Santa Monica Conservancy ensuring that the past has a future Vol 8 No 2 JUNE 2010 discover palisades park on june 13 by Ruthann Lehrer The pergola is one of Palisades Parkʼs best-known features and is used in the logo of the Conservancy. Palisades Park is one of Santa Monica’s most Ocean Avenue. The tour will conclude with in remembrance of familiar places... and is almost as old as the an exhibition of historic postcards and water- max palevsky by Sherrill Kushner City itself. But how much do you really know colors in the Senior Center, where refresh- about it? On Sunday June 13, 3 - 6 pm, you ments will be served. are invited to a docent-led tour of this rich Tour tickets are $10 for members, and cultural landscape, including its history and $15 for nonmembers. Shuttle buses will take development, geology, landscape design participants to the north end of the park in and plants, commemorative monuments order to begin the one-way southbound tour. and historic structures. Ticket information can be found on the Back Palisades Park, which has been a City land- Cover and at www.smconservancy.org. mark since 2007, sits on land donated by Santa This program has been made possible in Monica’s founders and held permanently in part by a grant from the City of Santa Monica the public domain. It encompasses breathtak- and the Santa Monica Arts Commission. ing views of both coastline and mountains. Jonathan Froines, a student in USC’s historic This brand-new and comprehensive tour will preservation program, researched both the allow participants to explore the park’s many geology and horticulture of the Park. Additional facets, from trees and planting beds, especially research and tour development was provided native and drought-tolerant plants, to its geol- by Mary Ann Hays, Nancy O’Neill and ogy, and the adjacent landmark buildings on Kay Pattison. Max Palevsky, computer visionary, fi lm santa monica to host california preservation producer, art collector, political activist and conference in the spring of 2011 major philanthropist, died of heart failure on The California Preservation Foundation has Angeles Heritage Alliance, La Senora May 5. In the late 1990s his donation saved selected Santa Monica to be the site of the Research Institute, and local chapters of the endangered Aero Theater, which has annual California Preservation Conference the Society of Architectural Historians and been restored and is now managed by the in the Spring of 2011. The Santa Monica the US Green Building Council. The Santa American Cinematheque. Conservancy played a leadership role in Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau, as bringing the Conference to Santa Monica, well as members of the City’s Planning and The Santa Monica Conservancy honored and will serve as local host organization Community Development and Community Palevsky in July 2006 at a screening of the fi lm working with the California Preservation and Cultural Services departments are also “Fun with Dick and Jane,” which he produced. The honor was offered in recognition of Foundation and local partners including participating in the planning. continued on page 3 the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Los continued on page 3 www.smconservancy.org page 2 the conservancy board of directors message from Our board comes from neighborhoods Carol Lemlein the president throughout the city and includes: Carol Lemlein, President Over the past few months, the the signifi cance of culturally and histori- John Zinner, Vice-President Conservancy Board has been focusing on cally important structures and places. Our Tom Cleys, Treasurer making the Preservation Resource Center conclusion was that it was better to be Susan McCarthy, Secretary at the Shotgun House a reality. One aspect concise than to be comprehensive. The of this work has been talking to members resulting focus is on architecture – to be Sarah Barnard and other prospective supporters about broadly interpreted as the built environment. Ken Breisch how best to communicate the purpose The tagline - “Celebrating our Architec- Bruce Cameron and mission of the Conservancy. Several tural Heritage” - was developed with the Mike Deasy consultants have offered their services assistance of member Elizabeth Riel. Our Michael W. Folonis, FAIA pro bono to help us achieve this goal. new logo, developed with Chris Preston and Peter Simpson Cook, is a more graphic Mario Fonda-Bonardi An important outcome of this effort representation of Joan Charles’ delight- Nina Fresco is a new logo and tagline, which you are beginning to see on Conservancy ful pergola drawing that has been our logo David Kaplan material. You may have already noticed it until now. You’ll see more of the work we Sherrill Kushner on invitations to the Palisades Park tour and did with Chris and Peter over the coming Ruthann Lehrer at our booth