"Eagle Rock: Where land use and planning is
a contact sport"
THE
EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
--
e.letter --
November
1, 2001
In this issue:
1. WALGREEN'S/SHOPPING BAG BUILDING -- WHAT DO
YOU THINK? -- A SURVEY
2. SINGER-SONGWRITER DEBORAH HOLLAND TO SPEAK
AT OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE -- "BUSINESS
OF MUSIC" SERIES -- NOVEMBER 2
3. CALLING ALL ARTISTS -- KOREATOWN GATEWAY
PROJECT -- DEADLINE NOVEMBER 20
4. DIA DE LOS MUERTOS -- AVENUE 50 STUDIO --
RECEPTION NOVEMBER 3
5. THE ARROYO SECO JOURNAL -- WE'VE BEEN AWAY
-- WE'RE BACK
6. UPDATE ON THE FATE OF THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL
7. HOUSING MARCH TO SUPPORT $100 MILLION FOR
THE HOUSING TRUST FUND -- NOVEMBER 7
8. POETS, GROOVES AND BOWLING TEAM UP AT THE
ALL STAR LANES -- NOVEMBER 10
9. OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE TO STAGE HAROLD PINTER'S
"OTHER PLACES" -- NOVEMBER 7-11
10. NORTH EAST TREES SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
11. GREAT SALE GOING ON AT CATFISH BITE
12. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
13. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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1. WALGREEN'S/SHOPPING BAG BUILDING -- WHAT
DO YOU THINK? -- A SURVEY
Although TERA was
aware of the Walgreen's project, which was brought up to Council member Pacheco
at TERA's "State of the Town" presentation in September, we were only
recently shown the site drawings of the proposal for a new Walgreen's drugstore
proposed to be built at the site of the One Day Paint & Body shop
(otherwise known as the historic Shopping Bag building) and the Brick's restaurant
near the intersection of Colorado and Eagle Rock boulevards. Current plans call
for both of these existing buildings to be demolished.
The new Walgreen's building will be 15,140 square
feet in size sitting on the farthest corner back in the property which is
85,700 square feet. The building is
set back over 100 feet from Colorado and Eagle Rock boulevards, the proposed
Walgreen's would sit in a sea of asphalt, lacking any pedestrian orientation or
contact to the boulevard. The main
traffic flow will come onto Colorado Boulevard directly adjacent to the Shell
station. This project will have main
entries to both Boulevards and Merton.
Two small retail
buildings approx. 20' wide front both boulevards with over 140 feet of frontage
on Colorado Boulevard alone open to the parking lot and lacking any building
wall to the street. The tenants of
these smaller buildings have not yet been identified; it was stated by the
developer that Starbucks may be one of the lessees.
It is essential
that our community has proper input regarding this proposal. Please take a few minutes to answer the
following questions:
1. Do you
believe that Eagle Rock needs the addition of a large drugstore at this
location?
2. Do you have
any concerns about the addition of Walgreen's and other tenants to this
area? To this block?
3. Is there another tenant that you would like
to see instead of Walgreen's?
4. If you
support the proposed project, what if any changes would you like to suggest as
improvements to the project such as more extensive landscaping, pedestrian
walkways, linkages with other businesses or maintaining the historical faade?
Send us your survey
answers by e.mailing them to artburn@earthlink.net.
(Or just press "reply" -- DO NOT press "reply
all.") Your comments will be
personally delivered to Council member Nick Pacheco and the developer of this
project.
**Check out what
other communities have to say about Walgreen's by visiting this Web site: http://www.burrows.com/rocknews.html
----------
2. SINGER-SONGWRITER DEBORAH HOLLAND TO
SPEAK AT OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE --
"BUSINESS OF MUSIC" SERIES -- NOVEMBER 2
Deborah Holland,
lead singer and songwriter for Animal Logic, a trio founded by former Police
drummer Stewart Copeland and jazz bassist Stanley Clarke, is scheduled to speak
about being a musician of conscience at Occidental College's "Business of
Music" series at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 in Oxy's Bird Studio.
As a solo artist,
Holland released "Freudian Slip" in 1994. The recording was widely
played on AAA, college and public radio stations. Her next recording, "The
Panic is On: Songs From the Great Depression," is a collection of 1930s
political music that is a favorite among many folk music DJs.
