LC Real Estate 06 2023

MICRO FOREST

Two-year update on the Miyawaki forest in Griffith Park and its local contributors. Page 2

PRESERVATION

Los Angeles Conservancy announces this year’s award winners.

Page 4

LARCHMONT Community raises money for Alexandria House and has a great block party doing it.

Page 8

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Micro-forest’s macro accomplishments in Griffith Park

By Helene Seifer

In a little corner of Griffith Park, known as the Bette Davis picnic area, a bushy green micro-forest teems with life. This 1,000-square-foot circular forest has grown from tiny seedlings planted June 19, 2021, to a towering 18- to 20-foot canopy only two years later, and fauna have noticed. The coast live oaks, hollyleaf redberries, toyons, California wild roses and other native species are home to burrowing squirrels, Western toads, lizards, lots of insects and myriad birds.

“Birders have discovered the forest,” says Los Angeles Parks Foundation Nursery Manager Cameron De Anda, who over-

sees maintenance of the new forest. “They come here all the time to observe the birds.”

The project was born when Carolyn Ramsay, executive director of the Los Angeles Parks

Foundation, heard about a method of planting that encourages rapid growth, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in various sites in Asia and parts of Europe. Using only indigenous seeds and dense heterogenous planting groups, this novel method allowed small spaces to quickly achieve macro results in terms of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, releasing oxygen in exchanges and increasing the biodiversity of an area. Especially important in cement-centric urban areas, these Miyawaki-method forests can fit in backyards and pocket parks to clean the air and lower temperatures. Micro-forests typically achieve self-sustainability within two

to three years.

Ramsay wanted to try it in the Mediterranean climate of Los Angeles.

Hancock Park Garden Club

Concurrently, the Hancock Park Garden Club had decided to help increase the green canopy in Los Angeles not just in our neighborhood, but citywide. Club members joined forces with the Parks Foundation to pilot the micro-forest plan, providing a $15,000 grant to cover planting and maintenance of the Miyawaki-method forest. Seeds from existing plants in Griffith Park were collected and grown and supplemented with purchased indigenous seedlings. Volunteers did the planting. De Anda oversees watering, weeding and any other work needed.

“Because of the rains, we only watered two times recently,” notes De Anda, continuing, “I believe that the forest can self-sustain if we were to stop watering. The

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FOREST at the time of June 2021 planting.

Photo by John Hughes

BUSHY green micro-forest teems with flora and fauna.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, Carolyn Ramsay, kickstarted the project.

Photos by Zach Grossman

Chateaux in the sky: Amazing apartments of Greater Wilshire

I always have to laugh a little when I hear pro-development YIMBYs refer to the neighborhoods of Greater Wilshire as “segregationist,” a term that in their parlance refers to anti-density or anti-apartment buildings, as if Hancock Park, Windsor Square, etc. were strictly single-family zones. Any resident who travels the paths of our bucolic communities knows, however, the truth — that we are a community of exceptional architectural and housing diversity with duplexes, quads and other multi-family residences. And often overlooked, other than thinking about the storied towers of the Rossmore canyon, is that we also possess a collection of some of Los Angeles’ finest historic apartment buildings (three stories and above) on streets beyond Rossmore Avenue. In other articles, I have covered the grand dames of Rossmore: The El Royale, the Ravenswood, Country Club Manor and the truncated 410 N. Rossmore Avenue. These apartment towers represented the pinnacle of architectural ambition within our communities at the time of their design and construction, their illuminated signs bringing a bit of Hollywood to the heart

of Greater Wilshire. But, even on Rossmore, there are overlooked architectural gems of note, including The Hermoyne at 569 N. Rossmore Ave., designed by architect Leonard Jones in 1929 and sister to his Castle Argyle in Hollywood. There also is the humble neo-Venetian 649 N. Rossmore Ave. near the corner of Rossmore and Melrose avenues by Frank Rasche, which appeared in Buster Keaton’s “Seven Chances” one year after it was built in 1925 and, finally, the Elizabethan revival style 601 N. Rossmore Ave. by William Allen, designer of Burbank City Hall. Allen was a member of the team that designed the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown.

