts of giving.

“Nobody likes to get charity,” Levinson asserted.

“But everyone likes to get a gift.”

To that end, some younger participants made gift cards during the event to include with bags of cold weather clothing or laundry essentials for distribution to those in need.

In keeping with Big Sunday’s belief in finding common

ground, participants were also arranged into breakout Zoom clusters and challenged to find something in common with others in their group.

Reported commonalities ranged from melted ice cream enthusiasts and fans of the country’s first female vice president to lovers of butterflies and the color purple.

David Levinson closed the afternoon with an MLK quote, perfect for our times: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

More Big Sunday Big Sunday has numerous ongoing programs to address all kinds of needs that continue to arise as a consequence of COVID-19 and other emergencies.

For information about these and other Big Sunday activities throughout the year, go to bigsunday.org.

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Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

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11

Meals on Wheels’ Daryl Twerdahl send-off after 31 years

By John Welborne People have learned that there is “clock time” and “COVID time.” Things just seem to stretch out and move more slowly in this safer-athome era. So it was with a fun-filled Zoom party held in mid-January to celebrate the

DARYL TWERDAHL and her longtime colleague, “SAM” (the late Sister Alice Marie Quinn).

leadership role that Hancock Park resident Daryl Twerdahl played at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels (SVMOW) for 31 years.

Twerdahl retired in early October, and the January event was a fun- and celebrity-filled retirement party in her honor.

The former executive director of development for SVMOW, Twerdahl also served as interim executive director following the 2017 death of Sister Alice Marie Quinn. At the online event, Twerdahl was fêted by an electronic crowd of approximately 150 friends and family members. Sincere and emotional video-clip tributes came from her children as well as celebrities and SVMOW supporters including chef Wolfgang Puck, actor and rapper Todd Smith (LL Cool J)

ZOOM GUESTS honoring Daryl Twerdahl filled many screens, of which this is just one.

and Magic Johnson. Many in the Zoom audience used the Raise Hand function to get the microphone and add their tributes to Daryl.

Some guests at home uti-

lized the offered recipe for a “Daryl-rita” (strawberries, tequila and more) and celebrated in style. It was about as much fun as one can have while so socially distanced.

Around the Town with

Patty Hill

Around the Town is on a break DARYL and Jim Twerdahl enjoyed the SVMOW party in her honor from their own home.

Helping You Stay Safer at Home During this uncertain time with the coronavirus, LADWP wants you to know that we are working 24/7 to keep your power on and water flowing.

Our crews will respond to water and power outages. Call us or report an outage online at ladwp.com/outages.

Your tap water is safe to drink. There is no need to buy bottled water. The coronavirus does not affect your drinking water.

Our team members are essential city workers continuing to work hard while taking safety measures.

Need help paying your bill? We can help.

Visit LADWP.com/financialassistance or call us at 1-800-DIAL-DWP.

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FRIENDS of Daryl and SVMOW at the party included Wolfgang Puck and LL Cool J.

Larchmont Chronicle columnist Patty Hill is temporarily not out and about, and her Around the Town column is on hiatus.

-Editor

12

FEBRUARY 2021

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Larchmont Chronicle

Local hospital to close in pandemic; staff layoffs planned for the rest of the year to allow the facility to continue treating COVID-19 patients.

In a Jan. 20 statement, UCLA Health said that they have “provided Alecto with the ability to keep OMC’s doors open to help manage the current surge in COVID-19 patients.”

At press time, it was unclear if Alecto Healthcare was interested in the extension.

Closure concerns The news that a local hospital would be closing during a public health crisis sparked quick criticism from city and county policymakers.

City Councilperson Nithya Raman, who represents Council District Four, where the

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hospital is located, said that she reached out to both OMC and UCLA Health to seek clarity on the envisioned longterm use of the facility. “At a moment in which COVID-19 is surging and ICU capacity in hospitals is at zero, we agree that any reduction in overall emergency services in Los Angeles is cause for concern,” read a statement from Raman.

The 74-year-old hospital, which is currently treating COVID-19 patients, logged more than 25,000 emergency room visits in 2019 and cares for a very high percentage of elderly and low-income patients, according to the California Nurses Association (CNA), the union representing the registered nurses at OMC. The group is advocating against the closure, demanding that the facility stay open as a full-service acute care hospital at least until the pandemic is over.

Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director Cathy Chidester sent a Jan. 11 letter to Olympia calling for a minimum sixmonth delay in the shutdown.

“The voluntary closure of

OMC during this crisis is irresponsible and will cause further hardship on the healthcare system,” she wrote.

Chidester also noted that the hospital is required under state law to participate in a public hearing to allow the surrounding community to express opinions and concerns regarding the impending hospital closure.

UCLA Health New owner UCLA Health has indicated that it will turn the location into an additional campus following renovation.

“UCLA Health regularly considers property purchases and growth opportunities in the region that allow us to expand access to care for patients who need our services,” read

a statement on the acquisition from UCLA Health.

“The operators decided to sell the property and will be winding down their services over the next few months before closing the hospital.

