ADSLA 2011 Board Members

 
At the January 2011 annual meeting held at the American Cinematheque, the ADSLA elected its 2011 Board of Directors:
 
John Thomas - President; Chair of Preservation Committee
Annamarie von Firley - Vice President; Chair of Events Committee
David Butler - Treasurer
Sharlene Choy - Secretary; Volunteer Coordinator
Jeffrey Bissiri - Director
Suzanne Tarbell Cooper - Director
Rory Cunningham - Director
Margot Gerber - Director
Athene Mihalakis Kovacic - Director
Joan Renner - Director
Kathy Shoemaker - Director; Chair Membership Committee
 
 

Athens, Greece Deco Building Saved

In 2007, the Greek Council of State took up a proposal to demolish a listed Art Deco apartment building a few blocks away from the new Acropolis Museum in Athens Greece. This ultra modern museum was built with the clear intent to hold the Elgin Marbles should they ever be returned to Greece by England.

The curators of the Acropolis Museum claimed that the building and its neighbor blocked the view from the top floor observation deck of the museum of the Acropolis, which sits high above the rest of Athens on an imposing hilltop. In reality, the Deco building, known by its address of 17 Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, sits far below the sightline from the taller museum to the hilltop temple. It was quite clear that the Museum simply did not want to view the less aesthetically pleasing backside of the otherwise very beautiful listed Art Deco apartment building.

The Greek Council of State obviously saw through the argument put forth to de-list the D. Areopagitou building and denied the demolition request last month!

The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and its compatriots in the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICADS) were asked to write letters of support for the continued preservation of the D. Aeropagitou building. The representative for the owners of D. Aeropagitou informed us that our letters of support were indeed helpful in saving this treasured building.

The text of the letter on behalf of the ADSLA and the response after the victory are reproduced below.

July 20, 2009

Dear Mr Cunningham,
The Greek Council of State has annulled the ministerial decision for declassifying the Athenian Art Deco building of 17 D. Areopagitou str. (The decision was taken in 2007, in order to demolish the listed building, together with it's neighbor no 19, because they partly block the view from the new Acropolis museum).

We now believe that both buildings have been saved and we thank you for your strong support.

Best regards,
Marina Couremenou
(on behalf of the owners)

October 12, 2007

Dear Sirs and Madams:
As the President of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and a member of the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies, I am saddened that such a fine example of Greek Art Deco Architecture could be torn down. Especially since the Ministry of Culture deemed the structure at 17 Dionysiou Areopagitou Str. to be of great significance in 1988. To think that people from around the globe would have to tell the Athenian Government that preserving their built environment was important is unbelievable. This is especially unfortunate given that the beautiful Art Deco edifice is not even obstructing the view of the Acropolis. It is my hope that the Museum reconsiders, and realizes that the preservation of history is the primary function of museums.

Most Sincerely,

Rory Cunningham,
President, Art Deco Society of Los Angeles

CBS Columbia Square Studios named Historical Cultural Monument #947

The Cultural Heritage Commission and City Council have designated nine new Historic-Cultural Monuments between January and March 2009. Los Angeles’ newest monuments include one International Style structure:

For more information, please read the entire issue of the April 2009 Office of Historic Resources newsletter.

Full Steam Ahead for Education: Long Beach Kids Visit the Queen Mary

The Queen Mary is one of the most significant historical sites in California where students have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of education subject areas. Thanks to the collaborative partnership and efforts of the Queen Mary operator Hostmark, Queen Mary Leadership Coalition, Steamship Historical Society of America and the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, a new history program and learning opportunity has been developed which will focus on the local needs of Long Beach high schools, as set forth in the California State Standards for Education.

Students from the Long Beach Unified School District in grade ten will study major historic events that helped shape the modern world, from the late eighteenth century through the present, including the cause and course of the two world wars. Students from the eleventh grade will study the major turning points in American History in the twentieth century.

The Queen Mary will provide a wonderful setting for learning major fields of study including the world history, the sciences, mathematics, engineering principals and the arts.

The program is designed to meet California graduation requirements and has been developed with the assistance and support of teachers, school districts and the departments of education. Most importantly, the program will allow teachers to host field trips to the Queen Mary and satisfy State requirements for educational content and provide the students with a perfectly unique immersion into history like no other venue can provide.

For more information, here is an interesting article in the Long Beach Gazette.
http://www.gazettes.com/articles/2009/02/27/community_news/doc49a836e4dc...