The Business of
Music series is a forum in which students are introduced to music professionals
working in some aspect of the music industry. Future presenters include Keith
Bilderbeck, chief operating officer and managing director of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Holland's speech
is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Professor Irene
Girton at igirton@oxy.edu.
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3. CALLING ALL ARTISTS -- KOREATOWN GATEWAY
PROJECT -- DEADLINE NOVEMBER 20
Announcing the
release of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to select finalists for the
Koreatown Gateway Monument project. The RFQ is limited to professional artists
residing in metropolitan Los Angeles.
Submission
deadline: November 20, 2001
To obtain a copy
of the RFQ visit http://www.culturela.org and click on RFPS/RFQS.
Thank you,
Carrie Roche
Public Arts
Division
City of Los
Angeles
Cultural Affairs
Department
----------
4. DIA DE LOS MUERTOS -- AVENUE 50 STUDIO --
RECEPTION NOVEMBER 3
The Avenue 50
Studio, 131 No. Ave. 50, Highland Park, CA¨90042
Contact: Kathy
Gallegos¨323/258-1435/ ave50studio@msn.com
Presents
An Artemio
Rodriguez Installation
"Dia de los
Muertos"
November 3, 2001
6:00 -- 10 p.m.
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5. THE ARROYO SECO JOURNAL -- WE'VE BEEN
AWAY -- WE'RE BACK
We're fine. Thank
you for asking. You need no more proof of the difficulty of maintaining this
newspaper than to watch this web site. We have been offline since late August,
but we have since washed lots of cars and mowed lots of lawns and sold lots of
cookies so that the Arroyo Seco Journal remains a vital part of the Northeast
Los Angeles community.
O.K. that's out
of the way. The October issue was out on the streetslasts week. In it, you will
find our cover story on Neighborhood Councils along with coverage of Eagle
Rock's 90th birthday. Both Highland
Park and Eagle Rock are well on their way to establishing their own councils.
Read all about it inside. And don't miss Eagle Rock's own celebratory events
all month long.
Certainly no one
is forgetting the tragic events of September 11th. The Arroyo Seco Journal
looks at the event from a number of perspectives. Check out Eye on Eagle Rock,
SingleMomİ, and our Counseling Corner section.
You can also find
stories from our September issue here on the site. Um, as soon as we put them
up here.
Got blood? Yours
is needed by countless victims of the recent tragedy. The Arroyo Seco Journal,
along with the Highland Park Alliance, is proud to sponsor the Ramona Hall
Community Blood Drive on November 12th, from 11 A.M. to 5:00 p.m. For more
information, please call 323-276-3021.
It's great to see
you again. It still wouldn't be a newspaper without you.
Edward Rivera
Editor/Publisher,
Arroyo Seco Journal
http://www.arroyosecojournal.com
----------
6. UPDATE ON THE FATE OF THE AMBASSADOR
HOTEL
This update is
from The Los Angeles Conservancy, our partner in the fight to save and
adaptively reuse the historic Van de Kamp's Bakery Building.
The Ambassador
Hotel is the most important historic building currently being threatened in the
Los Angeles area. We passionately
support The Conservancy's efforts and implore you to forward through your
distribution lists and to others that may be interested, and join The
Conservancy in their fight to preserve and adaptively reuse the Ambassador
Hotel.
Thanks -- Andrew
Garsten, Coalition to Save Van de Kamp's
================================================
Dear
Friends:
With this weeks
sale of the Ambassador Hotel property to the Los Angeles Unified School
District, I wanted to give you an "insider's" briefing on the
prospects for preserving and reusing the Ambassador as part of LAUSD's new
school campus.
After a decade of
legal wrangling, LAUSD and the Ambassador's owners have finally reached a
settlement under which LAUSD will purchase the entire 23.7-acre Ambassador
property, making it clear now that the site will be used for educational
purposes. The Conservancy is therefore
disseminating detailed plans, the product of many months of work by our
Ambassador Hotel Task Force, demonstrating that it is entirely feasible --
architecturally, structurally, financially, and educationally -- to reuse the
Ambassador Hotel as a school.
Why Save the
Ambassador?