“This asset provides a muchneeded future growth opportunity for UCLA Health and will allow us to expand services. To this end, in 2021 we will be launching the initial planning process for a major facility renovation on the former Olympia campus. This process will include leadership, faculty and staff. This purchase will provide UCLA Health with an additional campus and the potential to contribute significantly to community benefit needs.”

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Best Friends is located at 15321 Brand Blvd., Mission Hills but is not currently open to the public except by appointment.

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By Billy Taylor Having served the community for over 70 years, Olympia Medical Center (OMC) announced Dec. 31 that it would cease all operations by March 31. The 204-bed hospital, located at 5900 Olympic Blvd., was purchased by UCLA Health, which is planning “a major facility renovation” for the property. The closure will result in approximately 450 full- and part-time employees losing their jobs.

Those future plans were less clear by late January, however, when UCLA Health indicated that it was open to leasing back the property to its previous owner Alecto Healthcare

INSURED

Larchmont Chronicle

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13

Public comment ends Feb. 15 for draft Planning ordinance Public comment on an administrative guide for the New Zoning Code is being accepted through Mon., Feb. 15.

About 150 participants attended the City Planning Dept. virtual public information seminar last month to learn about the department’s draft of its proposed Processes and Procedures Ordinance.

“For those who missed it, we do intend to post the presentation and a recording of the entire webinar on the department website in the next few weeks. We’ll be sending out an

email to the interested parties list when those materials are available,” said City Planner Bonnie Kim. “We are encouraging folks to submit their feedback … in order to ensure that we have enough time to incorporate those comments into our staff recommendation report,” Kim added. “We are anticipating taking the ordinance to the City Planning Commission in the spring, but we do not yet have a specific date confirmed.”

(Please turn to page 15)

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ders Foundation with a magic show and music.

The foundation, which funds reconstructive surgeries for children, has helped children from the U.S., Mexico, Vietnam, Philippines, Macedonia, and Romania.

Attendees at the Dec. 6 event included founder Dr. John Reinisch and Margaret Shipman, Hancock Park, a longtime supporter of Small Wonders — she hosts patients who come to Los Angeles for the specialized surgeries.

One of those patients, who

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was also at the online event, was Diego Neumaier, Small Wonders’ first beneficiary.

Neumaier was born without ears and the ability to hear, but he was able to obtain reconstructive surgery because of the foundation. He is now a professional gymnast.

The foundation, begun in 2005, is headed by Dr. Reinisch, director of craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Group.

Reinisch has been performing such surgeries for more than 40 years.

Visit smallwondersfoundation.org.

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FEBRUARY 2021

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Larchmont Chronicle

POLICE BEAT

Stay alert! Neighborhoods experience rash of burglaries

OLYMPIC DIVISION BURGLARIES: Property was stolen from inside a detached garage on the 800 block of S. Wilton Pl. after a suspect forced open the garage door on Jan. 4 at 8 p.m.

The rear passenger window of a victim’s vehicle was smashed and property stolen while parked near the corner of Fifth Street and Norton Avenue between Jan. 12 at 2 a.m. and Jan. 13 at 10 a.m.

A package was stolen from the front porch of a home on the 500 block of S. Van Ness Ave. on Jan. 13 at 7:10 a.m.

A victim briefly left items on her front porch, and then they were stolen by a suspect on the 400 block of N. St. Andrews Pl. on Jan. 14 at 3 p.m.

A suspect pried open a rear window, entered the property and stole money and jewelry while the victim was inside the home sleeping on the 900 block of Fourth Ave. between Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 14 at 6 a.m.

WILSHIRE DIVISION ASSAULT: A woman was attacked by two suspects who attempted to take her property as she walked near the corner

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of Keniston Avenue and 8th Street. After a struggle, both suspects fled in a nearby vehicle on Jan. 4 at 1:40 a.m.

A suspect exited his vehicle near McCadden and 4th Street to attack a man with a metal pipe on Jan. 8 at 12:55 p.m.

ROBBERY: A victim was walking near the corner of Rossmore Avenue and 5th Street on Jan. 3 at 1:50 a.m. when a suspect approached in a vehicle, pointing a gun at the victim demanding his mobile phone before fleeing.

BURGLARIES: The last few days of 2020 were not easy for Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza, located on the corner of Melrose and Highland avenues. A suspect pried open a side door to the restaurant on Dec. 29 between 3 and 4 a.m. and tampered with property inside before fleeing the location.

Then, the very next day, a suspect attempted to steal a Vespa motorcycle parked in the alley behind the restaurant on Dec. 30 at 7:15 p.m. A witness interrupted the suspect, who first tried to strong-arm the witness before giving up and fleeing

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the location empty-handed.

It is unknown if property was taken from inside a home on the 300 block of S. Cochran Ave. after a suspect forced open a locked balcony window to gain entry on Dec. 31 at 2:59 p.m.

Electronic equipment was stolen from inside Good People Casting located on the corner of Melrose Avenue and Seward Street after a suspect used a tool to force open a rear window between Jan. 4 at 6 p.m. and Jan. 5 at 12:55 p.m.