at the Santa Monica Festival. months as their graphics are incorporated into both the website and newsletter de- Nancy O’Neill The Board and the Communications sign. We hope you will be as pleased as Barbara Whitney Committee talked at great length about what the Conservancy stands for and we are with the Conservancy’s new look. Doris Sosin, Emeritus how that should be represented in the il- lustration and tagline. This was really hard Thank you to all. Membership Dues work! We wanted to fi nd a way to include Individual Membership $35 Household Membership $45 Low Income Membership $15 photo quiz See page 6 for the answer. Sustaining Membership $100 Supporting Membership $250 To support the Conservancy at higher levels, or with a business membership, call (310) 496-3146. The News Staff Alice Allen Margaret Bach Sherrill Kushner Ruthann Lehrer Nancy O’Neill Dick Orton Kay Pattison Judy Parsons Barbara Whitney Susan Zinner how to contact the santa monica conservancy Phone us at (310) 496-3146 -and leave a message. Website www.smconservancy.org E-mail [email protected] Do you recognize this house? Itʼs no longer in its original location but youʼve driven by it many times. Mail address: Santa Monica Conservancy See page 6 for the answer. Photo courtesy of the Santa Monica Public Library Image Archives. P.O.Box 653, Santa Monica, CA 90406 page 3 volunteer profile by Sherrill Kushner cpf conference MARY ANN HAYS continued from page 1 ica which they bought in 1999. “It was love The Conference will offer four days of at first sight,” says Mary Ann about the house. workshops, educational sessions, tours and “Old houses have charm and mystery that new meetings on the theme “Preservation on the houses don’t.” The Hays residence was one of Edge.” It presents an opportunity to show- the homes featured on the Conservancy Ade- case preservation, sustainability and heritage laide Drive tour in 2008 and their gardens were tourism initiatives in the City of Santa Mon- part of our Landscapes tour in 2009. Through ica and the region, and will give members the years, Mary Ann and Tom have enhanced of the Santa Monica community, City staff their home with a collection of decorative arts and public officials the opportunity to learn — from textiles to pottery to fine art. from and network with their counterparts Not only is Mary Ann an admirer, she’s a from other cities and organizations across hands-on craftsman herself. “I’m drawn to the state. Recognizing the educational and crafts because it is fascinating to see how dif- financial benefits to the local community, the ferent cultures beautify their surroundings and Santa Monica City Council recently voted solve problems. Crafts originated with people’s unanimously to support the Conference as usage. It’s what connects them to daily life and a sponsor. Mary Ann Hays grew up in a house in makes it appealing and intriguing.” She has tried Cincinnati that had been built by her her hand at creating pottery, wood carving, be part of the conference grandfather in 1894 and inherited by drawing, model ship building, fabric dying, and her father. Since then she has always felt even some furniture building. She believes that Conservancy members and others comfortable in old houses and her children learning what skills are needed to do craft work interested in making proposals for now live in older homes. Mary Ann’s family makes you appreciate it all the more. Conference sessions and workshops split their time between Ohio and Southern The Conservancy has benefited from Mary may download information and the California, with homes in both places. She Ann’s dedication and hard work as a member application at spent summers working as a hospital aide at of the Program Committee and on the Board www.californiapreservation.org. Santa Monica Hospital and went on fishing nominating committee. “I like working with the Prospective volunteers for the boats out of Santa Monica. Conservancy because I believe in valuing our Conference should send email to Mary Ann’s dad enjoyed art and traveled heritage...that’s what we are. It’s like respecting [email protected] widely, collecting along the way. She has fol- your elders. I owe my town that kind of respect or call 310-496-3146. lowed that tradition. She and her husband Tom and honoring and saving things that are valu- live in a stately Craftsman home in Santa Mon- able, like architecture, is a good part of that.” palevsky, continued from page 1 Conservancy tribute to Max Palevsky at the Aero Theater, July 17, 2006, moderator Peter Bart, Ed McMahon, Jane Fonda, Max Palevsky and George Segal. Palevsky’s financial support of the historic the people of Los Angeles. His generous of Arts & Crafts furniture and Japanese prints Aero Theatre in Santa Monica which now contribution enabled us to reopen the Aero to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.