Letter to Members Re Newsletter Transition

Over the past year, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, along with non-profit organizations throughout the country, has faced the unfortunate realities of rising costs for services of all varieties. While the effect of current economic trends has been felt throughout the organization, the greatest impact has been on our principal method of communication with you, our members: The Exposition, our quarterly newsletter.

As the cost of paper, print and postage has risen, we have tried all possible means of continuing to support this publication financially, even as we met our other obligations pertaining to the promotion, education, research and preservation of Art Deco architecture and design in Los Angeles. After investigating a number of options in terms of cost and improved communication, we have made the decision to move to a strictly web-based quarterly newsletter, complemented by a companion annual publication, featuring the prior year’s events as well as in-depth articles on Art Deco and related topics, beginning in 2010.

Over the next 12 months we will be asking you to provide your preferred e-mail address, as well as update your membership information. During this transition period, we will send you a quarterly flyer showing important dates and interesting events, which is included in this mailing, covering the period through the end of 2009. Additionally, all the information will be available here on our website. We will also be sending printed invitations or postcards for very special events on an ad hoc basis.

If you do not have an e-mail address, but are interested in creating an account for yourself, there are several Internet service providers that offer free e-mail accounts. If you do not have access to a computer in your home, you can set up an e-mail account at the public access computers at your local library. If you would like to obtain instructions on how to set up a free e-mail account, please call our membership liaison at (310) 659-3326 and we will send you information on how you can begin the process.

As a thank you for your partnership in our communication systems upgrade, we will extend your membership an additional two months, at your current level of participation. You will see find your extended date noted on the "Request for Updated Information" form that you will be receiving in the mail shortly.

The Board and Officers of the ADSLA would like to thank you for your continuing support, and look forward to your participation in future events and projects in the coming years. Please feel free to contact us via e-mail at artdecola@sbcglobal.net, or at (310) 659-3326 with any questions or concerns you might have.

Sincerely,

The Board of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles

Maxwell DeMille's Cicada Club

Maxwell DeMille's Cicada Club Sunday Evenings The Historic 1928 Art Deco Oviatt Building 617 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 213-361-6186 http://ClubCicada.com With the grandeur of a classic Hollywood musical from the thirties, famed showman and impresario Maxwell DeMille's Cicada Club will transport you back in time to the glamorous days of Hollywood's golden age of nightclubs. Featuring the finest vintage dance orchestras and entertainment presented in one of Los Angeles' best examples of Art Deco architecture.

NuWilshire Theatre, Santa Monica

Courtesy of Marcello Varvalo of the Santa Monica Conservancy, following is some updated information about the NuWilshire Theatre, located at 1314-1316 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, California:

The NuWilshire Theater has been designated as a Santa Monica landmark, and many portions of the building are protected. The areas protected include the exterior building envelope (meaning all exterior walls, roof, and exterior
portion of fly loft), the marquee, the terrazzo paving at the entrance extending to the sidewalk, and the retention of the two retail storefronts flaking the main entrance.

The protection of these features will ensure that the building will retain its historic character and association as a historic theater.

However, landmark designation never protects the use of a site. This enables adaptive reuse of buildings, and is seen throughout town with numerous successful conversions, such as LACMA west in the former Wilshire May Co. building, and the former Cathedral of St. Vibiana now being used as a special events venue.

It is always difficult to see a historic theater being changed from its original use. That is what is taking place at the NuWilshire theater. It is being converted into retail space, so the auditorium and lobby will be removed. However, the possibility always exists that the building could one day be converted back into a theater.

It will, from the street, however, still read very much like a theater.

For more information regarding the NuWilshire Theatre renovation, please see this recent article in the Santa Monica Daily Press.
http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-03-19-51307.113116_Rehab_begins_for_...

Preservation Alert: Lonsdale House, Melbourne, Australia

Your assistance is sought in the battle to save one of Melbourne's most iconic buildings - Lonsdale House. Dating from 1935, the building was created by converting two 19th C warehouses into a stylish Moderne building, capped with a wonderful tower. Those that were at the Melbourne World Congress may recall seeing the building. It is on the edge of a department store precinct that is undergoing major upgrades. Whilst the other buildings in the project are included on the State Heritage Register, Lonsdale House is not. The owners have proposed demolition to enable an abutting lane to be doubled in width to allow delivery trucks to service the precinct, and to allow the construction of a large glass-fronted group of shops - this is called a hero statement, as it is intended to attract a major tenant!

The info below includes images of the building and details of how you can assist with opposing the demolition. We hope that you will support us in this major battle.

