History, Los Angeles County

Millard Sheets Mosaic and Tour

2012-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

Huzzah! The LA Conservancy is presenting another Millard Sheets tour; this one covers Claremont and Pomona. The tour will feature some of the murals and mosaics that I know so well, since I once lived in Claremont (more to the point, so did Sheets--for years and years.)

The Conservancy's tour is Sunday, March 18th, from 11:30 am till 4 pm, and tickets are $30--cheaper if you're a member. Get more info and make reservations here.

The picture above right is the Garrison Theater and proves once again that in spite of the building's beauty, it is well nigh impossible to get a good picture of the place. Believe me, I've tried. The sun and reflectivity of the marble fights you at every hour. Here is evidence: an earlier Mosaic Monday post about the theater, which is part of Scripps College.

The Garrison Theater is on the LA Conservancy tour, of course, as is Sheets' studio, now a medical building on Foothill Blvd.

The other tour highlights are listed at the Conservancy site, but the one I'd like to feature for Mosaic Monday is the former Home Savings and Loan Tower in Pomona, which once anchored the open-air mall in the early 1960s.

The mall celebrated Pomona's 75th anniversary, and was the first pedestrian mall west of the Mississippi. Business leaders in Pomona asked Sheets to help them build it, and Sheets asked the owner of Home Saving, Howard Ahmanson, to build a bank there, saying, “I want you to buy me the best block in the center of town and develop it…I know you don’t have any special reason to come to Pomona—except you’re my friend and I need your help.”

The mall flourished...briefly. By the 1970s, businesses had started to close up, and much of mall was reopened to automobiles (but not all).

Here is the beautiful mosaic. When the bank tower first opened, the second floor, which overlooked the atrium, functioned as an art gallery, with changing exhibits.

The bank is six stories, and last I heard Chase --who owns it now--is still deciding on the feasibility of repairing and preserving the mosaic.

Re-imagined Movie Posters

2012-01-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

Peter Stults and Sean Hartter designed these movie posters, which are showing up on a lot of ad blogs. Mediabistro pointed me toward one, but you can google the artists' names and find many more. Here, I reproduce only those that celebrate movies with a Los Angeles setting--like Pulp Fiction.

Pulp Fiction used the old Hawthorne Grill for its beginning and ending scenes. That place is long gone, demolished, even--but the movie's success prompted someone to reopen it briefly and run it as a coffee shop once more.

Wonder what role Stults and Hartter had in mind for Yul Brynner?

Now how about The Big Lebowski? I understand the bowling alley is history, but the scene where the Nihilists order pigs in a blanket was filmed at Dinah's in Culver City.

Andy Warhol as Mr. Lebowski...now that's a funny thought.

They also re-imagine The Hangover starring the Rat Pack, Avatar with William Shatner and Natalie Wood in blueface--and Yul Brynner again, probably taking over Wes Studi's role. And John Wayne, of course, leading earth's troops.

Here's another--can you see Leonard Nimoy reinvented as an action here? Me neither. Or Spock saying "Yippee Yih Oh, mf?"

More realistic to picture Nimoy playing Alan Rickman's character, but that probably wouldn't have make a good poster.

Die Hard was filmed in a West Los Angeles Tower... I forget which one.

What else do they have? Inception with Judy Garland as the Architect and Bela Lugosi as Mr. Saito. That poster is beautiful.

How about John Wayne as Superman? X-Men, Star Wars, and Sidney Poitier and Pam Grier in The Matrix.

You can see more posters and read about the artists at the This is Not Advertising blog, AdWeek, and even the Daily Mail/UK--where the original movie posters are also displayed.

Just one more...there are posters for Terminator and Terminator II: Judgement Day. Both had scenes shot in Los Angeles, like that great chase through the concrete LA river. I chose the latter because...because Danny Bonadeuce as John Conner is about as good as it gets in Bizarro World.

An Early 60s Tiki Mosaic

2012-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

Argghhh! Can't believe I forgot Mosaic Monday!

And there is no holiday to blame it on. Well, I did get called before noon to pick up a sick grandchild from school which necessitated picking up a car seat in the pouring rain, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line--that took a couple hours and broke up my day. SO I'll blame my forgetfulness on that. If I need to blame it on something. 'Cause I sure don't want to cop to just being forgetful.

This mosaic is found on the Clubhouse Building of New Horizons in Torrance, a senior "area." It's not closed or gated, so I don't want to call it a complex. It's just a subdivision full of apartments, recreation areas, parking lots and streets that rents exclusively to those over 55.

I could live there. Gulp.

I grow old . . . I grow old . . .

I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Hmph. Do they still teach Prufrock in Junior High?

Anyway, this subdivision-for-seniors opened in October 1964.

This is a mosaic. I know from the street it looks like a woven piece, maybe even burlap, but here is a close up that shows the tile work.

The Clubhouse sits on Maple Ave., and New Horizons spreads around it on Nadine Circle. I discovered the place (well, sort of. I knew it was there but never had to pay attention) when I canvased for my candidate in 2008. The addresses made no sense and drove me nuts, but my candidate won anyway. Yay!

Finally, here is a newspaper photo from the 60s showing the clubhouse--a gigantic Polynesian A-Frame. Tiki Architecture, where I found this picture, and a lot more information, says that it's an 80-acre development and the architect was Ray Watt of Southland Builders. There are also tons of pictures.

Ray Watt built over 100,000 homes and 50 shopping centers in the Southland from 1947 into the 90s. He had a huge influence, even served as Assistant Secretary of Housing & Urban Development in the Nixon administration, and lived to be 90 years old. Here's his obituary, posted by USC.

The mosaic was there from the start. Scroll down on the Tiki Architecture link, and you'll find a sketch of the clubhouse entrance and mosaic by the designer, Selected Interiors (drab name; what were they thinking?), and a description of the place. It's 10,000 square feet with a 10-foot high fireplace.

I found a lot more about this clubhouse than I thought I would, but nothing about the mosaic designer. Oh, well.

Vintage Los Angeles Photos

2012-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Wow...old pictures of Farmer's Market and Wilshire Blvd. in the early 1950s. Hollywood in the 40s, and even earlier. Then of course, they featured this video of Angels Flight back in the day. Where? Vintage Los Angeles on Facebook!

Recreations of Long Beach

2012-01-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

This incredible mosaic adorned the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, where it was installed in 1938. Today, it's on the Long Beach Plaza parking structure, which troubles many people. Is that a safe home for the WPA-funded work of art? An appropriate home?

Forty artists work on this piece, titled "Recreations of Long Beach." It's 38 feet high and 22 ft wide--obviously, meant to be seen from a distance. The supervising artists were Albert Henry King, Stanton MacDonald-Wright, and Henry Nord. Their signatures are woven into the border. Nord was apparently the original designer, while King and MacDonald Wright supervised the creation.

Construction began in 1936 and went on for over a year. The tesserae tiles were laid out and cut in a big room in Los Angeles. In a unique twist, different patterns and textures were used for each design element. That was MacDonald-Wright's idea, and he used it in other mosaics--though none were as large as this artwork. After it was cut, each section was sent to Long Beach where another group of artists cemented the section to the wall.

The 2nd Municipal Auditorium was built in 1932 on 20 acres of landfill, just south of Ocean and Long Beach Blvd (which was called American Avenue then). It was torn down in 1975 to make way for the big convention and entertainment center--the Terrace Theater sits just south of its space now, I think.

Here's a shot of the mosaic in its current position near 3rd street, where it has been since 1982. If you want to see old postcards of what the Municipal Auditorium looked like inside and out, go to this site for some great photos and stories--including shots of Elvis, Judy Garland, and other stars who appeared at the Auditorium.

And here's a picture from the National Archives of the installation of the mosaic back in 1937.

The Municipal Auditorium jutted into the ocean, and a big breakwater was built around it, called the Rainbow Pier. It wasn't a pier, but it was shaped like an arch--hence the rainbow name. More landfill went on in the 1950s and 1960s, so a lot of where the Long Beach Convention Center and Shoreline Village etc. are located was once beach and water.

As for the mosaic, efforts have been made over the last ten years to find it a better home...but it's just so big. And everyone agrees that it should remain accessible to the public. It was the largest WPA artwork done in its day.

The WPA Art Project website posted this photo of the Municipal Auditorium under demolition, and it looks like the mosaic is still there.

I guess we're all lucky it survives to this day.

The Tattooed Rabbi

2012-01-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm plugging a book and a book signing.

You're welcome.

Marvin J. Wolf will be signing copies of his new book, the first in the Rabbi Ben series, next Sunday (January 22, 2012) at Venice' Temple Mishkon Tephilo, 206 Main Street. at 11 am in the Social Hall.

This book gets featured on the HistoryLosAngeles Blog because I found wonderful tidbits of LA history hidden among the mystery's clues and threads: the tangled ownership and operation of Jewish cemeteries, including Hillside; the cache of stolen law books, untended dynamite and grenades that forced the evacuation of the Arco Towers downtown (remember that? 1986--here's the Los Angeles Times story); the kosher restaurants; much more.

What the LA Times piece doesn't say, and what is only hinted at in the book, is that the criminal who hid the dynamite and grenades under the Arco Towers actually lived by stealing books from law libraries and reselling them to law students. Wolf turns the story into a fascinating anecdote in person, but I was unable to find it via Google.

The Tattooed Rabbi is one of those great mysteries that leaves no real lose ends, even though it's the first in a series, yet hints at a bigger story to be revealed in the fullness of time.

Best of all, it wraps you up in an exotic subculture that most of us know little about.

I'll be posting a review on Amazon soon.

UCLA's Mosaics--Modern and Not

2012-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Over two years ago I blogged about Joseph Young's History of Mathematics mosaic panels (16 in all) on the Math Building at UCLA. Here's a link, with a great close-up picture. This photo is not so close up, but I did stand on a wall to get it, risking life and limb (well, risking my dignity). The mosaics were installed in 1968.

And rather than repeat what I have said before about Joseph Young's work (although I have, a little), I'd like to exhibit other, completely different mosaics from a nearby building, Moore Hall.

Moore Hall was designed by George W. Kelham (who also designed Powell Library) and raised in 1930--the 5th building at the school. Everyone knows UCLA started with 4 buildings around a quad, right?

Here's a close-up of the stonework. I believe that can be legitimately called mosaic, right?

Moore Hall been refurbished twice--first in the 1950s by Kemper Nomland (a USC grad...hmph), and then again in 1993, but I don't think this stonework has been changed at all. The building is named after Ernest Moore, provost of the school when it was still the State Normal School on Vermont, and during its move to Westwood.

And that's it, that's all I can find. The style is Italian Romanesque, but I see nothing on the stonework, ornamentation, or decoration, all of which I call mosaic.

If anyone can add to paltry information here, I'll thank you profusely.

BTW, since this is Mosaic Monday and the post is about Westwood, here's another little mystery: I came across a mention in the Times in June of 1967--that on the 21st floor of a building at 1100 Glendon, the Westwood Tower Club boasted a mosaic by Millard Sheets. Never read anything else about that, and the current resident of that address and floor did not answer my call for information. Would be nice to find another unknown mosaic, huh?

Pico House Haunted?

2011-12-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

Those fun-loving folks of the Los Angeles Paranormal Association will be investigating Pico House again this January (they did it last year too). What do they hope to find?

The event starts at 8 pm on Saturday, January 28 and goes to 2 am Sunday morning. Cost? $85, which if you divide by six hours is probably not too bad.

Participants will be divided into four teams and will be prowling in and under the Pico House (there are tunnels) and the Masonic Temple and Merced Theater nearby. Here is description and details.

Their blog is lots of fun--they've held investigations in Virginia City, Tonopah, and Goldfield, NV, Northern California and down here at Linda Vista Hospital in Boyle Heights and the Queen Mary.

And they've done the Pico House before, in January of 2011. Lots of pictures and the information is here, including a description of the Chinese Massacre of 1871, which happened just outside. But besides taking pictures, it doesn't sound like much happened.

Ghost Adventures also locked themselves into the Pico House for an investigation, and had enough for a TV show on the night--shadows, mysterious voices, cold spots, etc. Here's the show on YouTube.

This last picture shows the Pico House being built, in 1869. I found this at the SkyscraperPage--if you scroll about half-way down the page, there are several old pictures of the Plaza and Pico House and the Merced Theater, which opened on New Years Day, 1870.

The theater, LA's first indoor stage theater, was built by an undertaker and named for the man's wife, Mercedes.

Pio Pico, the last governor of Mexican California, built the Pico House Hotel in 1870, and lost it (financially speaking) ten year later. The place had indoor plumbing, gas lighting, and a French restaurant--quite elegant and state-of-the-art. I believe it was renovated about a dozen years ago.

Pico was an interesting guy, a mixed race man who seemed to love life and had a generous disposition. He was born at the Mission San Gabriel, so he was a true native Californian. Can't really imagine him haunting the place, but the ghost could be a disgruntled resident, I suppose. Or someone killed in that massacre.

Pasadena Roses Mosaic

2011-12-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

One week before the Rose Parade, this seems appropriate.

The rose mosaic at the Garfield Promenade of Paseo Colorado -- as well as the smaller pictures above the circular benches -- were installed ten years ago in 2001.Since there's a lot of traffic there, minor damage has been done, according to the City of Pasadena's website . Conservation is in progress. The work is being repaired, pieces of the Venetian glass will be regrouted, andit will all be cleaned.

The artist is Margaret Nielsen and she is standing on the mosaic in the picture. Her work is titled Pasadena Panorama. Trizec Hahn development installed the piece, and the city's Public Arts program paid for it. Beyond the large rose mosiac, the pictures along the curved benches were also designed by Nielsen.

Margaret Nielsen is from Canada, but all of her training has been here in SoCal: Chouinard Arts School, Cal Arts in Valencia, and Loyola Marymount in Westchester.

One of her paintings, called LA Dialogs, is in the Metro Headquarters Building, and another is somewhere at the Union Station Gateway. A set of mosaics designed for the Motion Picture Association of America building on Ventura Blvd in Encino is in storage, sadly. The 21 Venetian glass mosaics show scenes from famous movies. Or so says LA Magazine's website, but I hope there are plans to restore them somewhere.

The Los Angeles Times reviewed her work recently.

The Jaws House

2011-12-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

If you think the name is creepy, wait'll you hear that one resident was a suspect in a gruesome murder...but let's start at the beginning.

The Jaws House on Franklin Ave. in the Los Feliz area is actually the John Sowden House. Sowden hired his friend Lloyd Wright (son of Frank) to design and build his home in 1926. Using patterned concrete blocks and a Mayan style as his father did in the Ennis House, Lloyd Wright created the showplace that Sowden wanted.

Today, it's still used as a showplace. Owner Xorin Balbes renovated it in 2001 and in 2009, and the house has been used for fundraisers for gay causes, according to the caption on this LA Library photo. Which probably has nothing to do with the gardener who got caught in the photograph.

Balbes put the unique house on the market earlier this year. The L.A. Times did a write-up in its Home of the Week column, pointing out all the features and changes over the years.

And Curbed LA (and probably a few other sites) ran incredible pictures of the place inside and out.

In between Sowden and Balbes, though, another owner just after World War II brought a more sinister cachet to the residence. A doctor named George Hodel lived there with his family, and his son believes the Black Dahlia--Elizabeth Short--was tortured, murdered, and dismembered there.

Son Steve Hodel wrote the book Black Dahlia Avenger
about his father and the years at the house.

Recent owner Balbes got flack for installing a pool when he renovated, according to this Wikipedia article. Which is interesting, because a woman who used to visit the home as a child remembers a pool there originally.

Beverley Jackson remembers being sent to the house to visit a retired Shakesperian actor, Guy Bates Post, when she was a little kid. Why? Jackson's mother decided she mumbled, and wished to nip that in the bud.

Jackson blogs: "once inside there was a long narrow courtyard surrounded by the long narrow house. And there was a long narrow pool with water lilies just inside the courtyard. I remember it well because once I wasn’t paying attention and I fell into it."

So years later she visits the area, and comes up to the house just as a film shoot is winding up and talks to the property manager, who tells her about the Black Dahlia suspect and that there might be more bodies buried on the property. This had to be before the 2001 redo, because there was no pool. Jackson told the property manager about the pool she remembered, and said that must be where the bodies were.

Did anyone ever check?

Hmmmm

Joseph Young Mosaic and Art

2011-12-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

Today's mosaic by Joseph Young stands in the lobby of Temple Emanuel in Beverly Hills, on Burton Way.

Young's mosaic, along with other artwork for the temple, was commissioned by Sidney Eisenshtat, the original architect. It was Eisenshtat's first major design, but it was followed by many more, like the Friar's Club and Temple Sinai. Eisenshtat lived to be 90, and passed away in 2005. Here's a link to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, which lists many of his works.

