Calendar of Events April 29 and 30 ,Gamble Garden Spring tour. Wednesday, May 11, 6:30 pm. Breaking the Mold: British May 2005 Preservation Month: Restore America: Modernism and the National Trust lecture. See page 6. Communities at a Crossroad.. May 12-15 California Preservation Foundation Sunday, May 1, 2 pm. Sumi-e artist Drue Kataoka will Conference, Riverside, CA. See page 7 for details. PAST News talk about her painting, Pacific Reminiscences, commis- Saturday, May 21, 10 am. Presentation of centennial Vol. 18, No. 4 P.O. Box 308 • Palo Alto, California 94302 • (650) 299-8878 Spring 2005 sioned by the Pacific Art League. Palo Alto Historical plaques and PAST preservation awards followed by a Association, Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 short tour. In the garden at 1056 Forest Avenue. Middlefield Road. Now through May 29, at the Museum of American Heritage: Sunday, May 1, 1-4 pm. Stanford Historical Society Mechanically Advantaged: Gears, Levers & Pulleys. Spring Home and Garden Tour. See page 4 and insert For information, call (650) 321-1004 or check their Website for details. at www.moah.org. Located at 351 Homer Avenue. Open Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission. Saturday, May 7, 10 am-4 pm. Los Altos Hills Lifestyles Ongoing—Walking Tours of Downtown, Professorville, Along Historic Moody Road. Home & Garden tour to ben- May is Preservation Month! College Terrace, or Homer Avenue. $20 per docent efit the Los Altos History Museum. Call (650) 948-0427 for group of up to 10 people. To arrange a tour, call (650) 328- more information. 5670. or visit www.pastheritage.org for contact information. Restore America: Communities at a Crossroad PAST Web site: www.pastheritage.org Art/Photos: Carolyn George, PAST Hotline: (650) 299-8878 Byron Feig, Stanford Historical Society Editor: Carolyn George Contributors: Pria Graves, Emily Renzel. Stanford Historical Society Help us celebrate! PAST News Saturday, May 21 Palo Alto Stanford Heritage P.O. Box 308 Palo Alto, CA 94302 Please join us to honor this year’s Preservation Award PAST Heritage is a nonprofit organization advocating the recipients and for the presentation of plaques to owners preservation of the historic architecture, neighborhoods, and character of the greater Palo Alto Stanford area. of centennial buildings. WHAT’S INSIDE 10-12 am Preservation Month 1 The Caroline Chronicles 2 in the garden at 1056 Forest Avenue. Heritage Oak Imperiled 2 As a special treat, tour this historic Ashby Addition Substandard Properties Action 3 Membership Recognition 3 block of Forest Avenue after the presentations. Stanford House and Garden Tour 4 British Modernism Lecture 6 California Preservation Foundation Conference 7 Calendar of Events 8 The Caroline Chronicles Heritage Oak Imperiled 30th Annual California Preservation Conference Due to the very heavy rains, a 200+ year old The beautiful weather and the spring Heritage Oak at the Palo Alto Red Cross Building is Diversity of Change— blossoms have me thinking about historic tilting. Some therapeutic pruning has been done. landscapes. If you are of the same mind New Perspectives in Historic Preservation The City Arborist, Dave Dockter, and other arborists you might want to head up to Filoli and say the tree can be saved, but it will cost about check out the gardens. We are lucky to $10,000 to maintain it on an on-going basis. The Mission Inn, Riverside have this National Register property near- Red Cross does not feel it can use such a large by with its lovely gardens. Closer to home amount of its funds for this purpose and is hoping you might take a walk on the Stanford that the public might contribute to a fund specifical- May 12-15, 2005 campus, check out the cactus garden near ly for the purpose of saving the heritage oak. Trees the mausoleum, wander thru the old quad are part of Palo Alto's Heritage. Let's help save this or walk around Lake Lagunita. And be Five tracks of educational sessions one. sure to amble through the Gamble gardens • Re-Assessing CEQA and enjoy their historic charm. Their Donations may be sent to Palo Alto Area Red Spring tour is April 29th and 30th. I Cross, 400 Mitchell Lane, Palo Alto, CA 94301. • Sites of Social Change always like to visit the plant sale and pick Write “Heritage Tree" on the check's memo line. Emily Renzel up something unusual and preferably his- • Preservation and Sustainability at a Crossroads toric for my garden. • Understanding the Modern Age—the Next Preservation Challenge The Zoning ordinance update is provok- ing lively discussions in our Board meet- • Southern California's Cultural Landscapes: The Lay of the Land ings. Change is certain, but it’s not always easy to predict the effects on our historic Pre-conference sessions, mobile workshops, and tours include: structures and districts. Change brought • Living Masters: Sam and Alfreda Maloof Studio us the new Heritage Park, which was ded- icated in March. My predecessor, Dave • Palm Springs