For organisations, please put any submissions on letterhead. Apologies if you have received more than one copy of this email. If you need any more information, please contact me.

Thanks and regards
Robin

Robin Grow,
President, Art Deco & Modernism Society, Inc
t I +613 98134365
m I 0412567923
e| robingrow@ozemail.com.au
w| www. artdeco.org.au
f I +613 98134436

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LONSDALE HOUSE – 269-273 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Lonsdale House is a major city building. Designed in 1935, it is located in the shopping precinct of Melbourne. It abuts a lane (Caledonian Lane), currently 4 metres wide. It is located in the same street as Myer Lonsdale Street department store. Myer also has a department store in Bourke Street, which is currently being upgraded (Stage 1)

Stage 2 of the redevelopment of the Myer precinct affects the Myer Lonsdale Street store includes the proposed demolition of Lonsdale House. Lonsdale House is not on the State Heritage Register. It is proposed that it be demolished and replaced with a new glass building that is essentially twice the height of Lonsdale House and totally out of character with the historic streetscape along Lonsdale Street. Lonsdale House is within the Post Office Precinct under the Heritage Overlay within the City of Melbourne Planning Scheme. It has been recognised as an important building within the city precinct since 1984. The City of Melbourne will have an input but has no authority in the planning decision.

The responsible authority is the Minister for Planning, due to the size of the project. He will decide on the approval/rejection/modification of the proposed plans for the site, including the modifications to Myer Lonsdale Street, the demolition of Lonsdale House, the approval of the proposed replacement building, and changes to Caledonian Lane to widen it. He will also decide as to whether an amendment will be made to the City of Melbourne Planning Scheme to remove Lonsdale House from the City of Melbourne Heritage Overlay (Post Office Precinct). Heritage aspects of the upgrade to the Myer store will be subject to control by Heritage Victoria, as the building is included on the State Heritage Register.

The Minister also has control over the level of consultation that will be undertaken and has decided that limited consultation will be undertaken. Submissions can be received until the 7th May from interested parties before the decision-making process commences. If the proposal is approved by the Minister, the result will be an ‘’incorporated document”.

Points that you may wish to include in any submission include:

Ø The potential loss of an historic building that represents one of the best examples of Art Deco styling in the city of Melbourne.
Ø The developers have stated that a proposal for adaptive re-use of the building has not been considered as viable. Our view is that the building could be modified to enable the required truck traffic to service the department stores.
Ø The developers have stated that there is a ‘gap’ in Melbourne’s shopping precinct that will be filled by the provision of the replacement building, and consider that any considerations of historic buildings are outweighed by the provision of a new set of shops. They use lots of jargon about retailing as if it is something magical. It is important to a city but is it important enough to demolish an historic building? We do not believe so.
Ø The key points of the proposed replacement building are:
o To provide a major entry point from Lonsdale Street to the new building and to Myer Lonsdale Street
o To use the new building to attract a major tenant - this is known as a “hero statement”
o To use Caledonian Lane as the major delivery route, servicing both Myer and David Jones department stores – it is proposed that Caledonian Lane be widened from 4m to 8m to facilitate trucks to enter and exit concurrently.

The Art Deco and Modernism Society of Melbourne, Australia's submission to the Minister included the following points:
• Lonsdale House is subject to the provisions of the Melbourne Planning Scheme and is included in a Heritage Overlay (HO 509 Post Office Precinct).
• It has a grading of C with a streetscape level 2.
• It was included in the Central Activities District Conservation Study by Graeme Butler (1984).
• The building is relatively intact, structurally sound, and has qualities that are representative of the Moderne style.
• Its retention would ensure that it continues to make a significant contribution to the historic streetscape of Lonsdale Street.
• The block makes a strong contribution to the architectural, social and historic character and appearance of the retail district associated with department stores
• Lonsdale House is a large five-storied landmark building that results from the conversion of a number of 19th century warehouses to a modern facility in 1934/5.
• It is one of Victoria’s best examples of the application of the Moderne style to a multistoried commercial premise.
• A major feature is the stepped tower at the parapet line, which is a combination of a
vertical section (painted a contrasting colour), horizontal planes beneath the flagpole, and semi-circular sections
• The building includes a number of other notable features associated with the Moderne style.
• Comparisons with Lonsdale House can be made to a number of other buildings in Central Melbourne that are regarded as exemplars of the Moderne style and which include retail and commercial facilities.
• The building retains a high degree of integrity, is substantially intact and could be adaptively re-used
• Lonsdale House represents an important trend in the commercial life of Melbourne, where large city buildings were occupied by numerous small businesses providing goods and products to the large department stores that were beginning to dominate Bourke Street.
• At time of construction, Lonsdale House was regarded as a building that would bring about further improvement in the area.
• The demolition of such a large building will have a serious effect on the environment of the City of Melbourne, including vehicle movements, storm water, sediment, dust, smell, material disposal, vibration, hours of work, hazardous material, and a range of other effects associated with the loss of embedded energy.
* The building is a major work by the prolific interwar architect I G Anderson. Whilst numerous examples of his work exist in Geelong, Tasmania and the suburbs of Melbourne, this is his only building in the city centre of Melbourne. His work is represented by other buildings on the Victorian State Heritage Register.