Temple Emanuel opened in 1953 without the mosaic (it came along in 1955) and was refurbished lately by Rios Clementi Hale Studios. Here's a great article in the Los Angeles Times Magazine about the renovation and its deeper meaning.

The Times online piece includes a pictorial of old and new pictures of the temple, showing the black and white 1950's and 1960's photos alongside shots of the renovated site. I borrowed this picture of the mosaic from them, but to see the whole enchilada, go here.

The photo below, showing the entire mosaic, came from the Joseph L. Young Facebook fan page. The temple has a Facebook page too.

The LA Is My Beat Blog posted a wonderful 1955 newspaper photo of Young working on the mosaic, here.

There's actually a reason that I feature more of Joseph Young's work today as opposed to, say, a month hence. I have blogged about him before--his UCLA History of Mathematics mosaic, for example. . . I'm too lazy to go searching for them. Just put "Joseph Young" into the search box if you're interested.

Anyway--

Today is the 36th anniversary of the installation of the Triforium in Los Angeles, in the Civic Center area at Temple and Main. I learned that by becoming a fan of the Joseph L. Young Facebook page.

So it seems appropriate to feature a mosaic by Young, the Triforium's creator. This picture of the Triforium in 2011 is from Wikipedia, as is the link.

Late Mosaic Monday in Hermosa Beach

2011-12-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

This post is late because a Patch article had to come first.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hermosa Beach has installed a new mosaic of the original, iconic, 480-year-old picture that hangs in Mexico City. Read all about it in my Patch piece.
The article gives the basic history of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well, which I won't repeat here. If you are interested, read about it on Wikipedia, which has a pretty comprehensive entry with lots of pictures and links.
The Hermosa Beach church started Phase 3 of a 3-phase building project, and each phase starts with the dedication of a piece of artwork depicting a patron saint. Phase 2, for example, was the rebuilding of the friary, which was falling apart. That began with the dedication of a lovely statue of St. Anthony of Padua (sorry, no picture--although I believe there's one on the church's website.)
So Phase 3--upgrading the school and adding a preschool--began with this dedication to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The mosaic faces Prospect in a residential neighborhood, just south of 5th St on a little road called Massey.

Because Patch chose not to run it, I'm gonna add this picture of the artist, Sergio Hernández-Madera. He flew up from Guadalajara to repair and install the mosaic (it arrived damaged).
Sergio's website is herma.com.mx, where you can read about him in English or Spanish. There you can see his other work: resort swimming pools lined with a hibiscus flower mosaic in Playa del Carmen, or a bird of Paradise in Hawaii, for example, or retro-senoritas on a restaurant wall at Disney World. He did a seascape for the Discovery Channel in MD.
His mosaics can be portraits or recreate artwork from the PreRaphaelites to Picasso.
The artist learned to make mosaics from his grandmother, and still has some of her work.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish has been around for decades, of course, and has other representations of Mary, the Mother of God--like this statue. It also shows her as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it even has mosaic work in it--in gold, no less.
A few things I learned researching this post and article:
First, the cloth that the 480-year-old picture is imprinted upon should have deteriorated 460 years ago.
Second, some claim that the picture's eyes--imprinted on that ancient cloth--reflect the scene 480 years ago, with images of people in them. Read more about that here.
Third, "Guadalupe" has nothing to do with the place where she appeared. The lady spoke to an indigenous man when she appeared, using Nahuatl--his language. She told him she was Coatlaxopeuh, meaning "the one who crushes serpents." Coatlaxopeuh sounded like Guadalupe to the Spanish.
It's all on Wiki, and the same story is on many other sites. There's even a link to the 16th-century narrative of the story.

21st Century Equestrians

2011-12-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Mosaic Monday will have to wait till Tuesday, but it is special. Really.

Meanwhile, I offer this picture taken at the San Pedro Christmas Parade over the weekend.

Let's be fair. Maybe she had a call from a family member telling her a donor had been found for her father's life-saving transplant surgery. Or maybe her Mom had called to tell her that the bank refinanced and their home is saved! Or maybe it was her agent, and she just got tapped to star in a new Disney after-school series called Parade Princess...

But let's face it, we all know that what's really being said on the phone is probably, "I dunno....what do you wanna do later?"

What is this Bird?

2011-11-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

Any birders out there?

Last year I had hummingbirds in this tree, right where I could see 'em. This year, different birds have made their home in the tree, but on the far side, where I can't see.

Until today, when this tweetie pie posed for about ten minutes right in front of my window. He or she displayed profile views, the whole bit, while downing a couple of the berries of this laurel tree--until I got my camera.

I'm pretty sure this is a juvenile, but what kind?

The tail is short and a beautiful, deep medium ruddy brown, a very solid color just like the back. The bird has an eye ring that doesn't show well in these pictures, and its belly is gray. The beak seems to be black, but close to the face it's pale.

I think it might be a thrush, but I'm not sure.

Al Jolson Monument Mosaic

2011-11-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Today's mosaic is at Hillside Memorial Park, right off the 405 in Culver City.

If I had a dime for every driver since 1951 who nodded to the rotunda and waterfall and said, "That's where Al Jolson is buried," I'd probably have close to the $84,000 released from the estate to build the memorial itself.

Al Jolson died unexpectedly. Although he was in his 60s, he'd recently married a pretty young wife. They'd adopted a little boy, Asa, and were in the process of adopting baby Alecia when he passed. His career was on the upswing again--of that, he said, “This was no come-back, I just couldn’t get a job.”

Jolson left a million-dollar trust fund to his widow, half a mil to each of the babies, and the rest of his estate went to charities.

He actually did not provide for the memorial himself. His widow hired an attorney to petition the courts to release the money to build the pillared rotunda with its mosaic (which you can only see while standing underneath and looking up), the sarcophagus, and the statue. That was $75,000, and the land--purchased from the cemetery, was another $9000.

Hillside agreed to build the 120-ft cascade of water and the pool at their own expense. Apparently the plans were all made between the time Jolson died, in October 1950, and the court approval, February 1951. The memorial was dedicated that September, and Jack Benny read a eulogy.

Do not know who the mosaic artist was, but the cracks in the mosaic are real. They show up in my photos, and in others around the internet.

This last picture is from Hillside's own website, and I guess I could include the waterfall as a mosaic as well. The entire memorial was designed by Paul R. Williams.
You can see more photos of the monument here, at the Al Jolson Memorial Shrine Page of the Paul Williams Project.

Williams designed many famous LA buildings: The Beverly Hills Hotel, the Beverly Wilshire, First AME Church, Golden State Mutual Life Insurance, buildings at UCLA, and hundreds of homes. He was known as "the architect to the stars."

Paul Williams was brought into the Jolson project because Hillside was already in discussions with him about their proposed mausoleum--which Williams designed the same year. Harry Groman, one of the owners of Hillside, felt that Williams not only had the experience, but shared his aesthetic sense of what the mausoleum should be: a place full of natural light and gentle curves, where contemplation was encouraged.

It really is a beautiful place, and everyone should go see it. It strikes me that most of us never take advantage of the fact that cemeteries offer free parking and access to some of the most beautiful and serene landscapes around. Walking around the mausoleum to look for celebrity graves is fun, but just sitting there and enjoying the peaceful solitude is reason enough to visit.

Sequoia Tribe Wigwam

2011-11-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

A friend wished me Happy IPDP Day on Thursday (meaning Indigenous People Discover Pilgrims). And in the convoluted way we all think, that made me remember this picture I took a couple of years ago.

This is the San Pedro Lodge of the Improved Order of Red Men, a group that claims descent from the Sons of Liberty of pre-Revolutionary War days. (Remember the Sons of Liberty from history class? They're the guys that brought you the Boston Tea Party.)

Like all fraternal lodges, they do good work--in this case, raising funds for Alzheimer research. This local branch--the Sequoia Tribe--also hosts drives to collect canned food and toys for food banks and other groups. Their social events revolve around holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo, and those are open to the public.

Like all good lodges, they were once men-only but now have a group for ladies: the Degree of Pocahontas.

And of course, they create a place for people to come and socialize. I happen to think that's a noble achievement in the 21st century.

The Improved Order of Red Men is a very patriotic organization--most of their beliefs (on their website) center around love of country, freedom, and democracy. Their motto is "Freedom, Friendship, and Charity." Drawing on the connection to the Sons of Liberty, the Improved Order of Red Men claim that George Washington, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams (the patriot, not the brewmeister) were some of the group's first Sachems.

So why that name? They claim their customs, rituals, and terminology (their leaders are called Sachems, for instance, and as the picture indicates, their meeting halls are Wigwam Lodges) are patterned after early Native Americans. And they hint at regalia for certain ceremonies.

I intended to look up this intriguing group from the time I took this picture, and never quite got around to it. San Pedro's free monthly magazine, San Pedro Today, did the research for me in their November issue. Thank you! (They've taken their website down for reconstruction for a few days, but after December 1, 2011, you should be able to find them here.)

More Green Hills Mosaics

2011-11-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Today's mosaics are found at Green Hills Cemetery in Rancho Palos Verdes.

I blogged about the World War II Monument and mosaics here a few weeks ago. These flower mosaics run along the south side of the cemetery, closer to where the old chapel of St. Peter's is being reassembled.
These crypts--at least the top ones--are little mini-crypts that hold ashes and cremated remains. They're too high up to be decorated with flowers, so the idea was to install the flower mosaic as a permanent tribute.
There are actually four sets of these flower mosaics, each a little different. Here's a close-up of one tiny section, so the mosaic work can be seen. Like at the World War II monument, no grout shows, and the tiles are all small rectangles with a more matte finish--as opposed to being glassy and shiny.

Green Hills spokesman Ray Frew told me that they went through the International Cemetery Association to find their mosaic artist: Cheryl Neuberger of Florida. Now it never occurred to me that (a) institutions would look for artists through such an association, and (b) that picking an artist 3000 miles away would make good business sense. But that's what happened.
I don't know if the artist advertised with the Association or was recommended by another member. But I love the idea of artists advertising in membership newsletters, maybe sandwiched in between coffin suppliers and stonemasons.
Sadly, Cheryl Neuberger died unexpectedly after these mosaics were completed, and I could not find more references to her work.

Millard Sheets Tour This Spring

2011-11-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Conservancy has announced a date and put up a page for its "Millard Sheets: A Legacy of Art and Architecture" tour: March 18, 2012.

The tour will focus on Claremont and Pomona sites. Wonder if Mr. Sheets' old office will be open?

Mosaics at Holy Cross

2011-11-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

I've been looking forward to seeing this famous artwork at Holy Cross Cemetery, which is on display at the Holy Cross link and at right. The pictures, this and two smaller pieces, were created by famed artist Isabel Piczek.

I've blogged about her work before. She and her sister Edith are well-known in both Catholic and artistic circles for the pictures they've created on three continents.

So I get to the cemetery in Culver City (remember when it used to be so visible from the 405?), drive to the mausoleum on the hill, park, and finally I can view the stylized, 1300-square-foot artwork first from afar, then up close. Because the way the mausoleum is designed, you can walk right up to it and lay your hand on its flat, painted acrylic resin surface...

...Holy chimera, Batman! Those aren't mosaics!

They're murals...by a famous mosaicist. Stunning murals, but not mosaics.

The mural above contains (according to Holy Cross's brochure) the Complete Theology of the Resurrection--the RISEN CHRIST, the Descent to Sheol and the Ascent.

The descent to Sheol (the gates of hell) is on the left, and his ascent into heaven is on the right, so actually there are three Christ figures in the painting. Also represented are Noah, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David, and more.

Well, I looked around, and found some mosaics--in a more primitive style--which I think complement the ultra modern (by 20th century standards) mural quite well. These small mosaics represent the stations of the cross. They look to be about 14-16 inches square, but they're way up high so I can't be sure.

The one at top must be "Jesus meets the woman of Jerusalem." Below that, as he carries his cross, I can't be sure of the station. Sorry!

I'm just really glad the pictures came out. My little Kodak Easy Share really performed like a champion.

Holy Cross produces five pages of text about the symbolism and history of these murals, but not one word about the mosaics. No idea who the artist was (I did ask).

I include the station number (Nine) on the picture on the right to show that I did not rotate the picture. This mosaic shows Jesus falling for the third time.

To Catholic school veterans like myself, these pictures and their titles will bring back memories of the once-a-week trek to church to perform the Stations of the Cross during Lent. The idea, of course, is to learn to appreciate the pain and suffering endured as Christ carried his cross up the hill to be crucified, but I think most school kids are too busy passing notes (or texting, today) and giggling about how funny the priest sounds when he sings (yes, there is musical accompaniment to the Stations of the Cross) to fully absorb the deeper lessons.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

So what was going on the last 11-11-11: November 11, 1911? It was NOT Veteran's Day, or even Armistice Day as my Grandma used to call it. That date memorialized the end of WWI, still several years in the future.

Good ol' Proquest tells me that a land and building boom was going on in 1911. During the first ten days of the month, 434 building permits were issued--aincluding a permit for the Times Building.

On November 11, the last piece of undeveloped shoreline in Santa Monica, starting at Idaho Ave and going north--about 4500 feet, was sold at about $225,000.

The Valdemar Hotel at 6th and Hope was leased for ten years to a lady named Lillie K. Simpers for $60,000--that included furniture. Thirty-six rooms had just been added to the property (don't know how big it was before the addition.)

A huge storm paralyzed the rest of the country. "Train service is demoralized and both telegraphic and telephonic communications are seriously interfered with." So much for the old rule about not ending a sentence with a preposition.

And Altadena put forward a plan to become the first and only U.S. city to elect only women to office. Could not find any follow up to this article, so perhaps it was joke.

Much more stuff happened, but quite honestly some parts of the ancient newspaper are just impossible to read, so they'll have to go unreported.

Witches House Mosaics

2011-11-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

It's a little late for Halloween, but the Witches House in Beverly Hills is full of mosaics!
Mostly cracked tile mosaics, from the pool outside to the bathrooms and even the wall behind the owner, who is featured in this Channel 7 ABC video:

Between the Seeing Stars site and Wikipedia, I've learned this: The house was built in Culver City in 1921 by a studio art director, Harry Oliver, and in fact was used for several silent films before being moved to Beverly Hills in 1934. (Oliver designed the Tam O'Shanter in LA.)

The house served as a funky office building and dressing rooms for Irving Willat's film company--the black and white picture is from that period, 1921. I think the "Face of the World" must be a movie title, though I sure don't see it on imdb.

The Spadena family bought the house and moved it Beverly Hills, so the house is often called The Spadena House. You can see it in the background of the movie Clueless.

The current owner of the Witch House, Michael Libow (he's in the video) bought it in 1998 and has lovingly restored and revamped it. Wiki says that Libow was the selling agent in 1997 and bought it himself when every other potential buyer made clear their desire to tear it down. Libow has worked with a movie art director, Nelson Coates, to create a fantasy home, and mosaics are part of that.

A wonderfully quirky blog--Midnight in the Garden of Evil-- has tons of exterior pictures, because Libow hosted a political fundraiser there once. But no shots of the interior, sadly. One of Midnight's shots hints at the mosaics, though, and I played with the contrast to bring them out a bit. The result is to the right.

But to see the whimsical tree-like mosaics in the bathroom, you'll have to watch the video above.

Northridge Home H&L Mosaic

2011-10-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

This beautiful bank in Northridge was built in 1986, and the mosaics are done by Susan Hertel and Denis O'Connor.

Adam Arenson just led an Autry Center-sponsored tour of the Home Savings and branches in the San Fernando Valley. In advance of that tour, the Daily News presented an article on the banks, Arenson, and the tour.

I hope they don't mind that I borrow this one picture, that shows how the mosaics look over the entrance. They shouldn't since I think the journalist drew on my Westways article from last year for a few anecdotes...share and share alike, right? The photographer here is Dean Musgrove, and more photos--including a close up of Montie Montana's face, can be seen at the Daily News site.

Yup, Montie Montana. A huge TV cowboy in the 60s. I went to kindergarten with Montana's neice, so I know these things.

At right is the central panel, a picture taken by Professor Arenson. I love the choo choo along the top, and the falcon.

Even though the tour has passed, you can hear Arenson talk about "The Life and Work of Millard Sheets" on December 10th--in Pomona, at the American Museum of Ceramic Art. Here's the announcement.

And the LA Conservancy plans a tour of Sheets' work in Claremont and Pomona this spring.

What happened on the day before Halloween in 1938?

2011-10-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

"Radio Story of Mars Raid Causes Panic"

Yup, it wasn't Halloween itself, but the day before, when Orson Welles broadcast that famous radio play "War of the Worlds" from the East Coast. As the sub-head read, "New Jersey Homes Abandoned After Fictional Broadcast."

