THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Neighborhood
October 16, 2003
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can keep them informed, too.
In this issue:
Eagle Rock on the air: 2:00 p.m. today (item #2)
The Home Tour is here! (item #3)
The latest news on the Eagle Theatre (item #4)
Table of Contents:
1. A MESSAGE FROM TERA PRESIDENT HILARY NORTON OROZCO
2. TERA'S ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR MAKES THE AIRWAVES! -- TUNE IN
TODAY -- OCTOBER 16
3. EAGLE ROCK PUTS ON HER FINEST FOR THE ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR
-- THIS SUNDAY -- OCTOBER 19
4. FROM THE BEST LAID PLANS DEPARTMENT: AN EAGLE THEATRE UPDATE
5. HIGHLAND PARK GETS STAR TREATMENT IN THE TIMES
6. MICHAEL MOORE TO SPEAK AT OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE -- FRIDAY, OCT. 17
7. MARTINI BAR OPENING IN EAGLE ROCK THIS FRIDAY -- OCTOBER 17
8. ME AND DAVID DOWN BY THE SCHOOL YARD -- OCTOBER 19
9. EAGLE ROCK VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL HARVEST POTLUCK --
OCTOBER 21
10. EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL DISTRICTS 6 AND 7 STAKEHOLDERS
MEETING -- OCTOBER 22
11. EAGLE ROCK LIBRARY BOOK SALE -- OCTOBER 25
12. A WALKING TOUR OF HISTORIC ECHO PARK LANDMARKS -- OCTOBER 25
13. SNUFFLE-UPAGUS ON DOWN TO A HALLOWEEN PUPPET WORKSHOP -- OCTOBER
26
14. WE'VE GOT MAIL
15. QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- DANIEL HUDSON BURNHAM
1. A MESSAGE FROM TERA PRESIDENT HILARY NORTON OROZCO
If you haven't yet purchased your tickets for this Sunday's Eclectic Eagle Rock
Home Tour, please don't forget!
Many thanks to the dedicated Home Tour committee members: Chairperson Tracy
King, Debra Boudreau, Lisa Brewer, Barbara Burgan, Susan Dreger, Maedale
Gongora, Deborah Huntington, Juliann Lanser, Eric Lee, Keith Louie, Ellen
Narver, Beth Parker, Michael Parrish, Suzanne Prieur, Susan Rose, Rachel
Singer, Michael Tharp, Mary Tokita, Joanne Turner, John Wagner, and Liz Wagner.
Thank you as well to the Women's 20th Century Club and the hosts of our
Home Tour homes.
Don't miss a great day of art, beauty, architecture, history and fun! For
full details, see item number three below. The Home Tour is TERA's major
fundraiser, so your support is greatly appreciated. We look forward to
seeing you all Sunday!
2. TERA'S ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR MAKES THE AIRWAVES! -- TUNE
IN TODAY -- OCTOBER 16
The popular public radio program Talk of the City will
feature TERA's Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour today!
Well-known Talk of the City host Kitty Felde interviews Tracy
King, chairperson of this year's Home Tour, as well as the owners of two homes
that will be featured on our tour this Sunday: Zinka Benton and Fran Rzeznik,
who own a remarkable Craftsman home on Shearin Avenue; and Michael Southard,
who owns a unique mid-century modern home on Hill Drive.
The interviews can be heard on today'sTalk of the City, which
begins at 2:00 p.m. on KPCC, 89.3 FM. Please tune in. Thanks!
3. EAGLE ROCK PUTS ON HER FINEST FOR THE ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME
TOUR -- THIS SUNDAY -- OCTOBER 19
Here's a chance to tour some of the most lovely and interesting homes
and gardens in our historic community, starting with The Women's 20th Century
Club craftsman building, constructed in 1913. The club, now celebrating
its 100-year anniversary, was formed by the progressive women of Eagle Rock,
which, at that time, was a small agricultural village. Their purpose was
"self-improvement along social and intellectual lines."
TERA will also be hosting an exhibit of plein air painting, an art form
which celebrates the natural beauty of the outdoors and has historic roots in
the community.