If there is a Los
Angeles historic structure truly worth fighting for, it is the Ambassador
Hotel. It is one of the two most
important historic hotels in the City of Los Angeles, along with the Biltmore. Opened in 1921, the Ambassador was the
catalyst for development of the entire Wilshire corridor -- and all of
Wilshire's grand historic structures which followed its construction. It is one of the best works of Los Angeles
architect Myron Hunt, one of Southern California's most notable architects, who
also designed the Rose Bowl, the Pasadena Public Library, Occidental College,
and the Huntington Library and Gardens.
The Ambassadors
nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove, itself became one of Los Angeles's most popular
night spots and helped launch numerous performing careers -- from Merv Griffin
to Barbra Streisand. The Ambassador was
the site of six Academy Awards banquets and was the local lodging of every
President from Hoover to Nixon.
In 1968, the
Ambassador became part of our nation's political history when Robert F. Kennedy
was assassinated in the hotel's kitchen after winning California's Democratic
presidential primary. The Texas Book
Depository Building in Dallas now houses a museum on John F. Kennedy's
assassination; the non-descript Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther
King was killed has been transformed into a National Civil Rights Museum. Yet, the Ambassador -- which also has
tremendous architectural and historic significance even beyond this one tragic
event -- may soon be wiped away.
Why Reuse Is
Feasible and Cost-Effective
LAUSD has
previously proposed demolishing the hotel for a new high school, and is now
considering the potential construction of one or two additional schools (middle
school and/or elementary school) on the site.
Many within LAUSD's staff believe reuse of the Ambassador is impossible
because the space is "inefficient" or because reuse is not
cost-effective.
However, the
Conservancy's analysis, made possible by its Ambassador Hotel Task Force (with
generous pro bono assistance from top architectural, development, and
engineering professionals), demonstrates otherwise: reuse of the hotel itself
as a school is not only very feasible and exciting, but actually represents a
lower-cost option for the School District.
Using the School
District's own facilities needs for the new school, Ambassador Task Force
members, led by architect Barry Milofsky of M2A Architects, confirmed the
hotel's suitability for conversion to a school. How would this work?
* The hotel rooms of the Ambassador convert easily into
classrooms. The "double-loaded" corridors with rooms on each side
would be converted to a single, wider corridor for student passage, and columns
would be moved to create ideally-sized classroom spaces.
*
The beautiful, expansive hotel lobby serves as the school's entrance,
"commons," and student gathering place.
*
The famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub becomes the school's large
auditorium/lecture hall.
*
The grand ballroom (which hosted Oscar ceremonies and important political
events) serves as a magnificent school library.
*
The large retail concourse, downstairs from the lobby and accessed through a
separate entrance, becomes on-site space for community organizations, literacy
training, and neighborhood services.
* A
new gymnasium and new athletic fields would be added south of the hotel
building
Because the State
of California's Field Act imposes heightened seismic standards for public
schools, it was essential to analyze how to achieve seismic code
compliance. Structural engineer Nabih
Youssef, one of the nation's leading experts on seismic strengthening of
historic structures, has completed a dynamic modeling of the entire hotel
structure, concluding that seismic retrofit is very feasible, and less
intrusive than originally estimated.
The construction/cost estimation firm of Davis
Langdon Adamson took the seismic plans and prepared detailed cost estimates for
the Ambassador project. The cost of the
entire seismic retrofit, plus rehabilitation of the hotel's exterior and
roofing is less than $55 per square foot, including all design and contingency
fees. In contrast, creating the same
basic structural system and building shell for comparable new educational
buildings typically costs about $80 per square foot. These cost savings did not even take into account the high cost
of LAUSD demolishing the huge Ambassador complex.
The Conservancy's
plan leaves plenty of room for future student growth or a middle school campus
on the site because it does not even utilize one entire wing of the hotel in
order to serve 2,500 students. In
addition, the reuse plan leaves seven acres on the Wilshire Boulevard frontage
untouched, allowing for compatible commercial development opportunities that
can contribute to Wilshire Center's economic revitalization, or for additional
school construction.
Furthermore, the Conservancy's plan can get kids
into school seats faster than can new construction. By reusing the Ambassador Hotel, the District can avoid the
lengthy, expensive preparation of a full Environmental Impact Report that would
be necessary to demolish a historic resource, and also avoid time-consuming
demolition and re-grading.