October 30 was a Sunday in 1938, just as in 2011.

Welles announced that a meteor had fallen somewhere near Trenton, NJ, so newspapers, hospitals, and police departments were flooded with calls. This is long before 911, btw. "Flooded with calls" meant that the police dept switchboard got over 2,000 inquiries from the panicked masses. Surely, thousands more just couldn't get through.

A rumor spread in Newark that a "gas bomb attack" was imminent, then that a gas explosion actually occurred--so ambulances and fire trucks were sent to the Clinton Hills area of the city for naught.

Dallas, Tulsa, and other cities reported emergency calls as well, according the Los Angeles Times. In fact, the switchboards at the LAT were swamped. Hundreds of people called, and those in the downtown area just walked or ran into the newspaper office for updates, thinking the invasion was real.

Orson Welles pointed out that the broadcast started with music, that the script began with an announcement that it was now 1939 (the future), and that the show broke for regular commercials. Also, there were four announcements reminding listeners that this was a fictional story.

"It's too bad that so many people got excited but after all we kept reminding them that it wasn't really true," Welles said. "You can't do much more and hope to keep up any impression of suspense when you're putting on a play."

And, of course, a U.S. Congressman immediately announced that he would introduce a bill to curb such abuse of the airwaves.

The play was broadcast by KNX in Los Angeles.

While looking up this story, I can across another headline: "Autoist Dies of Injuries."

Autoist?

We try out and dump so many words over the years. I once talked with a man who was Very Angry. Why? Because someone had let our language change so much that he could no longer enjoy Shakespeare's English. He blamed academics--I guess he felt it was their job to keep our language from evolving.

The REAL headline story for 1938, though, told how "the widow Barnett" was dragged from her home after tear gas had been deployed, ending a two-year battle to evict her. I'm going to save that for another post, and try to find out more about the diary she kept, parts of which are hinted at in the newspaper.

Signal Hill Market Mosaics--Updated

2011-10-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today's mosaics are on the Fresh & Easy store in Signal Hill on Cherry. The series of three pictures is titled "Full Circle."

~~I wish I could name the mosaicist, but I can only say I'll post the information if I ever lay hands on it~~. Calls are into Signal Hill and Fresh & Easy Corporate--but since F& E just recalled some packaged spinach, the PR department has been a bit too busy to answer my calls...

UPDATE: The city of Signal Hill tells me the artist is Stephen Elicker, a local artist who works in glass and tile. In fact, he is a glass blower, but he terms himself a "Visual Artist" and works in several mediums. You can read more about hm at his Facebook page.

Long before the store was built, the mosaics were planned. An April 2009 article in the Signal Tribune says the planned market would have a mosaic-tile art wall. That article also states that Signal Hill Petroleum was the developer of the property, which sits atop a hill crest on Cherry.
Signal Hill's Landscape Consultant, John Chicchetti, brought Elicker in for the project.

I've gone through a lot of announcements and even a video about the store opening, and not one mentions or even shows the mosaic. How sad. The three pictures face Cherry (east), so they are visible to traffic--but the store entrance faces south, so once inside the parking lot they are invisible.

The store opened on Sept. 8, 2010.

Below is a picture I borrow from Elicer's FB page, showing the mosaic in progress. You might want to check out more of his photos showing the progress of these and other projcets. Some are in small parks, and some (like the beautiful Drake's Dragon) don't give a location.

Elicker helped to establish the The ArtExchange Visual Art Center in Long Beach. He is also responsible for the Rose Park mosaic, which is on my list of mosaics to blog about--a list that is growing daily.

Funny--when I started Mosaic Mondays a couple of years ago, I wondered how many months' worth of mosaics I could find. Now....I think I could continue for twenty years. There are that many examples of public art mosaics in the county. And the city of Long Beach is adding more constantly...yay!

Cemetery Guide for Los Angeles

2011-10-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now that Amazon has welcomed me back as a potential market source (thank you Jerry Brown) I've put my "book of the month . . . sorta" feature back up on the right. And what better book for the week before Halloween than a guide to Los Angeles' dead people?

The official title is LA's Graveside Companion: Where the V.I.P.s R.I.P.
Cute, huh?

Got to see author Steve Goldstein talk about the book, and his original title was "Beneath Los Angeles." In fact, that's now his website.

Goldstein has appeared on California's Gold with Huell Howser, on a Pet Cemetery segment. He's got a video out, produced by his brother: Gravehunting with Steve. In it, he tours Hollywood Forever, Holy Cross, and Hillside Memorial Park cemeteries.

Goldstein is giving a free tour of Westwood Memorial Park, where Marilyn Monroe is encrypted, on October 29th. I don't see that at his website. (beware the music there, btw). Read more about that and sign up at SocalStudio.org

According to Goldstein, Marilyn was the first really big celebrity to be interred at the 100-year-old Westwood, but now there are many more. Burt Lancaster, Peggy Lee, Truman Capote, Mel Torme, Donna Reed, Roy Orbison, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Don Knotts, Bob Crane, Natalie Wood...and more, according to the Seeing-Stars site.

In fact, the Wikipedia entry on Westwood has an alphabetical listing of all the dozens of stars buried there. The picture of Marilyn's plaque came from WikiCommons.

Closer to home, I found that the local cemetery with the great mosaics of San Pedro, which I blogged about last Monday, is host to Charles Bokowski's remains.

View Historic Murals Oct

2011-10-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

The historic murals in the Golden State Mutual Building on Adams and Western will be viewable this Saturday, October 22, from noon to 3 pm--thanks to the West Adams Heritage Association. And it will only cost $15. The tour includes St. Elmo's too.

The murals were painted by Charles Alston and Hale Woodruff, and depict "The Negro in California History." One mural shows "Exploration and Colonization" and the other "Settlement and Development." The building itself (now a historical monument) was designed by Paul Williams.

I blogged about these murals years ago, but I think a lot of the information is unchanged.

Here's the scoop on the tour: Advance tickets are $15.00 from www.WestAdamsHeritage.org, (323) 732-4223, for the afternoon tour, or contact CAAM, (213) 744-7536 or -7432 for a morning bus tour which includes the murals and St. Elmo Village. A book from the WAHA is included.

Mosaics at Green Hills Memorial Park

2011-10-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

Back in March, I reported that the first church in San Pedro, St. Peter's, would be moved to Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. Last week, I actually saw St Peter's steeple, in a couple of crated pieces, being moved down Western Avenue. So I thought I'd drive around the cemetery and get a preview of the church's new home.

And I found mosaics!

I've been at that cemetery before and asked if there were any mosaics there. The nice man at the gate house said no, but maybe he thought I meant a big religious mosaic like at other cemeteries.

The mosaic featured today lines the floor of a black marble World War II memorial in the park. One side states "In honor of the men of San Pedro who gave their lives in World War II." Under that is a list for each year: 1941 through 1943 on one side, 1944 and 1945 on the other.

Lots of names. Lots of heroes.

Here is a picture so you can see how the mosaics frame the monument.

I have no idea who designed these mosaics. Judging by the pristine state of the carved marble and the very modern-looking cranes in that top picture of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, my guess is the World War II monument is very recent.

I do have a call in to Green Hills to see if I can get more information. And if I do, I'll update this post. There are a few other mosaics in the park that use the same type of stone and style of fittings (I don't see any grout, for example), so I can post about them at another time.

In fact, the Daily Breeze mentioned recently that Green Hills has plans to install a mosaic floor around St. Peter's when the church finally gets moved--an event which should happen within the next two months. So hopefully, I'll be able to pass on information about that, too.

Kronish House Saved!

2011-10-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Endings are so very in right now.

About 3 weeks ago I blogged about the 1955 Kronish House in Beverly Hills--a Richard Neutra-designed residence that Dion Neutra was trying desperately to save.

The house, sold ten months ago in a foreclosure auction, was to razed. A date of October 11 was said to be demolition day. But apparently a new owner has closed escrow on the property. The LA Conservancy is announcing that the house will be restored, not destroyed.

Yay! If you follow the LA Conservancy link in the previous paragraph and scroll down, you'll find more photos, the address on Sunset, and a description of the house.

Santa Clarita Valley Movie History

2011-10-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

Recognize this road?

You have seen it before.

The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society is trying to raise funds to put a historical marker here. Why?

This is where, in 1935, Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard walked into the sunset at the end of Modern Times.

So now there's a Facebook page, and if you want to donate you can click on FundRazr on the left.

You can also help by going on tours over the next two Saturdays.

The October 15 tour takes you to Walt Disney's film ranch, the Golden Oak, in Placerita Canyon. A private tour from the inside!

The next Saturday, hear a lecture and caravan to film sites in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Both tours begin at 1 pm at the Saugus Train Station at Heritage Junction. The cost is $60--don't know if that's for one or both tours. But you can find out by emailing deadwrite@yahoo.com, or by calling 626.483.1205.

Aquarium of the Pacific Mosaic

2011-10-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

This fountain sits outside of the entrance of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Outside--as in, you don't have to pay an entrance fee to enjoy it (though the Aquarium is well worth the fee).

The fountain and mosaic were created with Proposition 40 funds to illustrate California's waterways and watersheds, from the mountains to the sea (didn't a newscaster used to say that every night?). The funds also paid for two watershed exhibits and a classroom at the Aquarium.

As for the mosaic, I found these pictures at TND Studio's website. They are apparently the designers, the fabricators, the installers--the ultimate crafters.

TND Studio seems to be Theodora Kurkchiev and Dimitri Lazaroff...and they're right here in San Pedro! Or at least, they were. Not sure where their studio is now.

According to a 2001 article in the Los Angeles Times, the artists emigrated to the US from Bulgaria in 1983, with around $300 to their names.

The Times article was about a mosaicy mural at Disney's California Adventure that the couple made. At the time it was the Largest Ceramic Mural in the World, and was made of 14,500 pieces. The reporter found out that Disney had cut the estimated time to complete the mural in half and asked, "Was there a lot of pressure from Disney?"

Here's what Lazaroff answered: "You know those military parades you would see in Eastern Europe during the Cold War with all the rocket launchers and the tanks going down the street? If you were a tank driver in the Bulgarian army and your tank broke down in the parade, you would be put in prison for four or five years. That was pressure. Making ceramic tiles--that is not pressure."

If you want a real mosaic treat, go here to follow the photos of the Yesterland mural at Disney's California Adventure. It was taken down a few years ago, but if you visited California Adventure 5-10 years ago, it should look familiar.

Prowling around TND's site, I found pictures of their mosaics in Korea, Japan, Vegas, ....even for Citywalk in Universal City (I'll have to blog on that one sometime). But very little about the artists themselves, not even a studio address.

Some are very fine portraits--like this mountain lion who is part of the Aquarium of the Pacific mosaic, but also can be purchased as a separate work of art through galleries. Others are abstract. A lot used special painted tiles, like the tiles of wildlife at this Long Beach fountain. I guess it's best called a mixed-media mosaic.

The work is called "The Wave" and "Rios de la Vida" at the The Wave.

Paseo Cezar Chavez

2011-10-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

This mosaic fountain was created by artist Elsa Flores in 1995. It stands at Paseo Cezar Chavez in Los Angeles, at the MTA building, and is one of several pieces of public art there--including two more fountains. However, it's most clearly a mosaic work, while the other fountains are mainly made up of specially designed and painted tiles.

The bench pictured below (two views) is also at Paseo Cezar Chavez, and was designed by Elsa Flores, Roberto Gil de Montes, and Peter Shire. The pictures are from PublicArtinLA, a wonderful website--although in this instance, they had very little information on the art.

I found more at the Metro Artwork page. A team was appointed to create a corner park, and they designed three fountains, the benches, and planter walls for the Paseo.

Here's what that site--and a few other places--says about the artists:

Elsa Flores is a native of Las Vegas and studied at the Art Center College in Pasadena. She had a show in Pasadena late last year: Illuminada, at the Fremont Gallery--a 30-year retrospective of her work. Flores and her late husband, Carlos Almarez, created the mural "California Dreamscape" at 3rd and Spring Street, on the Ronald Reagan State Building. (Here's a picture--scroll down to the bottom of page)

Roberto Gil de Montes s from Guadalajara, Mexico, and came to L.A. as a teen. He earned both a BFA and MFA from the Otis Art Institute and was for a while a professor at UCLA--not sure if he's still there.

I don't see a website but here's a link to his paintings at the Jan Baum Gallery. He also has a painting in the Ciudad Juarez Consulate.

Peter Shire was born in Echo Park and went to the Chouinard Art Institute. He was a member of teh Memphis Group in the 1980s. While Flores and Gil de Montes are painters, Shire is mainly a sculptor, although he does portraits on ceramic tile as well. The Frank Lloyd Gallery has his bio.

Union Theater

2011-09-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

What a history this place has!

Today, it is The Velaslavasay Panorama on 24th between Vermont and Hoover. What is a Velaslavasay Panorama? According to their website, "an exhibition hall, theatre and garden dedicated to the production and presentation of unusual visual experiences, including those of the 360-degree variety."

More description: the exhibition space "encircles the spectator within a fully enveloping atmosphere; the vast painting, of a continuous surrounding landscape, accompanied by sound stimulation and three-dimensional elements, affords the viewer an opportunity to experience a complete sensory phenomenon."

It's also an event and screening venue. Huell Howser has visited and filmed there. Gardens and a gazebo sit in back of the theater building. But basically, it's a huge, round theater.

Panoramas/cycloramas have been around since the 1800s...wonder if a young Walt Disney was inspired by them? They're all over the world, and I've visited the one in Gettysburg.

This building existed before 1920, and was a 400-seat movie theater for awhile, then a silent screen vamp turned it into a live theater.

Deb Pawlak--author of Bringing Up Oscar--first clued me in on the building by linking it with silent movie actress Louise Glaum, who installed a live theater and acting school here in 1935. Pawlak's Facebook page, Tales From Tinseltown, gave a quick capsule view of Glaum's career: 100 films between 1912 and 1925--and that after a live-theater career.

Wikipedia has a good article about Glaum and her theaters, including this one. The author clearly went through the Los Angeles Times archives to list the productions and reviews of Glaum's theater, which seems to have been a abig part of the Los Angeles theater scene for awhile.

The Louise Glaum Little Theatre of Union Square closed in 1939, and the building became a movie theater until the 1950s.

Here's more from theVelaslavasay Panorama website: "For a time in the 1970's, while serving as the headquarters for the Tile Layers, a student from nearby USC operated an after hours weekly film series, showing cult and underground films and Saturday cartoon matinees for the neighborhood children."

The building stood empty through most of the 1990s, served as a storefront church intermittently, and was bought by the Velaslavasay Panorama in 2005--an outfit which had previously been in Hollywood. This picture was on the Google map page.

Mosaic Art Show in Long Beach

2011-09-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

The 2nd City Council Art Gallery in Long Beach is hosting an exhibition of mosaic art that is truly beautiful.

There are landscapes, abstracts, portraits, sculptures, 3D works--over two dozen pieces, all unique and all mosaic. This sweet picture to the left won a prize and is part of a series of Alice in Wonderland mosaics by artist Doreen Adams. You can see more of her work here.

The exhibit is called "Tesserae: The Art of Mosaic" and I thank Lillian Sizemore for telling me about it so I could attend the Artists' Reception last Saturday.

Artists' gallery receptions are so great because you get to see wonderful things, nibble on cheese, and drink wine while hanging around brilliantly creative people, hoping some of their talent may rub off. Plus, this one had MUSIC!

The picture at right is just a partial, sadly. It shows about 1/4 of the mosaic, which won top prize and is called something like "Shoes on a Purple Road." The rest of the mosaic is more beige background with a few purple bits--but it frames the shoes so beautifully that I feel bad about this picture, which I scanned from the gallery's program card. Another reason why you should go to Long Beach and see this in person!

The 2nd City Council Gallery is located at 435 Alamitos Avenue, a few doors north of 4th Street. The exhibit will be up through October 16, and many of the pieces are for sale. Gallery hours are 12 noon to 5 PM, Wednesday through Sunday.

Here's their own statement about who they are: "We are dedicated to supporting and promoting artists, their work and art education. Our mission is to expose the public to the wealth of creativity that exists. Our exhibitions are usually thematic and explore topics, from each artists’ unique perspective, that impactor interest the community as a whole."

The gallery has an outdoor garden space as well.

Hmmm...that might be why their full name is The 2nd City Council Gallery and Performance Space. They've given free mosaic lessons there last spring and summer, and hopefully they will continue that program at some point. The gallery is a nonprofit.