Tour goers will also have the opportunity to visit homes built over the course
of the last century in the variety of styles which make Eagle Rock,
"L.A.'s Hometown," so unique.
The Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour is co-sponsored by:
Advance tickets are $12.00 each, or $10.00 for members of TERA. Tickets
are available now at any of the following Eagle Rock businesses:
You may also buy your tickets at TERA's website, http://www.tera90041.org/httickets-03.htm.
And, if you'd like to volunteer a few hours to help make this year's Home
Tour a smashing success, (and earn an exclusive invitation to the Home Tour
Wrap Party in the process,) get in touch with Juliann at (323) 256-6767, or
email Julilanser@aol.com.
4. FROM THE BEST LAID PLANS DEPARTMENT: AN EAGLE THEATRE UPDATE
After hearing a number of distressing rumors about the state of
restauranteur Fred Eric's long-promised plans to revive the Eagle Theatre, we
asked TERA President Emeritus (and former e.letter editor) Joanne Turner to do
a little digging and find out what's really happening with this project.
She did, and, alas, the news isn't pretty. Here's Joanne's full
report:
The e.letter regularly receives inquiries regarding the status of the
Eagle Theater. Up until now, the plan by entrepreneur Fred Eric was to
renovate the theater, create a venue for first-run films and live shows, and to
host a 24-hour diner in the space next door. Among other possibilities,
there was talk of serving sushi on sofas in the front of the theater -- very
arty, very different, but somehow fitting for a place as quirky as Eagle Rock.
The project was very well received by the community. The TERA board
was also extremely pleased about the project, and we were happy to lend it our
support in any way we could.
Which is why it's so hard to report that all of those plans have now fallen
through. Further, we were all very surprised to learn that the property
has recently been sold. In the end, Mr. Eric apparently couldn't get the
money together to fully fund the project. These things do happen, and
it's completely understandable in this case -- the project was very ambitious.
Still, we confess that the demise of this project comes as a shock.
As recently as two months ago, Mr. Eric had spoken to us in great detail
about his plans. He was very excited about them. So were we.
And we were happy to share this enthusiam about the project with those
who inquired. As a result, we may have inadvertently misled our members
and our readership, and for that we apologize.
The good news is the new owner of the theatre is an investor who, it seems, is
interested is properly renovating the building and leasing or renting it out.
The community, with the help of the Council office, would like to work
with him however we can to make sure the new tenant is one Eagle Rock wants and
needs.
We look forward to supporting the entrepreneurial endeavors of the theatre's
new owner, just as we support other businesses and business owners here in
Eagle Rock. It is a courtesy we gladly provide, because it champions our
local businesses and brings positive attention to them and our town, and it
also benefits our residents who begin to patronize those businesses if they
haven't already. We look forward to continuing this proud tradition of
support for our business district.
-- Joanne Turner, President Emeritus, The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
5. HIGHLAND PARK GETS STAR TREATMENT IN THE TIMES
As you may have noticed, Highland Park was the featured neighborhood in
this week's "Neighborly Advice" column in last Sunday's Los
Angeles Times. In case you missed the piece, here's a link to
the story on the paper's online archive:
http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-re-guide12oct12,1,1268434.story?coll=la-headlines-realestate-manual
6. MICHAEL MOORE TO SPEAK AT OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE -- FRIDAY, OCT. 17
Michael Moore, author and director of the Academy Award-winning documentary
"Bowling For Columbine," will speak about his latest book, Dude,
Where's My Country? this Friday at Occidental College's Thorne Hall.
Moore's appearance is free and open to the public. Limited seating is
available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors will open at 12:15
p.m.
Occidental is located at 1600 Campus Road in the Eagle Rock section of Los
Angeles. For directions and a campus map, visit: http://www.oxy.edu/welcome/directions/index.html.