An overlooked local street with spectacular period apartment buildings is Sycamore Avenue. Located close to the commercial corridor of La Brea Avenue, to the west, Sycamore Avenue was ideal for the construction of apartment buildings with short walks to shops. The developers of the late 1920s took ample opportunity to utilize the corner lots of Sycamore Avenue to add density and grandeur while maintaining the scale of the overall neighborhood. The finest of these is on the

by Brian Curran

northeast corner of Beverly Boulevard, the elegant, Chateauesque-style Faubourg St. Denis at 308 N. Sycamore Ave. Originally named the Beverly Sycamore, the building was designed in 1928 by James N. Conway to provide seven- and eight-room apartments and duplexes.

On another corner a block to the south, at First Street and Sycamore Avenue, is the 1928 Renaissance Revival Warwick Apartments (109 N. Sycamore Ave.) by Ernest H. Gates. Just across the street from that is the Art Deco Tower of 100 N. Sycamore Ave. designed in 1929 by the Arthur G. Wright Company. Further south is another 1929 construction, The El Pazar at 152 S. Sycamore Ave. Designed by Russell Long, it is a striking Art Deco tower with Spanish detailing, oddly built mid-block, which is a rarity for the multi-family buildings higher than two stories on this street.

The next set of notable apart-

ment buildings is sprinkled throughout Greater Wilshire, outliers in their respective surrounding communities. Included are buildings such as the brick Renaissance Revival 800 N. Las Palmas Ave., a late arrival, built in 1932. On North Larchmont Boulevard, there are smaller apartment buildings including Leonard Jones’ second commission in the area, the 1929 Larchmoyne Apartments at 515 N. Larchmont Blvd.

At 562 N. Larchmont Blvd., there is Rudolph Frankenrath Jr.’s quirky façade reputedly designed to serve as different backdrops for silent films.

The last selection presented here is a trio of grand dames starting with E.B. Rust’s. (Rust also was the architect of the Van de Kamp Bakery windmills.)

Rust designed the legendary 1925 Las Altos Apartments at 4121 Wilshire Blvd., home to the famous two-story, four-bedroom apartment of William Randolph Heart’s lifelong mistress Marion Davies (as well as home to stars such as Bette Davis and Douglas Fairbanks). Not far away, in the Oakwood / Maplewood / St. Andrews neighborhood, is The Dover Apartments at 4649 Beverly Blvd. That building’s majestic form and monumen-

tal painted sign are punctuated by a lone palm tree whose forlorn silhouette is straight out of a Raymond Chandler novel. The Dover even has an auto turntable to rotate cars for parking in its slender garage. Finally, take a look at the Chateau Laurier, the elegantly detailed apartment building at 4357 West Fifth Street, on the corner of Wilton Place. This development was named after the famed Grand Trunk Railway hotel, the Chateau Laurier, in Ottawa, Canada (now the Fairmont Hotel), which had been named for Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada from 1896-1911. This gem in our midst was designed by Leland A. Bryant, architect extraordinaire of the Sunset Tower, the Trianon Apartments in Hollywood, and Chateau La Fontaine in West Hollywood. And — back to Rossmore Avenue — Bryant also was the architect of Country Club Manor.

There is a noteworthy final cluster of historic apartment buildings, right here in Greater Wilshire, that is concentrated in the communities between Wilton Place and Western Avenue, from Melrose Avenue to Olympic Boulevard, but those deserve a study of their own. Watch for Part Two!

Celebrating preservation in Los Angeles at historic TV City

By Suzan Filipek

Los Angeles has a reputation for tearing down the old in its quest to move forward, fast. Yet every year, buildings, projects and even entire historic districts are bestowed awards by the Los Angeles Conservancy for exceptional historic preservation.