The last two pictures are called "Alcanza" by Northern California artist April Maiten, whose website is here. She even does license plate frames with her glass tiles. The frames cost around $40-$45, so you can support the arts without spending like Andrew Carnegie.

And, on the right, the mosaic "Fracture" by Rachel Sager--one of my favorites at the show.

Mosaics in the show, by the way, came from both local and international artists.

Neutra's Kronish House Endangered

2011-09-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Dion Neutra is desperately trying to save this house from the wrecking ball. And in this case, the wrecking ball is slated to swing in late September!

The Kronish House was designed by Richard Neutra and sits in Beverly Hills. Unless funds can be raised to buy it from its current owner, plans are in place to raize the house.

What to do? Donate if you can. Dion Neutra feels that this location would make a wonderful Neutra Library...I tend to agree, just based on this picture. Donate here.

Or sign the petition, here. My impression is that the petition will be presented to the Beverly Hills City Council and other bodies that might be able to save the house.

Mosaics on North Torrance Library

2011-09-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

All of these mosaics adorn the facade of the North Torrance branch of the Torrance library on Artesia near Yukon. The library is closed for renovations, but the mosaics are outside, facing the busy street and are easy to see.

I am grateful to Michael George of the Torrance Library for helping me to research these mosaics, but we weren't able to come up with an artist's name.

The Torrance Herald, a long-gone local newspaper, printed a key to the mosaics in January of 1965, just after the library opened. According to the paper, the mosaics represent first, cuneiform (wedge writing in clay from ancient Sumer or Babylon), followed by a cuneiform cylinder that was rolled across the clay to make an inscription or picture.

The second picture shows a papyrus plant from Egypt, used to make paper, and an ankh--which the Herald called a "Staff of Life," and an earthen jar--remember that the Dead Sea Scrolls were stored in jars. These represented the first libraries.

Third picture: the Chinese character for "forever," a brush, and an ink bottle and quill, the last representing Medieval manuscripts. The paper says that "scrolls of Jericho" are in there someplace too.

The final panel, which is right over the door, shows a block of type--for the printing press--and a prism, representing color reproduction. Finally, a bit of microfilm, bring the technology up to the mid 1960s. Very nice--and as you can see from these pictures, the colors are still vibrant after 40 plus years.

The library was designed by Weldon J. Fulton and Associates, and the projected cost in 1964 was $82,000.

I found Fulton's obit here, and he was well-known in Los Angeles. Besides the North Torrance Library, he designed the "Camera Obscura" Adult Recreation Center in Palisades Park, Santa Monica in 1955--the building was a nod to a 1890's attraction on the beach there.

Long Beach and Los Alamitos History--Event Cancelled!

2011-09-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Next Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, the authors of Rancho Los Alamitos: Ever Changing, Always the Same, will sign copies of their books at a morning garden party hosted by the Long Beach and Rancho Los Alamitos Historical Society.

There will be refreshments, docent-led tours of the site--the Rancho Los Alamitos itself--and talks by other folks before the book signing. You can sign up and pay (it's $25 a person) at the link in the previous sentence.

I've heard agents and authors say that traditional book signings in book stores just don't generate sales the way they used to. A little oomph and creativity is needed for a successful signing--they say (I have no personal knowledge of this). So a garden party kickoff and children's story hour in a historical setting sounds like the perfect vehicle for a regional history book like this.

And by the way, anyone interested in bookstores and their future might want to attend a panel discussion the following Monday at the Veterans Center in Culver City--Culver and Overland. Presented by the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC), the talk starts at 7:30 on Sept. 26 and is titled "BOOKSTORES AND BOOKSELLERS: Today and Tomorrow — a Vanishing and Rejuvenated Breed." It costs only $15 to attend but you must make reservations in advance.

Bell Library Mosaics

2011-09-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

This four-panel mosaic in the Bell Library on Gage was created in 1960 by Tom Van Sant. It's called "The Inventive Progress of Man" (yeah, sexist title but it was 1960), and the theme is pretty clear--there's a wheel on the lower left, leading up to an atom on the lower right. Right in the center is a printing press.

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission says this is made of stone and inlaid cork, and a key to the 26 inventions is framed and set by the mosaic.

Van Sant graduated from the Otis Art Institute in 1957, and there's a beautiful wall at the west entrance of the Ceramics Building that he created as his master's thesis. It's titled "Fire, Earth, Water" and that's a pictures of it at left.

His web page says he's created more than sixty large projects and murals for public spaces in his fifty-plus years of work. After having looked over his sculpture, I have to say that the Bell Library is a pretty tame example of his work. Here's a shot (below) of a bronze sculpture in Newport Beach to give you a better idea.

Van Sant created the GeoSphere Project in the 1980s, and the Earth Situation Room in the 90s--the latter was in An Inconvenient Truth. Both show our planet and its features and systems, and the changes that occur on a global scale.

I'm sorry I can't find a better picture of the mosaic. Given the amazing things that Van Sant when on to do, most of which are so graceful and soaring, it's interesting to see this very conservative example of his art. Does it strike you as very 1960-ish, as it does me? Looking at the 1957 wall and the bird sculpture--done about ten years ago--I can't quite make the mosaic fit.

Paseo Colorado Fountain

2011-09-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Paseo Colorado in Pasadena merits more than one Mosaic Monday entry. The Paseo is on Colorado Blvd, between Marengo and Los Robles. Today, we concentrate on the 2nd level fountain, designed by Anne Marie Karlsen. It's titled "Eye of the Beholder," and it went up in 2001. This picture of it comes from Fine Arts Services, which manages public art projects.

I've gotten much more cavalier about using photos from other sites. Two reasons: one, no one seems to mind when I ask permission--in fact, they are either thrilled or simply don't respond. The second reason is that I'm busier and cutting corners. So if I offend anyone or step on toes--just email me and I'll take the photo down, I promise.

The fountain, along with most of the artwork in the Paseo (including at least two more mosaic works) is here thanks to the Pasadena Arts Commission. "Eye of the Beholder" is made of hand-painted, handcast, high relief ceramic tiles, according to the artist's website.

Here's a closeup of one small section--more closeups are available on the artist's website. I hope she doesn't mind that I used this one. Her site also has an incredible shot of the fountain from directly above.

Artist Anne Marie Karlsen has designed and installed a lot of public art throughout the county, including the kaleidoscopic glass panels in the tower of tiny Lawndale's new library, and the painted tile murals at the North Hollywood Red Line Station. Both of those are mosaic-like,but not really mosaics, so you'll have to click on the links to see the pictures. Karlsen teaches at Santa Monica College, and she's currently working on a couple of abstract mosaic panels for the building at 129 Raymond in Pasadena.

Hippo Birdies, Los Angeles

2011-09-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

A day early...

Our fair city turns 230 years old on September 4th. A mere tween, as city ages go.

To celebrate LA's birthday, the Los Angeles Heritage Association has a direct link to the LA Heritage Association's list of Heritage Organizations: historical societies from all the different communities that make up Los Angeles County, museums, archives, re-enactors, enthusiasts, and special interest groups, running the gamut from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, and everything in between.

Or you can go straight to ExperienceLA's list of events, searchable by type like "educational" (phooey!) and "festive celebrations" (that's the closest they get to "party"), or by location or special criteria (like "free"). Remember the days when there was nothing to do? (I think that's now called adolescence). Now there's a veritable surfeit of activities. I need a nap just thinking about them.

The picture above is a genuine Robert Spence Aerial Photograph of the Wilshire LaBrea area in 1929, from the LA Library collection. 82 years ago, so the city was 149 then. The caption reads:

Aerial view of the Wilshire, La Brea district, looking north. Undeveloped land, middle right side of photo is the Arroyo del Jardin de los Flores, The Stream of the Garden of Flowers. The stream flowed from the location of today's Wilshire Country Club through Hancock Park, joining another creek that eventually drained to Ballona Creek near La Brea and St. Elmo Drive. The majority of this creek was piped and filled; a portion of it remains above ground at the Wilshire County Club, and a creek running through Brookside Estates also shares this name. Third square on right bottom (dark looking ravine), possibly the continuation of Arroyo del Jardin de los Flores. Photo dated: June 21, 1929.

Tiki On the Move

2011-08-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

This tiki statue, carved of redwood (not looking too red now) is being brought out of suspended animation by the city of Redondo Beach.

Is it part of history? Depends. Linda AUst of the Redondo Beach Historical Society pointed out that the restaurant(s) it once stood guard over didn't last long enough to become historical. The last one, in fact, burned in the Great Redondo Beach Pier Fire of 1988.

Read more of the tiki's history at my Patch article.

An Under the Sea Mosaic to Cool Us Off

2011-08-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

This mosaic was intalled only three years ago, at the George W. Carver Park Pool House in 118th Street.

Here's what the LA County Arts page says of it:

"Artists Matthew and Paul Doolin of Topanga Art Tile designed a glass and ceramic tile mosaic mural which depicts a vibrant and whimsical underwater ocean scene. The 33-1/2 by 4-1/2 mural faces the street entrance to the pool house. It features a sand bar of beige tones, a variety of green and blue tiles depicting the water, two large sea turtles, several multi-colored fish, and a pod of dolphins swimming throughout the scene. Several smaller fish are installed around the main entrance door."

The site goes on to say that Matthew graduated from UCLA (rah!) in 1990 and Paul from UC Santa Cruz the same year. Both brothers have an impressive list of people they've studied/worked with. They've done work for Disney's California Adventure, St. Catherine's Church on Avalon, the Inn at Venice Beach (the mermaid mosaic), and the Topanga Canyon Public Library and more (I cherry-picked the closest projects). They've also been featured at the Pacific Design Center.

Topanga Art Tile, btw, also includes the brother's mother, Leslie Doolin. In fact, I believe she started the company, in 1978.

I'm blown away by their website and will definitely feature more of their public work on future Mosaic Mondays.

Some of their loveliest pieces, though, aren't necessarily public. The do a lot of custom art for pools, fireplaces, fountains, etc. All in brillian colors, lots of blues and greens, and all of hand made porcelein and hand painted glazes.

Disneyland 1965

2011-08-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

This wonderful bit of Boomer nostalgia is from the Shorpy site, which includes photos from all over the US, from the Civil War era up through the 1970s:

This is what Disney dreamed the future would look like. 46 years later, how do we measure up (or down)?

Stuff to do in Los Angeles: August 28

2011-08-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

For many, it's the last weekend of summer. It promises to be hot, but not unbearable. Put on a hat and bring a bottle of water; you'll make it (I learned that from 2 years in the Valley of the Sun.)

Here are your choices:

The UCLA Writers' Faire: No, it's not historical. But it's the best free writing event around (except for the $11 campus parking fee). From 11 to 3, pick a panel or mini-seminar each 40 minutes from a couple of dozen topics, like "Writing the Half Hour Comedy and Spec Pilots," "Personal Essay and Memoir," "Creating Compelling Fictional Characters," or "Writing for the Youth Market."

The LA Weekly/ J. Gold Pancake Breakfast (as in Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer-Prize-winning food writer and one of my personal idols). THis runs from 11 to 2 at Vibiana (a historic location--the former cathedral on Main & 2nd) and you must buy tickets in advance--click here. The tickets are only $10 or $25, and I don't know what the difference is. Gold has gathered 20 of his favorite pancake purveyors, including Kobawoo House, 101 Noodle Express, BLD and Salt's Cure. Coffee, POM, and breakfast cocktails available too, according to Tasting Table.
Got a forgotten can of Mickey's in back of the frig? Bring it to the Craft for Crap Beer Event at Beer Belly, 532 S. Western. From 3 to 10. Get ONE (and one only)one-penny craft beer--lager, stout, or IPA --in exchange for any "crap" beer you bring in. This has nothing to do with history either. Hmmm...532 S. Western Avenue was sold for $42,000 in 1958, by West Coast Merchandising Co. to John B. Clayburgh. There. History.

EyeSpy LA has a list of other events, but these are the ones I'd go to.

Studio City Home Savings--now Chase

2011-08-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

The bank is on Ventura BLvd at Laurel Canyon. Millard Sheets by this time (1970) had designed and installed the artwork for dozens of Home Savings and Loans in the Southland. For this bank, he put up four scenes of California History, all iconic, generic, romantic, and really, very functional as an outline of what we all learned in 4th grade.
First, in the Mission Era, we have the good Franciscan friar teaching the native family about the cross.

Second, the Rancho period: Vaqueros chase, lasso, and brand cattle.

Third, the Gold Rush: Men pan for gold along streams.

Finally, the Movies! The industry that ended up defining Southern California to the rest of the world.

Adam Arenson, who took this picture for his blog on the artwork of Home Savings and Loan, points out that the camera is pointing left, possibly at the other images. He raises the question: "Are the images about history, or about movies?"

Studio City got its name after Max Sennett moved his studio--Keystone Pictures--here in 1928, right? So while the Gold Rush may not have touched the area too much, the other images fit perfectly well.

Here is a link to a Flickr picture of the mosaic at night, rather artsy, by C. P. McGann.

Pantages Home, Lafayette Park

2011-08-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is the Lafayette Park mansion that theater owner Alexander Pantages built for himself in the early part of the 20th century. It sits on the corner of Buckingham Road and Washington Blvd. Not sure when it was built--my channel to Proquest is down right now. Boo!

And below is the biggest ficus tree ever--I think it's a ficus. Just beyond it is Washington. Was it there since Pantages' day? Maybe he planted it himself? Quien sabe?

Pantages was living here in 1920 according to census records; by 1930 the owner of record was Edward Cline--which makes sense, because by 1930, Pantages had been ruined--some say by the machinations of Joseph Kennedy.

Kennedy's motivation?

Well, if he was the man who destroyed Pantages' health and reputation, as well as forcing him to liquidate his homes and theaters to defend himself against rape charges, Kennedy benefitted because he bought many of Pantages' theaters for pennies on the dollar.

Here's 7 things you may not have known about Alexander Pantages:

His given name was Pericles. He starated calling himself Alexander after hearing about A the Great.
He's buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale, according to Find-a-Grave.
He went to the Klondike in search of gold in the late 1890s and ended up becoming a theatrical producer while working in Dawson, first producing shows in restaurants and then in a real theater.
Pantages moved to Seattle in 1902 and began building vaudeville theaters up and down the Pacific coast. At one time, he owned 30 outright and controlled another 42 theaters. For over 20 years, he WAS vaudeville--at least out west.
By the time OUR Pantages Theater was finished in 1930, the man and his fortune had been drained and destroyed by sensational rape charges. Pantages was found guilty in 1929, got a retrial, and was found innocent in 1931.
The stock market collapse finished him off. Our Pantaages Theater was originally planned as a twelve-story building, but construction had barely started when Wall Street Laid an Egg (as Variety put it.)
Some Pantages Theaters were sold off in late 1929; ours was sold to Fox West Coast Theaters in 1932.

Mayme Dear Library in Gardena

2011-08-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Mayme Dear Library in Gardena was named after a librarian.

I love the name. Some cousins of mine had a silver-haired grandmother called Grandma Dear. The grandkids gave her that name because she called everyone "dear."

I am certain, therefore, that this lovely librarian called all the children "dear" when she handed them their books.

On to the mosaic!

It's mounted over the entrance and shows the development of books and printing. on seven slabs of black stone. A hand print precedes the the Egyptian writers--the handprint representing cave paintings. Underneath it all, a quote from Pliny the Elder: Were it not for books human culture would pass into oblivion as quickly as man himself.

Nice quote, but I must respectfully disagree. But since Pliny died in the eruption that buried Pompeii, we can't have a debate.

The artist is Livio Napolitani, and the artwork was created for the new library building, dedicated on December 5, 1964. The mosaic was cleaned and repaired in 2008. Another set of Napolitano's mosaics was profiled here last year.

Berlin Wall Reaction, Fifty Years Ago

2011-08-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

The Berlin Wall went up--or began to go up--fifty years ago, August 13, 1961. The kick off was the closure of the East Berlin border, halting a stream of refugees who wished to escape to the West.

On August 14th, the Los Angeles Times headline--over the masthead--read "Iron Curtain Halts 80,000 WOrkers." Under the masthead:

Reds Hurl Tear Gas

At West Berlin Mob

The paper reported that our government--in the person of Dean Rusk, Secretary of State--protested the border closure because it violated agreements made in 1949 between the US, Britain, France, and the USSR about the free right of travel within Berlin. Rusk waited to see "how violent the East German popular reaction would be."

What else was going on?

In Long Beach, a ten-foot porpoise wandered into shallow water off Cherry Avenue, but got away from the beachgoers who tried to seize it.

The temperature got up to 83, and in the evening humidity was 90%. Yuck!

Redondo Beach's new $30 million King Harbor Marina project was moving right along. Basin 3, which I believe is today's International Boardwalk, had replaced Pacific Avenue and fishing boats were berthed there. Parking meters for yachts were being installed.

Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers threw a 100th birthday party at Pickfair for Clementine Van Quaethem. Who was she? An immigrant from Flanders, Belgium, who arrived in America in 1948--when she was in her late 80's. She spoke only two words that could be understood in English: Mary Pickford.

Mrs. Van Quaethem's widowed daughter lived at Pickfair because her husband had been the head gardner. Her mother moved in, never learned English (geesh, she was only 87!) and that's all I know--could not find any further mention of the lady anywhere.

The picture of Pickfair, showing the pool on the lower left, is from the LAPL collection and was taken in 1926. It's not attributed to any particular photographer--wonder if it was Robert Spence?

St. Peter's by the Sea Mosaic

2011-08-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

This lovely mosaic decorates a presbyterian church in Palos Verdes, St. Peter's by the Sea. The church is part of the Presbytery of the Pacific, which apparently covers Hawaii and Los Angeles County.

I count the windows and their stained glass as part of the mosaic--click on the picture for a larger view and I'm sure you'll agree. The design is continued on the doors, pictured at the bottom of this post.

The website has none of the church's history, so I went into Proquest. The Los Angeles Times reported a bit of controversy in 1996 involving the church's pastor, Rev. James D. Brown. He'd just served a term as a top management official in the church and expected to be re-elected, but apparently he was scapegoated in the controversy over appointing gay pastors. Not that he was gay, or that he even held a contrary opinion on the issue. If I'm reading the Times story right, people were just mad and voted him out.

Since I know very little about the politics of the Presbyterian church, I can't add much. The first mention of this lovely church in the Times is 1979.

Redondo Beach Mosaics

2011-08-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

This charming jellyfish and sneaky little crab were created by Everything Mosaic--a newish artistic venture in Redondo Beach. Everything Mosaic just installed these two critters as part of a series of ten mosaics of sea life, along the newly-expanded Esplanade in Redondo Beach.

Everything Mosaic is made up of two very talented artists (Debbie Collette and Patti Linnet--sounds like the beginning of a bawdy limerick, doesn't it?) who happen to work together at Tulita Elementary School.

Katherine Blossom Lowrie wrote about them for Patch in Redondo Beach. Here is what Lowrie says about how Everything Mosaic started:

Five years ago, Collette and teaching aide Patti Linnet decided to create a mosaic out of extra mugs presented to teachers by the Tulita PTA. The mosaic, which graces the Teacher's Patio, ended up incorporating mementos contributed by teachers from the school's pre-renovation days—everything from keys to a fork to a screwdriver.

Lowrie's picture of a portion of the Teacher's Patio at Tulita School is at right.

About a year and a half ago, I blogged about their first venture: the Ocean Steps mosaics, leading from the Village Condos to the International Boardwalk at the base of Redondo Beach's pier.

Everything Mosaic has just installed another piece of art for the city, on five bollards on the Esplanade at Avenue C. Each bollard has two mosaics on it, one facing the street and one facing the ocean.

A bollard, btw, is a short post....I could almost call this piece a bollard by that definition! A bollard is a short post, architecturally speaking, made of stone or metal or wood.

If the Pacific keeps a-rising....

2011-07-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

The name of this blog is HistoryLosAngeles, not FutureLosAngeles. But in fifty years, today will be a point in history. And in 2060, will we fondly recall the days when the ocean stayed off the coast of Redondo, Hermosa, Venice, and all other beaches?

As this NRDC fact sheet points out, the ocean level along our shore has been rising about 2/3 of an inch per decade for a while. If that trend continues, by 2100 the sea will have risen by at least 20, and maybe as much as 55 inches.

That would not inundate many areas--but there would be a big danger of storm surges. Surges would go further inland than they do now. Folks along the beach in Redondo and Hermosa in the early days,from the 1890s all the way into the 1950s, described storms taking out oceanfront property--homes and shops. Even into the 1980s, I recall a few restaurants destroyed--the Lady ALexandra, I think, and cluba near Seaside Lagoon. Imagine that kind of destruction, and imagine it being much worse.

The storms in 90 years could ravage Superfund sites, waste treatment plants, and eight power plants that currently stand along the California coast. The San Pedro, Wilmington, and Long Beach port areas would be vulnerable to flooding.

Aquifers near the coast would be damaged by saltwater intrusion as the sea rose. Since slight rises in temperature and longer drought periods are also predicted, the loss of aquifers means less fresh water available: bad.

Miles and miles of roads would also be at risk. It seems weird to think that we might not have moved our roads by then, especially since the sea would be steadily rising....but looking at the current political gridlock, the woeful lack of funding for infrastructure, and the opportunistic nature of planning in this area, I can imagine a pretty nasty scenario, and a city where the wealthy have protected themselves--and themselves alone.

But maybe I'm wrong on a lot of counts.

Mayberry Elementary School Mosaic

2011-07-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Better than a picture, here is a video showing the installation of a mosaic on an 800-square-foot-exterior wall at Mayberry Street Elementary School in the Silver Lake area. Over the course of ten months, artist Didier Guedj (pictured in the video) worked with 300 students, giving classes on Fridays, and inviting teachers and people from the neighborhood to come and help on the weekends.

The only problem is that the video shows the mosaic as a work in progress--it has no shots of the finished work. Here is a picture at right--the child magician is the mascot of the school.

Guedj is a self-taught mosaicist from San Francisco. On his website, Mosaics All The Way, Guedj documents all the processes involved in creating the Mayberry mosaic.

Mason Lodge Mosaic

2011-07-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

I voted last week, and found this mosaic at the doorway of my polling place: Masonic Lodge #332 in San Pedro.

Everything I know about the Masons I learned watching National Treasure 1 & 2 and the History Channel. But a search online brought me to several sites pointing out that acacia trees are embued by the organization with several symbolic meanings.

Both MasonicWorld and the Masonic Lodge of Education say that the fabled Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood, by order of God. The acacia symbolizes immortality because of its evergreen nature, and a sprig of acacia is tossed into the grave of Masons.

There are other implications that vary with the degree of Masonry, if you want to read further into the Secrets of Freemasonry.

However, another site says the Ark of the Covenant was made of cedar, and that the cedar tree symbolizes eternity. So who knows?

I leave it to you: is this mosaic depicting an acacia (left, a red acacia, picture from Charles Sturt University) or a cedar? There are many types of acacias; the most common is the Silver Wattle, but I could not find a photo of one not covered in yellow flowers. This red acacia is believed by some (including CSU) to be the tree designated in the Bible as the source of wood for the famous Ark--maybe because it's named for its richly beautiful reddish wood.

Or is the mosaic a cedar tree, pictured at righ? Again, there are many varieties. This tree at right is a true Cedar of Lebanon, picture from Wikicommons. Since the Freemasons like their symbols to have really ancient pedigrees, my guess is that a cedar of Lebanon would be the only logical cedar to be considered.

Any Masons reading this care to enlighten us?

BTW, I learned that the mosaics at the Downey Civic Theater, which I blogged about last May, are the work of a local artist, Charlotte von Troch. I cannot find anything on the web about her, but I sincerely thank Andrew J. Wahlquist for digging this information up.

Wayfarers' Chapel

2011-07-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's picture was--of course--the Wayfarers' Chapel in Palos Verdes. As stated, this was my first visit, but not the last.

The first thing to know about this place is that It Is What It Says It Is.

It is a Wayfarers Chapel. It's not a roadside attraction, a bizarre sideshow, a piece of history, or anything like that. As beautiful and photogenic as the Wayfarers' Chapel is, it's primarily a place for a traveler to take a spiritual break.

Inside, there is a fountain, benches, soft new-age music, and views of trees and sky through every window...quite an accomplishment, since the entire chapel is made of glass. Visitors sit and ponder or meditate or just relax. And that's all. Isn't that wonderful?

Well, let's state the obvious: The chapel sits on a hillside overlooking Portuguese Bend in a neighborhood composed of well-placed mansions. If you group together all the frustrated drivers on LA's freeways (especially this weekend), chances are none of them are driving along Palos Verdes Drive ~~West~~ South, where this sanctuary beckons. So the wayfarers who stop here are already enjoying fresh air and coastal views, as opposed to sitting in gridlock smelling exhaust and fuming. The Wayfarers' Chapel is the architectural equivalent of preaching to the choir.

THe chapel is dedicated to Emmanuel Swedenborg, and its building was sponsored by the Swedenborgian Church in 1951. Swedenborg was an 18th century scientist and mystic. You can read more about Swedenborg's teachings here, in an article on the Huffington Post, or on any number of churchy sites, like here. And on Wikipedia, of course. His spiritual ideas sound very similar to Dr. Wayne Dyer's, but he was also a noted scientist.

Lloyd Wright, son of Frank, designed the "tree chapel," inspired by the redwood forests up north. The chapel uses thirty 60-degree angles in its form, because that measure occurs very naturally in snowflakes, crystals, and branches. The tree framed by the large circle at right is a toyon or Christmasberry tree, native to California.

An interesting bit of trivia: when the cornerstone was dedicated in 1949 (62 years ago as of tomorrow, July 16h), actor Charles Laughton read the 107th Psalm. I know I've seen a picture of that ceremony but can't find it right now.

In recompense, here is a picture from the grounds around the chapel, of Portuguese Point and Abalone Cove. Lloyd Wright directed the planting of the trees, so the look of the place has changed over the decades and some trees are just now reaching maturity.

Wazzat?

2011-07-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

I took some beautiful pictures a few days ago, mainly of things that are beautiful to begin with. Here is one that I would not recognize before this week. It's a fairly well-known spot, but one I just hadn't visited.

I'll post more about it later, or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, here's something to ruminate on which ties in with the photo nicely: an essay on the history of open space in Los Angeles, "Privatized Leisure," by historian Lawrence Culver.

Culver wrote The Frontier of Leisure: Southern California and the Shaping of Modern America in 2010. I can't link to it on Amazon but I'm sure you can figure out how to buy it.

Mosaic Workshop in Malibu

2011-07-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today's mosaic is yet-to-be crafted. The Malibu Art Barn at the Malibu Lumber Yard is hosting a Mosaic Workshop on July 16th, from 5-7 pm.

"In this workshop students will have the opportunity to learn mosaic making techniques and make a variety of mosaic pieces using all types of materials. A final project will include a mosaic complete with grout, sturdy enough to grace your garden or front porch."

BYOBP, according to some sites: bring your own broken plates--for use in the mosaics.

Here's a link to the registration form. The schedule indicates there are more mosaic workshops at the end of July and the first week of August for different age groups.

Finally, here's the Facebook page.

One of the Top 5 Bar Brawls in US History....

2011-07-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

...happened right here in Los Angeles. Yay, we made a top five list!

It was New Year's Eve, 1966--almost 1967. Then, it was 1967, and a few undercover cops among the largely-gay revelers at the Black Cat Tavern started making arrests for 'lewd conduct' (Couples were kissing.)

The other patrons took umbrage at such treatment. This picture is from Wikipedia Commons--looks like a pretty dangerous place, huh?

Read the background and details at a great story in Slate by Christine Sismondo: Top 5 Greatest Bar Brawls in American History. You'll have to scroll down to us--we are number five (probably because no one died, as happened in NYC when the Civil War Draft Riots erupted at the Bull's Head Tavern --120 dead and the tavern burned down).

However, the Black Cat Tavern Riot did light a fire. It may have sparked the decision to start a gay publication--The Advocate, according to Sismondo, and it may have been a bit of a prequel to the Stonewall Riots in NYC, two years later.

The Black Cat, according to the Los Angeles Times, is now LeBarcitos, but the illuminated sign of the cat's face is still there. It became a City Historic Cultural Monument in 2008. It's in the Silverlake district at 3909 W. Sunset, near Santa Monica Blvd.

Christine Sismondo has written a book which is going right to the top of my Amazon wish list: America Walks Into A Bar. From Oxford University Press, of all places. From the Puritan's day to our own, bars have been "an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life." I'll drink to that.

I can no longer link to Amazon from this blog (criminy, I'm not asking for commission, just a link!)

Here, then, is the link to OUP's catalog entry, where you can read about the book and buy it. (but it's lots cheaper on Amazon.)

California Breezes in Signal Hill

2011-07-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Calbrisas Park in Signal Hill, right off PCH and California, features mosaic medallions embedded on the main walkway.

The city of Signal Hill commissioned the park a few years ago to enhance life in a "economically challenged" neighborhood. Part of their commission was to include public art, which is the reason behind these medallions. Each features a different aspect of California: a mission, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, the Golden Gate Bridge, etc. Or Redwood Nation Park, here. (I don't see redwoods, but who cares? I love this coastal view.)

Artist John David Ciccetti, a landscape architect (the link is to his firm) and lecturer at CSULB, did most of the work of designing and integrating the art and landscape in the park.

In 2006, he received an Award of Excellence from the California Parks and Recreation Society. Read about it here.

In addition to the seven mosaics, the park's artwork also includes a decorative fence along the street that shows air--blowing grasses and lifting balls or balloons--a theme which continues over the entrance and "Calbrisas Park" sign, where kites fly.

I see many other parks on Ciccetti's website, mostly urban, using artistic fencing and inlays on the ground to create a play space or stage in narrow areas surrounded by buildings.

At a Century 21 office, he used flower beds to create a mosaic effect when viewed from above.

Mostly, Ciccetti seems to be a genius at carving out spaces in quarters that should look cramped, given the dimensions.

The bottom picture here is in Long Beach--the East Village Arts Park. Click on it to see what I mean about creating a park space in an area that is challenging, to say the least.

Tour Silent Movie Locations in Downtown

2011-06-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

June 29th--Wednesday--the LA Conservancy presents a showing of Harold Lloyd's classic silent: Safety Last. 8 pm att the Orpheum Theatre--well, it's sold out.

So if you have tickets--Congratulations! If not, check with the Conservancy--maybe someone cancelled.

And whether you to go the show or not:

Author John Bengston presents a self-guided walking tour of the downtown locations of the 1923 movie! Print it out here--with lots of pictures. The first 6 pages are the tour.

Just to whet your appetite, check out Bengston's blog entry on the film. The Blog is called Silent Locations, or Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Film Locations (and more!), which, coincidentally, happen to be the subjects of Bengston's excellent books, full of pictures.

Columns of Santa Fe Springs

2011-06-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

These top two mosaic pillars are together titled "Reverance for an Era #1." The artist is Kerry Zarders. Since 2005, they have stood on the northeast corner of Telegraph Road and Bloomfield in Santa Fe Springs. Each one is 14 ft. tall.

The artist has done two other installations for the city, which began funding a public art program in 1989. Both are at the same corner. They're at bottom: "Sejat" is on the left and pays tribute to the Native American heritage of the area. "Nueva Historia" is on the right and expresses the Ranchero days. The bottom pillars were put up in February 2010.

I have a feeling I'm going to be doing more of her work in this blog, because I'm finding benches in Long Beach and panels along the 710 freeway.

I wish I could tell you more about her artwork, but all I've been able to find are her photosets on Flickr, which show many of her mosaics and the processes used to position them.

For now, it seems, Zarders is quite busy running a helpful website called FreshFundraising.com. Which is fine, but I sure hope she's planning to do more mosaics!

Peter Falk

2011-06-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

In 1966, Peter Falk and Bob Newhart were on board the Progress Express, hitting the campaign trail for Governor Pat Brown. The caption says that's Brown waving, but I believe that's US Representative Augustus Hawkins in the picture, not Brown. Rolland Curtis took the picture, which is from our wonderful library's online collection.

Hawkins was the first African -American congressman from California (from the 21st District) and authored a lot of important legislation. But I did not know that until I looked up this picture.Here's his obituary; he lived to be 100 years old.

But of course, the real reason for the photo today is the passing of actor Peter Falk.

For the record, the first mention of Falk in the times was May 20, 1956, in a review of a five-hour long play in New York: The Iceman Cometh, by O'Neill.. Jason Robards starred; Falk played the "aggressively sensitive night bartender."

WPA Mosaics at the Long Beach Airport

2011-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

This beautiful mosaic is on the second floor of the Long Beach Airport terminal. It's one of at least four mosaics at the airport, and is titled "Zodiac." (picture is from the Long Beach Airport Unofficial Guide site.)

During the Depression, the Long Beach Airport got some WPA funding to develop their airport (actually, to continue developing the airport, since the place--named Daugherty Field in 1923, after a famous barnstormer who started the world's first School of Aviation there in 1919--had been developing and growing since 1911).

The main terminal was completed in 1941 and the grand opening was scheduled for December 7. Yup, the "day that will live in infamy" December 7. Ceremony was scratched and the new terminal was quickly painted in camouflage. That's from the California's Living New Deal website, which quotes a book by Gerrie Schipske on early aviation in Long Beach.