7. MARTINI BAR OPENING IN EAGLE ROCK THIS FRIDAY -- OCTOBER 17
The Chateau, a high-end martini bar, is scheduled to open this Friday
in the space formerly occupied by Topper's Tavern on the south side of Colorado
Boulevard near Townsend. The old tavern's facade has been completely
redone in a new and classier look. According to Kim Dingle, owner of Fatty's,
located right across the street, the three guys who own the Chateau have three
other martini bars in the Los Angeles area, all of them wildly successful
operations with "shoulder to shoulder crowds."
8. ME AND DAVID DOWN BY THE SCHOOL YARD -- OCTOBER 19
From school board member David Tokofsky's office comes the latest about the
LAUSD's ongoing efforts to build a new high school in the area:
Parcel F at Taylor Yard on the Los Angeles River is currently under
consideration by the Los Angeles Unified School District as the future site of
a new Northeast Area high school. If the district were to pursue
the option, it would relieve overcrowding for at least three local high
schools: Marshall, Franklin and Eagle Rock. School Board Member David
Tokofsky invites all interested parties to join him for a Walking Tour
of Taylor Yard this Sunday, October 19, at 2:00 p.m. With David will
be two people quite familiar with the LA River, its history and revitalization:
Lupe Vela, Senior Staff member for the Ad Hoc Committee working on the LA River
for the City of Los Angeles, and Joe Linton of Council Member Reyes' office and
a longtime river advocate. The walking tour will afford
participants a great opportunity to learn about the river, and also allow
community members to share thoughts on what kind of new high school we might like
to see in our area.
We will meet at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 19, near Parcel F at Taylor Yard.
Please feel free to invite as many folks as you'd like. The more
the merrier! (Don't forget to bring water, and wear comfortable
shoes.)
Directions to Parcel F at Taylor Yard:
From Silver Lake: Take Fletcher northeast, turn right on San Fernando
Road, pass the Fed Ex center and you'll see a large vacant area on your right.
Turn right at the unnamed access road (which is very near the old
railroad tower).
From the 2 Freeway: Exit the 2 at San Fernando Road and go southeast on
San Fernando Road, pass the Fed Ex center and you'll see a large vacant area on
your right. Turn right at the unnamed access road (which is very near the
old railroad tower).
From the 110 Freeway: Exit at North Figueroa/Avenue 26, then head
northeast on Ave 26. Turn right onto San Fernando Road, then turn left at
the unnamed access road (which is very close to the old railroad tower).
After you get that far...
Head over to the site that LAUSD is purchasing, which is known as
"F2" or "Legacy 2." We will meet at the end of the
unnamed access road off San Fernando Road, near Elm Street. Page 594 in
the Thomas Guide, grid G4.
For more information, call Sarah Bradshaw in School Board Member David
Tokofskyıs office, (213) 241-6383.
9. EAGLE ROCK VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL HARVEST POTLUCK --
OCTOBER 21
The Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society is pleased to host its Annual Harvest
Potluck and program Lost & Found: Transformations of Historic Places.
The Center will be decorated in an autumn motif for the free Potluck,
which begins at 6:30 p.m. Every person who attends is asked to bring a
main dish, salad or dessert that serves eight. The Historical Society
will supply paper goods, flatware and beverages.
At 7:30 p.m., Historical Society President Eric Warren will lead a short annual
meeting. Immediately following the meeting, Elizabeth Pomeroy will
present Lost & Found: Transformations of Historic Places, a
delightful journey through the unexpected historical places in our own San
Gabriel Valley.
Pomeroy, a California native, holds a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, teaches
English at Pasadena City College and is the author of Lost and Found
and Lost and Found II. These interesting and informative
volumes contain the best of her many newspaper columns by that name and provide
a lively roadmap to historic places throughout the San Gabriel Valley,
including glimpses of art, culture and society. Pomeroy often accompanies
tours to historic sites and is a popular speaker on the hidden cultural and
historical treasures of the region. A question and answer period will
follow the lecture.
The Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society was founded in 1961 and houses
its archival collection of local photographs, newspapers, and artifacts in the
Center for the Arts. Annual Society membership is just $15.00 for
individuals, and $20.00 for families and businesses. For more information
on the Harvest Potluck or The Historical Society and its programs, its collection,
or making a donation of local artifacts, contact the society's President, Eric
Warren at (323) 257-1357.