This years’ Project Award winners include the local former Firestone building on La Brea Avenue and the architecturally rich Carthay Neighborhoods Historic District.

The awards will be presented at the Preservation Awards at Television City on Thurs., July 27, with a VIP reception beginning at 3 p.m.

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN EXTREMELY CHARMING BUNGALOW WITH

These days you can enjoy a cocktail or beer and a choice of tacos at the All Seasons Brewing Company. But in its former life, as the Firestone Tire and Service Center, Angelenos would pull up in gas-guzzling vehicles to order up new tires.

An example of Streamline Moderne architecture, the Service Center opened at the corner of Eighth Street and La Brea Avenue in 1937. Its Machine Age design features horizontal lines and curved edges, a cantilevered overhang and rounded corners, adding to an illusion of speed.

The site was designated a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2012. After the tire business closed in 2015, the building’s new owners found period materials and fixtures to preserve the vintage atmosphere of the former service center as part of an adaptive reuse project.

Another Project Award winner — the Carthay Neighborhoods Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places — came about after two years of hard work by area residents.

bedroom & ½ bath) are currently a professional working, sound proofed and copper lined Recording Studio. Detached updated Guest House with separate entrance has 2 Beds + 1 Bath + Kitchenette. The beautiful property is gated and hedged for privacy with front and back yards, 3zone central AC, fully solar, gated parking for 3 cars + 1 closed garage space & view of the Hollywood sign outside the property!

The nationally recognized Carthay Square area — a cohesive, intact collection of 1,171 buildings — contains what are considered the three most architecturally significant historic preservation overlay zones in the city, reflecting the ambition and prosperity of 1920s Los Angeles.

Period Revival homes — Spanish Colonial, Tudor, Storybook and others — in the Carthay area were built by renowned architects of

the day, including Paul R. Williams.

The Hollywood Sign, which turns 100 this year, is another Project Award winner. Thanks to the preservation and maintenance efforts of the Hollywood Sign Trust, established in 1978, the giant letters on the south-facing slope of the Hollywood Hills continue to stand as a symbol of hope and dreams for many.

Speaking of a classic Los Angeles icon, Tail o’ the Pup, (featured in the Larchmont Chronicle in October 2022), opened in 1946 a few blocks from its current location at 8512 Santa Monica Blvd. Drawing celebrities and becoming something of a star

(Please turn to page 5)

CARTHAY Neighborhoods was among award winners.

Photo courtesy of Architectural Resources Group

HOLLYWOOD SIGN is recognized.

Photo by Pallo Gallo

SPORTING its original 1937 Machine Age design, All Seasons Brewing Company is among this year’s Project Award winners.

Photo by John Bare

PRESENTED

Classic films to screen at historic theaters at Last Remaining Seats

Watch classic movies in historic settings with the Los Angeles Conservancy’s popular Last Remaining Seats film series. “Metropolis” (1927) screens on Sat., June 3, at 2 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre. The 1973 film “Enter the Dragon” with Bruce Lee is at the Orpheum later the same day at 8 p.m.

“Planet of the Apes” (1968) is at the Los Angeles Theatre Sat., June 10, at 2 p.m. “The Philadelphia Story” (1940) screens at the Los Angeles

Ingenue in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ to talk June 4

By Suzan Filipek

When Nancy Olson Livingston was just 22 she had the good fortune to join the allstar cast featuring William Holden and Gloria Swanson for the legendary film “Sunset Boulevard.”

Olson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that role, and she went on to star in more films as well as on TV and Broadway. The 94-yearold will give a talk on her life and career on Sun., June 4, at 2 p.m. at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave.