LAUSD must make
decisions that put kids first. And
simply put, preservation of the Ambassador Hotel will get LAUSD more
seats for more kids, less expensively, faster, and in a remarkable setting that
could not possibly be replicated by new construction.
What's Next?
Once the Federal Bankruptcy Court approves this
settlement in late November and LAUSD assumes full control of the property,
LAUSD will need to go through a public review process, which will give the
Conservancy and others a formal opportunity to raise reuse options with the
District. Board Member Caprice Young
has promised an inclusive public process to discuss the future of this
site. But we do not yet know whether
the District will take these proposals seriously, or simply treat the
Ambassador property as if it were a blank slate.
As an influential
community leader in Los Angeles, we hope you will:
1) Help the Conservancy spread the word by
sending this briefing to other local leaders who may be interested in
assisting; and
2) Tell us whether you would be interested in
participating in a citywide coalition to urge reuse of the Ambassador Hotel for
educational purposes.
The Opportunity
The Ambassador project
can build on a number of positive models that have adapted historic structures
for school uses. Just a few blocks down
the street, the Art Deco Bullock's Wilshire Department Store has been
beautifully transformed into the centerpiece of Southwestern University Law
School, including its Law Library. The
expensive, prestigious Archer School for Girls on the Westside has moved into
the historic Eastern Star Home on Sunset Blvd. in Brentwood. In Savannah, Georgia, an entire college
campus -- the Savannah College of Art and Design -- has been cobbled together
utilizing more than 50 rehabilitated historic structures.
The Ambassador
Hotel provides an unparalleled opportunity to transform a Los Angeles site of
exceptional significance into an exciting, community-serving educational
complex. We hope you'll help.
Sincerely,
Ken Bernstein
Director of Preservation Issues
Los Angeles
Conservancy
kbernstein@laconservancy.org
----------
7. HOUSING MARCH TO SUPPORT $100 MILLION FOR
THE HOUSING TRUST FUND -- NOVEMBER 7
This is in from
Jan Lin, associate professor of sociology at Occidental College:
Housing March to
support $100 million for the Housing Trust Fund
Wednesday,
November 7, 2001
March begins at 9
am
Assemble Los
Angeles and 3rd Streets
March to West
Steps of City Hall (200 North Spring Street)
Sponsored by
Housing LA (213) 480-1249 and
ACORN (213)
747-4211
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8. POETS, GROOVES AND BOWLING TEAM UP AT THE
ALL STAR LANES -- NOVEMBER 10
Xicano poet
"extraordinaire" Lil Rudy G & the Chizmosos, rock'n'ranters Lies
Like Truth and "retroactive" groovemeisters The Brahe Sound Affair
will perform Saturday, November 10th at 8 p.m. at the All Star Lanes, 4459
Eagle Rock Blvd. in Eagle Rock.
Lil Rudy and his
band will be celebrating the release of the CD compilation from the Showtime
series Resurrection Boulevard, which features the band's material. Lies Like
Truth, a long-time L.A. spoken word stalwart returns to its beat/noir hijinks
after a year-long hiatus and The Brahe Sound Affair will demonstrate what
happens when Booker T and the MG'S meets Austin Powers.
The cover for the
show is $10. No one under 21 will be admitted.
For more information contact 323/254-2579.
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9. OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE TO STAGE HAROLD
PINTER'S "OTHER PLACES" -- NOVEMBER 7-11
The Occidental
College Department of Theater will present "Other Places," a trio of
one-act plays by absurdist playwright Harold Pinter, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
through Saturday, Nov. 7-10 in the College's Keck Theater. A matinee
performance will be staged at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11. General admission
tickets are $8. Student admission is $3, and tickets are $6 for senior citizens
and Occidental faculty and staff.
Pinter is
considered one of the preeminent dramatists to emerge after World War II. His
more than 70 works are known for themes of menace, erotic fantasy, obsession
and jealousy, family hatred and mental disturbance. Pinter employs silence,
understatement and cryptic small talk to raise tension levels. His characters
are often set in a single room and are threatened by forces or people with
unclear intentions. Pinter does not offer explanations, instead giving peeks of
bizarre or terrible moments in his characters' lives.
"Other
Places" was initially staged in 1982 and includes the works "Family
Voices," a drama portraying a mother, her dead husband and an absent son;
"Victoria Station," a comic exchange between a cab driver and his
dispatcher; and "A Kind of Alaska," a work inspired by Oliver Sacks'
"Awakenings," an account of patients suffering from sleeping
sickness. Oxy theater Professor John Bouchard is directing the performances.