Potluck begins at 6:30 p.m.; Historical Society meeting and lecture begin at
7:30 p.m.
10. EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL DISTRICTS 6 AND 7 STAKEHOLDERS
MEETING -- OCTOBER 22
From Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council District 6 director Cheryl Leutjen
comes word of this important community meeting:
District 6 Stakeholders,
Please note the date of the next meeting of stakeholders for Districts 6 and 7
will be on Wednesday, October 22 at the Eagle Rock Library from 6:30
- 8:00 p.m. I will provide updates on all our outstanding
issues, including my contacts with the management of the Westfield Shoppingtown
and Target. We can also discuss any new issues of concern and the
schedule for future events.
I look forward to seeing you on the 22nd. As always, you can reach me at
323-256-5733 or by email at District6@EagleRockCouncil.org. I tend
to respond more quickly to email, but feel free to contact me either way.
Cheryl Leutjen
Sub-District 6 Director
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
11. EAGLE ROCK LIBRARY BOOK SALE -- OCTOBER 25
The Friends of the Eagle Rock Library will hold a used book sale on
Saturday, October 25. Coffee and baked goods will be sold from 9:30 -
11:00 a.m. Most books will be priced at $1.00 or less.
Donations of softback and hardback books will be accepted on Friday, October 24
for sale on Saturday. No magazines, please. Call (323) 258-8078 for
more information.
12. A WALKING TOUR OF HISTORIC ECHO PARK LANDMARKS -- OCTOBER 25
Echo Parkıs most prominent historic landmarks will be featured during a
walking tour of the neighborhood business district and Echo Park Lake on
Saturday, Oct 25. The 1-1/2 hour tour begins at 10:00 a.m. and is organized
by the Echo Park Historical Society. The walk will include the colorful
histories of prominent buildings and institutions that have been recognized by
local and national agencies as historic and cultural treasures. The
outdoor tour features Angelus Temple, Jensen's Recreation Center and the
restored "Lady of the Lake" statue.
The tour, which starts from the southwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and
LeMoyne Street, is limited to 20 people. A $3.00 donation is requested
for adults. There is no charge for Echo Park Historical Society members or
children under 12.
The business district and lake tour is part of the new Historic Echo Park
Walking Tours program organized by the Echo Park Historical Society. The
tours are held on the fourth Saturday of every month and rotate among three
different routes: Elysian Park, Echo Park stairways and the business
district.
For tour information and reservations please call (323) 860-8874 or visit the
historic societyıs web site at http://www.HistoricEchoPark.org.
13. SNUFFLE-UPAGUS ON DOWN TO A HALLOWEEN PUPPET WORKSHOP --
OCTOBER 26
Bring the kids down for a free puppet-making workshop led by Emmy
winning puppeteer (and former Mr. Snuffle-upagus), Michael Earl.
Using the provided supplies, your child can create a spooky animal or
scary plant just in time for Halloween.
Michael Earl is a veteran of Sesame Street, where he breathed life into
memorable Muppet characters like Forgetful Jones, Poco Loco and Slimey the
Worm. He is also the creator of the PBS series Ticktock Minutes.
He has been a puppeter since the age of 10, and is looking forward to
sharing his talents with us on the 26th.
Space is limited, so please RSVP to Jenny, Lui or Sam at (323) 226-1617.
See you there!
14. WE'VE GOT MAIL
We open this week's mailbag with an upbeat letter in response to news that Rich
Development has agreed to open a dialogue with community members to discuss
possible design options for the Walgreens project on the site of the old
Shopping Bag building at Colorado and Eagle Rock Boulevard.
"Councilman Villaraisgosa's willingness to work with the community on the
Rich Development project is a welcome and refreshing alternative to the
treatment we've had in the past from City Hall. What a pleasure to read
that our elected representative understands that we're not obstructionists;
we're homeowners and residents of this community who only want to make it a
nice place in which to live."