Olson also will sign copies

of her 2022 book, “A Front Row Seat,” at the Windsor Square Hancock Park Histor-

Project Awards

(Continued from page 4) itself, the hot dog stand operates out of a whimsical replica of a huge hot dog encased in a bun. Other Project Award winners this year are: Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel, First Congregational Church of Long Beach and Long Beach Suburbanization and Race Historic Context Statement. Bungalow Court Edinburgh Bungalow Court in West Hollywood is the re-

ical Society (WSHPHS) event

“An Afternoon with Nancy Ol-

(Please turn to page 10)

cipient of the Chair’s Award. Built in 1923, the Spanish Colonial Revival one-story residential building has been rehabilitated and will provide housing once again (unlike other local bungalow courts — 410 of them, to be exact — that remain “endangered” throughout the city).

The Preservation Awards celebration is from 5 to 7 p.m. in Studio 46 at Television City, 7800 Beverly Blvd. For tickets and more information visit laconservancy.org.

Theatre June 10 at 8 p.m. “Auntie Mame,” a 1958 comedy, brings Rosalind Russell to the Million Dollar Theatre Sat., June 17, at 2 p.m.

The same day, James Stewart and Kim Novak star in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” (1958) at 8 p.m. at the Million Dollar. Visit laconservancy.org.

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY stars Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.

Photo Warner Bros

Zev Yaroslavsky debuts book at Chevalier’s

By John Welborne

Two days before distribution of the June issue of the Larchmont Chronicle, Larchmont Boulevard was the scene of the launch for the long-awaited memoir by local resident and resilient elected official Zev Yaroslavsky. “Zev’s Los

Angeles” made its debut at a talk and signing at Chevalier’s Books on May 30.

The book is an informative recollection that anyone familiar with the local political scene for the past fifty years will find fascinating reading that reminds us of the evolu-

tion of our city and takes us behind the scenes in City Hall, the County Hall of Administration and other seats of power. In Yaroslavsky’s case, he consistently used his increasing power for the public good. Now a faculty member at his college alma mater,

UCLA, the author is a product of this community, having attended Melrose Avenue Elementary, Bancroft Junior High and Fairfax High. The book’s 23 chapters chart the passage of Yaroslavsky’s family from Belarus to Boyle Heights to the Fairfax area, and they chart the route of the future city councilman and county supervisor to UCLA and beyond.

To local news junkies (this writer included) those 23 chapters — and the touching Dedication and informative Epilogue, Acknowledgments, Endnotes and Index — chronicle Yaroslavsky’s advocacy for his constituents. Described is his growing attention to residential neighborhoods after experiencing the pressures for high-rise development in Century City and along the Wilshire Corridor in Westwood. That experience led him to successfully urge city voters to enact Proposition U in 1986 — to reduce commercial (not residential) zoning and density along neighbor-

hood-serving commercial streets like Pico Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.

Also being a transit junkie, I relished his Chapter 16, The Transit Revolution. He describes his trip as a County Supervisor to Curitiba, Brazil in 1999. Organized by Martha Welborne and financed by a nonprofit she created, that visit (and the tenaciousness of Yaroslavsky, described in detail in the book) led to construction of the Orange Line in the Valley.

The book is available at Chevalier’s and elsewhere.

Father Gregory Boyle signed latest tome at Chevalier’s Books

By John Welborne

Discussing his latest book

“The Whole Language,” Father Gregory Boyle related to an audience at Chevalier’s Books the power of tenderness. The talk and book signing event took place on May 26. The book, his third and now available in paperback, is for sale at the store

Micro-forest

(Continued from page 2)

rainfall we got at the beginning of this year really helped out a lot in getting water deeper into the ground so our native plants can reach deep down with those taproots and survive the dry summer.” In the fall, he would like to plant more undergrowth and muskweed to attract butterflies. He continues, “We have lost quite a few plants. It’s the survival of the fittest.”

De Anda explains that the smaller plants that die fertilize the growth of other stronger plants. Also part of the natural process is that nearby park plants encroach on the planned forest, and birds drop seeds from other

parts of the park. Those indigenous plants then form part of the ecosystem.

Now that it is proven that a Miyawaki forest can flourish in a Mediterranean climate, Ramsay reports that the Los Angeles Parks Foundation would like to plant more micro-forests. De Anda is already gathering seeds and taking cuttings from this forest to begin another one. They just need money and a site.