More history on the airport is at its official site, though there's not much about the artwork.

You can tour the Long Beach Airport, but you have to make reservations a month in advance. Here's the website on that: LGB.org. I may do that, just to see more mosaics. There is a huge modern one, and a few others by the WPA artist, Grace Clements.

Grace Clements was born in 1905, died 1969. She'd trained in New York, then came to L.A. in the 1930s where she both exhibited and taught. As far as I can tell, the Long Beach Airport was her biggest project. I found a little more about her at the LAMural site--scroll down to the second article, about a formerly lost mural uncovered at a LaVerne high school. It had been stucco'd over, no doubt during an invasion of Vandals. The mural is in petrachrome, which I believe qualifies it as a mosaic too.

The Long Beach Historical Society just opened an exhibit featuring photographs (on fabric) of New Deal artwork found in the city, and Clements' Zodiac mosaic is among the displays (along with "Fish" and "Seagulls," also at the airport). The real things can be seen at the airport as well. The exhibit will run through the end of the year and can be seen Tuesday-Saturday afternoons, according to this press release.

San Pedro Sportswalk

2011-06-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder about those triangular bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk along 6th Street in San Pedro, between Centre St and the harbor? They display names like Tracy Austin, Louis Zamperini, and Jim Thorpe, so I assumed that local--meaning South Bay--sports heroes were being honored. I was close. Most honorees are from the South Bay area, but some have a college or pro connection to Los Angeles instead.

In 1978, Councilman John Gibson came up with the "San Pedro Sportswalk to the Waterfront" to pay tribute to local athletes, or athletes wth a connection to Los Angeles. There's a list of all the Inductees here.

The San Pedro Magazine says the old Trani's Majestic Cafe was a big hangout for sports stars. Since that restaurant opened in 1925, I'm not gonna argue. The current and fourth J. Trani's is on 9th Street, but my guess is that the first restaurant was on 6th, near where the Sportswalk is now.

The funding/sponsorship for the Sportswalk fizzled after twenty years, but bounced back in 2004. Tony Rodich, who had been on the Sportswalk Committee (of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce) back in the 1990s had a brainstorm: Start it up again with a posthumous award to Pat Tillman.

Tillman was such a hero, no real local connection was needed. Tillman's family supported the idea, and it turned into an annual award given to an athlete who showed exemplary courage--professional or not. Pat Tillman, Sr. comes every year for the ceremony. Louis Zamperini has been awarded, as has Joe Anzack, a football player from South High in Torrance who who was killed in Iraq. Here's a list of other awardees.

As for the regular Sportswalk heroes, I am surprised at some of the L.A. connections. Sparky Anderson? Turns out he went to high school in L.A. Sugar Ray Robinson retired here and started his foundation for youth in Los Angeles. Marty McSorley played hockey for the Kings, but didja know he lives in Hermosa Beach?

For footballer John Brodie and boxer Andy Heilman, though, I draw a blank. Anyone?

Eagle Rock Mosaic

2011-06-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

This beautiful picture is from the artist's website: Betty Rosen Ziff.com. If you go there, you can see pictures of soon-to-be mayor Antonio Villaraigosa helping to set the glass tiles on this mosaic. It was August 6, 2005: Villaraigosa's last day as an L.A. City Councilman.

The artwork is in Eagle Rock Park, and is titled "Q's Dream". No, not Q as in the Star Trek character, although there are probably some convoluted ways to make that fit... No, this Q is Quetzalcoatl, below. And he's ten feet long.

Almost-Mayor Villaraigosa painted a tile in August, as did around 600 local kids. Those tiles were used on the "Dream with Me" Wall in the park, and the mural/mosaic of Quetzalcoatl is a part of that. The Eagle Rock Center for the Arts commissioned the wall.

After the tiles were painted, Betty Rosen Ziff put the mosaic together in her studio, on mesh. She used glass tiles for the part of Quetzalcoatl that had already shed his skin (from the head down) since they catch and reflect the light. Ceramic tiles were used for the rest of the body.

It's a little difficult to tell in the top picture where the glass ends and ceramic begins--but it's pretty much half-way along the body.

Quetzalcoatl was install on November 1st that year--Dia de los Muertas, appropriately. The Aztec deity is the god of wind, of corn, and more; he gave his people chocolate and the calendar; he is the feathered serpent god.

He had me at chocolate.

I love what Ms. Ziff wrote about her artwork: she pictures Quetzalcoatl "shedding his skin, tossing his feathers, in an effort to grow and realize his dreams--and our dreams for Los Angeles."

Venice City Hall--Beyond Baroque

2011-06-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful things about Venice is how much of it remains after 100 years. The canals, f'rinstance--at least the canals south of Venice Blvd, which we still take pictures of. I read that the ones north of that street were filled in. Or the arches along Windward Avenue. They look much the same now as they did when they were first built. Or in between those extremes, when Orson Welles filmed Touch of Evil.

Westland.net has a detailed history site about Venice--start here to read about how it was built and opened by Abbot Kinney.

I did not realize that Venice's original City Hall still stood on Venice Blvd. It was once called Ocean Park City Hall, and when the picture above was taken in 1910, it had just changed its name.

Since 1978, Beyond Baroque has occupied the building. Beyond Baroque has actually existed for 43 years, and is a "leading independent Literary/Arts center" and a public space (with free parking) dedicated to literary and cultural production.
So here's a photo of how the building looks today. Pretty good, huh?

Among the many offerings of Beyond Baroque is a series of "Gorgeous Stories" presented by students of Terrie Silverman's Creative Rites Workshops. I went to one this weekend & laughed and cried copiously. Another is coming up on June 19th at 7:30pm.

A supporting membership in Beyond Baroque--which entitles one to attend all their programs free--is only $35 a year. To sweeten the offer, you get a free CD of Viggo Mortensen reading his poetry in English and Spanish, just for joining.

A Meander Pattern in Torrance

2011-06-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I linked to a site describing meander patterns in mosaics. That site was the blog of Lillian Sizemore, a visiting artist at the Getty, and here's the link again.

Meander patterns repeat, turning this way and that. The "Maeander" River in Phrygia (now Turkey) mentioned in the Iliad turned this way and that, doubling back on itself and ... well, meandering all over the place.

Two weeks ago, I had to settle for the picture of a mosaic that had once visited the Getty but was now gone, to present a meander pattern. Silly me! How was I to know that two--not one, but two--lovely examples of meander mosaics were just down the road from where I grew up.

The relatively new welcoming walkway of Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance has obligingly indulged in meandering. They've placed the meander pattern mosaics along the walkway leading to the main entrance of the 51-year-old hospital, which seems to get remodeled or expanded once a decade.

The Beatitudes are also engraved along this walkway. One of the mosaics sits over the well-known prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, and I wonder if a statue is being readied for the center of it. The other circles a statue of Mary Potter, the "Foundress" of the group of nuns who called themselves the Little Company of Mary (Mary the mother of Jesus, not Mary Potter).

Foundress is one of those words that make me giggle inappropriately.

Anyway, the hospital was built after a fundraising campaign gathered half a million dollars to get the construction going. The total cost was $3.5 million, back in 1960.

Here's a Daily Breeze page of the hospital's history.

This date in LA County: June 1

2011-06-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things that happened on this date in Los Angeles history:

On June 1st, 1923, UCLA awarded its first sheepskins to 23 graduates of the University of California, Southern Branch. Don't bother trying to place the building at right--this all happened at the Vermont campus, quickly outgrown. The UC Southern Branch had been founded here in 1919, but chose a larger location in Westwood in 1925. (Read more about that in a previous post.)
The movie Star Trek III, The Search for Spock opened in 1984 on this date.

Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926, right here in Los Angeles, as Norma Jeane Mortenson.
Millionaire businessman and art collector Norton Simon (ne Norton Glickman) died on this date in 1993.
In 1943, a British/Dutch plane is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers. OK, that's Europe, but the Los Angeles/Hollywood connection is that British actor Lesley Howard, who played Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind, was one of the 17 people killed on that plane.

St. Margaret Mary Mosaic

2011-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today's mosaic is actually background--but lovely background. It simulates the heavenly light from the crucifix at St. Margaret Mary Alocoque Catholic Church in Lomita. (The "Alacoque" is often omitted.) Here's two views to give you the full effect. I suspect the garlands and drapes are part of the church's Easter decorations and will disappear shortly. Or not.

It all makes for a very pretty and festive presentation

I think that I shall never see
A cosier communitee.

Actually, St. Margaret Mary's is one of the loveliest and most inviting churches I've been to. There's a school next door, so the grounds are pretty large and dotted with well-planned rose bushes, trees, and a few alcoves with saint statues.

This particular tree between the church (on the left) and another building was draped in sweet-smelling jasmine. I'm sure that's a mood-changer for everyone who passes underneath.

The present church opened in 1954 on Easter Sunday and it held 800 people under its 40-ft ceiling. The parish itself, hoswever, has existed since the late 1930s.

It's been renovated a few times, most recently in 2001. That renovation was four times the inital cost of building the church: $800,000. Over the 2001 summer, while work was done on the church, mass was celebrated under a big white tent in the parking lot.

I suspect the mosaic dates from then (early references say a red curtain hung there previously) but I can't confirm that.

I didn't know this, but the church started the Lomita Fair, a big annual event that brings people from all over South Bay each September.

Mystery Bolts Explained

2011-05-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Before I start, no one's allowed to say, "Duh, I knew that!" Because this topic has come up and I've asked the question before (well, not here. In real life.), and no one had an answer.

I've finally learned what those not-so-decorative random diamonds/blobs on old building facades are. You can see them to the right of the tree's leaves, above the windows. The very top one, over the dark horizontal border, seems to be a giant tac through a white diamond shape, while others within the bordered area have no shape at all--as if someone just hammered evenly spaced bolts to the brick.

They are ugly--but not all examples are this ugly. Some seem evenly spaced, some arc.

I learned from Ancient L.A. (a book described in a previous post) that these are in fact bolts, and they are put in brick buildings as part of earthquake retrofitting.

I hear you! You're all saying, "Duh, I knew that!" aren't you?

Well, I didn't know.

These particularly unattractive examples of earthquake safety are on 7th Street in San Pedro. I love the one on the left. I can just imagine a disgruntled engineer saying, "You want bolts? I'll give you bolts!" before going crazy on the building.

It looks like ... like mebbe giants were playing Battleship using the bricks as squares?

The author of Ancient L.A. points out that many old buildings have plastered over their bricks and these unsightly blemishes, but clearly Ye Olde San Pedro has not reached that level of gentrification. I'd like to say the bolts add character, but they're just flat-out ugly.

Mosaic Tuesday

2011-05-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Grr...missed Mosaic Monday again. Not complaining--being busy and having fun are wonderful things, but I am sorry I couldn't come up with a mosaic yesterday.

So I will link to a wonderful blog post by Lillian Sizemore, which has a Los Angeles connection since she is a visiting artist at the Getty, conducting workshops since March on ancient patterns of mosaics. In fact, the art created by Lillian and her students will be sold as part of a fundraiser for Piece by Piece, in Los Angeles at The Mark (9320 Pico) on June 4.

This post shows how she and her students created "meander" mosaic borders, like the kind seen on ancient Greek and Roman mosaics.

On the post, there are tons of pictures showing the art created. In a previous article, she defines what meander means and where the term comes from. (Hint: there's a Maeander River in Homer.)

This bunny mosaic, about 1800 years old, was displayed at the Getty in a show of Tunisian mosaics in 2007, and it shows a meander pattern border.

(I have a refrigerator magnet of this mosaic. It's my favorite, partly because I was once the honored caretaker of a rabbit who is currently going for the world's record in bunny longevity.) (Which is neither hare nor there, I know.)

Tongva Villages

2011-05-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Found a odd little book in the library--odd because it's published by The Unreinforced Masonry Studio in Los Angeles in 1999--I think a small press owned by the author, since he's published several books on L. A. history with that imprint. Titled Ancient L.A., it's a series of essays by one Michael Jacob Rochlin.

The first section is on the Tongva villages. and it's part collection of facts from sources like Hugo Reid and Indian history books, and part photos culled from the LA Library's collection. The photos are not well reproduced; none have titles or dates, though some are interesting.

Rochlin puts some fascinating information together in novel ways, but doesn't give a lot of context for understanding. So I'm not sure I'd recommend him to someone working on a term paper, but his book is a good read for Los Angeles history fanatics looking for a fresh viewpoint.

I photographed these two maps from the book; don't know where Rochlin got them.

The first map is of known Tongva Villages in the 1700-1800s, the second is of cities with a population greater than 500 in 1900. Rochlin points out that "a majority of Los Angeles County towns with a 1900 population of five hundred or more had been established by indigenous peoples."

The Tongva villages were set on high ground, near rivers or the ocean, and usually at the intersection of two environmental zones. Communication and trade flourished, so you found villages near a salt lake, a tar pit, or something that the villagers could trade.

Portola followed a native path that is now Wilshire Blvd, according to Rochlin (he cites 3 sources for this fact)(forgive me; I went to graduate school and love footnotes). Portola returned to the sea along a native route that the Spanish would call El Camino Real, and which the 101 Freeway now follows.

Anyway, I had great fun comparing the two maps. Pasekgna = San Fernando; Suangna = Wilmington; Sukangna = Whittier, and so on.

Burbank Mosaics by Beverly Bigwood

2011-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Today's mosaics are found in Burbank, along the entryway and steps leading to The Villas in the 700 block of E. Olive. The Villas are condos that stretch for half the block on the odd-numbered side. You can't see the mosaics well on Google Earth; I tried.

"Mii Amo" is the name of the artwork, and the artist is Beverly Bigwood. A search in the Los Angeles Times turned up this story: in the late 1980s, Bigwood was most known for paper portraits. "Two of her works were stolen from a Westwood gallery along with a Miro, a Dali and a Lichtenstein." Not bad company, if you're going to be hijacked.

You can see samples of Bigwood's portraits and collage works at her website, BigwoodArt.com

The mosaic steps and passageway was commissioned by the City of Burbank's Public Arts Commission. On the risers of the steps, a mosaic waterfall descends--it's hard to see in these pictures.

The work was installed in 2004--here's a photo showing the plaque from the city. As far as I can tell, this was her first mosaic work--quite amazing.

Burbank enjoys more of Bigwood's art along King Street, where all those metal animal silhouettes on fences and gates are hers--also commissioned by the city of Burbank. The project is called "Urban Meadows," and you can see pictures here.

While Beverly Bigwood's work has been featured in over a hundred exhibitions all over the US and Europe, her home is in the South Bay and she's been very involved with the Palos Verdes Art Center over the years.

This month, Bigwood joined with other artists in an exhibit called "Come Together for Unity--A Group Show of Artists in Support of Humanity Art and Nature." It's at the P.S. Zask Gallery in the Promenade in the Peninsual Mall (in Palos Verdes). A part of the proceeds from all artwork sold will go to the Red Cross of Japan to help the Tsunami victims. The grand opening was two days ago, but the show runs through June 4th.

Imagine a Circus...with Trapeze

2011-05-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

This Sunday night (May 15) on the Santa Monica Pier you can thrill to the daring feats of trapeze artists, in a show called "Imagine A Circus."
This picture is from one of their last rehearsals. The show starts at 6:30 PM. For more info or to reserve your place, go to the LeapsNBoundz FB page and click on the EVENT button on the left.

Leaps ... N ... Boundz is a sports and recreation program for kids with special needs, btw. Gymnastics, swimming, or just palling around and making friends. Money raised by the Imagine a Circus event goes to the Leaps N Boundz Foundation.

When was the first mention of trapeze in the Los Angeles Times? February 12, 1882. On that night, during a masked ball, "the Turner boys did themselves proud by the fine exhibition of their prowess on the trapeze." The Times also complimented "eccentric characters" as well, but I think the writer was not referring to the Turner boys. The acting of the characters was "quite too utterly, too."

All this took place at Turnverein Hall, a 50 by 50 foot building on Figueroa that may have been the only theater in Los Angeles when it was built in the 1870s. Alternately, some have it as the first athletic club and call it Turn Verein Hale.. USC's archives has an 1885 picture of the two-story building and puts it at 29th and 30th streets.

But go see Imagine A Circus. It'll be quite too utterly, too.

Downey Civic Theater

2011-05-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today's mosaics are mountd in the lobby of the Downey Civic Theater on Firestone Blvd. (or 2nd, at Brookshire) in Downey. The 748-seat theater is part of the Downey Civic Center and Embassy Suites Hotel.