Modernism Bubenik, was acknowledged repeatedly for his herculean efforts in bringing it to • Changing Cultural Sites fruition. Good job, Dave. It’s a wonderful • Behind the Scenes Tour at the Mission Inn with Bruce Judd, FAIA addition to historic Homer Avenue and it displays St. Thomas Aquinas, the old clin- ic building and the Williams House beau- tifully. Built in 1905 at 1517 Louisa Court for Joseph Greer. Network and learn about issues facing historic preservation in California. In May we will be celebrating Preservation Month. Take time to join us as we present plaques to 1905 houses on For more information on the activities and events visit their Website at May 21 in the lovely old gardens that once http://www.californiapreservation.org/calendar.html belongs to Rosedale manor. This is a won- derful event where owners share their sto- ries and show their pride in their old PAST Heritage Board of Directors houses. Hope to see you there. Caroline Willis, President Betty Britton Carolyn George Emily Renzel Caroline Willis Marilyn Bauriedel, Vice President Ralph Britton Grace Hinton Carmen Saura Aino Vieira da Rosa, Secretary Frankie Campos Dianne MacDaniels Steve Staiger President, PAST Heritage Dave Bubenik, Treasurer JudyAnn Edwards Debbie Nichols Natalie Wells Laura Ferrell Carolyn Pierce Alice Wilder-Hall 2 7 Breaking the Mold: British Modernism and the National Trust PAST Board Expresses Concern about Zoning Ordinance Update Upon hearing the words British National Trust many people think of great 18th and 19th century English coun- Concerned that some of the changes proposed in the Finally, we believe lowering the street-side set- try houses set within sweeping landscapes interrupted by quiet lakes and romantic woods. However, the National zoning ordinance update will result in development backs on corner lots from 16’ to 10’ will impact Trust is also very interested in the preservation of 20th century houses with their interiors and contents, and over that will not only destroy historic buildings but also nearby street facing properties, which have a 20’ the past decade has acquired two remarkable examples of modern architecture and design, The Homewood in neighborhood character and historic context, the front setback. The side yard of corner lots is part Surrey and 2 Willow Road in Hampstead. Newly opened to the public in 2004, The Homewood was designed PAST Board took a position on the new zoning regu- of the contextual front setback for that street for his parents in 1937 by British architect, Patrick Gwynne, who following World War II decided to live there. lations regarding substandard lots. On March 9th we face. Inspired in part by Continental designs such as the work of Le Corbusier and works by modern architects in wrote the following expressing our concerns to City Scandinavia, this masterpiece of modern design with interiors designed by Gwynne, stands in its own landscape It’s our understanding that the Zoning Council. setting and is filled with furniture designed by Gwynne himself, as well as Eames, Mathsson, and Saarinen. Ordinance Update is intended to implement the 2 Willow Road in Hampstead, north London, was designed in 1937 by modernist architect, Erno Goldfinger, for Many substandard lots are in Palo Alto’s earli- Comprehensive Plan. A major theme of the Plan himself and his family shortly before the war. The house was designed for city life and was inspired by the tra- est and most historic neighborhoods—College is found on Pages I-3: “Maintaining and dition of Georgian terrace housing. Filled with furniture designed by Goldfinger, the property also houses an Terrace and Professorville. Enhancing Community Character. The commu- important collection of 20th century art including works by Max Ernst, Man Ray, Robert Delaunay, Marcel The proposal to allow a second habitable floor nity treasures the special qualities of the City, Duchamp, Henry Moore, Prunella Clough and Bridget Riley. will tend to encourage demolition or inappropri- including its historic buildings, pedestrian scale, high-quality architecture, and beautiful streets Edward Diestelkamp is the Building Design Adviser of Britain’s National Trust, for which he has worked since ate remodels. The current ordinance restricting and parks. Maintaining the physical qualities of 1984. He studied Architecture at the University of Southern California, and later at University College, London second habitable stories on substandard lots pro- the City is an overarching consideration, incor- University, where he obtained his PhD in the History of Art . He was involved in the acquisition of both 2 Willow tects historic homes because those homes often porated in all parts of the plan….” Policy L-12 Road and The Homewood by the National Trust. He teaches in New York University’s program in London and already exceed current development standards, “Preserve the character of residential neighbor- is a frequent lecturer at educational conferences and symposia in the U.S.