The Miyawaki forest is surrounded by a wire fence for protection, but those who would like to walk the 40-foot path through the forest should contact the Parks Foundation at info@LAParksFoundation. org or call 310-472-1990.

The one-year update appeared in the June 2022 issue.

and elsewhere.

Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J. is the founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, which grew out of the original, pioneering Homeboy Bakery.

In “The Whole Language,” Boyle draws on personal stories from Homeboy Industries, and he describes how poverty-stricken communities can

overcome systemic violence and find hope. His new book returns to the theme of his two previous books, “Tattoos on the Heart” and “Barking to the Choir.”

Boyle grew up on Norton Avenue in Windsor Square and attended St. Brendan church and school and Loyola High School.

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CHEVALIER’S BOOKS gathered readers to hear Father Greg Boyle discuss his latest book, “The Whole Language.”

Larchmont-wide block party raised money for Alexandria House

By Casey Russell

Hundreds of residents and friends attended the Larchmont Spring Block Party. Locals performed live music, which was a big hit, and kids enjoyed bikes, arts and crafts, water play and a scavenger hunt. Families got involved in the water balloon toss competition, and local dogs had a little extra excitement on their daily walks. The neighbors on Bronson Avenue and Irving Boulevard who planned the April 29 event — including Andy Deemer, Cathy Gellert, Cyndi Jabr, Claire Kosloff, Annie O’Rourke and Maggie Peña (Bronson Avenue block captain), already are looking to

plan a similar block party for April or May of next year.

Among the many event attendees were Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez and LAPD

Olympic Division’s senior lead officer for the area, Joe Pelayo. Local folk artist Rob Faucette and Turkish jazz husband-and-wife duo the Cocos provided entertainment, as did local student bands including Ella Jay Basco and the Sibs, Smash

Record and Drop the Mic. After covering event costs for the Larchmont-wide event, $2,800 was raised through the GoFundMe page that organizers set up. The proceeds were donated to Alexandria House, a transitional home for women and children.

LARCHMONT BLOCK PARTY attendees included, from left, Karen Gilman, Charlie D’Atri, Maggie Peña, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, George D’Atri, Vince Cox, Sam Uretsky and Barbara Resnick.

Photo by Keith Johnson

PUMP & SPLASH fascinates future hydraulic engineers.

NORTH BRONSON AVENUE was closed for the block party.

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

Photo by Keith Johnson

ELLA JAY BASCO AND THE SIBS from Larchmont Charter played for the party.

Photo by Keith Johnson

PRESENTATION of block party proceeds from planning committee members to Alexandria House’s director. Left to right, Andy Deemer, Cyndi Jabr, Maggie Peña, Cathy Gellert, Alexandria House development director Judy Vaughn, Michele Richards, Ronan Taormina, Alexandra Kosloff, Annie O’Rourke and Claire Kosloff.

LIBRARY CALENDAR

Summer reading challenge, make a Japanese-style gift for dad

FAIRFAX LIBRARY Adults

Walk-in tutoring: Every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. come for help with job resumes, searching the internet, applications and filling out forms.

FREMONT LIBRARY Kids

Bubblemania: Watch a pro-

LIBRARIES

FAIRFAX

161 S. Gardner St. 323-936-6191

JOHN C. FREMONT

6121 Melrose Ave. 323-962-3521

MEMORIAL

4625 W. Olympic Blvd. 323-938-2732

WILSHIRE

149 N. St. Andrews Pl. 323-957-4550

HOURS

Mon. and Wed., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tues. and Thurs., noon to 8 p.m., Fri. and Sat., 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Mon., June 19, for Juneteenth.

fessional bubble-maker create sensational bubbles on Mon., June 5, at 4 p.m.

Thor’s reptile family: Learn about and touch reptiles on Sat., June 17, at 10:30 a.m.

MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Toddlers

Story time in the park: Listen to stories and sing songs in Memorial Park each Wednesday in June at 10:30 a.m.