The Downey Theater (the word "Civic" seems to be optional) had its gala opening with a performance of "The Sound of Music" in late October, 1970, according to the Los Angeles Times. It's history goes back a bit further: for fourteen years, a Downey Children's Theater Group had operated out of a school auditorium. Eventually the city raised $1.9 million through cigarette and hotel taxes, specifically to build the theater.

The Times was impressed by the local participation: Downey residents assembled two 70-member casts for the musical, each complete cast playing alternate shows (except for John Woods, who played Capt. von Trapp in all shows. He was that good.) Local residents also made up the 35-piece orchestra. No mention of the lobby mosaics is made, though.

In March 1971, astronauts Alan Shephard, Edgar Mitchell, and Stuart Roosa landed by helicopter in Downey and spoke at the theater. It was a busy place--looks like everything from beauty pagents to opera to marionettes have played there.

The theater's had its ups and downs over the years, and I've looked over dozens of articles. But nowhere do I see a mention of the mosaics!

I suspect--since they deal so much with history--that they were added either during the nation's Bicentennial (1976) or Downey's Centennial, a few years ago. But that's a guess.

This last picture is added to give a sense of the lobby--the mosaics are upper right. The photos are in a Flicker stream presented by the Downey Historic Conservancy.

If someone can enlighten me, tell me when the mosaics were installed and who the artist is, etc. I will gladly post that information along with your favorite picture (as long as it's not obscene).

Tongva Village Names

2011-05-08T01:21:00.000-07:00

Do you wonder how we know the names and sometimes the locations of Tongva villages while much of the language and cultural knowledge of the Tongva was lost?

Or maybe it’s just me. I always wonder about that sort of thing.

Well, there are a couple of sources for the village names. One is the baptismal records at the mission—in this case, the San Gabriel Mission. When a Native American was baptized by the Franciscans, the record noted where he or she was from. Many village names appear over and over again in the records.

Some books refer to Chowigna as a particular village, but most agree that it was a branch of the Tongva in a particular geographic area. Chowigna villagers were all over the Palos Verdes Peninsula (as noted in the previous post), on Catalina Island, in Redondo Beach, Long Beach, and even in Orange County.

There were also a few European-descended commentators who wrote about the local Indians. I have a library book that’s a collection of letters written by Hugo Reid in the 1850s. Reid was an immigrant from Scotland who came to California, married a Tongva woman, and eventually owned Rancho Santa Anita—though he went bankrupt and lost it. Read more about him at ArcadiasBest, here.

This statue of Hugo Reid and his wife, children, and faithful dog, stands in the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia, outside Reid's adobe home.
After bankruptcy, Reid wrote a series of essays on the local Indians, possibly hoping to establish himself as an expert so he’d get a government appointment. Unfortunately, Reid died the same year his essays were printed in the Los Angeles Star: 1852.

Reid listed dozens of villages and their locations. He also listed vocab words such as numbers, colors, etc., gave some basic information about religion, customs and practices for marriage, birth, death, punishing crimes, healing, etc. For instance, Reid says that “during the season of flowers” women and children wove flowers into their hair and strung flowers and stems together into boas.

Reid also records some fables. Given that his wife was Tongva, I’m guessing that he had good access to his information and presented it faithfully.

Chowigna Villages

2011-05-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Under some condominiums built in the Malaga Cove area of Palos Verdes, very near Torrance, are the remains of villages that date back over 7000 years. Yes, seven thousand. People were living there and eating raw shellfish.

At various times over the millennia, other groups made their homes there. The most recent prehistoric settlers were a branch of the Tongva people called Chowigna. The Malaga Cove site was excavated in 1936-37 by the Southwest Museum and USC, and thousands of artifacts were catalogued.

The picture here is of a Santa Fe Springs Interpretive Center model home--I borrow it from one Tongva tribal website (there is more than one).

The Tongva lived in Palos Verdes from around 1000 AD to around the mid-1700s. They used pots and ornaments made from soapstone from Catalina Island--proof of a flourishing trade. Other villages dotted the Peninsula--Archaeologist William Wallace told the LA Times in 1971 that he knew of at least 70 sites, though he hadn't excavated all of them.

The Tongva villagers left behind glass beads, traded from the Spanish, and shortly after that the village was abandoned when at least 150 people (possibly the entire village population) were taken to the Mission San Gabriel.

All this and a bit more are in an article I wrote for Patch.com that ran last Monday. Wikipedia also has a lot of info about Tongva villages.

The most intriguing bit of information I learned is that the largest village in the area. Suang Na, was on Lake Machado in Harbor City--but nobody knows exactly what side of the lake. It hasn't been found or excavated, iow. I'm not suggesting anyone start digging now, but it is nice to know that there is lots for us still to learn.

Central Library Mosaic Dome

2011-05-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the library fire, today's mosaic is a survivor of the blaze: the mosaic dome atop the 1926 structure.

Here's a paragraph from both Tribes.tribe.net http://tribes.tribe.net/lacentrallibrary and Wikipedia describing it:

Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the original Los Angeles Central Library to mimic the architecture of ancient Egypt. The central tower is topped with a tiled mosaic pyramid with suns on either side with a hand holding a torch representing the "Light of Learning" at the apex. Other elements include sphinxes, snakes, and celestial mosaics. It has similarities to the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, also designed by Goodhue and which also featured sculpture by the architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie.

The library itself has a page on its art, but I could find nothing about the dome. However, they do have an incredible archive of dozens of pictures taken during construction in 1925 (top right) and 1926 (bottom right.)

And dang, all the color pictures I find of the mosaic are so washed out I don't want to use them. The exception at top is from the VigilantCitizen blog, which writes about symbolism on our public places. That post also includes extensive biographies of Goodhue and the artists who contributed to the library, as well as a discussion of the symbolism of the tower mosaic--mostly focused on the pyramid and the sun.

The Library Fire: 25 Years Ago

2011-04-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Library Facebook page carried this picture--I sure would not have remembered otherwise. April 29, 1986, was the day that an arson fire broke out just before 11 AM at the mail library on 5th Street. By 5 PM, 60 units and 350 firefighters were involved.

You can read a blow-by-blow description of the fire at the LAFD Historical Society website, or at the LAFD Historical Archive.

Here's a sample: "As the heat and fire crept through the building, fire attack companies were forced to withdraw and be replaced every 15 minutes. Every time a hose line was opened up inside, super-heated steam pushed the fire attack company back."

In the end, 350,000-400,000 books--$20 million worth--were destroyed outright. Water and smoke damaged more. Still, according to the LAFD Historical Archive, 8.5 million books were saved.

Was the arsonist ever caught? I think not.

Googie Road Trip!

2011-04-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

To honor Eldon Davis' passing, James Horecka posted his Googie Road Trip slide show--complete with maps--on the Hidden Los Angeles Facebook feed. Bob's Big Boy, Pann's, the former Wich Stand, the LAX Theme Building, all pretty and refurbished...There's even a new (2009) site in the mix.

And because I missed Mosaic Monday this week, I'm illustrating this announcement with one of the pictures in the slide show, used with permission: the "N" mosaics that decorate Norm's Restaurant at 470 N. La Cienega. The firm of Armet and Davis designed this in 1957.

Eldon Davis Passed Away

2011-04-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Eldon Davis, who helped define Googie architecture in LA with buildings like Pann's Restaurant and classic Norm's Coffee Shops, passed away this weekend at age 94. Read a heartfelt tribute at Chris Nichols' blog (with Los Angeles Magazine).

Imagine dying at 94 "after a brief illness". Here's to great health, longevity, and doing what you love for a living.

April 30--L.A. Stories

2011-04-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 30, from 11am to 3pm, KCET and the Mayor's Office is co-sponsoring an event at Rio de Los Angeles State Park. And holy cow, there's even a mosaic bench there.

The event is called StoryShares; the day is also Mayor Villaraigosa's Day of Service. Food, festivities, Hiz Honor, and the band Ozomatli will all be present--fresh from Coachella and Napa, in the case of the band.

The point is collect stories about the people who live by the Los Angeles River. Your story. You can go online and fill out a form on how you enjoy the river, or wait for the Sunday event, where--if I understand rightly--there will be audio and video recording of memories going on.

That same weekend, though, is the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC, with hundreds and hundreds of authors and celebrities. People like Lisa and Carolyn See, Vincent Bugliosi, Steve Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis (must be a memoir there), Jennifer Egan (PULITZER PRIZE WINNER!), Janet Fitch, etc. etc.

St Catherine Laboure Mosaic and Windows

2011-04-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's big, it's sparkly, and it's even (I think) ecumenical, if that word means universal. The mosaic sits behind the altar at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Torrance, on Redondo Beach Blvd.--near El Dorado Park and El Camino College.

According to a 1977 Los Angeles Times article, the work was done by two sisters, Edith and Isabel Piczek--born in Hungary, educated all over, but living in Los Angeles. At the time of the article, their religious art and stained glass windows adorned 158 churches in seven countries.

PublicArtinLA credits Isabel with "The Annunciation," a mosaic over the doorway of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church (the Plaza Church).

The crowning achievement of the Piczek sisters seems to be Las Vegas' Guardian Angel Cathedral. The building itself is eye-catching an innovative, but the mosaics and stained glass are truly amazing. Here's an article with pictures about that church.

At St. Catherine Laboure, the Piczek sisters also created eight stained glass windows, according to the Times. One of them must be this picture from the church's website.

I took pictures of the stained glass windows in the front of the church because they were very different--they look rather 1950s to me. I'm pretty sure these are not the work of the Piczek sisters.

A friend told me these windows were actually made and installed in the 1980s by a parishioner who was grateful to the Church and simple made an artistic gift of it, doing the work himself.

Here are the pictures; maybe someone knows more about their origin. The outside shot on the left came out rather well, especially if you click on it to see all the detail. The inside shot of the top of the same window...not so good. I tried both morning and afternoon, but the church faces north and the light was just too bright.

Still, you can see that it doesn't look at all like the work of Isabel and Edith Piczek. Can you believe that there is no Wikipedia entry for these incredibly skilled and prolific artists?

Return to Redondo Beach Mosaic-s

2011-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about mosaics is that we are never truly finished with them.

This weekend, Patch in Redondo Beach posted my article about the restoration work being done on a mosaic pictured at left. Art conservators are working on the 18- or 20-foot wide mosaic by Susan Hertel which went up in 1979. The bank is now a Wells Fargo (it started out as a Home Savings & Loan), and Wells Fargo committed to restoring the mosaic last September, when my first Patch article ran.

So far so good.

The big surprise, when I stopped by on Sunday to see the work, is that a second mosaic was hiding in sort-of plain sight: over an unused door in the back of the bank, facing a tiny stucco building called the Cozy Cafe. Here's a picture at right.

You can see the deterioration--it's even worse than the front mosaic. On the far left, a big chunk of tiles is missing.

The good news is that the replacement tiles--left over from the original installation--are available. I keep trying to tell Wells Fargo this. The bad news is they're not using them--but for a good, ethical reason. They want the restoration work to be clearly visible when viewed up close.

I understand, but I hope they change their mind about using the original tiles. I mean, it's practically miraculous that they are available after 32 years, and miracles should never be ignored.

As for the cafe next door--it's been there since the 1940s. Why would Home Savings put a big, beautiful mosaic where it can't be seen because of another building?

Well, once the article went up we learned a partial answer. Tony Czulager of Redondo Beach remembered that this building was brought in pre-fabricated and was intended to be temporary.

Apparently Home Savings was certain that Cozy Cafe would move and they could have its land and parking lot. They'd raze the cafe and put in a new, larger, Home Savings.

Perhaps the mosaic was intended to ornament the new, main entrance at that point.

Didn't work that way. As Tony pointed out, the Cozy Cafe is still there, still serving breakfast around its counter as it has for sixty-five years, and Home Savings is very gone.

Wonder if there are other 'pre-fabbed' Home Savings?

A New Outlet for Local History Writers

2011-04-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

The History Press is looking for authors.

The History Press is adding California to its line of local history books. They're looking for people to write text-driven books of about 30,000-40,000 words, accompanied by at least 30--and hopefully more--photographs.

Sound like Arcadia? I thinks so too. Like Arcadia, they neither give advances nor do they charge the authors any fees. You propose the topic--local history can be told through stories of neighborhoods, sports, haunted sites, or even tales of true crime. History Press has a series for each of those topics--or food & drink, local legends, you name it.

And since they're new to California, I assume they're wide open to ideas. As far as I could tell, the only Southern California titles that are scheduled (not published yet) are about Del Mar and Orange.

I'm going to assume that--like Arcadia--this offer is not something you'd do for the money. No, the reward would be seeing your book, or your community's book, out on shelves.

There's a big form to be filled out if you are interested in publishing with The History Press--under the "For Authors" tab at their site.

Coronado Bay Playhouse

2011-04-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

This mosaic sits outside a building labled: City of Coronado Community Playhouse.

It's actually the Coronado Playhouse, a 64-year-old institution which has occupied its present locale on Glorietta Bay since 2006. Before that, the playhouse operated in a high school auditorium, a quonset hut, and even a temporary "strung" structure--a pavillion.

The mosaic is titled "Sea Passage" by artist James T. Hubbell. Commissioned by the City of Coronado, it also has a less romantic name: Glorietta Bay Linear Park Artwork.

In 2007, the Port of San Diego gave the work its Orchid Award for Excellence in Public Art.

The Port of San Diego's Public Art program seems to be huge and well-funded, and there are mosaics all over the place down there--sea walls, schools, raised dividers at public intersections. Just sayin', while this will be my last bow to San Diego (at least till my next weekend trip), someone could power a blog for quite a while by taking pictures of all the lovely artwork in the area.

First April Fool's Joke in L.A.

2011-03-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

At least, the first reported in the Los Angeles Times as far as my Proquest search is concerned.

The April 2nd, 1885 edition of the paper says that a reporter from the Herald and "the whole reportorial corps of the Express" trotted out to Sonoratown when told (by telephone) of a suicide in a bar called the Monkey Saloon.

Apparently the Monkey Saloon was real, because everyone knew where to find it. A couple of off-duty cops showed up as well, and the deputy coroner got half-way there before learning the call was bogus.

The intrepid journalist from the Times knew better and stayed home...wonder if he had anything to do with the joke?

Anyhow, the corpse turned out to be made of straw. Big laugh. As the Times reported, "The only parties who really suffered from the canard were the unfortunate Express reporters, as it came at the busy time of the day for them, and, fatigued and unhappy, they returned to their unfinished duties."

Just where was Sonoratown in 1885? Believe it or not, googling the place with Los Angeles led me to this 1885 photo at the LA History Galley (sometimes life is so easy!)

This photograph is credited to a bicentennial-era book, A Guide to Historic Places in Los Angeles County, edited by Judson Grenier.

The site says that Sonoratown was located north of Old Sunset, east of Buena Vista, and west of North Main. My good ol' Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia of the City and County by the Pitts puts Sonoratown along North Main and North Broadway "and on the hilly streets north and west of the Plaza, including Alpine and Buena Vista." The residential neighborhood existed from the 1850s till the early 1900s.

Coronado Bay Mosaic

2011-03-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

A weekend away, but mosaics are everywhere. Even Home Savings and Loan mosaics!

This Coronado Bay (in San Diego County) artwork is by Susan Hertel--you can see the SH initials in the lower far left. The mosaic is on a building on Orange, just a few blocks north of the Del Coronado Hotel. The place was a Petco--there's still a sign in the window notifying customers of the move. Apparently, Chase Bank owns the building (Chase acquired WaMu which acquired Home S&L in the 90s), and would not renew Petco's lease. That was in mid-2009.

However, Coronado Currents, an online newsletter, says in 2005 that the mosaic was designed by Millard Sheets. Perhaps they guessed. I know that the first time I saw an SH on a Home S&L mosaic, I assumed that it meant him, but have since learned that Susan Hertel, his protege, took over many of the commissions for Home Savings artwork after Sheets retired. By the 1980s, I think she and Denis O'Connor were doing all the designs.

I'm also including a photo of the back, because I suspect that when this was a Home S&L, another mosaic rested over the door. It's gone now, but a flat, recessed space is still there.

Adam Aronson blogged about this former bank & pet store a few months ago. He dates the mosaic to 1985, and describes how the gulls' wings are cut into the travertine. It's a surprisingly small, neat little picture of a ferry, and suits the building. I hope a new tenent moves in soon--one who will appreciate the art .

Pirates Den

2011-03-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

On May 3, 1940, a celebrity-owned restaurant opened up at 335 N. La Brea, right where the Bob Hope Health Center is today. And guess what? Hope was one of the owners of the Pirates Den.

Other owners, according to the book Out With the Stars: Hollywood Nightlife in the Golden Era, were Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurry, Jimmy Fiddler, Johnny Weismuller, Ken Murray, Rudy Vallee, Tony Martin, Errol Flynn, and Vic Erwin. Quite a line up.