--Jim Rawitsch, Eagle Rock
* * *
With the closing of Lee's Chinese Kitchen -- the venerable Colorado
Boulevard takeout joint that recently went out of business after many years in
Eagle Rock -- a number of readers expressed concern about the circumstances
surrounding Lee's sudden departure. The following letter from real estate
developer Paul Sislin sheds light on that and related topics. Mr. Sislin
is the new owner of the building that formerly housed Lee's Kitchen, and he's a
big fan of Dante's Chicken and Ribs, the new restaurant that Coffee Table
impressarios Bret Schoenhalls and Michael Zamarripa plan to open in the old
Chinese Kitchen space.
"Hopefully, this will clear up any questions about the closing of Lee's
Kitchen. They were neither forced to leave nor evicted. We
purchased the building from them and they could not wait to lock the doors and
leave. The same can be said for Gary Fielder, the owner of Williamson
Automotive [whose building a few doors east of Lee's Kitchen will house
Eagle Rock's soon-to-open Coffee Table.] He happily took the money
and retired to Arizona.
"Mike and Brett of The Coffee Table have put in close to a year and a half
of effort and countless thousands of dollars to bring Eagle Rock the best
coffee house and casual restaurant in the area. They are now preparing to
bring us the most delicious chicken and ribs east of the Bayou at Dante's
Chicken and Ribs. The chef has assured me that the menu he's prepared
is incomparable. As an aside, our fair city has given us so many
roadblocks during this entire re-building process that they should have called
a Sig alert. Thankfully, in the last several weeks, we have had
some tremendous help from the Council office and the Department of
Building and Safety, so we should be ready to open both restaurants by the end
of the year.
"We have also put in much time, effort and funds to have the Williamson
Automotive/Coffee Table building declared an historic property, which would insure
that it retains its present look forever. We are also making every effort
to bring in other tenants who are interested in re-energizing the neighborhood
and offering more great places to eat and shop. Mike and Brett's original
Coffee Table was very instrumental in doing just that in Silver Lake.
We are also upgrading the facades of all our properties on Colorado
Boulevard. Check out 1860, 1948, 1950-58, 2002-8 (soon) and
2301-15, where the Floor Station is scheduled to take occupancy in the
first part of 2004. All those buildings have businesses that deserve your
patronage.
"I hope everyone will enjoy the new destinations we are helping to create
and will patronize these businesses for many years to come!"
-- Paul Sislin, Los Feliz
* * *
As always, we welcome your comments, complaints and/or compliments on the
e.letter or any topic of interest to greater Eagle Rock. Please address
your message to e.letter@TERA90041.org,
and include your full name, along with your city, neighborhood or professional
affiliation. Opinions expressed in the e.letter's "We've Got
Mail" section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Eagle Rock
Association (TERA), the e.letter editor, or The Eagle Rock Association Board of
Directors, who reserve the right to publish letters or other materials
submitted to the e.letter at their sole discretion. Letters or other
material chosen for publication may be edited for style, clarity and brevity.
Please let us know if you do not wish to have your comments appear
in the e.letter.
15. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Make no little plans; they have no
magic to stir menıs blood and probably themselves will not be realized."
-- Daniel Hudson Burnham (18461912)
The TERA e.letter is
distributed weekly to more than 1600 subscribers with an interest in Eagle Rock
and Northeast Los Angeles. Please encourage interested friends to send
their full name and email address to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org
so we can keep them informed, too.
If you have changed your email address or would like to be removed from this
list, send us an email to e.letter@TERA90041.org
with the word(s) "remove" or "address change" in the
subject box, as appropriate.
If you have a press release or other notice that you feel might be of interest
to the Eagle Rock community, send it to e.letter@TERA90041.org.
If possible, please send your announcement in the form of an email text
message, (not as an attachment). Submissions must be in our hands
by 9:00 p.m. Tuesday to be considered for inclusion in that week's issue.
TERA -- The Eagle Rock Association -- YOUR COMMUNITY IN ACTION -- http://www.TERA90041.org --
P. O. Box 41453, Eagle Rock, CA 90041 -- (323) 259-TERA -- a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit public benefit corporation
The TERA e.letter
A publication of The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
Edited by Vince Waldron
e.letter@TERA90041.org