Preschool painters: Mon., June 26, at 11 a.m. visit the library for possibly messy painting.

Kids

Magic show: Cards, disappearing balls and silk scarves are all part of the show on Mon., June 12, at 3 p.m.

Reading to the rescue: Let your child read aloud to an adorable rescue dog on Wed., June 14, at 4 p.m.

Puppet workshop: Swing by to create puppets with recycled materials on Thurs., June 22, at 1.p.m.

Teens

Henna tattoos: Kick off the summer reading challenge with a henna tattoo from Henna Hopes Thurs., June 8, from 4 to 5 p.m.

YA author talk: Brandy Colbert talks about her books

and how to write. Limited free copies will be available on Thurs., June 29 at 4 p.m.

Adults

B.Y.O. needle arts: Work on needlecrafts while sitting with others Mondays at 1 p.m.

Art class: Color or paint with peers on Wednesdays at 3 p.m.

Book club: Meet on Fri., June 2, at 1 p.m. to discuss “Empty Theatre” by Jac Jemc. The title for the July meeting is “The Nightingale Affair” by Tim Mason.

All ages

Family board games: Play your favorite games with friends and family on Thurs., June 29, at 1 p.m.

Chess club: Play chess or learn how each Friday in June from 3 to 5 p.m.

Book sale: Buy your next favorite read every Tuesday from 12:30 to 5 p.m., every Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. and Wed., June 28, from 11 to 12 p.m. All proceeds support the library.

WILSHIRE LIBRARY

Babies

Story time: The littlest ones listen to stories in the library at 4 p.m. on Fri., June 9.

Toddlers

Story time: Listen to stories, sing songs and stretch with Sybil on Fridays, June 2 and 9, at 10:30 a.m.

Kids & Teens

Summer reading challenge: Keep kids engaged in reading this summer. Each Tuesday activity from 4 to 5 p.m. includes a slide show and an art project. On June 6, sign up for the program and pick a book to read; June 13, learn about historical and artful postcards; June 20 is orange crate art; June 27 is wacky architecture in Los Angeles.

Tweens & Teens

Washi tape notebooks: Make a gift for yourself or your dad by decorating a notebook with Japanese paper

tape on Thurs., June 8, from 4 to 5 p.m.

Make paper beads: Learn this craft that started in the early 1800s and is currently made in many African nations and is a wonderful use for recycled paper on Thurs., June 22, from 4 to 5 p.m.

Adults

String Trio: The UCLA Gluck String Trio performs classical pieces on Sat., June 3, from 1 to 2 p.m. Mozart and Haydn are a few of the composers whose works will be performed.

Intro to Opera: Steve Moore from LA Opera will speak about what areas of daily life the art form infuses on Sat., June 10, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Argument escalates into an arrest, boy hit with a skateboard

OLYMPIC DIVISION

Senior Lead Officer Joseph Pelayo would like to remind the community to report all suspicious persons and activity to 911.

AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS: A couple were arguing on May 3 at 4:30 a.m. on the 100 block of North Manhattan Place. The argument escalated. The boyfriend strong-armed his girlfriend and left visible injuries on her. The boyfriend was arrested.

A 12-year-old boy was struck on the face with a skateboard while walking down the sidewalk on the 300 block of South Manhattan Place on May 5 at 6 p.m. The suspect was arrested.

BURGLARIES: The rear glass bedroom door of a home

OLYMPIC DIVISION

Furnished by Senior Lead Officer

Joseph Pelayo

213-793-0709

31762@lapd.online

Twitter: @lapdolympic

on the 500 block of North Norton Avenue was smashed on May 3 at 5:30 p.m. The suspect entered the home; unknown items were stolen.