Property was stolen from inside a home on the 300 block of N. Sycamore Ave. after a suspect used bolt cutters to gain access on Jan. 4 at 4 a.m.

A suspect opened the garage

door to a home on the 100 block of N. Orange Dr. and stole a bicycle on Jan. 6 at 7:30 a.m.

BURGLARY THEFT FROM VEHICLE: Money and a laptop were among items stolen from inside a vehicle parked on the 500 block of N. Rossmore Ave. between Dec. 30 at 11 p.m. and Dec. 31 at 8:30 a.m.

GRAND THEFTS AUTO: A 2020 Audi Q5 was stolen while parked in the driveway of a home on the 200 block of N. Beachwood Dr. on Jan. 2 at 3:05 a.m.

A 2010 Nissan Rogue was stolen while parked in the driveway of a home on the 400 block of S. Las Palmas Ave. between Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. and Jan. 1 at 6 p.m.

Larchmont Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2021

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Poker is much more than a way to gamble, it’s a game of many features Is he a maniac who just loves to raise at every opportunity? Can I “read” his hands?

A game of probability What are the chances — the odds — of catching a big hand? What are the odds that your opponent will catch a bigger hand on the river? (We all hate to be rivered!) And what about the pot odds? If they are higher than your card odds, you have a positive expectancy. In the long run, the laws of probability declare that

Poker for All by

George Epstein you will be a winner!

A game of psychology People spend years studying to become a psychologist — to better understand mental pro-

What’s one big difference? Hint: It’s more than one Last month, George “The Engineer” Epstein ended his poker column with a question: Be it poker or life, success comes to those who make those decisions that offer a gain higher than the risk and to those who know how to build the size of their pots.

Resident killed in hit and run

A St. Andrews Square resident was killed by a carjacking suspect last month in a tragic hit and run accident.

Branden Finley, a 46-yearold father of two, was riding his bicycle downtown, near the area of 7th and Olive streets, when he was hit from behind. Detectives say the suspect was “driving at a high rate of speed, weaving inand-out of traffic and driving on the opposite side of 7th Street,” when he struck Finley, who was pronounced dead at the scene. LAPD Central Traffic Division seeks assistance in identifying the suspect, who had stolen the white 2010 Toyota Tacoma moments before hitting Finley. Anyone with information, contact Det. Campos at 213-833-3713.

But there is one big difference.

Can you guess?

Give up? Here’s his answer: “In poker, you can walk away from the game whenever you like, and come back another day to play again.

“Someone suggested another significant difference. A hand of poker lasts just two minutes or thereabouts. You must make quick decisions, and you can’t ask anyone else to help you. In that respect,

Public comment

(Continued from page 13) The 700-page draft ordinance will act as the administrative guide for the New Zoning Code, which is the first chapter of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. To view the webinar visit planning.lacity.org/ zoning/code-amendments; scroll down to Processes and Procedures Ordinance.

DeaDLine For the march 2021 issue is fri., feb. 19, 2021.

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life is so much more tolerant.

“There are also several less obvious differences: Seating position can make a BIG difference when playing poker. A lot depends on the traits of the opponents at your table. You can change position whenever you like if a different seat is available. Also, in poker, with a drawing hand, you can quickly observe the pot odds (reward), and you can estimate your card odds (risk).”

cesses and behavior. And yet, we challenge ourselves to master that profession while playing poker. What is my opponent planning to do? Some succeed to a significant degree and become consistent winners. Usually they do so by seeking out their opponents’ tells — mannerisms and motions that give vital information.

A game of patience and perseverance They go together “like a hand and glove.” Patience implies tolerance or endurance when faced with a difficult situation. Perseverance is the willpower to wait it out until you achieve your goal. Otherwise, you may go on tilt — and that is costly.

A game of money management Playing poker often is like a roller coaster — lots of ups and downs. We call it variability. You need to have enough chips to tide you over during a prolonged losing cycle. Otherwise, you may soon go broke.

And then, before you realize it,

you start to play scared; your opponents will take advantage of your dilemma.

A game of image Based on how you have been playing your hands, what type of player does your opponent think you are? What is your image? There was a time when I always started out playing very tight, folding most of my hole cards. Before very long, that was my image. When I entered the pot or raised, my opponents were sure that I had a strong hand and were inclined to muck their cards. That’s when I started to bluff and semi-bluff.

Before long, my opponents had a new image of me; so, then I reverted to tight play preflop.

Now let me ask you: What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

George “The Engineer” Epstein, a long-time local resident, is the author of three poker books including “The Art of Bluffing” and “Hold’em or Fold’em – An Algorithm for Making the Key Decision.”

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Poker is a tried and true card game encompassing many features: A game of information That’s no secret; we have long been aware that gaining information — and using it to our advantage — gives us a big edge over our opponents at the table. We often call it an “edge.”

Some of that information is ohso-obvious — like what kind of player is he (tight or loose, passive or aggressive)? Is he a calling-station? Is he a bluffer?

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