To view some of the dialogue about the building, a newspaper report, and to see some more images of the building, please go to:-

http://www.theage.com.au/national/pleas-to-preserve-art-deco-building-20...
http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/building593_lonsdale-house.html

Submissions can be lodged with the Minister’s department as follows:

Ms Kate Kraft
Acting Manager – Statutory Approvals
Department of Planning and Community Development
PO Box 500
EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002

Email: kate.kraft@dpcp.vic.gov.au.
And/or the Minister for Planning directly - justin.madden@parliament.vic.gov.au
and CC the Melbourne City Council at planning@melbourne.vic.gov.au

Preservation Success - 269 Western Ave.

The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles has been working with the Office of Historic Resources within the Los Angeles Department of City Planning to get the owners of the beautiful Black and Gold terra cotta building at Third Street and Western Ave. to remove inappropriate and illegal signage and banners from the facade of the structure. We are glad to report that the owners of this historic building have not only complied, but have gone the extra distance to replace all of the plate glass which had been painted black (photo left). The structure now looks much more like it did when it was built in 1931 as the Selig Clothing Store.

Designed by Arthur E. Harvey, this is one of only two Black and Gold glazed terra cotta Art Deco buildings left in Los Angeles. It was declared a Cultural-Historic Monument (#289) on September 20, 1985 and as such is protected from unapproved inappropriate changes, alterations and demolition. This single story building also once housed a Crocker Bank Branch, but has returned to it's roots and now sells clothing once again.

The building before the renovation (from Google Earth) on right.

Preservation Success! Santa Monica Doctors Building Landmarked

Read article in the Santa Monica Mirror re landmark designation.
Please see City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report, Evaluation Report, Parcel Map, Sanborn Maps and
Photographs for details regarding this beautiful building.

View Landmark Designation Application.

Updated: March 17, 2009: Thanks to the efforts of the ADSLA, the Santa Monica Doctors Building has been nominated for Landmark status. The Santa Monica Mirror has the complete story.

Prior Story: On Monday, December 8, 2008, on behalf of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles, ADSLA President, Rory Cunningham, appeared before the Santa Monica Landmark Commission and requested that the commission put on their agenda for future discussion the Santa Monica Doctors Building located at 2125 Arizona Avenue.

The following has been cited by the ADSLA as reasons to consider the Santa Monica Doctors Building as an official landmark:

1. The Santa Monica Doctors Building exemplifies an important cultural, social, economic and architectural history of the City of Santa Monica and Southern California.

Medical buildings designed between the two World Wars were often built in the most contemporary design to signify the modern, state-of-the-art and scientific developments of the time, this is to say, efficient, clean and sterile. This building, designed by Structural Engineer Leslie A. Irvin, exemplifies the very best of Streamline Moderne Architecture and is particularly adapted to the sub-tropical climate Southern California.

2. The Santa Monica Doctors Building has aesthetic and artistic interest and value to the City of Santa Monica.

This is by far one of the best examples of Streamline Moderne buildings in all of Southern California. The "Wedding Cake" stacking of the architectural elements and the sensuous curves of this building are only the beginning of what make this structure impressive. The dual-layered eyebrow canopies over the windows of the first and second stories are like the repeating waves on the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica!

3. The Santa Monica Doctors Building embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to the study of the period, style, method of construction, and the use of indigenous materials and craftsmanship, and is a unique and rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type valuable to such study.

The Santa Monica Doctors Building includes some of the very best period design and engineering elements including the steel frame casement windows, exterior curved stucco surfaces and, the terrazzo stair entrance.

It is for these reasons that the Santa Monica Doctors Building appears eligible for landmark designation and warrants further research and discussion.