A suspect pried open the dining room window of a home on the 500 block of North Saint Andrews Place on May 4 at 2 p.m. The victim’s dog confronted the suspect who sprayed the dog with an unknown substance. The sus-

WILSHIRE DIVISION

Furnished by Senior Lead Officer

Dave Cordova

213-793-0650

31646@lapd.online

North Gower Street. The suspect pried open the rear door, ransacked the home’s interior, stole property and left in a car that was waiting for the suspect out front.

stolen from the 500 block of South Saint Andrews Place at 10 p.m. on May 9.

A 2012 blue Hyundai Sonata was taken near the intersection of Rosewood Avenue and Saint Andrews Place between 10 p.m. on May 12 and 7 a.m. on May 13.

Twitter: @lapdwilshire

pect fled the home.

At noon on May 9, a suspect smashed a window of a home on the 100 block of

BURGLARY FROM VEHICLE: A suspect used a tool to cut the passenger window of a vehicle. He stole property from the car on the 400 block of South Gramercy Place on May 3 at 7 p.m.

GRAND THEFTS AUTO: A 2019 silver Nissan Sentra was

School safety prompted by tragic accident

By Nona Sue Friedman

Mayor Karen Bass’s alma

mater, Hancock Park Elementary, was the site of a tragic accident at the end of April.

A mother was killed walking her 6-year–old daughter to school. The accident occurred at the intersection of Ogden Drive and Colgate Avenue, adjacent to Park La Brea. This tragic accident prompted a Zoom meeting to

Date for Irving burglary pushed

The court date for Anthonee Banks, the accused burglar (the one of three who was captured) of a home on the 300 block of South Irving Boulevard, has been pushed to June 9.

The well-videoed burglary took place on Thanksgiving Day, 2022.

Banks has been out on bail since Dec. 8 and has secured private counsel. According to LAPD, the investigation is ongoing.

Ingenue

(Continued from page 5)

For tickets, visit wshphs. com. Member price is $25; nonmember is $45. Space is limited to 35 people.

Home was at Crenshaw, Wilshire boulevards

“Sunset Boulevard” is a film that has been near and dear to longtime residents of Windsor Square because it was filmed in a large home once located at the intersection of Crenshaw and Wilshire boulevards.

The home, at 641 S. Irving Blvd., was demolished in 1957 to become part of the new headquarters proposed as a high-rise for Getty Oil Company, but that is another story. Following that controversy, the building height was limited to six stories.

The building now has various commercial tenants, with prominent signage facing south, down Crenshaw Boulevard, saying “Harbor.”

address ongoing safety issues surrounding the school.

Invited participants included Park La Brea residents, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, Deputy Mayor Randall Winston, Los Angeles Unified School District board member Nick Melvoin and the Hancock Park Elementary school parents and administration.

During the meeting, it was noted that the city moved quickly to make minor modifications to the streets surrounding the

school — such as restriping the crosswalks and repainting the red zones — after the accident. The city is also expediting other safety improvements to the area like hiring more crossing guards. According to parents and administrators on the call, the school has been asking for years for major changes to be implemented to make the area surrounding the campus safer. Unfortunately, bureaucracy and cost had previously been the stumbling blocks for change.

THEFT: A suspect took property from a shared carport on May 17 at 8:30 a.m. on the 300 block of South Norton Avenue. The suspect fled in a car. son.”

“Experience

Historic Old Mill reveals pomegranates’ rich, ruby red past

In San Marino there lies a garden. No, not that one with the roses and afternoon tea. In this lush enclosure set against a 200-year-old adobe, flowering orange, lemon and lime trees perfume the air while olive trees, salvias and enormous tangles of rosemary add verdant texture. The crown jewel of this hideaway tucked along a winding street in the small city south of Pasadena is a thicket of pomegranate trees which, come fall, bring forth ruby red fruits that give way to san-

guine, many-seeded interiors.

I’m speaking, of course, of El Molino Viejo, or The Old Mill. Built in 1816, this former grist mill provided grain for the nearby Mission San Gabriel and is today one of the oldest buildings in California.