For more
information or to buy tickets, please call (323) 259-2922. Group rates are
available.
----------
10. NORTH EAST TREES SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
North East Trees
(NET), located in the beautiful Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, seeks an
Executive Director. NET is an exciting
non-profit environmental organization dedicated to improving the environment,
restoring native habitat, encouraging community involvement and improving the
quality of life in the greater Los Angeles area.
Founded in 1992,
NET has a staff of 20, including landscape architecture design, conservation
planning and field personal. We have a committed Board of Directors and a
budget of approx. $1 million per year, funded primarily through grants. NET has
developed a reputation for excellence in designing and building parks,
greenbelts, school shade-tree plantings and for native habitat and watershed
restoration projects and planning studies.
For more
information visit: http://www.northeasttrees.org.
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11. GREAT SALE GOING ON AT CATFISH BITE
I just wanted to
let you know that Catfish Bite Corp West LA office will be moving at the end of
November after (16) years in the same location (a recent 40% rent increase)!
On a positive note this has given us the
opportunity to start clearing our warehouses a week at a time.
Currently (Effective
Thursday 10-18-01) we will have transferred over 100 pieces of home decorative
products at prices ranges from 30-60% off retail.
Most of these
products were overruns for Neiman Marcus and/or one-time samples.
We have this
week: 40+ 14" decorative
pillows ranging from cottons to faux silks
20+ Neckrolls from denims to cottons to
faux silks
40+
Misc. odd ball i.e.:
Dustskirts
Euro shams
Throw blanket
Table topper and
round faux silk and tassel in navy blue
Faux silk gold 8" biscuit pillows
and gothic print biscuits
Chair pads skirted
And other misc.
items.
Each week we will
add as we clear our warehouse and sample room.
We are motivated
to sell! New item prices range from
$23.00 outlet discount price on decorative pillows to $69.00. Some of these pillows were sold at Neiman
Marcus for as much as $160.00 retail.
These items will
go fast as the word gets out! We will
be having a listing on Jeri Cook's http://www.bargainsla.com web site in about
a week or less for these items (by general listing only) and we will be
updating them weekly, so they will go fast. So please, please spread the
word. (Our little store needs the
business!).
Thank You,
Gina Muzingo
President
Catfish Bite is
located on Colorado Boulevard across the street from Trader Joe's. Call (323) 255-5548.
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12. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
"[Regarding
the Shopping Bag building:] A BOOK STORE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Between the
much-loved Farmer's Market, Trader Joe's, Vons and Super A, I personally think
we have plenty of grocers. What we do
not have is a bookstore. Yes, this
building was originally a grocer, but perhaps we should open up the playing
field to other things that the area really needs.
Frankly, I don't
care if what we can get is a chain, an independent new store or a great used
store like Cliff's or Brand Books. I
simply believe that we ought not put the current grocers at any risk, nor
should we forget the whole range of amenities that make our 'small town life'
here great.
Cheers --"
--
Rebecca Niederlander, Eagle Rock resident and new TERA member
"Thanks for
the work you're doing with TERA -- I enjoy reading the newsletter."
--Jennifer
Hammond, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Just wanted
to say what a great newsletter you've got going -- I was wondering if you'd
include me on your TERA newsletter email list?
Could I be considered a wanna-be, or, better -- an honorary Eagle
Rockian? (I wrote one of the letters to
the LA Times, and am a good friend of Michael Southard and Stephen
Shea...) Say yes!
Thanks and all
the best --"
--
Matt Severson, TERA e.letter fan and honorary Eagle Rocker
"Thanks
for the newsletter and all you do."
--
Sharon Lilly, Glassell Park resident
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13. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I've
been blown about for years, on my way to you.
And I still turn to love. I want
to burn again, and I still turn to love . . . I'm still turning. I want to burn again."
--
Howard Devoto [as performed by Magazine]
----------
We welcome your
comments. Please include your name.
Please encourage
interested friends to send their Email addresses to us at artburn@earthlink.net so we can keep them informed, too.
If you have
changed your Email address or would like to be removed from this list, please
contact artburn@earthlink.net.
----------
Joanne
Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>
President,
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)