This picture is from the Victor Mature website and shows Mature with date Carol Landis. Mature was working on a Hal Roach picture, Captain Caution, in September 1940, and apparently brought the whole gang over to seize control of the Pirates Den. In a fun way.

On any night, though, the waiters dressed as pirates and their manager carried a bullwhip to enforce discipline in his crew.

Mock battles were staged and female patrons abducted & held in the brig until they screamed--at which point, they were released with a scream diploma.

The bar, btw, was called the Skull and Bones Bar.

So it seems that restaurant in Orange County is not quite so original, eh?

In fact, the Victualling Blog credits Don Dickerman, a pirate fanatic, with opening Pirates Dens in NYC, Miami, and Washington DC, and with being the actual operator of the restaurant on La Brea.

Dickerman's home base was Lovell, Maine. After he hired Rudy Vallee in the 1920s as a singer in one of his many NY clubs, Dickerman introduced Vallee to Kezar Lake in Maine. Because of that, a local newspaper wrote about the "Pirate of Kezar Lake," Dickerman--who married more than 13 times. Read more about him here.

What happened to the Pirates Den? It didn't last long, as this LA Times story describes it. In July of 1941, the Times ran a story about a woman who complained that her son had been ripped off at the Pirates Den--forced to pay $6.50 for three sandwiches and Cokes. Her complaint went to the Police Commission along with another complaint from a judge who had been charged $6 for three beers. That bad publicity made everyone think the place was a clip joint, and business took a dive.

Tarzan of Tarzana Mosaic

2011-03-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I again thank Gerry Fecht and his blog of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley for photos and information about mosaics in Tarzana.

These mosaics line the bottom of a shallow fountain at the Whole Foods Market on Ventura Blvd, just installed last year. You can see even more details on the photos at the Nice Work blog.

That blog also has a photo of the larger mosaic "World of Men" which I think is over the escalator. It features a silouetted Tarzan in the top left, overlooking scenes of the developing city.

The artist is Jose Antonio Aguirre. I blogged about another of his works in the East Los Angeles Library. He is also one of three artists listed for the mosaics at the East Los Angeles Civic Center.

Here's an autobiography and pictures of some of his other work on a website maintained by Arizona State University (go Sun Devils!)

Tarzana was named for Tarzan. I didn't know that but should have--Tarzana was the home of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Finally, here's a link to the Tarzana Whole Foods Facebook page. But don't waste your time unless you have questions about the gourmet olive bar. Tons of information on the groceries, but nothing on the mosaics. Boo.

Entertainment in Historic Venues

2011-03-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

The L.A. Conservancy has me on its mailing list--which is not a complaint at all. Here are some of the concerts and movies that will take place in historic venues throughout the city:

The Tallis Scholars will be at Vibiana's (pictured at right) on Friday, March 26, presenting a "Greatest Hits" concert of Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Tickets start at $35, and you can order them here.
The Last Remaining Seats--for the 25th year--will show classic movies in classic theaters from May 25 through June 29. The first movie is Rear Window with Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart at the Orpheum Theater. Leonard Maltin will host the evening, and there'll be a preshow performance on the original Mighty Wurlitzer organ by Robert York. The movie starts at 8 pm; get more information here.
Other movies/theaters in June include Captain Blood, the original King Kong (whatever happened to Fay Wray?) and Sunset Boulevard. Oh, and a Harold Lloyd silent comedy, Safety Last. Tickets are $16 if pre-ordered.

St Patrick's Day trivia

2011-03-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Remember St Patrick's Day of 1985? Probably not. But that was the day that Night Stalker Richard Ramirez killed his second known victim, Dayle Okazaki, in Rosemead. He also shot Okazaki's roommate, Maria Hernandez, but she lived to identify Ramirez in a line-up and at the trial. He killed again the next night.

On the 19th, the report of the murder was grouped in news of "The Region," under a headline about a Writers Guild contract. In July the wrong man was arrested for the murder, but by August 8th the police knew (I think because of the gun) that a serial killer was at large.

I must be in a morbid mood to even notice that.

Trivia: On Sunday,March 17, 1985, there were 1,060 pages to the Los Angeles Times. The pictures on the front page were of a Lebanese family mourning after an Israeli attack, and a Tehran neighborhood hit by an Iraqi missile. News stories pointed out friction between the Reagan administration and Western Europe over US policies in Central America.

The Metro section ('member that?) featured a day in the life of Mayor Bradley, and an evaluation of how the year-old smog check program was/wasn't working. And ads....dang, there were a lot of ads! Ads for clothes and mattresses and half-off film developing (ask your parents what that was)

The Night Stalker continued to kill frequently through the spring and summer, and we all started locking our windows at night. By the time he was caught in late August of 1985, he'd murdered at least 14 and raped and beaten many more.

I was going to run a picture of him, but he's just too evil-looking.

Mission Hills Mosaics

2011-03-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Joseph Young--whom I've blogged about before (here and here)--designed and made twelve separate mosaics representing the "Twelve Tribes of Ancient Israel," which is the name of the artwork as a whole. The mosaics sit in Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills on the exterior of the Court Mausoleum--one of three mausoleums in the park.

Lenny Bruce, Sam Jaffe, and Groucho Marx are buried at Eden, according to FindAGrave. (Wasn't Groucho married and divorced from a woman named Eden? Ironic.)

Levi is at top. Dan is the lion, and Judah the scales.

Gerald Fecht, president of the Museum of the San Fernando Valley, took the pictures in 2008. I use them with his permission.

As far as I could find, these are the only photos on the web, showing three of the twelve mosaics. Check out his blog at MSFV.blogspot.com for other listing and information on the history of the San Fernando Valley.

According to Jerry, the mosaics are badly in need of repair.
Eden Memorial Park acknowledges that tiles are missing, but they are trying maintain the mosaics in best possible condition.
Since Joseph Young is a well-known artist, I wonder if his heirs or co-workers or suppliers have replacement tiles?

Just a thought. I know in the case of Millard Sheets and Home Savings, many of those who worked with him--as well as his son Tony Sheets--do have tiles and actively participate in keeping his artwork in good condition.

Missing Pulpit

2011-03-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

May I take a bye week on Mosaic Monday?

Instead I want to present this picture, which Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes is letting me use. This is an old photo of the redwood pulpit of St. Peters Episcopal Church, built in 1884. I believe the pulpit dates from that year as well.

It's MISSING! Someone (or some group) took it out of the church in the last fifty years. The church sat at Harbor View Cemetery in San Pedro; actually, it's still there. For a bit.

As I wrote about in this piece on Patch, the 127-year-old church is going to be moved in the coming months to a quieter home at Green Hills Memorial Park.
There, it will be restored, enjoyed, and kept relatively safe from vandals or souvenir-pickers.

In its present position at the corner of San Pedro's oldest cemetery, St Peters shares space with regular crew of homeless folks who sleep behind it. They're not the problem, though.

It seems since 1956 when the church was first moved to this location (it's third home), it was used for weddings and even regular musical theater events.

That's a picture of St. Peters at right. The stained glass windows have been removed and are being restored; metal grill screens are in their place.

Eventually, the church fell into disuse. Now, the church is padlocked but otherwise unprotected.

Somewhere in that timeline, 1956 to 2011, items went missing--most notably this lectern/pulpit, carved by an old shipbuilding hand in the 19th century.

If anyone's seen it in a backyard, thrift store, home, on Antiques Roadshow or even in another church...we'd really like to have it back. Please?

Jane Russell, 1942

2011-03-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

In tribute to Jane Russell, the Los Angeles Library Facebook page posted this picture taken in 1942 at Terminal Island, where ships were being built.

Don't see any Rosie the Riveters there, but this was still very early in the war effort--not even two months past the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Here's the caption that went with it: "Continuing their all-out campaign to discourage careless talk about shipping and military operations in the Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor area, Naval authorities today began distributing thousands of posters driving home the vital message, 'Serve with Silence.' At the Terminal Island yard of the California Shipbuilding Company, Miss Jane Russell, motion picture actress, tacked up the first poster in January 1942. (Los Angeles Herald-Examiner Collection, order#00083250)"

Architectural History of Los Angeles

2011-02-28T13:47:00.000-08:00

In 2004, Los Angeles Magazine called this piece "a 6 by 36 foot postcard of undulating ocean waves, swirling on-ramps, and city landmarks from Griffith Observatory to Angel's Flight." At that time, the mosaic was on the edge of its 50th birthday, having been installed at Parker Center in 1955 by Joseph Young.

That year, tours of the new Parker Center were in such high demand that a policewoman worked full time leading groups through the building. 8000 folks from September through December, 1955.

Yound died in August 2007 if you want to look up his obituary on the Los Angeles Times. I blogged then, but the link is no longer good. Here's a copy from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which is where Young was born.

The above picture of the mosaic came from the Joseph Young fan page on Facebook, and there are more photos there. And here's an interesting b&w image on radaris.com--no idea where they got it.

I am actually on hold with the LAPD as I write this, trying to learn if the mosaic has been moved to the new police headquarters. Their hold music includes Beethovan's Fifth Symphony...quite nice.

Nope--the mosaic is still at the old Parker Center, and there are no plans to move it.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith Meet on Mosaic Floor

2011-02-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

Is it stretching a bit too far to call this a mosaic? It's a tesselation, but a mosaic? I'm going with it because I've been holding on to these pictures for over a week and want to use them.

The floor appears in several films, most notably Mr. and Mrs. Smith. At the beginning of the movie, this floor and lobby stands in for a hotel in Columbia where John Smith (Brad Pitt) meets Jane (Angelina Jolie).

As Jane looks at John and the camera focuses on the weapon hidden under her dress (like a weapon would be unnoticable under the sheer fabric, which silhouettes her entire figure...but I digress), we clearly see this floor.

Here's another view of the lobby, looking out. Stained glass windows are mosaics, technically, right? Pieces of tile or glass fitted together to form an image? The stained glass--the windows, in fact--do not appear in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. But if you imagine a big wooden bar along the left wall, that's where Brad Pitt stood. Put a lot of small tables and plants in the space, and you have an old South American hotel.

The girders on that left window may be a "V", because the place was originally called the Van Nuys Hotel when it was built in 1892.

This link leads to a picture of the entire hotel on You-Are-Here. The stained glass window and main entrance are on the bottom left, facing 4th Street. Today it is the Barclay, and it stands at 4th and Main. Also in that linked pictue, notice that the corner windows seem vacant. That corner space is often set up to look like a coffee shop, especially in CSI shows.

This picture is of a doorway and transom window that leads off the lobby, to the left as you walk in. It was highly ornamented and colorful in the movie, but recognizable.

The last shot shows the great enclosed front desk, visible in the movie too. (The bar would be to the far right). There's actually an old-fashioned switchboard inside--a modern system sits right in front of it, but the switchboard is still there.

The pillars, the floor, the iron bars--the Barclay was where Mr. and Mrs. Smith met.

I can't claim to have come up with this on my own--but I did verify it by watching the movie opening a couple of times.

No, the info came from Harry Medved who knows all there is to know (just about) of movie locations. He led a tour of the downtown area while promoting his new book Location Filming in Los Angeles (Images of America Series).

As for the Van Nuys/Barclay Hotel, Here is an old postcard showing it in its Van Nuys days--the stained glass windows once lined both sides of the place, but now only two are left. I found this at a USC site.

Side-by-Side Freeth Busts

2011-02-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot from Redondo Beach about ten days ago, showing the new bust of Surfer George Freeth, who died in 1919.

New, because the old copper bust was stolen and never recovered. By a lucky chance, the RB Historical Society had the molds from the original statue.

Luckier still, although the artist had passed on, his daughter, also an artist, was glad to recast and recreate the art. (Here's a Patch piece on the re-dedication of the statue, mentioning KellyO, daughter of Terry O'Donnell.)

The old statue stood further north--where the small family is headed. The pier parking lot is on their right, so the statue was far less visible and easily taken. The new location is Freeth Plaza. That's the Starboard Attitude upstairs to the left.

And here are two photos for a side by side comparison--one of the new bust, one of the old (old meaning 1977, when it was originally cast. That's old if you'r twenty, I guess...)

The right picture is from darin.rtgit.com, courtesy of the Witts. But it really is the best picture showing the facial features. (If the owner asks, I will take the photo down.)

Bye Bye Borders?

2011-02-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hate to say it, but I remember when Borders built its big store in Torrance and we all thought, how can a book store possibly sell enough to pay for that chunk o' real estate?

But then we began meeting for coffee and listening to acoustic concerts, getting books signed by the author, joining in group discussions, and in general abandoning the old, dusty stores where we'd prowled for used books for years. Borders seduced us with flirtations and lattes and songs . . .

Amazon pushed them out of business, but I can't help wondering--will this possibly bring back a few old dusty bookstores?

So many are gone--Either/Or in Hermosa, Acres of Books in Long Beach. Others remain, slightly changed: Book Soup and Vromans come to mind.

Many little coffee shops (Catalina Coffee in Redondo Beach is a perfect example--the owner posted this picture at right) have added shelves of used books over the years. Along with comfy, cushioned chairs and sofas, the books contribute to the feel of lounging a big living room. Friends and couples gather there. Kids meeet for study groups.

Maybe we can survive losing the neighborhood Borders.

FYI, the Wall Street Journal has posted a list of all the stores that are closing. Click on a column (like STATE) to sort the list alphabetically.

I expected to find Montclair and Rolling Hills on there and maybe Long Beach (both Bellflower Blvd and Pine)--but Glendale, the Santa Monica Blvd. store in LA, Cerritos, Pasadena?

My old favorite, Torrance, remains. But with the company in bankruptcy, and some publishers not shipping to them due to unpaid bills--for how long?

St. Anne Melkite Greek Catholic Church

2011-02-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today's mosaic comes from North Hollywood. I think...maybe it's Studio city. Anyway,
St. Anne Melkite Greek Catholic Church on Moorpark St. inaugurated its current church and hall in 1965. These archways--with many mosaics, all depicting scenes from the Bible--stand outside the church, surrounding it almost like a moat.

I hear there's a three year waiting list to have a marriage ceremony there, and I suspect it's not just because the church is beautiful.

I've been to a wedding there--the couple lived forty miles away, but St. Anne was the only Melkite Greek Catholic Church around. I just checked, and it's still the only Melkite Greek Catholic Church with its own building in Los Angeles County. (There is a Melkite Greek Catholic community that meets at a Russian-Greek Church in El Segundo.)

I have yet to see or hear a coherent explanation of the differences between these particular churches. Anyone who does understand usually cares passionately about canonical law and tradition and all the things that complicate the explanation. The levels of relationships between the Greek and Roman, Melkite, Coptic, Syriac, etc, etc, are-- if you'll pardon the pun--positively Byzantine.

But the mosaics are purty.

Valentino's Suite at the Alexandria Hotel

2011-02-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

There is a suite of rooms on the 12th floor of the Alexandria Hotel that is supposed to be haunted by Rudolf Valentino. The story is that before he became a famous movie star, he lived at the Alexandria on Fifth and Spring. He was a dance instructor at the time.

No proof, of course--no lease agreement or signature on a register. I hate to poo-poo a good story, but the suite of rooms is rather spacious and the Alexandria a first class hotel back then.

Could a dance instructor have lived there?

I got to see the suite during the tour led by Harry Medved last Saturday, when the Metropolis Bookstore hosted a book-signing event for Location Filming in Los Angeles (Images of America Series)
by Medved, Karie Bible, and Marc Wanamaker. Great fun.

The reason these pictures show no more than the view out of windows in two different rooms in the suite is that there were no working lights in the room, and my camera's flash wouldn't function. That has never happened before.

Oohhh, maybe there is a ghost!

BTW, filming for the new Spiderman movie was going on just a couple of blocks away, at Spring and 3rd. Apparently all the Spiderman films have used old downtown Los Angeles to stand in for New York, at least in some parts of the movies.

San Pedro Revisited

2011-02-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

I blogged about Mary Star of the Sea's mosaic months ago, but never realized that around the other side of the church, facing 8th Street, there were more artworks.

I like this picture best, because the bronze statue of Mary raising her arms toward the Port of Los Angeles towers over it all. There's a bit of a glare from the afternoon sun and some shadows cast by trees, but all in all it's my favorite shot.

This a is very Catholic image: Jesus handing the keys to his kingdom on earth to St. Peter, who will be the first pope.

Just below the mosaic is a statue exhorting us to pray for peace (ironically, enclosed in plexiglass to protect it from vandals), and a memorial to Preseident Kennedy.

Mary Star of the Sea was established in 1889, making it one of the oldest parishes in the Los Angeles area.