The bond between this historic grain mill and its socalled Pomegranate Patio is one crystallized in the annals of etymology. The juicy pucehued pomegranate receives its name from the Medieval Latin pomum granatum, translat-

Crime, upper Larchmont were on LVNA agenda

By Helene Seifer

The Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association (LVNA) semi-annual meeting was attended by 47 stakeholders eager to discuss issues of import for the neighborhood.

Speakers included LAPD Wilshire Division Senior Lead Officer (SLO) De’Antraye Danzler, Olympic Division SLO Harry Cho (covering for SLO Joe Pelayo who was not available), SSA Security’s Terry M. Segraves, City Council District 13 Field Deputy Karla Martinez and Jane Usher, past president of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

Immediately after LVNA President Charles D’Atri called the May 9 meeting to order, a resident announced that his neighbor’s house on North Gower Street had been broken into and ransacked that afternoon, with the crime caught on his security camera. This led perfectly into a serious discussion of area crime, the first item on the meeting agenda.

Catalytic converter thefts and a continuing problem of party houses were discussed. LVNA member Sam Uretsky, who

had been involved in shutting down one such party house in the neighborhood, said to keep calling authorities and complaining until something is done. He assured everyone that “Persistence works!”

Numerous residents complained about homeless encampments. Council District 13 Field Deputy Martinez promised to follow up on these sites but had no answer yet for what could be done to permanently remove unhoused individuals who were demonstrably violent.

There was an extended presentation on plans for upper Larchmont Boulevard. Jane Usher is leading a steering committee associated with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council’s Land Use Committee to gather support for making North Larchmont a walkable street with large setbacks and numerous cafés and street-level stores with housing above, including a fair percentage of low-cost apartments.

The street is already zoned for denser development, but the committee hopes to retain the character of the neighborhood. Usher asked people to send photographs of existing buildings that capture the spirit of what upper Larchmont could become to LVNA90004@gmail.com.

ing to “apple with many seeds,” from the word pome, meaning “apple” or “fruit,” and grenate, which means “having grains.”

A fruit rich in historic symbolism across mythology, art and religion, the pomegranate was the literal forbidden fruit to Persephone in the underworld, and it denotes themes of resurrection and immortality in Christian imagery. Its abundance of seeds — called “arils” — have made it a symbol of fertility and an attribute of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and procreation, who is said to have planted the first pomegranate tree in her birthplace of Cyprus.

The pomegranate has particular significance in the city of Granada in Spain. Some

chroniclers have suggested that the name of the Andalusian city originated from the same Latin root as the pomegranate, granatum, an association formed either from the tree grown in the region or through a derived sense of the fruit’s red color, which may refer to the shade of the city’s soil and its buildings. Though this origin isn’t universally accepted, the crowned — some may say “regal” — silhouette of the pomegranate fruit appears to this day emblazoned on the city’s coat of arms, hand-painted on ornate ceramic street signs and imprinted in the city’s manhole covers.

The pomegranate’s crimson hue also lends itself to the word origin for “garnet,” a deep red mineral that has been prized as a gemstone since the Bronze Age. The term arises from the 12th-century Old French grenate, which is believed to have been abstracted from the Medieval Latin or Old French words for pomegranate.

“Grenade” is yet another

bough that branches from the pomegranate’s etymological tree. The small-yet-lethal weapon is related to the modern French grenade (itself a descendant of the aforementioned Old French grenate), and its earliest designs bore an uncanny resemblance to the fruit. Grenade also provides the basis for “grenadine,” the Shirley Temple hero ingredient made from the juice of the pomegranate fruit.

In these early weeks of summer, the pomegranate trees at The Old Mill burst with fiery orange-red blooms — a premonition of the fall display yet to come. The pomegranate is more than the sum of its tough, protective husk and sweet-tart fleshy kernels — majestic in form, it is ripe with narrative, a microcosm contained within blushing contours.

The Old Mill is located at 1120 Old Mill Road, San Marino. Open Tues.-Sun. from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Visit old-mill.org or call 626-449-5458.

Word Café by Mara Fisher

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE