LC 10 2021

SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

Delivered Monthly to 76,439 readers in Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Fremont Place, Miracle Mile, Park La Brea, Larchmont VOLUME 59

NUMBER 10

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OCTOBER 2021

LARCHMONT CELEBRATES !

H T 50TH ANNIVERSARY 0 0 1 From Barley Fields To Affluent Suburb

The year is 1921 . . . women are bobbing their hair and wearing skirts an inch above the knees . . .

F. Scott Fitzgerald coins the term “The Jazz Age” while strains from the voice of Bessie Smith and trumpet of Bix Beiderbecke are filling the airwaves. . . Rudolph Valentino is creating a cult of fans and young marrieds are buying dictionaries to win crossword puzzle contests. . . President Harding has signed a peace treaty with Germany and World War One veterans are using their overseas allotment checks to buy

Ford’s Model T for only $950 . . . .

The neighborhood shopping center concept is the perfect answer for suburban families and Larchmont Village is “born” . . . in an era of breathless, energetic, superactive times . . . in the Roaring ’20s!

Larchmont, patterned after the suburbs of New York City — like the affluent Larchmont, N.Y. in Westchester County — is being developed as a business district to serve Windsor Square, New Windsor Square and Han-

cock Park.

Etched out of barley and bean fields, this acreage is far from overpopulated downtown and is fringed with evergreens, sycamores and willow trees. The streetcar runs down Third Street to Larchmont and up to Melrose Avenue.

Tourists come out on Sundays in their Packards and Pierce Arrows to visit the mineral baths on Melrose Avenue.

Developers of this business center and surrounding areas are James Baldwin, J. J. LaBonte [Continued on Page 2]

2 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

From Barley Fields To Affluent Suburbs [Continued from Page 1.] and Tracy Shoults. James Baldwin Co.’s adver tisement in the Los Angeles Times for Larchmont Heights says, “We can vouch for the tract itself. It is admirably located, the transportation facilities are excellent, the improvements are ever ything they should be and last, but not least, it is in the direct path of the best and most rapid growth in population and proper ty values.” Prices range from $1,500 to $2,100 and “are exceptionally low considering the location of the proper ty and the favorable conditions surrounding it.”

But J. J. LaBonte is the man who sees the need for an active commercial center to sell and ser vice the residents of these fine mansions in Windsor Square, Ridgewood Park, Wilshire Heights, Larchmont Heights and Hancock Park.

In September, 1921, the Los Angeles Times heralds constr uction of 30 stores on Larchmont Boulevard between First Street and Beverly Boulevard.

“In two months, this whole business district was practically sold out . . . the splendid system of floodlights established on each of the railway power poles in the middle of the street and 100 ft. apar t, each 1,000 candle power, makes this one of the best illuminated sections in the city.”

ON THE BOULEVARD: — 1920s — J. J. LaBonte signs up tenants in record time at the of fice he and R. Ransom open.

H. Von Stein brings movieland to Larchmont with a new movie theater and its $40,000 organ; Hughes Market opens along with Ira Richardson Hardware, Windsor Square Pharmacy at

ABOUT THE COVER Larchmont’s senior statesman Ross Stratton is seen looking at the Boulevard of bygone years, when streetcars clanged down the middle of the street and customers were chauf feured to the Village in Packards and Pierce Arrows (photo cour tesy of Jack and Charlotte LaBonte Lipson).

Photo at right shows Larchmont Boulevard in 1971, site of the Golden Jubilee Family Fair on Fri., Sept. 17 from 7 to 10 p.m. (photo by Barbara Transue).

the corner of Beverly and Larchmont, Larchmont Cafe, Larchmont Electric Co., Larchmont Market, A.A. Carpet Company and Larchmont Motor Ser vice Station which sells Richfield gas at the corner of First Street and Larchmont.

We notice the Huntsburgers, Mr. and Mrs. Gilber t Wright, the Thomas O’Neills, Lincoln Dessers sending their chauffeurs and maids to Larchmont.

In 1923, residents and merchants open accounts at Citizens National Tr ust — Barber Tony Yapelli has account #4. Ira Bermant and Harr y Wallace take in a new par tner, Alber t Dippell, who is finishing his education at University of Southern California.

Alber t Balzer, a for mer Iowa merchant, purchases the Hughes Market a few years later and brings it to a larger facility further south on Larchmont where he begins his quality grocer y and deliver y ser vice to the area’s carriage trade.

Mrs. Webster Holmes makes plans to decorate her lovely English Tudor home at 365 South Hudson Avenue which Jonathan Ring, a New York architect, is designing. Bill Ledendecker, who recently purchased Wilshire Studios and moved it across the street to 103 Nor th Larchmont Blvd., is helping with the interior decoration. He has worked for Robinson’s before star ting out on his own.

Banking executives employed by Pacific Southwest Savings Bank in 1925 urge the opening of a convenient neighborhood branch and help in designing the facility which is located near the Larchmont Movie Theater. Van de Kamp’s plants its famous windmill on Larchmont in 1925. Larchmont Printing opens and we see Mrs. George Piness, Mrs. Earl Moody and the Elton Isbells shopping there for calendars and pens. Poinsettia Cleaners provides customized ser vice with Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Boyd behind the counter and three deliver y tr ucks to ser ve the neighborhood.

Sweet shops on Larchmont include the Larchmont Sweet Shop, where movie-goers devour hot fudge sundaes after seeing [Continued on Page 4]

MUIRFIELD ROAD HOME of the Philip L. Wilson family was built in 1924 as one of the first Hancock Park residences.

THE BEGINNING OF LARCHMONT VILLAGE in 1921 (shown at First and Larchmont) shows LaBonte Building housing some 20 stores at right in distance, real estate office at left. Several other buildings further north, plus elegant new movie theater, will help new shopping center rival Western Avenue (Photo courtesy Bruce Torrence Historical Collection).

Captain Hancock Transforms Ranchos into Fine Residences

By Diana Rosen Chronicle Staf f The evolvement from barley fields and oil wells to lush estates in Hancock Park and its surrounding areas began with the vision of one man, G. Allan Hancock.

His father, Major Henr y Hancock, had first come to the area in 1852 as a Mexican war veteran. In 1854, he sur veyed the LaBrea Tar Pits for the government. There, he made the first discover y of prehistoric bones: a saber-toothed feline. Undaunted by lack of suppor t from other scientists, Major Hancock purchased the huge estate from the government in 1860.

Development of 4,440-acre Rancho LaBrea, where Hancock was born on July 26, 1875 as Allan Richard George Hancock, star ted with a search for oil for Rancho LaBrea Oil Co. What resulted, in addition to 71 oil wells, was a real estate development that remains the established hear t of the City of Los Angeles.

THE SUBDIVISION STAR TED at Rossmore Avenue and moved west to Highland Avenue to form what is still known as Hancock Park. Wilshire Countr y Club’s golf course covers the Third Street oil sumps of the Hancock estate.

Capt. Hancock’s real estate of fice, Wilshire and LaBrea, sold lots for both private homeowners and building speculators for $10-15,000 in the late ’20s. Demand for lots skyrocketed to the point that salesmen sat on Wilshire Blvd. cor ners under sun umbrellas selling lots to passersby. Aiding Hancock in these sales were Shay and Logel and S.P. Lepplem. By 1930, approximately 85 percent of the development was completed.

Hancock intended to build himself a home on the familyowned lots on Hudson Avenue overlooking the golf course.

However, the tragic death of his 23-year-old son Ber tram and his near death when the hotel they were staying in was demolished during the July 29, 1925 Santa Barbara ear thquake left deep scars of grief.

The family, wife Genevieve Mullen whom he mar ried Nov. 12, 1901 and daughter Rosemar y, moved to the 400acre Rosemar y Far m in Santa Maria. There, he conducted scientific far ming and raised cattle. He also invested in a

vegetable packing plant, ice plant and the Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

HANCOCK EARNED his title “Captain” for his license to “master any ship of any tonnage on any ocean.” This love of the sea led him to many discoveries particularly the bethograph which photographed the first color pictures of the ocean’s bottom at depths of more than a mile.

Hancock gave funds to build the College of Aeronautics in Santa Maria in 1928.

USC was also the beneficiar y of Hancock’s philanthropy.

More than $7,000,000 in gifts were allotted from 1939 to 1954 when he ser ved as chairman and member of the board of tr ustees. He established the Hancock Foundation on Jan. 3, 1941 as a West Coast Center for the Advancement of Marine Biological Research and Allied Ar ts and Sciences.

A vast repositor y of marine lore and objects, it includes the Foundation building at 36 St. and University Ave.; the Velero IV marine lab ship; and educational television station KTHE established in 1953.

Upon his retirement from the board of tr ustees in June, 1954, Hancock gave a final gift of $2,150,000. This ended the long-time span of philanthropy that began with 175 acres of income proper ty, roughly bounded by Fair fax and Cochran avenues, to Third and Sixth streets, which he gave the school in 1940. The area was purchased

by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. to constr uct Parklabrea Towers and Gardens.

After his wife’s death in 1936, Hancock married Mrs. Helen Leaf Morgan. The brief marriage ended, and on Oct. 5, 1946 he wed the former Marian Mullin. Hancock died May 31, 1965 at his Rosemar y Farm, where his widow now resides. His granddaughter, Mrs. Thomas L. Brennan, Rosemar y Hancock Smurr’s daughter, is the mother of Hancock’s three great-grandchildren.

Chronicle Thanks Area Historians

(from the 50th anniversar y special section in 1971) The Larchmont Chronicle extends its grateful appreciations to the many persons who contributed information to make this historical supplement possible.

Our special thanks go to Dr. Harr y M. Kur tzwor th, who has been providing historical drawings and ar ticles about this area since the Chronicle first began in 1963.

We would also like to thank Joseph Harker, Loomis Johnson, Bob Landis, Cutler and Howard Dippell, Mrs. Donald McGrath, Mrs. A. Lincoln Desser, Dr. and Mrs. E. Earl Moody, Mrs. Virginia Browning, Mrs. Victor Winnek, Mr. and Mrs. Elton Isbell, Rober t Selleck, Tracy Beaumont, Mrs. Lester Hibbard, Mrs. David Witmer, Ralph Templar, Tom Waters, Ben Benson, Ross Stratton, Johnny Johnson and the many others who supplied their recollections for these pages.

VILLA DE MEDICI in Florence, Italy was the inspiration for the Vermont and Wilshire palatial estate of G. Allan Hancock. In 1939, several of its rooms were dismantled and reinstalled in the USC Hancock Hall as a memorial to Capt. Hancock’s mother, Ida Haraszthy.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 3

In the 1940's…

We Got Our Start

on Larchmont Boulevard

Since 1981, Ritz Dry Cleaners has been owned and operated by Raj Patel and his family, with the support of a dedicated team.

If you care about your clothes and fine linens, then it’s only natural to care about how they are cleaned. When it comes to delicate, valuable, or treasured items, professional dry cleaning and French hand laundry services are the best possible choice.

We Love Larchmont!

"Congratulations" to all our neighbor merchants and customers for Larchmont's 100 years!

Ritz

Dry Cleaners

& French

Hand Laundry 306 N. Larchmont Blvd.

(213) 464-4850

4 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

From Barley Fields to Affluent Suburb [Continued from Page 2] the exploits of Theda Bara and Buster Keaton; See’s Candy Store; Elizabeth Bailie Candy and Van de Kamp’s Baker y at 225 1/2 No. Larchmont which was opened by Theodore J. Van de Kamp in October, 1926.

Billiards fans are attracted to Larchmont Pool Hall which opens in 1926 and closed the next year. Weaver Jackson Beauty Shop opens a branch at 202 Nor th Larchmont so now local women don’t have to travel to Wilshire Boulevard or the Ambassador Hotel for their business.

Ross Stratton’s radio shop has a loudspeaker system so that shoppers can hear music as they promenade along the sidewalk.

The day of the Dempsey-Tunney fight (September 1927), even the fellows from Larchmont Pool Hall were over by Strat’s listening to Dempsey lose the fight by giving Tunney the “long count.”

Brothers Elton K. and Clarence R. Walker buy a two-pump gas station at Olympic and Western in 1926. They discuss plans to add on American Motors dealership, ser vice depar tment in the near future.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS: The talk of the neighborhood in 1925 is the moving par ty interior decorator Howard Verbeck held aboard his house as it was moving from 2619 Wilshire to a lot at 637 South Lucerne Blvd.

Larchmont Flowers is delivering color ful bouquets to the George Machris home at 244 So. Ir ving Blvd. to decorate for the many par ties they hold for friends.

Attorney Neil McCar thy has built a palatial home at 465 South Muir field. A former resident of Ardmore Avenue, we understand from his Rimpau neighbors that McCar thy practices his polo shots while riding a wooden horse — in the unused swimming pool.

The Christmas tree lights in front of the John Bullock home at 627 South Plymouth Blvd. draw admirers from all over the city. W. M. Petitfils builds a home on the nor thwest corner of 6th Street and Plymouth that awed neighbors call “The Bank of Windsor Square” because of its stone fence and large stone facade. He heads the Petitfils Confiserie.

Guy Scholten sees the need for complete electrical ser vice

and in 1920 opens his Scholten Electric Co. at 214 So. Western.

Guy carries a shotgun to get a rabbit or two as he drives to see customers who are erecting homes in the barley fields near Marlborough School.

SCHOOL NEWS: Los Angeles High School is graduating its first class to spend all four years in the beautiful brick building at Rimpau and Olympic boulevards.

Principal W. H. Housh brags about his 2700 pupils — largest enrollment in the City. “When the site of our present building was selected and the building star ted, the people looked askance at the idea of building a school so far away from houses and school children,” Housh says. “But what happened? The place . . . where there was open countr y is being built up with homes and new subdivisions open to the West. Los Angeles High is still the pioneer school . . . Thus does civilization follow in the wake of the school house,” he concludes in his yearbook message.

Beth Ward, Charlene Mock, Harley Hubbard are among the grads — leaving legacies to the junior class with such luminaries as football star Horace Bresee, scholars Joe Crail, Warren Pallette, Henr y Duque, Warner Henr y, Oscar Trippet and Huber t Boisver t.

Stanton Rippey is president of the House of Representatives, and other student leaders are Edward Pallette, Felix Chappellate, Joy Peterson and Josephine Poor.

Headmistress Mar y Caswell, who star ts each day with a canter (sidesaddle) along the barley fields surrounding Marlborough School for Girls, speaks at the graduation ceremony while the 18 graduates look elegantly beautiful in their white dresses, thinking no doubt of upcoming trips to Europe and college enrollment.

The Har vard School for Boys celebrates its 21st bir thday this year at the corner of Venice and Western under headmaster Dr. Rober t B. Gooden.

Two educators and former militar y of ficers see the need for a local school to train young men for leadership and they found Black Foxe Militar y Academy in 1929. Major Earle A. Foxe and Major Harr y Black lay out designs for the day and boarding school south of Melrose with two imposing str uctures on either side of Wilcox Avenue.

THE SPANISH tiled roof of Citizens Trust & Savings Bank, forerunner of Crocker Bank, comes to Larchmont Blvd. in 1924.

ROSS STRATTON opens his Larchmont Radio Salon on the boulevard in 1927 to handle the growing record and radio business.

FIRST LARCHMONT Boulevard home, built in 1924 by the Ballard family, was designed by Harley Bradley, Buffalo architect brought here by Larchmont Boulevard developer John Woodruff.

TWO-STORY HOMES COMPLETED IN WINDSOR SQUARE SUBURB 1926 — Windsor Square, an elegant residential tract of twostor y homes, celebrates its 15th bir thday this year.

Developed by the R.A. Rowan Company, Windsor Square is the first residential tract restricted to homes in Los Angeles.

R. A. Rowan has furnished underground public utility and electric lines so that unsightly wires will not mar the attractive landscape.

The Rowan firm has invested $500,000 in improvements, including the underground lines, for the 100-acre residential area.

The company also has furnished wide green parkways between the sidewalks and the curb, and planted palm trees to enhance the tract. It has also provided the street lighting.

HOMES BUILT ON THIS TRACT, just 12 minutes from downtown, are restricted to two stories. Home sales are almost completed in the area where prices star ted in 1911 at $15,000.

The proper ty, which has been sold at $100 and up per front foot, was selling at $400 per acre in 1902. At the time it was barley fields and vegetable ranches.

Claiborn Saint of the Rowan Co. pointed out that the area has attracted many homes built further east; Benton Van Nuys has moved his father’s home from 6th St. and Loma Drive to 4th St.

and Lorraine Boulevard (Lorraine was named for Rowan’s daughter.)

The Vogel home was moved from West Adams to Windsor Square; and the O’Melvaney home from Wilshire and Rimpau to Windsor Boulevard.

AMONG THE HOMES being built here are the English brick residence at 6th St. and Windsor Blvd. for Milton Getz; it has a tapestr y brick exterior surrounded by gardens and enclosed by a wall of old bricks.

John and Nellie Powers have built a $50,000 English Tudor home at the nor thwest corner of 6th and Windsor. The Milwaukee Building Co. has erected a 12-room English-style home for Eugene F. Kline. Philip Ridely built a large colonial home for his family at 515 South Windsor Boulevard in 1915.

S.M. Cooper, a retired minister from Cincinnati, has built several homes in the Square, all with basements. He and his family are living in a large home at 435 South Lorraine Blvd.

The Rowan company has designated the proper ty from Third to Sixth Streets and Plymouth to Ir ving Boulevards as Windsor Square. The firm has sold adjoining proper ty to subdividers such as George B. Ellis, James Baldwin, Tracy Shoults and J. Woodr uf f.

BARBER SHOP Then

We Salute Larchmont’s 100TH!

Now

For appointments until 4 p.m., call (323) 464-6659 Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5:30

•

Sat. 8-4:30

•

Sun. 9-2:30

©LC1021

401 1/2 S. FAIRFAX AVE., 90036.

Ad from 1971

Still serving Larchmont customers from our new location:

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 5

6 Centennial

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Gowns of Brocade, Lace Seen at Ambassador Debut

The highlight of the 1921 social season — the opening of the Ambassador Hotel — was matched in glamour and glitter by the gorgeous gowns of women guests.

The parade of fashion was led by Mrs. William G. McAdoo, wife of the former Secretary of the Treasury, who wore a gown of white and silver brocade cut short and topped with a bodice of pearls. Setting off the gown was a corsage of orchids.

A necklace of diamonds decorated Mrs. Hancock Banning’s silver brocade dress, and pearls accented the black and gold brocade gown of Mrs. William May Garland.

Pearls appeared in the unique creation worn by Mrs. W.W. Mines, whose rich dress of cream lace was

blended with a girdle and shoulder straps of hand-sewn pearls.

Mrs. I.N. Van Nuys had a company of 18 at her table. She was regal in an imported black satin gown and jet with which she wore a pearl necklace.

Mrs. Richard Jewett Schweppe was handsomely attired in sapphirecolored velvet trimmed with Point de Venise lace.

Mrs. James Rathwell Page was wearing green chiffon and silver lace.

The sparkling gowns were part of the overall charm of the dinnerdance celebrating the Ambassador Hotel’s opening.

Nearly 3,000 people attended the affair, including the scions of society and out-of-town visitors of note.

Los Angeles Tennis Club Hosts First Western Meet

Sept. 1927 — The most prized possessions among tennis enthusiasts this month are tickets to the first annual Pacific Southwest Tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Club at Clinton and Cahuenga avenues.

The club, only seven years old, has grown from 27 founding members to several hundred. It was founded on Nov. 1, 1920 by Thomas C. Bundy, a U.S. National Doubles Champion (1912-14), who bought 5 1/2 acres between Melrose and Clinton, Wilcox and Cahuenga, for $11,000 from Capt. G. Allan Hancock. Maurice McLaughlin, real estate developer and tennis ace known as “The California Comet,” helped arrange the sale. McLaughlin was the first to introduce the big serve and the volley to tennis.

In 1922, a portion of the Melrose frontage was sold to pay for building a clubhouse, a championship court with bleacher seats and six other courts. This year an Olympicsize pool and 10 other courts were added.

Tennis stars expected to compete in the first annual tournament, Clifton Herd, tourney manager announced, are Bill Tilden, Francis Hunter, May Bundy, Molla Mallor y, Kean Bouman of Holland and Manuel Alonzo of Spain.

Bill Henry, Club president, said box seats have already been purchased by Norma Talmadge, the Bennett sisters, Jascha Heifetz, Vilma Banky and Rod La Rocque and Gloria Swanson.

THE FACE OF LARCHMONT has retained its grace and loveliness, as evidenced by this photo of Plymouth Boulevard, between 1st St. and 2nd St., taken in 1921. Joseph Harker of Harvard Blvd., who contributed the picture, has been a witness to the growth of Larchmont for more than 50 years.

Young Sturges Meets Actress 1924 — Young Dain Sturges received the thrill of a lifetime last week at a special premiere at Larchmont Movie Theater.

He tells us what happened: I was at the preview of the motion picture “Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall,” starring Mar y Pickford, which featured the personal attendance of Mar y Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks.

Mar y Pickford said to me as she walked out of the theater, “Did you enjoy the picture, little boy?” I was the only one she talked to.

Douglas Fairbanks was standing on the running board of their luxurious chauf fer-driven car, looking out for persons cor wded around the car as it was backing away from the curb in front of the theater as they were depar ting.

Mayor Cryer Rules Over Half Million George E. Cryer takes over as Mayor of the 576,673 residents of Los Angeles in July of 1921, succeeding Meredith P. Snyder.

City Council president Ralph L. Criswell presides over meetings with fellow members F.C. Langdon, Frederick Wheeler, Robert M. Allen, Walter Mallard, Winfred Sanborn, Othello Conaway, W.C. Mushet and R. S. Parks.

Police judges include Joseph Chambers, Hugh Crawford, Ray Chesebro, G.S. Richardson and William Frederickson.

Among the City Planning Commissioners are Linden E. Behymer, Eugene Biscailuz, Fred Blanchard, Mrs. Werna Cobel, Claude L. Welch, Mrs. C.B. McClure, Albert Lee Stephens, Lyman Farwell and Paul R. Williams.

Serving with John W. Mitchell, head of the Board of Municipal Art Commissioners, are Mrs. Sumner Hunt, Mrs. Cecil B. de Mille, Edwin

Bergstrom and John J. Backus.

Board of Public Service Commissioners is occupied by Howard Robertson, R.F. Del Valle, Lester Robinson, E.R. Young and John R. Haynes. William Mulholland is Chief Electrical Engineer, Bureau of Power and Light.

H. Wagner Takes Wilshire Y Post 1929—A community of fice to house the Wilshire District YMCA has been opened at Sixth St. and Western Avenue with Harold A. Wagner as executive secretar y.

The local YMCA of fice, which will ser ve the area west of downtown, excluding Hollywood, will become an of ficial branch of metropolitan YMCA next year, Fred L. Cook, chairman of the board of managers, announced.

WILSHIRE W E COUNTRY COU NTR Y CLUB CLUB WIILSHIR RE UN RY Established Established 1919 1919

Extends Extends our our heartfelt heartfelt appreciation appreciation to to the the

Larchmont Laarrcch h mon Com m u n y hm ntt Community mm mu un niiittty on on its its

100 100

th th

Anniversary Anniversary

WE WE THANK THANK YOU YOU FOR FOR YOUR YOUR DEDICATION DEDICATION AND AND COMMITMENT COMMITMENT TO TO OUR OUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBORHOOD. NEIGHBORHOOD.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 7

Marlborough Catalog Advises Simple Dresses, Chaperones In its 1921 general catalog, the Marlborough School for Girls advises mothers that dress for their daughters should be simple and inconspicuous, consisting of two school dresses, a street suit and a suit for church, concerts and opera.

“Although two dresses of silk or wool are suggested for dinner, they are not to be low-cut and should have elbow length sleeves. Occasional dances necessitate a simple evening gown which could be cut half low; expensive jewelry is wholly out of place and should not be brought to the school.”

When attending matinees, in public parks or railways, the students are warned not to be unattended, especially in automobiles. Chaperones are necessary and tickets for them were shared among the party of girls.

“The school seeks to deal realistically with the natural diversions such as parties and dances. However, parents are cautioned that it is up to them to change the jitters before and after such events and the exhaustion after parties that disturbs and even stops school work.

“Many a mother, puzzled at present to know why her daughter is less successful than another mother’s daughter of equal capacity with hers, would find that regular study of at least two hours a day, everything else giving way for that purpose, would make a visible change for the better,” the catalog states.

Marlborough’s excellent academic standing in 1921 enabled its graduates to enroll at the University of California and Stanford University with only a certificate of graduation — no entrance exam was required.

MASONS TO BUILD TEMPLE TO HOUSE LOCAL LODGE 1925 — E. H. Newland has of fered to build a three-stor y edifice on a lot he owns on Larchmont Boulevard to house the new Larchmont Masonic Temple Lodge #614.

Newland and other Wilshire Lodge members are among the char ter members of the new groups, which includes Dr. J. Q. Scroggy, Herman Bennett and David J. Reese.

The Masons will use the second and third stor y of the building at 230 No. Larchmont for meeting purposes. The building is expected to be completed in September, with Grand Master Reese conducting opening ceremonies.

REALTOR ACTIVE in sales of local homes is Loomis Johnson, salesman with R.A. Rowan Co.

THE SCHOOL WAS FOUNDED in 1889 by Mrs. Mary S. Caswell as the first independent girls school in Southern California. Housed in a family hotel in Pasadena, it was first a boarding school, then changed to a day school with 125 girls in 1916 when it moved to its present site at Third Street and Rossmore Ave. It only handled grades nine to 12 then, but added 7th and 8th grades in 1928.

During the 1920s, the school

was on five acres of land with a view of the Sierra Madre and San Bernardino mountain ranges and provided opportunities for walking, horseback riding and other forms of country life. The street cars ran only to Larchmont Boulevard so a wooden plank from Larchmont to the school porch was provided for the students’ convenience.

The late Mrs. Caswell, who died in 1924, left the school to her daughter, Mrs. George Caswell

MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS was built at Third Street and Rossmore in 1916.

SHOOTING HIGH for Marlborough School for Girls’ basketball team in 1925 were, from left, Vee Dale, Rosalie Vance, Susan Jeffrey, Jean Stewart, Nelda Jeffrey and Virginia Thom.

Overton. She appointed Miss Ada Swazey Blake, who served as headmistress for 18 years until her retirement in 1942.

During the war years, 1942-48, Mrs. Overton directed the school and it was transformed to a complete day program. Mrs. Kenneth Mitchell, former dean of women at UCLA, and her husband leased the school and purchased it in 1958.

In 1960, the Marlborough Foundation was established as a nonprofit

institution and Mrs. Virginia L. Jennings was appointed director in 1962 after Mrs. Mitchell’s retirement.

Currently, Robert Chumbrook is headmaster for more than 400 girls in grades seven through 12 in the school’s $2 million twostor y building which replaced the 1916 structure in 1969. Designed

by William Pereira, architect and father of an alumna, the white brick building was financed by private contributors.

8 Centennial

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Ebell Club Ball Marks Move to Wilshire Blvd.

PROUD OWNER of this Lucerne Boulevard home is Verner B. McClurg, who built the house in 1923.

CULTURAL CLUB SET INTERESTING MEETING TOPIC

HONEYMOONING at Mission Inn, Riverside, Calif. 1921 are Mr. and Mrs. (Corinne B.) Frederick C. Warren.

RUSKIN AR T CLUB “Ar t in America” will be the topic of study for the 121 members of the Ruskin Ar t Club for the 1921-22 season, Mrs. W. J. Council, president, announced.

On Oct. 5th, Mmes. L. M. Witmer and Ralph Har tley will chair a discussion on architecture in Washington, D. C. Local members par ticipating include Mmes.: Walter J. Hadley, Rosewood Ave.; Ralph R. Har tley, Nor ton Ave.; Ella P. Hubbard, Wilton Place; Frank L. Kennedy, Wilton Place.

Also, Frank J. Marshall, Westchester Place; Herber t Peer y, Ingraham; John Show, So. Lor raine; Victor E. Stork, So. Wilton.

A FLEET of trucks stand ready to answer carriage trade from Larchmont’s quality market, Balzer’s.

1927—The international ball will celebrate the opening of the Ebell Club’s new 4400 Wilshire Blvd. clubhouse on Oct. 22, Mrs. William Read, president, announced.

Honored will be consuls from 32 countries with Ebell members decked in costumes representing those countries. Two orchestras will play and a supper party from 10 p.m. to midnight is planned following a musical program in the auditorium.

A movie of the event will be made.

The Ebell Juniors, founded in 1921, will have its first benefit affair Saturday, Nov. 5, with a buffet supper followed by a bridge party.

“The Gay Nineties” is the fashion show / luncheon to be staged Nov. 15 by the charter members

COWBOY WONDERS WHERE STUDENTS WILL COME FROM

From the diary of Daniel P. Tafe, 1923 . . .

“I remember seeing Los Angeles High School from Wilshire Boulevard. (At the time there wasn’t a house from Wilshire to Washington boulevards). I asked a fellow in a cowboy hat what the building was — I thought maybe it was a college.

He said, “the ‘durn fool Board of Education — just because a plot of gound was given to them they have to spend a million dollars to build a great big building. I want to know where in the tarnation are the people who are going to send their kids there!”

Ed. Note: Eleven acres, valued at $55,000, was donated to Board of Education by the Rimpau estate in 1915. Cost of school construction was estimated at $500,000 in 1916.

Larchmont Chronicle Delivered monthly to 76,439 readers.

with Miss Peggy Hamilton, fashion editor of the Los Angeles Times, offering the commentary. The noon luncheon will be held in the main dining room.

Proceeds, donated by charter members, will help pay for the 2,000-piece wrought iron portals door designed and made by John Williams Chard. Approximate completion date of the arched doorway is July, 1928.

Publisher and Editor John H. Welborne Managing Editor Suzan Filipek Deputy Managing Editor Billy Taylor Contributing Editor Jane Gilman Staff Writers Talia Abrahamson Helene Seifer Advertising Director Pam Rudy Advertising Sales Caroline Tracy Art Director Tom Hofer Classified and Circulation Managers Rachel Olivier Nona Sue Friedman Accounting Jill Miyamoto

From 1971:

Larchmont Chronicle A California corporation

Dawne Goodwin & Jane Gilman Co-publishers Published the first Monday of each month.

Mailed to Wilshire Center families in Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Fremont Place, Parklabrea and general Larchmont area. Additional paid subscribers bring total circulation to 15,046.

Offices 418 North Larchmont Blvd.

HOllywood 2-2241 Editor .................................... Jane Gilman Advertising Manager .........Dawne Goodwin Production Manager ............. Robert Wolulik Advertising Representative .......Adele Young Assistant Editor ....................... Diana Rosen

606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103

Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241 larchmontchronicle.com

100

LARCHMONT VILLAGE THE CENTENNIAL CHAMPIONS Tradition l Excellence l Service l Resilience

The Consuls General of Belgium H.E. Gunther Sleeuwagen

Japan H.E. Muto Akira

Los Angeles Fire Department Firehouse Centennial Celebration LAFD Fire Station 29 February 21, 2019

Thailand H.E. Mungkorn Pratoomkaew

wish to send their Congratulations to the Larchmont Community on its

100 Anniversary! th

137 N Larchmont Bl #468 Los Angeles, CA 90004 firstinfirefoundation.org

(323) 933-8164

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver, the other is gold. (“Make New Friends”)

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 9

10 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

1930s — From High Spirits to Depression President Hoover tries to stir the sagging economy as the new decade begins by expanding the Farm Loan Banks and initiates the Home Loan Bank; he contributes his of ficial salar y to charity.

Local residents are tr ying to avoid bread lines in favor of salar y checks while some eight million fellow Americans are unemployed. Eddie Foster of the staf f at Wilshire Countr y Club bids farewell to some of his favorite customers who just can’t pay the dues anymore.

The tragic death of Knute Rockne, Notre Dame football coach, killed in a plane crash in Kansas in March, 1931 sent the R. S. MacMillan household at Hudson Avenue into a tailspin.

MacMillan, owner of KMPC, r ushes to the studio to get a special news stor y on the air waves.

Real estate and motor car sales are still flourishing, however, and G. Allan Hancock’s sales of fice at Wilshire and La Brea is putting “sold” across most of the signs in the Hancock Park subdivision.

Residents line up at Larchmont Movie Theatre to see Academy Award winner Fredric March in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Warner Baxter, who earned an Oscar for his role for “In Old Arizona” in 1928, treats local kids to ice cream cones at The Snowball.

The handsome actor lives on nearby Beachwood.

Balzer’s delivers groceries to Mrs. William Heberling of Muir-

field Road who is hosting a spring benefit card party for the University of Michigan Women’s League.

Mrs. Walter Leimert, president of the Junior League of Los Angeles, wins a blue ribbon in the photography section of the Arts & Interest Exhibit at the League’s annual conference in Cincinnati.

Howard Hughes has rented a home on Muir field Road overlooking the golf course and Ross Stratton makes house calls to deliver repaired radios to the aviator-inventor.

Former Marlborough classmates of Virginia Thom are receiving invitations to a bridge luncheon honoring the brideto-be, daughter of the Cameron Thoms of Muir field. Hostess is Betty Jean Caldwell, daughter of

Greater than Gold:

100 Years of Success!

Happy Anniversary, Larchmont!

100!

Mel Miyamoto & Associates 323-462-4845

100!

the William Caldwells of Windsor Boulevard.

Another bride-to-be in the news is Catherine Newell Wilson, daughter of the Philip Wilsons of Muir field Road. Miss Elizabeth Young has invited Miss Ruth Jones, Helen Hillman, and Mrs. Dur wood Browning to her Fremont Place home to honor Catherine before her Sept. 17th wedding to Victor Charles Winnek.

We see Virginia Richard and Don McLarnan enjoying a steak at Tip’s of Hollywood; Bob Landis takes his dates to the Beverly Wilshire where you can dance all night for the price of a Coke from the bar (25¢).

Fred Alber tson, head of the Alber tson Co. motor car company, is completing his family’s home of 20 rooms at the corner of Four th and Hudson Avenue for a cost of $275,000. The Kellogg designed English-style home will house Fred and Hazel Alber tson and daughters Barbara and Jean.

Enjoying the $1.50 buffet at Perino’s before attending an afternoon concert at the Philharmonic staged by L yndon Behymer are Mrs. John Hall, Mrs. Charles Wright and Ann White; Mrs. Hall, active with the Ebell Club, sends her sons John and Bruce to Elisa Ryan’s Dancing Classes held in the Ebell dining room.

Local residents enjoy spending their vacations at Talley’s Glen Ranch in L ytle Canyon or The Squirrel Inn at Lake Arrowhead.

Larchmont Chronicle Popular dining spots are Victor Hugo’s on Sunset Blvd. and Lucey’s Restaurant on Melrose where you can see movie stars dining with full make-up on, between filming sessions at Paramount Studios across the street.

Mother-daughter combinations shopping on the Boulevard include Mrs. William Dunlap and daughter Sue Betty and Mrs. H. Bennett Cooke and daughter Dorothy.

ON THE BOULEVARD — Patrons at Weaver Jackson’s Beauty Shop are letting their hair grow long. At Weiburg Drugs, girls are buying Lux Toilet Soap and Elizabeth Arden cosmetics “for skin like the petals of the lily.”

Juana Neal Levy, society writer for the Los Angeles Times, describes the elegant wedding of Virginia Sevier, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Laurence Sevier of Muir field to Ranson W. Chase.

The bride was given in marriage by her uncle, Dr. A.H. Giannini.

The Landis family opens a depar tment store in 1933 next to Citizens Bank and Trust, and young Bob, who’s a student at Los Angeles High School, helps out in the store. Training for the school’s swim team are Ralph Templar, Jack Murietta, and Jackie Coogan, who get in swim time at the Ambassador Hotel.

Loomis Johnson sells a lot at 227 Muir field Road to J.A. Brown, president of General Petroleum, in 1933 for $30,000.

Because the banks were closed, the deal is handled through the title of fice.

On Saturday mornings The [Continued on Page 16]

Congratulations to Larchmont Village on its 100th Anniversary Proud to be a part of Larchmont Village and the surrounding neighborhoods since 1936.

We celebrate Larchmont and continue to serve all of your real estate needs.

251 N. Larchmont Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90004 | 323.464.9272 Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2021 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.

Larchmont Chronicle

Friendly Flavor of Larchmont Draws Generations of Shoppers Clerks from Larchmont, as well as golden-haired Jean and por tly Lindy, ducked into Theo Aer t’s Beauty Shop to warn ladies of impending ticketing. Out dashed women in curls and caps to upbraid the minions of the law and sulkily move their cars.

It was a few years after this that the law dared to scold Larchmontians for the mortal sin of jay walking. Up until that time, casual meanderings back and for th across our main ar ter y were the accepted custom, and many a news item was discussed in the middle of the block by rendezvousing friends.

CHRISTMASTIME of yore was Christmastime indeed on Larchmont! Out came bedraggled garlands, worn and tarnished by many years of wear. Each store did its part to maintain the festive feeling.

From Strat’s Record Shop were boomed the lugubrious strains of hymns. When Strat stepped out at noon, his handyman seized the opportunity to remove the hymns, records and tune in “yah-deda-da” and “boop-dee-doop” of the latest jazz.

The tempo of the whole street accelerated. Four generations felt the beat. Mrs. Edwin Rowley rolled up the Venetian blinds in her limousine.

Her daughter Mrs. Thomas Ridgway made her selection at Balzer’s in double quick time with Bob Balzer’s knowledgeable help. Her daughter, Mrs. Luppe Luppen popped into Beams’ with her Black Foxe student son, Ridge, to grab a quick Christmas present, and her daughter Kathy joined a group of Marlborough girls about to invade Strat’s to learn the title of their boy friends’ current favorite record. Strat always knew.

Larchmont is the kind of shopping place where everybody knows each other’s politics and frequently argues about them. The Beam sisters, for instance, were for General MacArthur for President.

So was most everybody else, but when Eisenhower got the presidential nomination from the Republican Party they switched their allegiance for practical purposes.

Not so the Beam sisters.

They clung fiercely to their candidate MacAr thur. After repeated remonstrances and reproaches from ladies in the community, the Beam sisters

closed up and moved out.

So Larchmont goes on changing with the years, but never really changing. Ar t Landis is no longer “minding the store” at Landis, but his son Bob is. We still have a pet show where ever y mongrel wins a ribbon reading “Honorable Mention.”

We still have scores of station wagons bulging with small fr y. We have bikes and

Hollywoodland on Beachwood.

Established 1923

babies and barefoot boys. The old store, Grancraft, is no longer there to of fer the sewing and ar t work of aged suppliers. But there are longtime residents and their of fspring whom we know and love who still sell us needlework, antiques and other goodies.

The spirit is the same — the spirit of co-operation, friendliness and small town concern for each other.

Hollywoodland on Larchmont.

Since 1963

Ed Carroll and daughter Patti.

Times change, but legends endure!

From one legend to another,

©LC1021

By Lucy Tober man To those who live in this community the Larchmont area is synonymous with the legendar y Shangri-La. Its boundaries are somewhat ephemeral. Its traditions are manifold. Its inhabitants are united by a fierce sor t of loyalty that transcends political par ty, business af filiation and college rivalr y.

It is a tiny, but sophisticated village untouched by the sprawling megapolis that surrounds it and which laps at its shores.

SOMETIMES IT IS HARD for longtime residents of Larchmont to accept its changes with the years. Many remember when the boulevard boasted giant telegraph poles marching down the middle of the street. They recall the trolley car that rattled up the tracks — long since discarded as the street widened.

Matrons can recall with pleasure the movie theater on the west side of the street where most of us spent Saturday afternoons watching comedies, westerns and serials at the Children’s Matinee for 10 cents.

Businessmen mention the fact that on summer days they might make as many as 10 bicycle trips over to Larchmont Boulevard to get in on the action! The pink, white and violet uniforms of Marlborough girls have been blossoming there for as long as anyone can remember, often interspersed with the formal blue uniforms of Black Foxe cadets.

Said one of the crisply attired salesgirls of our vanished Van de Kamp’s, “the death of Black Foxe was one of the most paralyzing catastrophes that ever hit our neighborhood. We loved to see those boys come in. They were always so polite, cooperative and honest, and had such shiny-clean faces.”

MANY REMEMBER the first time that motorcycle policemen sternly invaded the area. Citation books in hand, they stalked the street tagging cars for over long parking — a matter never considered relevant by Larchmont shoppers.

Consternation reigned!

Centennial 11

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Hollywoodland Realty salutes Larchmont’s 100th Anniversary.

Hollywoodland Realty • 323-469-3171 • 213-268-3171

LARCHMONT ANIMAL CLINIC

Your Trusted Neighborhood Vet for over 40 Years!

Sends Warm Congratulations to the Larchmont Community on its

100th Anniversary!

DR. JAN CIGANEK & STAFF (323) 463-4889 AERIAL VIEW shows Larchmont Boulevard looking north from Second Street.

316 N. Larchmont Blvd.

©LC1021

larchmontanimalclinic.com

12 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Happy 100th, Larchmont Blvd.!

Larchmont Chronicle

Scene on Larchmont by Marty Murphy

"It seems the new clock is becoming a favorite meeting place."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'll be glad when Halloween is over."

"Of course I'll marry you, you silly goose! But right now I'm about to get a parking ticket!!!"

"Here's breaking news, folks! There's an SUV leaving a parking spot on Larchmont and First!"

©LC1021

from your neighbor,

Happy Anniversary, Larchmont!

Larchmont Village Florist Michelle & Gina Kim 420 N. Larchmont Blvd.

323-464-8146

pediatric and adolescent medicine

Amaka Priest, MD • Neville Anderson, MD, FAAP • Courtney Mannino, MD, FAAP Board-Certified Pediatricians

323.960.8500 321 N Larchmont Blvd., Suite 1020 . Los Angeles . CA . 90004 . www.larchmontpediatric.com

©LC1021

Happy 100th, Larchmont!

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 13

your NEIGHBORHOOD corner store SINCE 1934.

Kaylin + Kaylin Pickles Scott Kaylin

Marconda’s Meats Lou and Tyler DeRosa

Roxy & Jo’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar Jo and Stephane Strouk

Rick’s Produce Rick Dominguez

For over 87 years, our community of independent, family-owned grocers, restaurants and retailers have represented a cross-section of Los Angeles history and culture.

We invite you to meet our newest merchants and revisit your favorites.

See you at Third & Fairfax!

Kip’s Toyland Don and Lily Kipper

The Gumbo Pot Clinton and Elizabeth Thompson

Farm Fresh Produce The Puente Family

6333 W. THIRD ST. • LOS ANGELES • 323.933.9211 @FARMERSMARKETL A • FARMERSMARKETL A.COM 90 MINUTES FREE PARKING IN FARMERS MARKET LOTS WITH MERCHANT PURCHASE VALIDATION.

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Wilshire Country Club Begins 6th Decade In New Building As the twenties were flapping away, the social set of Los Angeles gathered to dine in elegance and dance till dawn at the Wilshire Countr y Club, built in 1919 at the intersection of Beverly at Rossmore on the Hancock fields. The dining room, open daily then, has now cur tailed its activity to daily luncheons and twice weekly dinners, but the ser vice and style remain the same.

When the club was first built, no roads or street lights existed in the area except on Rossmore Avenue, which was paved only in front of the club. What is now Beverly to Melrose and June to La Brea was 105 acres of undeveloped land and oil wells from Capt.

Hancock’s Ranch La Brea estate.

The 50 char ter members, of

whom only Charles Toberman still remains, paid a $500 membership fee, often paid out on time. Today, the rate is as high as $15,000.

THE FIRST PRESIDENT was Marion R. Gray and the second, Norman MacBeth, laid out the grounds, including the golf greens, which covered the oil sumps installed during the early 1900s.

During those early years, the Helsian Club and For tnighters had weekly and monthly dances with live bands and dinners.

“Those days are gone, however,” Men’s Grille manager and 45-year club employee Eddie Foster says. Enter tainment is dif ferent today, he said, reflecting the tastes of the children and grandchildren of those ear-

Adobe House Provides Solid Investment 50 Years Later The house built of adobe has a rich and color ful histor y which Larchmont shares with other areas in Southern California.

Dr. E. Earl Moody, who built an adobe home at First Street and Arden Boulevard in 1920, first learned of the adobe while a boy in South Pasadena.

He played near a one-stor y adobe residence then known as La Casa de Jose Perez, but now called Adobe Flores. It was here that General Andrews Pico held his last council of war before surrendering to General John C. Fremont.

In 1919 Dr. Moody purchased a lot from Tracy Shoults and decided to build an adobe home in keeping with the early Souther n Califor nia-Mexican heritage.

Dr. Moody found a Mexican man who was an exper t brick maker. The excavation of adobe from the cellar, plus one wagonload of adobe soil from the grading operations at First Street east of Larchmont, was the source of his building material.

The adobe soil was thoroughly dampened and formed into a soft pliable mud. A proper amount of stable manure and straw was worked into the mud to give the dried bricks the proper binding power.

When blended, this mud was placed into a wooden mold 12 inches by 22 inches and 4 inches deep. The mold had wooden strips to provide an indent in the bricks to give them better binding power. When the mud was firm, the form was removed and the bricks were dried in the sun.

The Moodys were one of five families in the area to receive a city permit to build a home of adobe. Specifications required by the city were so strict that today it would be too expensive to use adobe, Dr. Moody said.

The foundation had to be

two feet thick, one foot below ground, and walls had to be covered with cement stucco and water-proofed to keep the rain moisture from the adobe bricks, which would swell if wet and would crack the plaster.

The Moody house has withstood all the ear thquakes -- even its adobe chimney. The other adobe homes still standing are on the west side of Arden below First Street and two two-stor y homes south of Third Street.

ly members.

Conser vative from the beginning, the club made headlines

when it refused to admit Bing Crosby because he was an “actor,” but admitted Bob Hope as a “philanthropist.” They did relent later and admit two movie directors, Scotty Dunlap and George Marshall.

THE DEPRESSION hit the club too, as many members

Larchmont Chronicle couldn’t pay their dues. But the war years and prosperous ’50s brought many of them back.

The club is currently experiencing a healthy comeback because of its $2.2 million clubhouse, built to provide more facilities for enter tainment and recreation.

Dunn Property Group BUSINESS REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS

HAPPY 100th ANNIVERSARY, LARCHMONT! Michael J. Dunn (213) 580-1400 | www.dunnpropertygroup.com 1200 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 208 | Los Angeles, CA 90017

© LC 1021

14 Centennial

2021_GAF_BevPress_100thAnniversary_HR.pdf 1 9/8/2021 6:51:50 PM Larchmont Chronicle

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OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

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Larchmont Chronicle

BRIDES OF THE ’30’S

THE LOVELY WEDDING of Virginia Thom, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Thom, to Durward Browning of Arizona was an evening ceremony at All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. The Marlborough graduate was entertained with numerous pre-nuptial parties.

High Spirits to Depression [Continued from Page 10]

Three Stooges invade Larchmont Boulevard to use the street as background for their movies. Carl Sischo opens his jewelr y shop and Bond Cleaners opens with Harr y and Rae Neiger greeting their new customers.

Johnny Johnson is selling ground round at three pounds for 25¢ to the Rober t Lord family at Keystone Market; he gives free frankfur ters to the neighborhood kids, except for Marge Heilman, who prefers baloney.

Pitt’s Restaurant and Bar on Larchmont is among the places to celebrate the end of prohibition in December, 1933. Ann Marie Pitt r uns the beauty shop next door to her husband’s cafe where Rae Neiger and Anne Stratton have their hair done.

HOLLYWOOD STAR-NEWS MAKES its debut in 1936 with Lou Dresser, 12, of South Plymouth Boulevard as publisher.

Lou and his friends comprise the staf f and conver t the family’s chauf feur quar ters into a newspaper of fice. The 24-page mimeographed journal’s staf f consists of Eugene Deitch, Marshall Chlavin, Don Engster, Bud Collette. Balzer’s is the paper’s first adver tiser and close to 350 neighborhood families subscribe to monthly News.

The same year, Dan Silverman, a deliver y man for Safeway, opens a grocer y store with Larr y Fikes called Larch-Mar t. Silverman, who puts in a produce stand, meat and grocer y depar tment and of fers free deliver y, also worked in a produce market.

Daniel Duggan has joined the local Coldwell Banker of fice and announced that it will be expanded to include residential income and commercial sales as well as home sales. He is joined

by Charles Detoy Sr. and William H. McAdam.

WEDDING PARTY at the marriage of Catherine Wilson to Victor Winnek are pictured at the reception for 350 guests in the Wilson home on Muirfield Road in 1932. The new bride is shown with, from left, Misses Edith Shankland, Mary McCardle, Helen Hillman, Eleanor Davidson, Ruth Jones and Alberta Williamson.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 17

Sisters Find Larchmont Is Perfect for Families

“Our friends and the Hancock Park area have grown up together,” says Betty (Mrs. Lester) Hibbard, one of the three daughters of Mrs. Brian Welch and the late Mr. Welch.

“My parents’ first home in the area was at 301 S. Arden, which we moved to in 1921 when I was nine years old.

All three of us went to Third Street School where we all par ticipated in the Oppor tunity Room, an experimental program which gathered the top 10 percent of the students from the fifth and sixth grades and permitted the students to lear n at their own speed and on various projects.

“Saturday after noon was the big time; we’d get some candy at the local store and with our dime head for the matinee at the Larchmont Movie Theater.

Although the area hasn’t changed much, we do miss the theater.

“One of the more cr ucial times was taking the ter rible lesson in social dance at Elisa R yan’s School of Dance. The assistant instr uctor, Mr. Sheheey, appeared to us to be 1,000 feet tall, but probably was only about six-foot-four. He seemed to slide around the dance floor with the girls, often the wallflowers. It was the usual situation, boys on one side, girls on

the other. I would hide in the restroom with other girls so I wouldn’t have to dance, but the instr uctors would come in to get us.”

After John Burroughs, the three sisters attended Marlborough School for Girls. Los Angeles High was the place to meet boys, however, and ever y football game was packed with spectators.

Betty’s sister, Jane (Mrs. Roy) Williams also remembers the Larchmont Movie Theater, especially the serials, which kept the neighborhood kids coming back each week. They also would tr y their hand at bubble gum blowing and yoyo contests.

“The area has built up so much since we were chil-

dren,” Mrs. Williams said.

“I remember shooting rabbits with my father on the land where Park La Brea now stands.”

The Welch and Arden Day lawns were the scene of many games of football, kick the can and hide and seek and kids from all over would come play.

The sisters’ third member is Marjorie (Mrs. Rober t) Sears.

She agrees that the area is still wonder ful for children. They cite that reason for making their homes here in Larchmont.

SWIMMING TOWARDS championships for Los Angeles High School at the Ambassador Hotel in 1931 were, from left, John Murray, Jackie Coogan, Jack Murrieta, Ralph Templar and Arnold Pann.

Wilshire Rotary Elects Mathews 1932 — Ar thur Mathews has been elected president of the new Wilshire Rotar y Club.

The new group, which meets at Wilshire Countr y Club for weekly luncheon meetings (75¢ a plate, including parking), was formed to ser ve businessmen in the Wilshire-Western-Larchmont area. Other of ficers are: Dr. Laurin L. Wood, vice president; Ernest Riley, secretar y; Lee Greene, treasurer; Stuar t McHaf fie, George Pauli and Dr. Hardy Potter, directors.

TROOP TEN CAMPING OUT at Big Pines, summer, 1930. Top row: J. E. Hampton, Frank Bailey, Laurie Rice, Howard Forester, Mel Dike, Walt Wayman, Tom Waters, Dana Walker, Ray Medberry, Harry Sanborn. Bottom row: Phil Swanson, Paul Minning, Steve Pratt, Don Benton, Chauncey Medberry, Bob Casady, Doug Stinson, Andy Rose, Bud Crispin, Bill Waters.

Happy Anniversary

LARCHMONT VILLAGE Celebrating 100 years FROM PETE BUONOCORE & THE CORE GROUP LA REALTY TEAM

118 N. LARCHMONT BLVD. | WWW.COREGROUPLA.COM | DRE #01279107

18 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

Shadows of War Darkens New Decade – the ’40s As the Depression becomes a dim memory, the threat of war pervades the dawn of a new decade.

President Franklin Roosevelt tells the nation at his third inauguration on the Capitol steps that the U.S. will pledge “all aid short of war to nations fighting the Axis.”

Don McNeill takes the U.S. Lawn Tennis title away from Bobby Riggs in 1940 and the Cincinnati Red Legs win the World Series over the Detroit Tigers four games to three.

Chevalier’s Library can’t provide enough copies of Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “Gone with the Wind” is breaking box office records at Larchmont Movie Theater.

Then, early on a Sunday morning, residents pour out of their homes to confer with neighbors over the shocking news that Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese. The Dec. 7, 1941 calamity has resulted in 104 soldiers dead and 300 wounded along with countless civilians.

Local boys enlist, women take over some of the men’s jobs and volunteers at Los Angeles High include Rose Dresser teaching social studies. Gas rationing is enforced, causing Balzer’s and Larch-Mart to curtail delivery service.

Balzer’s installs extra counters and order desks to take care of the former carriage trade who are now walking in for supplies. Mrs. Hal Baldwin and Mrs. James Page stop by to select a wedding gift in Balzer’s new gift shop for Betty and Ralph Templar.

Mrs. Elton Isbell is driving a USO truck to deliver coffee and donuts to canteens for servicemen and the A. Lincoln Dessers hold barbecues at their Plymouth Boulevard home for lonely G.I.s. Mrs. Haidee Stewart helps out at the Roslyn Hotel U.S.O. Canteen downtown.

Virginia Bekins and Dick Daum are among the couples enjoying the dance tunes supplied by Freddy Martin at the Cocoanut Grove; Bob and Betti Landis announced the arrival of a son, Thomas.

Larchmont Boulevard sees a rising influx of businesses which

include English and Johnson Insurance, Dain Sturges Insurance, Phil’s Poultry, Stockhold Cleaners, Russell Voice Studios, Ritz Hand Laundry and Stacy’s Camera and Hobby Shop.

Patsy Peppers is elected president of Marlborough School for Girls in 1942 and UCLA’s football team makes its first appearance in the Rose Bowl.

The Weaver Jackson Beauty Salon has been purchased by European hair stylist Theo Aerts, who has provided coiffures for many leading movie actresses and local matrons.

A capacity audience hears Dr. Frederick Woellner address the Ebell Club’s 50th anniversary party in 1944 with Mrs. Justus Kirby, president, officiating. He speaks on “Ebell is the Oasis of Los Angeles.”

Claiborn Saint of June Street takes over as president of Los Angeles Realty Board in 1945; he is a vice president of R.A. Rowan & Co. The “war to end all wars” is over and Larchmont is rejoicing over the returning servicemen. The area grieves its fatalities too, including young Bill Coberly.

The neighborhood becomes the center of nationwide publicity when Shirley Temple, 17, marries John Agar, 24, on Sept. 17, 1945 at Wilshire Methodist Church. Plymouth and Wilshire Boulevards are lined with thousands of residents waiting to catch a glimpse of the storybook couple who were married by Rev. Willsie Martin.

Tress Journey opens Wagon Wheel Nurser y on Cahuenga Boulevard and New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth is guest at the home of Elton Isbell’s of Larchmont Blvd. while playing at Gilmore Stadium.

Judge A. A. Scott, presiding judge of Los Angeles Juvenile Court, warns that California’s drive-in restaurants may be centers of adverse influence on teenagers. YMCA executive secretary Ken Zinn counteracts this by registering hundreds of local youngsters for Camp Round Meadow at the Wilshire Y office at Third and Larchmont.

National Charity League holds its first Debutante Ball in 1949, two years after the 22-year-old philanthropic group is incorporated by Mrs. Paul William Lawrence. The Bookworms of Assistance League begins its first fund-raising sale of Christmas cards; Junior leaguers

are meeting at the Lorraine Blvd. home of Mrs. Hugh Evans to discuss art history.

Larchmont Radio Salon is able to show residents one of the first television programs – a wrestling match. Albert Dippell, vice president of the Wilshire Chamber of

Commerce, hosts a meeting featuring a talk on “Make Mine Freedom”

by Lt. Gov. Goodwin Knight at the Nikabob Cafe.

The decade comes to a close as Ohio State and California prepare to do battle in the Jan. 1, 1950 Rose Bowl contest.

LaBonte Pioneered on Larchmont

By Dr. H. M. Kurtzworth Chronicle Historian The stor y of Larchmont Boulevard, an exclusive six blocks long, extending only from Third Street, north to Melrose Blvd., should be easy to unravel and explain!

But who knows where it got its name? Has anyone ever seen any larch trees in the vicinity or knew any of the first settlers? Someone must have the records, but thus far, they are mostly secrets!

Beginning about 1920 the Third Street car line extended its double tracks up Larchmont so that people could ride to the mineral well on Melrose to enjoy the health benefits offered.

FACES &

PLACES

Los Angeles was growing so rapidly that many downtown home owners felt they were being crowded and began looking westward with the idea of moving their homes.

In 1921, Julius La Bonte, then 43, arrived from Grand Rapids, Mich., bought some land and opened up the first real estate office at the corner of Third and Larchmont.

“Larchmont Boulevard gets better all the time,” says the developer-builder, who is responsible for some 70 percent of the structures on the boulevard.

Buildings also bearing the LaBonte stamp include Poinsettia Cleaners, the two-story facility next to Jurgensen’s, the stores where Beverly Larchmont Pharmacy now stands, the movie theater that is now where Security

Bank is located, the Van de Kamp’s building, Landis Department Store building and a store complex which is now the Shell Station site.

LaBonte’s 250-foot frontage building at 126 North Larchmont is the second commercial building on the Boulevard, built in 1921. He used to look out the window of his home at 340 So. Arden and see nothing but barley fields.

The firm previously had seven offices through the city, doing $1 million in sales each month.

A charter member of Wilshire Countr y Club, LaBonte has had a real estate of fice in Larchmont since 1925. A resident of Parklabrea, LaBonte also lived in Countr y Club Manor. He and his wife were married in 1910.

Julius J. LaBonte pioneered development of Larchmont Boulevard in 1921 with construction of several buildings including one bearing his name shown in sketch.

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

1940s Draws Families Back to the Big Homes Co McGrath and her husband, Don moved to Ir ving Boulevard in 1932 and have been obser vers of the scene ever since. Here are Co’s comments on the neighborhood in the ’40s: The gas rationing period of World War II created the necessity of “closer-in” living, and the sons and daughters of the older generation returned to the Larchmont district. Though they moved back because of necessity, they remained to rebuild and reface the home of their childhood.

There was influx of new capital and in a relatively shor t time, homes and gardens were restored and proper ty values boomed. On the large and welllandscaped lots was room for swimming pools and patios, and a second generation was established in the old home environs.

The Larchmont business district also took on a new look.

The telephone poles that stood in the middle of the Nor th Boulevard area were removed; street cars outlived their need; and the tracks were taken out.

New buildings were constr ucted and old buildings were renovated and improved.

Larchmont Boulevard is the gathering place of the neighborhood – the countr y store, the town hall. Ever ything is there, and at some time of the day, practically ever ybody is there.

On the street corners, world af fairs are discussed, business deals are made, and the gossip

Metropolitan Adds High Rise At Parklabrea

1949­­— Constr uction has begun this month on 18 high-rise towers, each 12 stories high with 153 apar tments each, for a total of 2754 units at the Parklabrea complex. The buildings are par t of the first high-rise, multiple-unit buildings in the Wester n United States.

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. bought the land between Third and Sixth streets and Fair fax to Cochran avenues from USC, which had received the land as income proper ty from Capt. G. Allan Hancock.

First established for priority housing, Metropolitan built 1399 garden units in 1943-44.

Until that time, only single units and duplexes were built.

NAT KING COLE MOVES TO PARK Sept. 1948—Pianist singer Nat “King” Cole and his bride of several months, Maria, have purchased the former William Lacey home at 401 South Muirfield Road.

The ivy-covered English-style home is valued at $85,000.

A neighborhood committee, who of fered to reimburse Cole for the purchase price if he would relinquish the proper ty, were rebuf fed by the recording ar tist and nightclub performer.

of the Los Angeles west side is passed from one to another. Los Angeles takes on a new impor-

tance being the big city that surrounds the small town – Larchmont.

THE GREAT BABE RUTH takes time out from filming his life story to chat with Mrs. Helen Isbell in 1948. The Elton Isbells, So. Larchmont, hosted Babe during his Los Angeles stay.

Centennial 19

New Home Owner Unit Seeks To Stop Commercial Zoning June, 1949—Continued and active opposition to any rezoning of Wilshire Boulevard for commercial purposes was pledged today by Joseph C. Cannon, general manager of the Hancock Park Property Owners Assoc.

Although organized only since last September, the Hancock Park group strongly opposes the petition of Andrew Swanfeldt to rezone his property at Highland Ave. and Wilshire and will continue to resist the plea when his appeal is considered by City Council, Cannon said.

Founded in September, 1948, the association’s offices are headquartered at 5410 Wilshire Blvd., in the Dominguez-Wilshire Building and headed by president Col. Andrew J. Copp, Jr.; Robert J.S. Breyer, vice president; Henry M. Bateman, treasurer; and Garcia L. Johnson, secretary. On the board of directors are Hugh M. Kice, Dwight L. Clarke, Clay Robbins, Harold C. Morton, and Stuart L. Lapp. Cannon conducts the business affairs of the organization.

The issue is whether to open the zone to commercial development or to continue it as a residential area. The other three corners at the WilshireHighland intersection have been rezoned and are now occupied by a gas station and other commercial enterprises. Residents claim a gas station is not as bad as converting residential property to commercial use. Swanfeldt admitted he had been approached by real estate interests promoting an auto agency, professional building and restaurant.

The disputed tract constitutes the end of the mile-long strip from Bronson Ave. to Highland Ave., zoned for residential use and is the scene of some of the finest residences in the district. Swanfeldt’s corner property is the site of zoning controversies which have raged for nearly 20 years.

Councilman Harold Henry offered a compromise of the zoning issue by the establishment of modified commercial zoning restricted to “high class” business and multiple dwellings.

The purpose of the Association is to protect and enforce deed restrictions of the 1700 single family dwellings in the high-priced residential district of Hancock Park.

20 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

Fabulous ’50s Start on Note of Optimism, Hope The fabulous fifties begin with a r ush of war veterans taking advantage of the G. I. Bill to finance their education at the campuses across the countr y.

President Tr uman tells the nation about the Japanese Peace Treaty on the first transcontinental television broadcast in September 1951. General Douglas MacAr thur is recalled from the Far East by Tr uman, and another general is being promoted as presidential timber for the 1952 elections.

Census figures state a population rise of 1,366,044 residents produced a 48 percent increase from 1940 to 1950, and no let-up is in sight. Alber t Dippell does a landslide business finding homes for their growing numbers.

Local matrons are talking about the Marion Pike ar t exhibit from Palos Verdes Librar y Ar t Galler y that earned the Junior League substantial monies for the Lucia Albanese Scholarship Fund at the Los Angeles Conser vator y of Music and Ar ts.

And the Assistance League is saddened along with thousands of local residents to hear of the death of founder Mrs. Hancock Banning on Dec. 2, 1951.

The Dodgers leave Brooklyn, and KMPC broadcasts their first games. Minneapolis loses the Lakers to Los Angeles, which gains thousands of spor ts enthusiasts. Local spor ts are r unning high as coach Horace Bresee’s Los Angeles High basketball quintet slams University High with an unheard-of 92 points to win the league’s firstplace honors in 1951.

The Korean Ar mistice is signed in 1953 and local residents seek relaxation at one of the final Larchmont Movie Theater’s showings, “A Streetcar Named Desire” and C. B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments.”

Remodeling on Larchmont Boulevard includes the nor thwest corner, providing new looks to Larchmont Plumbing, Larchmont Cycle Shop, Peck’s

REMODELING PLANS for Larchmont Boulevard are announced by Councilman Harold Henry, seated, and local merchants, from left, Lee Ethridge, Security Bank; Joe Chevalier, Chevalier’s books; Frank Mann of Business Committee, Wilshire Chamber of Commerce; Jack Killingsworth, Citizens Bank; Robert Balzer, Balzer’s Grocery, and Al Dippell, Dippell Realty.

Beauty Studio and Wilshire Studio. Businessmen are congratulating Alber t Dippell for winning the Los Angeles Realty Board’s 1955 William May Garland Award for outstanding ser vice. The following year, congratulations are extended to Henr y G. Beaumont, awarded the Gold Canon Trophy for being the outstanding cer tified proper ty manager in California.

Brighter than New York’s “White Way” is our own Wilshire Boulevard, which completes installation of the $270,000 404 mercur y vapor twin light fixtures in spring, 1957.

A new children’s shop is opening on Larchmont with Beth Morris, Los Angeles High School alum, as proprietor. Mrs. Morris has four children and two grandchildren.

Local resident Ruth Tracy has decided to go into the real estate business on her own. The lovely blonde realtor has opened an of fice above Beverly-Larchmont Pharmacy at the southwest corner to of fer residential sales for the area. She holds an American Red Cross citation for her out-

standing work overseas after World War Two. A new publication hits the mailboxes of local residents: brothers Frank Anthony and John Hatfield of Nor th Larchmont Blvd. are publishing a monthly newsletter called “Hi Neighbor” as a shopping guide and director y for the Larchmont District – “The last frontier of leisurely, friendly and quiet happy living.”

Neighbors are bemoaning the loss of the Larchmont Movie Theater, a landmark on the boulevard since 1921. Security First National Bank will move into the site of the fire-damaged theater in a modern one-stor y building with a parking lot for (Continued on page 22)

FIRST PARKING METERS on Larchmont in 1959, whose revenues will help finance off-street parking sites, are admired by Councilman Harold Henry, Larchmont businessmen Bill Schulhof of Beverly Larchmont Pharmacy, Albert Dippell of Dippell Realty and Miss California.

REPAVING, REMODELING GIVES NEW LOOK TO LARCHMONT BLVD. 1955—The modernization of Larchmont Boulevard and improvements of its commercial buildings are currently under way with an $80,000 allocation from public funds acquired from City Council, Harold A. Henr y Four th District Councilman, said. improvements Boulevard include removal of streetcar tracks and power line poles, complete street repaving, installation of new curbs and gutters.

Citizens National Tr ust and Savings Bank is completely remodeling its 245 No. Larchmont branch; the five stores and second-floor apar tments at 137-143 No. Larchmont are being modernized, and a new

two-stor y air-conditioned of fice building is planned at 346 No. Larchmont. The Fernando Alfalfa Milling Co. will build and occupy the building in addition to other tenants. The Masonic Hall also plans remodeling.

A store and of fice building will replace a market at 101-105 No. Larchmont under the direction of owner Alber t Dippell, Dippell Realty Co. Dippell has been active with the Wilshire Chamber of Commerce in establishing the boulevard improvements. Chamber members: A. Lee Ethridge, Joseph Chevalier, Frank Mann, chairman of the small business committee, and Cy Midwor th, executive secretar y, also aided the improvement program.

Cheers to Larchmont on its 100th Anniversary!

Larry Gillham, CPA, and Larchmont Data began here on Larchmont in 1979. We purchased our office building at 428 N. Larchmont Blvd. in 1994. We retired to become landlords, renting our building in 2013 to the present.

We have been and still are present 42 of the last 100 years ….YIKES!

We’ve been around for 119 years and we salute our younger sibling from our home here on Larchmont Blvd.

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Elsa and Larry Gillham

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

VISIT WBTLA.ORG FOR membership, High Holy Days, schools, camps, and programming

Centennial 21

22 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

LARCHMONT LANDMARKS

FABULOUS ’50s

Drawings by Harry M. Kurtzworth

(Continued from page 20)

24 cars. The bank is now at 219 No. Larchmont; Dippell Realty Co. handled the transaction.

We see Co McGrath in the Cof fee Cup Bake shop at 118 1/2 N. Larchmont congratulating Al and Elaine Turk for winning the “Gold Cup for Pies” at the 10th annual Baker’s For um of Southern California.

Jim Bar to’s gift shop is attracting many customers including Madelaine Crawford, Aileen Pauley, Isabelle Wadssor th and Rev. Melczer.

Dippell Realty repor ts a number of address changes – the Hugh Evans Jrs. to South Irving; Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Zador to South Arden; the Glen McComas family to Nor th Van Ness.

Naomi Price Gar y opens her exclusive dress shop at 205 No. Larchmont and customers include Mrs. Leonard Radford, Mrs. Melville Courson

Page Military Moves to Area

Page Militar y Academy moved to 565 Nor th Larchmont in September, 1959, as it celebrates the school’s 51st anniversar y. The school, founded

by Major Rober t A. Gibbs and his wife, Della Page Gibbs, is directed by Major and Mrs. Earle R. Vaughan and Capt. Russell Gibbs Vaughan.

Art Center College of Design

LARCHMONT BOULEVARD in mid-’50s adds Christmas decorations to bring holiday spirit to street. and Mrs. Henr y William Abts.

The war babies are in grade school, and television in classrooms repor ts the most astonishing scientific event so far: Soviets launch Sputnik I Oct. 4, 1957 and compound that with a passenger satellite carr ying the dog Laika Nov. 3, 1958. The U.S. doesn’t wait long to catch up. Explorer I zooms from Cape Canaveral Jan. 31, 1958 and the space race is on.

G. Allan Hancock, former officer and director, is honored guest in 1958 when the 18-stor y UCB building at Sixth and Spring is dedicated. The bank had merged with Hiberian Bank which Hancock had cofounded.

Los Angeles Rams’ star Les Richter gives an autographed football to Jim McGowan, Wilshire YMCA Boy of the Year, at the 29th annual meeting which also sees the installation of Dr. John M. Fer nald as chair man of the board of managers.

It’s now a “family af fair” at Dippell Realty Company—1955 is the year both his sons join the family firm. Cutler, a former teacher and UC Santa Barbara graduate, and his brother Howard, a recent graduate of USC, add their talents to the firm their dad star ted in 1923.

Alaska and Hawaii gain statehood in 1959, the states number 50, the post-war baby boom shows no let up and the Fifties whistle on.

John C. Fremont Library

Los Angeles Tennis Club

Congratulates Larchmont Boulevard on its

Centennial Anniversary!

We are pleased to announce the opening of our new studios & theater for in person-classes & performances at our new location: The Equitable Plaza building, Second Floor 3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90010 www.maratdaukayev.com • 323.965.0333

Classical Ballet Classes for boys and girls ages 3 -18, Pre-Professionals, and adults Beginning – Advanced.

Photo: Virginia Oxford-Fleming

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 23

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24 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

Soaring ‘60s Bring Man To Moon, Return to Nostalgia John Fitzgerald Kennedy is given the reins of the Presidency in gala ceremonies on Jan. 21, 1961 and pledges that this will be the decade in which man lands on the moon. That same year, Commander Alan Shepard Jr. is launched by rocket 116 miles above the ear th in this countr y’s first manned sub-orbital flight.

Closer to home the Mandeville Canyon fire takes a gigantic toll of homes and Angelenos are seeking the flatlands again.

The Ralph Chandlers are building a large colonial style home on Rossmore Avenue with Wallace Nef f as architect. The Fritz Burnses move from June Street to the Marion Kerckhof f Holmes house on Hudson Avenue, and the William Pereiras plan a contemporar y home on the golf course with two dining rooms to enter tain their many guests.

The neighborhood gets its own exclusive newspaper when the Larchmont Chronicle debuts in 1963, with Dawne Goodwin and Jane Gilman as co-owners and publishers.

Hancock Park Home Owners wage a campaign to prevent the proposed Beverly Hills Freeway route from dissecting the area; Fremont Place home owners weigh a proposal by Welton Becket and Associates to develop the area into a 21-building residential high-rise community – but later vote it down.

Marlborough School turns 75 years old with the announcement that the landmark building at Third and Rossmore Avenue will be completely replaced by a Pereira-designed two-stor y building. Local residents and merchants honor Louis Rich on his 100th bir thday. The Gower Street resident still conducts his real estate business daily from his Larchmont Boulevard of fice.

South Hudson Avenue neighbors congratulate Max Green, Jr. on his election to the presidency of Los Angeles Realty Board in 1965. Floyd Clymer donates a ride in his 1911 Maxwell to help ensure success of California Hospital Ser vice Guild’s Antique Auto Show, and Mrs. Ruth Armstrong is named principal of Third Street Elementar y School.

Wilshire YMCA will open its third location in 36 years, at 225 So. Oxford Avenue in 1965.

A double move is announced

by Coldwell, Banker & Co.’s Wilshire Center of fice manager Rober t Selleck. The of fice, which has grown in 30 years from 9 to 52 salesman, will move its commercial branch to a new building in civic center; the residential staf f is going to the firm’s Beverly Hills of fice to service the Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Fremont Place area.

The community is grieved by the sudden death of Councilman Harold A. Henr y, 70, who passed away in May, 1966. An ef fective spokesman in City Council, Henr y was a Lucerne Boulevard resident and personal friend of

many local residents. Appointed in late May to fill Henr y’s seat is insurance executive John Ferraro, 42, of Lorraine Boulevard, long active on the Los Angeles Police Commission.

Some 5000 persons attended the first Larchmont Family Fair in September 1966 where 14 local charity groups set up booths of fering games and refreshments.

Henr y and Tracy Beaumont tell plans to build a regencystyle building at 541 N. Larchmont to house both Mr. Beaumont’s proper ty management firm and his wife’s real estate company. Toyorama opens a branch store on Larchmont the same year, 1968.

Realtors are designing an apar tment-house complex for the former Black Foxe School proper ty – the school closed its doors after almost 40 years of educating local boys in 1968.

Wilshire Countr y Club, celebrating its 50th bir thday with an anniversar y dinner at the Club in 1969, shows members renderings of its all-new $2.2 million building to be completed in mid1971. The face of the “village” and its environs continues to change – always for the better, and always to provide a better way of life for its residents.

As Bob Balzer wrote, in summing up Larchmont’s charm and character: “Please wander over to Larchmont. Choose a day when you’re not in a hurr y. Meander up and down the street.

You’ll find much to make your life happier, richer, more beau-

50 YEARS ON LARCHMONT Boulevard is record Mr. and Mrs. Elton Isbell have chalked up. The couple is shown in front of home they moved to from Third and Catalina in 1921. tiful, more economical and flavor ful. This little community of Larchmont is dedicated to better living. When you discover it

. . . you’ll have found, as thousands have, a little world that really cares about you and your family.”

For its entire history, there have been Days on or around Larchmont Boulevard.

Happy 100th to Us All!

Larchmont Boulevard Assoc.

Aids Community Improvement

Through the LBA’s efforts in conjunction with the Fourth Dis-

trict Councilman, confusing walk blinkers have been removed from boulevard crosswalks and wrought iron benches and litter baskets have been placed along the street for shopper convenience.

Former owner of Beverly Larchmont Pharmacy Bill Schulhof was the first president of LBA from 1964-65; with Mickey McCullough, Poinsettia Cleaners, 1966-67 and 69; Cutler Dippell, Dippell Realty, 1968; and Dawne P. Goodwin, Larchmont Chronicle, 1970-72.

Day — A trusted name in Los Angeles since 1879

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MEDICAL BUILDING— Newest landmark in the Larchmont skies.

One of the most constr uctive forces in preser ving the quality of friendliness and community spirit in Larchmont village is the Larchmont Boulevard Association founded in 1964.

The Association has sponsored such community events as the Family Ar t Show, Pet Show and Family Fair. LBA also provides Christmas decorations and a director y of merchants mailed to 15,000 residents yearly.

Bob Day 323-821-4820 BobDay@coldwellbanker.com

A Trusted Name in Los Angeles since 1879

COLDWELL BANKER HANCOCK PK • RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL • 351 N. LARCHMONT BLVD.

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 25

Back cover ad from 1971

Larchmont Chronicle

26 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Reproduction from the 1971 Special Edition

Larchmont

.Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Reproduction from the 1971 Special Edition

Centennial 27

28 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

Boulevard’s charm has been a cinema backdrop for 100 years ley cars and sidewalks, such as in “Punch Drunks” (1934), “Hoi Polloi” (1935) and “Pop Goes the Easel” (1935), in which the Stooges hurriedly hopscotch in front of 107 N. Larchmont Blvd. (now the Buck Mason store). The Larchmont Theater, at 147 N. Larchmont Blvd., where local residents got to watch finished films in person, also is visible in “Hoi Polloi.”

Bob Hope Bob Hope in “Off Limits” (1953) is a boxing manager who vandalizes a car at “Ashton Super Service,” which actually is the Richfield Service Station at the northeast corner of Larchmont Boulevard and First Street (now the Bank of America building). Bob Hope returns to the Boulevard again for “Eight on the Lam” (1967), where his character hides at his job site in the “First National Bank” (actually the latest, and last, Security-Pacific National Bank branch on Larchmont) at 147 N. Larchmont Blvd. Hope dashes out to the alley and down to First Street to escape the cops, who are searching for him on the Boulevard, and he then attempts to blend in with a protest crowd at First and Larchmont.

Baby Jane and Elvis Larchmont Boulevard transitioned away from car chases and cop comedies as the street developed. Horror film “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962), with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, was filmed almost exclusively in Larchmont Village and environs, and characters regularly leave the haunted 172 S. McCadden Pl. mansion to run errands at Larchmont shops.

In “Live a Little, Love a Little” (1968), Elvis Presley as “Greg” follows motorcycle cops at Larchmont and Beverly.

Television As time marched on, Larchmont also entered the world of television. It appeared in TV series “Dynasty,” in episodes The Mortgage (1984) and The Man (1985). Although only during the second (1986-1987) season, Angus “Mac” MacGyver was able to call Larchmont Boulevard home while he lived in an apartment above the hardware store.

And, of course, the late, longtime Rossmore Avenue resident Huell Howser chats with owner Steve Cohen of Village Pizzeria in “Visiting . . . with Huell Howser” (2007). The following year, in season 5, episode 10, of “Entourage,” Eric “E” Murphy gets stood up at Village Pizzeria.

Since 2010, Larchmont Boulevard has been the backdrop for at least 140 productions.

Commercials span everything from ESPN and Chipotle to Geico and T-Mobile. The street has remained popular for movies and TV shows, such as “Hangover 2,” “Private Prac-

THREE STOOGES on Larchmont Blvd., from the film “Hoi Polloi,” 1935. The Larchmont Theater is in the upper right corner. Note original stores and lampposts.

Photo from the book “The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations” by Jim Pauley.

Photo copyright Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

tice,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Voice.” Recently, songwriter Olivia Rodrigo shot a music video at KasimoffBlüthner Piano Co., and the still-unnamed new Amazon TV spinoff series of “Bosch” shot a

scene in front of Le Pain Quotidien at the end of August.

Even though neighbors sometimes grumble about the inconvenience of on-location film shoots, the shoots can be lucrative for property owners

and cost-effective for production companies.

Commercial cinema definitely has been an effective means to preserve historic images of Larchmont Boulevard throughout its first century.

“MACGYVER” EPISODES often included Larchmont Boulevard, because the titular character lived in an apartment above the late lamented Larchmont Hardware, at right.

is so proud to be

part of this iconic Larchmont Community for 29 years!

Happy 100th Birthday, Larchmont!

204 N. Larchmont Blvd., 90004 • (323) 466-5822

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By Talia Abrahamson Locals have enjoyed Larchmont Boulevard for a century, and so have audiences from around the globe. The Boulevard’s irresistible charm since the beginning has made it one of the foremost filming locations since the start of Hollywood’s movie industry.

Larchmont Boulevard was popular for films even before Julius LaBonte developed the street in 1921.

Langdon, Keaton, Lloyd In 1917, vaudeville actor Harry Langdon, in “Lonesome Luke, Messenger,” is in haste to deliver packages, and he falls off his bike in front of the homes at Clinton Street and Larchmont Boulevard. The Keystone Cops, a clumsy police team popular during the 1910s, often were chased along the Boulevard.

In “Sherlock, Jr.” (1924), thugs chase down comedian and Hancock Park resident Buster Keaton, who hops onto the handlebars of a motorcycle while being chased down the Boulevard. That same year, comedian Harold Lloyd plays Hubby in “Hot Water,” and while bickering with his family, is reprimanded by a police officer for forgetting to drive around an old-fashioned traffic island in front of an “automobile repair shop” at Larchmont and First.

At that same intersection, but one year later, Langdon in “His Marriage Wow” (1925) asks an exasperated traffic cop for directions, after finding himself at the wrong church on his wedding day. Later, he and a crazy wedding guest, played by actor Vernon Dent, nearly smash into the center trolley poles on the Boulevard while on a wild ride to the hospital. Yellow streetcars on the Los Angeles Railway Line No. 3 used to wheel up and down the center of the street.

Langdon does in fact smack into a trolley pole in front of 221 S. Larchmont Blvd. (now vacant; formerly Pickett Fences) in his film “Saturday Afternoon” (1926), having filled the gap between two moving trolley cars and fallen asleep.

Later, he and Dent also argue about their failed double dates in front of a “chocolate” shop at Larchmont and First.

Harold Lloyd returns to the Boulevard in 1926 for one of his most successful films, “For Heaven’s Sake,” which sees him comically trying to shove his inebriated friends into one of the running trolley cars.

Other film shoots on Larchmont, such as for “All for a Girl” and “The Movies” (1925), “For Heaven’s Sake” (1926) and “Better Behave” (1928), crown the silent film era.

Stooges The Three Stooges, a slapstick comedy trio, filmed at least nine different locations on Larchmont. Their movies showcase the Larchmont trol-

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 29

The 1970s bring change; mom-and-pops threatened?

By Jane Gilman and Suzan Filipek The 1970s brought years of change and technological advancements. Inflation replaced decades of unbounded growth, and the Vietnam War came to an end. The decade included the passage of the Clean Air Act and the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18, and Beatles fans mourned the disbanding of the popular foursome.

Bellbottoms were a dominant fashion for the age, which pulsed to a disco beat.

Locally, Larchmont was the place to be, according to this excerpt from the Larchmont Chronicle, January 1971, in “On The Blvd.:” “Larchmont … not really a place but a state of mind … where people dress up to do their shopping because it so often becomes a social occasion.”

The decade started with a bang, literally, in February 1971, when a 6.6 earthquake shook Los Angeles, causing major damage in some areas of the city. Local homes gen-

erally suffered little damage.

However, Los Angeles High School’s signature brick 54-year-old main tower, plus classrooms and auditorium, were hard-hit. A new school opened in 1977 at the same site at a cost of $9 million.

In May of 1971, Councilman John Ferraro was re-elected to his second full term on the City Council with an overwhelming 84.2 percent of the vote in the Fourth District. A year earlier, civic leaders had gathered at Harold Henry Park at 9th and Lucerne to dedicate a statue of the late councilman, Harold A. Henry.

In September 1971, a Roaring ’20s-style Family Fair was held to celebrate Larchmont Boulevard’s 50th anniversary.

Mayor Sam Yorty and 10,000 well-wishers attended the festivities.

On a more somber note, “If forecasters are on cue, 1971 will be the year of the adding machine…” (computers were on the forefront, but personal use was still in its infancy).

State and local budgets would need to be balanced amid increased inflation, according to the Chronicle.

In Hancock Park and Windsor Square, homeowners received property tax bills showing a 20 percent rise in valuations as a result of the first reappraisal of properties since 1965. The seeds of 1978’s Proposition 13 revolution were sown.

End of mom-andpop shops?

A Chronicle ROMAN TOWER TO FALL. Los Angeles editorial asked if High School principal Norman Schachter the era of momdiscusses temporary move to Fairfax High and-pop shops was School for his earthquake-damaged school coming to an end with Cathy Kalt, Muirfield Road, and Lisa after two favorites Curtsinger, Van Ness Ave., seniors. Los Angeles High “Romans” lost the landmark closed after 44 years: Larchmont tower when the new school was rebuilt.

Photo: Mickey McCullough Radio Salon (Strat-

MAYOR SAM YORTY and Jane Gilman celebrate the Boulevard’s 50th in 1971.

ts), 139 N. Larchmont, which sold records, radios and phonographs, and Van de Kamp’s

“windmill” bakery, at 225 1/2 N. Larchmont.

Down the road and east on Wilshire Boulevard, neighbors danced and swayed to Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie and Sonny and Cher, all of whom were on the calendar for the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel 1972 season.

Wilshire Rotary Club, which had met at that hotel since 1933, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 1972 at the historic site.

Dippell Realty Co. also celebrated a milestone. It turned 50 in 1973. The company had come a long way since 1923, when founder Albert T. Dippell rode a streetcar to the end of the line, which at that time was a hot springs near Larchmont and Melrose. Sale of New Wind-

sor Square lots had commenced in 1921 and was in full swing.

By 1973, an “English brick” home near Marlborough School was listed for $84,500, and a spacious home on June Street in Hancock Park was reduced to $57,500. Rents started at $240 a month in a 52-unit apartment building at 530 N. Rossmore.

Owners Lucy and Frank Casado of El Adobe Café on Melrose Avenue hosted candidate (and later governor) Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr., along with others, throughout the decade, including Mick Jagger, Joni Mitchell and Linda Ronstadt.

Prince Charles was seen at the British Consul General’s home in Hancock Park, and, (Please turn to page 30)

30 Centennial

1970s

(Continued from page 29) on a later trip, the British royal and heir to the throne was welcomed at Getty House in Windsor Square by Mayor and Mrs. Tom Bradley.

“Los Angeles Times” former publisher Norman Chandler, of Lorraine Boulevard in Windsor Square, was named the Chronicle’s Man of the Year in 1972. His equally illustrious wife, Dorothy Buffum Chandler — the Music Center’s original building bears her name — was a Larchmont Chronicle Woman of the Year in August 1975.

Bob Landis, of the popular old-time Landis Department

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Store, celebrated the store’s 40 years on Larchmont Boulevard in 1973.

Local activism included residents’ victory, with support of the Sierra Club, of defeating a city-planned traffic “improvement” project that included removing 94 palm trees from the median strip of Highland Avenue to add left-turn lanes.

Over on Wilcox Avenue, residents saved 17 sycamore trees from the ax — stopping a proposal to widen the street for a condo development. The width was left the same after city officials got heavy fire from residents on Wilcox, Lillian Way and Cahuenga Ave. Larchmont families hosted

some of the 50 tennis players in town for the Pacific Southwest Tennis Tournament at the Los Angeles Tennis Club.

Bank of America opened a branch in Larchmont Village in January 1973. That year also saw the first off-street city parking lot opening in Larchmont Village at the site of a former Chevron service station.

Two new condominium projects opened: Wilshire Country Manor, a 36-unit townhouse project adjacent to the Los Angeles Tennis Club, in 1973; and Hancock Square, a 102unit building, on Van Ness Avenue at Fourth Street, in 1975.

Barber, markets on the Blvd.

Vince Cottone began snip-

Larchmont Chronicle

AT EL ADOBE CAFÉ, Governor Jerry Brown announces his appointment of restaurant owner Lucy Casado, left, to his Developmental Disabilities Planning and Advisory Council.

ping hair as the new owner of the Windsor Barber Shop, 242 N. Larchmont Blvd. His son Jerry is manager.

A fire at Larch-Mart Grocery destroys $100,000 of merchandise.

At another Boulevard market, Jurgensen’s, Mae West’s chauffeur is often seen parking his limousine to stock the actress’ pantry at The Ravenswood.

The new YMCA at 225 S. Oxford Ave. opened in 1974 with contributions from the community to help finance the $800,000 facility.

In school news, John Burroughs Junior High School celebrated its 50th anniversary, and Gov. Reagan spoke to the Marlborough School class of 1974.

Third Street School celebrated its 50th anniversary in February 1975.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Co. opened an office at 248 N. Larchmont in Feb. 1975 and relocated across the street to larger quarters in 1977 at 251 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Wells Fargo opened its branch at 301 N. Larchmont with a stagecoach ride.

Two local families hosted 14 members of one of the last Vietnamese refugee families to leave Camp Pendleton in Oc-

tober 1975.

It was the year 1977 when Getty Oil Co. gave a Windsor Square home, at 605 S. Irving Blvd., to the City of Los Angeles for use as a mayoral residence.

In 1978, King Tut made headlines when the world’s most famous pharaoh and his glittering gold were featured in an exhibit at LACMA. The Park Mile Specific Plan that established building height and density restrictions consistent with adjacent single-family homes is approved by City Council in June 1979.

Disco queen Donna Summer moved to Windsor Square, in a home that formerly belonged to fashion designer Mr. Blackwell.

Wilton Historic District (First Street to Third Street) is named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, primarily through the efforts of Ginny Kazor.

Joe Chevalier celebrates his 40th year on Larchmont, and he receives an award as Bookseller of the Year in 1979.

As the decade drew to a close, Larchmontians continued to greet their neighbors as they ran errands on the Boulevard, all the while lamenting the closing of mom-and-pop shops while working to preserve their neighborhoods.

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Centennial 31

32 Centennial

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Age of self-improvement, 1980s brings Reagan, Olympics and HPOZs

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Larchmont Chronicle

By Talia Abrahamson A focus on self-improvement provides a through line during the 1980s. The community never tires of engaging in efforts to expand, beautify and preserve the neighborhood.

The age of at-home technology arrives, and Larchmontians are merging the old with the new. VCRs begin to short-circuit trips to the movies, but blockbuster films like “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” and “The Breakfast Club” generate hundreds of millions of dollars. Athletes in leg warmers work out in the living room to “Jane Fonda’s Workout” on VHS. In January 1981, President Ronald Reagan ushers in a new conservative era, which is marked by increased consumerism throughout the decade.

Springtime is cookie season, and local Girl Scouts debut cheese-flavored snack crackers and a “Dutch ‘n Such” spice cookie. These join the five other classics, available for purchase at $1.50 a box.

Wilshire subway The decades-long dispute over Metro Rail on Wilshire Boulevard continues, with homeowners seeking elimination of a proposed Lorraine Boulevard (Crenshaw) subway stop, but they do not prevail.

Filming proves contentious, and a new city coordinator is brought on to ease communication among citizen groups and filming companies.

Sitting among twinkling lights and Christmas trees, Santa and Mrs. Claus pose for

photos and pass out cookies to children outside of Security Pacific Bank on Larchmont.

Larchmontians ring in the new year of 1981 with torn-up streets and water and power outages, as a result of areawide cable installations.

Residents show their hearts at the American Red Cross’s post-Valentine’s Day bloodmobile event at Hancock Savings.

A second blood drive is scheduled for July, and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Red Cross congratulates Larchmont for running some of the best community blood drives.

In March, Rosewood Super Service, a gas station at Larchmont and Rosewood Avenue, closes after 27 years. Councilman John Ferraro initiates a study for a multi-level parking lot on the existing midblock city lot, converted from a Chevron station in 1973.

State and federal legislators revive efforts to include a Crenshaw Boulevard subway stop, also defeating a legal challenge filed by nonprofit Rapid Transit Advocates, Inc., which was supported by local homeowners.

Santa and Mrs. Claus have moved to Landis Department Store this Christmas season, and the wish lists include computers, cameras, digital clocks and headphone radios.

In 1983, Third Street Elementary announces that students will soon benefit from a community computer center.

Larchmont Boulevard Association’s annual pet show com(Please turn to page 34)

JOHN FERRARO presents Larchmont Chronicle founders Dawne Goodwin and Jane Gilman with official resolutions celebrating the Chronicle’s 20th anniversary in 1983.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 33

34 Centennial

1980s

(Continued from page 32) mences, where kids under 12 show off their pets. Competitive categories include best costumed and best trained.

A new generation of coyotes is spotted roaming the neighborhood, causing concern.

Pan Pacific Park After 10 years and $10.4 million, Pan Pacific Park opens

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

with an official dedication on Nov. 20. The Park is both recreational and functional as a flood control basin.

Instead of fearing the Orwellian “1984,” Larchmontians celebrate a new holiday, Martin Luther King’s birthday, that year. ’84 Olympics The Olympics bring new levels of festivity. The Ebell’s annual spring benefit is

THE OLYMPIC FLAME from Greece crossed the U.S. in a torch relay to Los Angeles, including this kilometer run in Pan Pacific Park (with the auditorium still intact) on July 24, 1984.

“Olympic Gold,” and St. Brendan School children sell candy bars and compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in the Easter egg, peanut butter bar and caramel nut divisions.

At the actual Games, locals are fitting performers in costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies; directing the Los Angeles County Host Committee and luncheons; designing access badges; playing the trombone in the marching band; or providing first aid on the field of the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Prior to the games, torch bearers already have run the Olympic flame through the streets of Los Angeles and around Pan Pacific Park, with residents in sun hats and American flags cheering them on. Olympic flags fly in front of Larchmont stores, and a few are taken by souvenir hunters.

In 1985, restoration plans are announced for the Pan Pacific Auditorium, which has been closed since 1972. Developers hope to include a multi-level movie theater complex, exhibition space, 165-room hotel, restaurant, offices, ice-skating rink and gymnastics facility.

On May 24, a gas explosion at Ross Dress for Less on Third Street injures 21 people and causes $400,000 in damages. Rep. Henry Waxman introduces legislation banning

Larchmont Chronicle

CAFÉ CHAPEAU, at 236 N. Larchmont (now the Erin McKenna Bakery) was popular in the 1980s.

Metro Rail tunneling beneath project adds more stores and 50 percent more parking. Over 30 Wilshire Boulevard.

The Wiltern Theater, after a Larchmont merchants partici$4.5 million renovation, cel- pate in a two-day sidewalk sale ebrates reopening with 2,300 for back-to-school activities. guests enjoying an Alvin Ailey Redistricting American Dance Theater per- Without community input, formance.

City Council redistricts and The Los Angeles City Council separates the neighborhood approves funding for a three- among the Fourth, Fifth and level underground parking (Please turn to page 36) structure on Larchmont. It is not on the city’s surface lot on the former Chevron site. Instead, it’s across the street, replacing the former Safeway parking lot. This “ L a r c h m o n t PAN PACIFIC State Park got funding from Village Plaza” state, county and city, and it opened in 1983.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 35

36 Centennial

1980s

(Continued from page 34) Tenth districts. Homeowner groups retain counsel, and Hancock Park is reunited in the Fourth District after a brief City Council vote. Six homeowner groups and four individuals from Park Mile file a class action lawsuit over the division.

Hancock Park Home Owners Association forms a com-

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

mittee to monitor film companies. Local resident George Takei becomes the first actor of Japanese-American ancestry to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his role as Sulu on “Star Trek.”

The AIDS pandemic rages across the decade and, in 1987, State Sen. Gary Hart introduces a bill at Los Angeles High School to require educators to show AIDS prevention films to 7th to 11th graders. Fairfax

LARCHMONT VILLAGE PLAZA has taken the place of the old Safeway parking lot and now includes three levels of underground parking. From left: Councilman John Ferraro cuts the ribbon with developer Ron Simms, Dawne Goodwin, Jane Gilman and others in 1987.

High School is the first school to start a 24-hour hotline for gay and bisexual students.

The dedication of Larchmont Village Plaza on Sept.

17, 1987, sees “Shop Larchmont — You’ll Love It” banners waving from lampposts.

Residents are happy to report no issues with parking during holiday shopping season.

Homeowners are reviewing a two-million-square-foot proposal to expand retail, commercial and residential complexes at the Farmers Market. In 1988, Park La Brea announces a plan to add 2,000 new apartments, a 950,000-square-foot shopping center and a 500-room hotel.

Homeowners voice concerns over potential for traffic congestion.

Le Petit Greek and Louise’s Trattoria open on Larchmont in 1988.

Marlborough Marlborough School reveals future expansion plans that involve razing eight homes on Arden Boulevard and one on Rossmore, but puts the plans on hold. In the following year, Marlborough celebrates its centennial.

Ambassador Hotel, where Wilshire Rotary Club always has met, closes on Jan. 3, 1989, setting up a long dispute over a successor use for the property. LAUSD invokes eminent domain to obtain the

Larchmont Chronicle

PAN PACIFIC AUDITORIUM was destroyed by fire in 1989.

Today, the main entrances to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and California Adventure in Anaheim feature replicas of the façade.

land. The Los Angeles Conservancy, seeking preservation of the historic hotel, and property owners Wilshire Center Partners –– soon renamed Trump Wilshire Associates in recognition of Donald Trump’s entrance into the local contest –– compete for the property. $$ values up!

In the last year of the decade, home value prices in Miracle Mile increase on average $100,000, and the City of Los Angeles announces the first-ofa-kind beautification project.

Miracle Mile receives $635,000 for an irrigation system down the median islands on Wilshire and an assessment district is created to allow commercial

property owners to pay for annual maintenance.

On May 25, an arson fire destroys the Pan Pacific Auditorium, seriously delaying renovation plans. Residents throw a “thank you” party for government officials who pledge to preserve and restore the site.

At the turn of the decade, with world issues and expansion plans rising, neighbors continue to prioritize unity.

After Iraq invades Kuwait in August, Page School shows its patriotism with world peace signs, yellow satin ribbons, rooftop wreaths, United Nation and American flags and plastic globes.

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Centennial 37

38 Centennial

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

1990s — Prosperity fuels change among mom and pops

By Talia Abrahamson Rapid modernization integrates with the general peace and prosperity of a new decade, as Larchmont contends with the effects of expansion during the 1990s. A growing population and dot-com boom fuel change on the Boulevard, even as residents organize to maintain Larchmont’s momand-pop shopping and closeknit community.

Local children feed Tamagotchi pets and play on Game Boys, while older siblings pop CDs into Discmans and rock out to Nirvana in grunge fashion. “Seinfeld” is the most watched show, but that does not stop fans from getting “The Rachel” haircut.

In January 1991, Mayor Tom Bradley is serving a fifth term in what appears to be a seamless start to the decade for Larchmontians. After the

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, however, President George H. W. Bush initiates Operation Desert Storm, and local men and women enlist. The Persian Gulf War lasts one month, and during that time, residents hang yellow ribbons on their car antennae in support. The community gets together to tie yellow bows on neighborhood trees and write letters and send packages to troops.

“Q” condition Commercial zoning on Larchmont between Melrose Avenue and First Street is revised to adapt to citywide rules, and a “Q” condition is included to limit the number of financial services offices and restaurants between Beverly and First.

Councilman John Ferraro concedes to a landlord’s plea that “takeout” food services do not count as part of the max-

imum allowable restaurants between Beverly Boulevard and First Street. Starbucks opens on Larchmont.

Rollerblading becomes the latest obsession, and the Safety Center of California issues regulations. Harvard School sees its last all-male graduating class.

Residents at the Windsor Square Association’s annual Town Hall meeting urge the development of guidelines for neighborhood film production. Some in the neighborhood decry a proposed 2,200-unit housing expansion of Park La Brea. Councilman John Ferraro rejects the expansion the following year.

The Metro Red Line (today the B Line) starts its excavation phase along Wilshire Boulevard east of Alvarado Street. The proposal to route the subway north under

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s L a rc h m o n t V i l l a g e on your 100th Anniversary!

ON GUARD. National Guard troops set up a command post at the Scottish Rite Temple, facing the Ebell Club across Wilshire Boulevard, during the week of the June 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Guard members also helped bring food to churches which distributed it to residents of South Los Angeles.

Fairfax changes to turn the line north on Vermont.

Unmoored mammoth A very wet winter in 1992 releases such heavy February rains that a fiberglass female mammoth at La Brea Tar Pits unhinges from her mooring in the tar lake –– an enviable development for her 10,000-year-old ancestors. A rescue effort commences by boat and helicopter, and she is soon repaired and returned.

On April 29, 1992, the day after a jury acquits four LAPD officers of using excessive force against detained motorist Rodney King, five days of riots begin to rattle the city. Residents and block captains with walkie-talkies patrol Larchmont Boulevard, chasing rioters with flash-

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lights and reporting license plates. Huell Howser and his neighbors chase looters from the Radio Shack at Melrose and Rossmore. National Guard troops set up a command post at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple.

Residents plan to expand the neighborhood watch efforts, prompting a decadeslong crusade to strengthen security and policing in the area.

Taste of Larchmont In honor of the Chronicle’s 30th anniversary, co-founders Jane Gilman and Dawne Goodwin organize the first “Taste of Larchmont” to help underwrite the expenses of HopeNet’s food pantries.

Democrat Bill Clinton becomes president in November, but Larchmont neighborhoods remain politically divided. Competing lawn signs are staked out in front of homes for the 1993 nonpartisan mayoral election, and Republican businessman Richard Riordan triumphs over Democratic Councilman Michael Woo. At last, City Council approves Park La Brea’s expansion project after removing 620 proposed units.

Earthquake!

The Northridge Earthquake strikes on Jan. 17, 1994, and a broken rooftop pipe sends water rushing through the Larchmont Medical Building. After losing electricity, Larchmont Hardware transitions to cash transactions and remains open to sell emergency supplies. Residents line up outside for batteries, flashlights and fire extinguishers. Employees at Larchmont Pharmacy sweep (Please turn to page 39)

Larchmont Chronicle

1990s

(Continued from page 38) up shattered glass windows and also serve emergency shoppers.

Residents across the community report damaged chimneys, broken lamps and wall cracks.

Public schools rearrange class year distributions, and for the first time in 70 years, sixth graders no longer run around Third Street Elementary. John Burroughs opens its doors to sixth graders instead of seventh graders.

A community-run, stop-in police “cop shop” opens on the Boulevard. To the ire of locals, Payless Drug Store also opens in place of the Safeway grocery store. Petersen Automotive Museum, the largest automotive museum in the nation, opens in Miracle Mile.

Mayor Richard Riordan officially designates “Museum Row” on Wilshire Boulevard, in recognition of the Petersen Automotive Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Miniatures, the Craft and Folk Art Museum and the George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.

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OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Effective Jan. 1, 1995, the Wilshire LAPD Division gives up part of its territory to the new Olympic Division.

Sam’s Bagels and Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese open on Larchmont.

The Junior League of Los Angeles opens its new headquarters on the Boulevard.

1996 is a leap year, and more shops open, including Noah’s Bagels and A Silver Lining.

Residents soon get local access to thousands of VHS tapes at Blockbuster Video, which opens on the Boulevard in place of Security Pacific National Bank, which ceased to exist after the merger with Bank of America. Public libraries and the Farmers Market catalogs go online, and Marlborough School gains three labs with computerized projectors.

Marlborough School in 1997 sparks lengthy neighborhood debate over plans to raze 12 homes on Arden Boulevard, and one home on Rossmore Avenue, for a campus expansion project.

Leaf blowers; cats City Council declares that residents can no longer use

gas-powered leaf blowers.

Cat poisonings are suspected in Windsor Square, with three cats found dead and two cats having run away from home after frothing at the mouth.

Fourth graders at Third Street Elementary choose to skip out on Halloween treats so that they can donate the money to Hurricane Pauline victims in Mexico.

Changes in California law allow Hancock Park and Windsor Square residents in 1998 to consider living in a new city, called “Westside,” with LAX, Bel Air and Hollywood.

El Niño rains overwhelm Rossmore Avenue storm drains so much that passengers must be rescued from cars and trucks. In the aftermath, residents enter a gardening craze, and foxgloves are seen in planters all along Larchmont.

Farmers Market 65th To mark its 65th anniversary in 1999, the Farmers Market celebrates with a Fondue Fantastique cooking demonstration. As overall county population increases, Larchmont receives a new 323 telephone code, sparking friendly debate among 213 old-timers.

A million visitors view 70 masterpieces by Van Gogh at an exhibit at LACMA. The $12 million Hancock County Park renovation between LACMA and Park La Brea is complete with new walkways, exhibits and the Dorothy Collins Brown Amphitheater.

Dissatisfied with inadequate shade cover and treesize irregularities, Windsor Square Association launches

MAYOR TOM BRADLEY served from 1973 to 1993 and frequented the Boulevard, so close to Getty House in Windsor Square.

a tree inventory. Volunteers spend 200 hours identifying approximately 2,200 trees –– including jacarandas, palms, magnolias and sycamores.

Support for a Larchmont median increases.

Marlborough School breaks ground on the first phase of its expansion plan, demolishing six homes along Arden Boulevard to do so. Yavneh Hebrew Academy begins its 39th year at its new Third Street campus, and developer Rick Caruso breaks ground on The Grove. The cop shop on Larchmont Boulevard, after years of inadequate volunteer support, is shut down.

Worries over Y2K are allayed by a smooth turn of the century. Modernization swiftly accompanies the new millennium, with Wilshire Center

being nicknamed “Internet Alley” for the new media companies located there.

Larchmont business and residential interests come together to draft a revised “Q” condition ordinance.

Chevalier’s Books hosts a “Harry Potter IV” party, where wizards and witches are provided hot coffee, cookies and doughnuts as they wait in line until 12:01 a.m. to purchase the as-yetunnamed sequel.

Larchmontians embrace change, but they also fight to retain the neighborhood’s classic, residential feel. The Hancock Park Homeowners Association takes first steps to establish an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in order to preserve that community’s architectural character.

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NO, BOATING HAS NOT been added to the list of activities offered in the Hancock County Park. But after a recent rainstorm, Page Museum employees and County workers teamed up to rescue a stranded Columbian mammoth replica out of the lake using both helicopter and boat. The sculpture had drifted from its husband and baby in its “home” in the La Brea tar pits; the mammoth was then repaired, replaced and reanchored.

40 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

Baseball on Larchmont, where everyone knew your name

The co-founder of the Larchmont Chronicle (in 1963) spoke recently to a few of the esteemed long-timers from the Boulevard. Here are excerpts from those conversations.

By Jane Gilman Here’s what some of the longtimers on Larchmont remember about the earlier days.

Tom Kneafsey’s sons used to play baseball in the middle of Larchmont Boulevard on Sundays because the street was so dead.

Tom and his late wife Michele lived on Lucerne, just a halfblock away from Larchmont.

Tom and Michele would come

over on evenings, sometimes just for a nice, pleasant walk and sometimes to dine at Le Petit Greek.

Tom’s firm is Metropolitan Holding Company, a real estate investment company. In 1979, he purchased the 200 N. Larchmont building. His first tenant was G.B. Harb & Son for George Harb’s third clothing store. The rent was $1 per square foot.

Tom misses shopping at Larchmont Hardware and Landis Department Store. The first chain store, Starbucks, came in sometime in the 1980s after Safeway and Jurgensen’s markets closed.

With those losses and even more stores closing, the street was 30 percent vacant. Tom asked the broker for Starbucks how to get a national tenant, and she said that most of her clients were from New York and, by the time she tried to explain to prospective tenants where Larchmont was, they lost interest.

When Tim Gogan opened his dental practice fresh out of USC in 1976, the shops on Larchmont were family-owned. He would spend his lunch hours walking down Larchmont to Café Chapeau or patronize the Coffee Cup in the Larchmont

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Medical Building. He also got sandwiches at Jurgensen’s, but there was nowhere to sit to eat them.

Tim decided the Boulevard needed benches, and he arranged for 17 individuals to sponsor benches since the LBA (Larchmont Boulevard Association) said it couldn’t afford the project. Tim also spearheaded getting planters on the street. LBA sponsored activities for ANDREW J. FENADY by his roll-top children, and it started desk in his Larchmont Boulevard office. the annual Family Fair in 1966. There was also a pet glass to replace the windows show and art contest, Tim re- my four brothers and I invaricalls. Shop owners contrib- ably broke while honing our uted prizes and volunteered on baseball, football and even golf their time off. Today, said Tim, skills in the backyard. so many of the businesses are “There was a Safeway; a Jurchains, and they bring a differ- gensen’s; Phil’s, selling the ent kind of energy to the Bou- best fresh fish in town; a small levard. pharmacy, run by Bill SchulPatti Carroll remembers hof; the barber shop that Jervisiting her dad at his Hol- ry, who must have given me lywoodland Realty office on hundreds of haircuts (includLarchmont. Ed Carroll pur- ing my first buzz cut, mandachased his first building on tory for those playing football the Boulevard in 1963. When at Loyola High School), took she was a student at John Bur- over from his father, Vince; roughs, her dad would take Chevalier’s, where, at the time, Patti and three of her friends its proprietor actually was Mr. to Winchell’s Donuts at Bev- Chevalier; and Baskin-Roberly and Larchmont daily on bins, which my parents used their way to school. quite strategically — a scoop In her teen years, Patti at- or two went a long way in motended meetings of Job’s tivating us to finish that sumDaughters at the Masonic mer reading list.

Lodge — which is now the “I can recall dozens more Center for Yoga. She remem- small retail stores on the Boubers Phil’s fish market, and levard, many of which were she had a savings account at passed down for generations.

Western Federal Savings (now Virtually all shop owners knew the location of Chase Bank). your name and, of course, you She loved Jurgensen’s, and she knew theirs. It was on the Boufondly remembers Mr. Che- levard that I, along with most valier in his elegant tweeds. of the neighborhood kids, got Landis Department Store was our first summer jobs. where she could find most any“My father, A.J. Fenady, had thing, including stamps at the deals with, and offices at, all post office in the back. And the the major studios throughout shops Hollyhock and Robert the years. But he always mainGrounds Antiques were gar- tained an office in the building dens of visual delights. he bought in 1968, on the corEd Lee moved his accounting ner of Larchmont and Beverly. practice to Larchmont in 1979. He loved that building, and up He leased an office in the 606 until the day he passed away N. Larchmont Blvd. “Leimert” last year, every time we drove building. Ed’s dad knew Tim past it, he would proclaim, ‘I Leimert, and that’s how he love that building!’ heard about the vacancy. “I “On our way to fill up our was lucky because there were bike tires at the 76 gas staonly two office buildings on the tion across the street (now street, and vacancies were rare.” Chipotle), or on an errand for Duke Fenady grew up, with our mother, usually picking his parents and brothers and up another pane of glass, my sister, on Rossmore Avenue, brother, Sean, and I would ofjust a few blocks away from ten stop by dad’s upstairs ofLarchmont, in a house his par- fice. He’d be sitting at his rollents, Andrew J. and Mary Fran- top desk, puffing either a cigar ces Fenady, purchased in 1960, or pipe, scribbling by hand the the same year that he was born. next episode of “Branded” or In Duke’s words, “Larch- “Hondo,” or whatever project mont was our go-to destina- was in the pipeline. We’d visit tion for virtually all our needs for minutes, or sometimes — the original Landis, which hours, absorbing tales of his was the ‘60s and ‘70s equiva- childhood or his adventures lent of the five & dime; and while filming on location — all the mom-and-pop hardware the while savoring the sweet store, run by Frank, which we aroma of freshly baked donuts visited often, mostly to buy wafting up from Winchell’s.”

Larchmont Chronicle

Centennial 41

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Happy Anniversary, Larchmont!

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Larchmont Chronicle

The 2000s: a decade of change and challenges, rising rents

By Helene Seifer In some respects, Larchmont Boulevard is a timeless place, where families stroll, shopkeepers know your name, and the travails of the outside world rarely intrude on our little slice of tranquility. But in ways large and small, the

2000s saw changes and challenges up and down the boulevard and beyond.

Trends come and go and even Larchmont responds.

Jeans continue to dominate our closets in the 2000s, and Larchmontians embrace lowrise, skinny, bedazzled or ca-

pri-length denim. UGGs are de rigueur casual wear; evening veers to metallic sandals and Pashmina-draped shoulders.

Razor scooters zip along the boulevard. Bratz dolls and Xboxes invade our homes. We listen to music on iPods; view films at the new

Happy Birthday Congratulations to our neighbors since 1927 from our historic Wilshire campus!

PROCEEDS FROM the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society’s garden tour of June 2006 were donated to support the upper Larchmont median project. Councilman Tom LaBonge received a check for $10,000 from tour co-chairman Myrna Gintel and president Chris Blakely at a Spring 2007 Historical Society membership tea at the Natural History Museum.

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Most residents care deeply about the preservation of the area, but the decade from 2001-2010 is difficult. The push for density, desire for mansionization, increased traffic and changes in commercial building ownership on the Boulevard itself drive the conversation.

Commercial rents We struggle to maintain the village feel we cherish in the face of rent increases and competing interests. Over the decade we bid adieu to many Boulevard stalwarts, such as Larchmont Hardware, Café du Village, La Luna and Larchmont Village Estate Jewelers.

In 2001, Mayor Richard Riordan finishes his term, replaced by James K. Hahn, but politics is often hyper-local in Los Angeles, and Larchmont has a champion in 4th District Councilman Tom LaBonge, who supports limiting change on the Boulevard, stopping over-building, seeking traffic mitigation and prioritizing public safety. He backs building a new police station on Vermont to ease the workload on the Wilshire Division station and better serve our area.

What becomes the Olympic station will be completed in 2009.

In 2001, St. Andrews Square gets new signage to officially define its borders. The El Royale on N. Rossmore Avenue cites traffic concerns in its fight against a planned fivestory luxury apartment building across the street, but the planning commission allows it.

At a Norton Avenue block party with Station 29 firefighters, a young Jake Harris tries on full firefighting gear.

Today, he is a firefighter at that same station.

Also in 2001, the Larchmont Chronicle staff tours the construction site of The Grove, which developer Rick Caruso promises will exude “Old world charm and stateof-the-art technology,” without snarling traffic. Perhaps predictably, traffic snarls.

Flower-festooned median gardens with trees are planned for South Larchmont Boulevard, helped by a $14,000 contribution from the Windsor Square Association, $495,000 from the local community, and a $195,000 MTA grant.

The work begins in 2002; three (Please turn to page 43)

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AFTER YEARS OF PLANNING and three years of fundraising and construction, the Larchmont Median between First and Third streets is completed in the middle of the decade.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

2000s

(Continued from page 42) years later, Home Depot donates $11,000 worth of plants and workers to plant them.

Official City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils form to address micro-level civic issues. Marlborough School razes a house on the northwest corner of Third and Rossmore to build a staff parking lot.

The Los Angeles City Council gives unanimous approval for the Wilshire Community Plan, a land use guide for the next 10 years.

El Coyote celebrates its 70th anniversary with 70-cent cheese enchiladas.

Larchmontians mourn the passing of Bob “Mr. Larchmont” Landis in 2001, a regular on the street from 1933.

The Rotary Club noted he had 54 years of perfect attendance.

Bags of pluots and leafy greens are carted home every Sunday from Larchmont’s new farmers’ market.

The world stops on September 11, 2001 with the downing of the World Trade Center in New York. Larchmont community members hang flags on their homes, hold vigils and plant trees in commemoration of the heartbreaking assault.

After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, neighborhood children hold a bake sale, raising funds for Afghani youths.

2002 sees increased action on traffic abatement. Residents successfully advocate to downgrade Wilton Place from a secondary highway, allowing for stop signs and slower timing on stoplights.

Dirt flies in 2002 with the Wilshire Country Club clubhouse restoration. The Westside Jewish Community Center staves off closure by securing $4 million in pledges.

The Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) drumbeat is picking up speed. Han-

TAI THE ELEPHANT is the star of a magazine photo shoot on Plymouth Boulevard in Windsor Square.

cock Park residents meet to discuss pursuing an HPOZ. Cars careen down residential streets to avoid the light at Melrose and Highland Avenues, so Hancock Park residents take to the streets with signs to ask drivers to slow down.

Elephant outside the room An elephant is spotted wandering the streets of Windsor Square. The peripatetic pachyderm is the star of a Marvin Windows photo shoot in front of 434 S. Plymouth Blvd..

2004 brings successes and setbacks in the quest to preserve our quality of life. Windsor Square’s HPOZ is approved.

The disputed construction of Etz Chaim Temple on a residential parcel at the corner of Highland Avenue and Third Street is allowed to continue by a U.S. District Judge. The Scottish Rite Cathedral building between Lucerne and Plymouth boulevards is denied its appeal to lift restrictions on using it as a rental venue. After numerous failed appeals, the building is put up for sale.

Chan Dara withdraws its request for a hard liquor license due to community opposition. A farewell dinner is staged at Perino’s Restaurant, slated for demolition to make way for a three-story apart-

ment building.

John Burroughs Middle School celebrates its 80th year.

Antonio Villaraigosa is elected mayor in 2005, the first mayor of Hispanic descent since 1872 and the second mayor to reside in Getty House in Windsor Square.

2005 brings the opening of Larchmont Charter School, an anti-Iraq War candlelight vigil at Third St. and Wilton Place, the third annual TarFest arts festival and a 50year milestone for KasimoffBluthner Piano Co. Miracle Mile braces for a rash of construction, including 800 new apartments and condominiums along Wilshire Blvd.

Yavneh Hebrew Academy is

Centennial 43

accused of breaking the terms of its permit by acting as a synagogue.

Larchmontians send 1,500 boxes of clothing and over $4,000 in proceeds from lemonade and bakery stands to victims of Hurricane Katrina, including help for displaced animals. RESIDENTS say “no” to huge developments The verdict is threatening to replace single-family homes in in: most people Windsor Village, states Charlie Dougherty, dislike the new association president. boulevard parking system where centrally-locat- Angeles celebrates 80 years ed machines replace individu- of community outreach. St. Brendan School announces a al meters.

After 125 years, Hollygrove $12 million capital campaign.

Children & Family Services Good Shepherd breaks ground closes its residential program. on the final phase of its Wom Metro subway plans are back en’s Village. on track after a 2005 study Councilman Tom LaBonge finds that tunneling through authors an anti-mansionizathe Wilshire corridor methane tion motion.

Lifesize replicas of Marilyn zone is safe.

In response to onerous rent Monroe, John Wayne and Elhikes on the Boulevard, the vis Presley greet participants Chronicle urges neighbors to at the 15th annual Taste of help keep businesses afloat by Larchmont in 2007, benefiteating and shopping locally, just ing HopeNet’s food and shelter in time for the 2006 double cel- program and sponsored by the ebration of the 40th anniversary Larchmont Chronicle. of the Larchmont Boulevard As- Windsor Square resident sociation and the 85th anniver- Myung Kim climbs 29,028foot Mount Everest and six sary of the Boulevard itself.

The Junior League of Los (Please turn to page 44)

44 Centennial

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

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(Continued from page 43) other behemoths on his days off from manufacturing women’s dresses.

The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust is building a new home in Pan Pacific Park.

“Save Windsor Village” signs pop up in response to developers snapping up single-family homes with plans to replace them with multi-family dwellings. Tear-down fever is on hold for a year after city officials approve an interim control ordinance for that community.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opens the Broad Contemporary Art Museum and installs artist Chris Burden’s “Urban Light” fronting Wilshire Boulevard.

Children in Windsor Village

FLOAT DESIGNER Raul Rodriguez with his blue hyacinth macaw, Sebastian.

enjoy new playground equipment at Harold A. Henry Park.

Page Academy Private School turns 100, Hope Lutheran Church has its 65th anniversary, St. James School celebrates its 40th, the Ebell of Los Angeles’ Wilshire clubhouse turns 80, and the

Ruskin Art Club reaches a 120-year milestone. The 10th annual Big Sunday, started by Hancock Park resident David Levinson, attracts more than 50,000 participants who volunteer on 325 projects.

People in the news in 2008 include Capt. Wemmer, the commanding officer of the LAPD Wilshire Division, who retires after 38 years on the force, and Larchmont CPA Ed Lee, who moonlights as the timekeeper for the Los Angeles Kings. John Winther is named Realtor of the Year by the Beverly Hills chapter of the Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors. Windsor Square resident Raul Rodriguez, the most decorated float designer in Rose Parade history, creates a float that features a skateboarding dog.

Torrential rains flood Ross-

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Larchmont Chronicle

HEAVY RAINS flooded Rossmore Ave. in January 2008, as shown in this photo by Gary Boisvert.

more Avenue in January 2008, once again leaving cars handle-deep in water.

The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council joins the community opposition to a proposed Metro subway station spanning Crenshaw, Windsor and Lorraine.

Larchmont denizens remember Cosmo, a beloved pug who was a fixture on the Boulevard. A Hancock Park resident inquires about the danger of marauding raccoons.

Hancock Park finally sees its HPOZ approved in 2008. The citywide anti-mansionization ordinance also passes.

Boulevard parking rates seemingly double overnight, angering just about everyone.

An apartment house on S. Alexandria Avenue begins transforming into Alexandria House transitional housing for women.

The Larchmont Bungalow bungles its 2009 opening when it runs afoul of the neighborhood “Q” Conditions by offering sit-down dining (after having filed a sworn affidavit with the city acknowledging it would not operate as a restaurant). Thus begins a multi-year conflict not resolved until the next decade when the restaurant closes.

At the request of Councilman Tom LaBonge, the City Planning Commission votes to amend the Larchmont zoning law to impose a 35-foot height restriction on the Boulevard, require a five-foot setback, and limit new stores to 50 feet of

frontage.

Students from Pilgrim and St. James’ Schools travel to President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Fremont Place residents vote for historic preservation guidelines. Windsor Village succeeds in achieving HPOZ status.

The new Olympic Police Station opens. A six-story Wilshire– La Brea mixed-use project is unanimously approved by the City Planning Commission; neighboring homeowners and the Sycamore Square Association are chagrined.

Vine American Party Store marks its 75th year of balloons and My Little Pony paper plates.

Santa and carolers on bikes surprise pedestrians doing last-minute holiday shopping on the Boulevard. Tim Corrigan plays the jolly old elf at Larchmont Labyrinth.

In 2010, Chevalier’s celebrates 70 years with champagne and hors d’oeuvre. Diners at Musso & Frank Grill no doubt mark its 90th anniversary with one of its famous martinis. The Wilshire Country Club also turns 90.

The decade from 2001 through 2010 is a dynamic one, with tremendous growth and fervent activism in service of maintaining the unique character of our neighborhood. As Pilgrim School 11th grader Walker Andreen writes in the School News section of the January 2008 Larchmont Chronicle, “…mucho shindigs are going down.”

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

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Larchmont Chronicle

2010s: McMansions, more changes on Boulevard

By Billy Taylor During the 2010s, the economy is recovering from the global financial crisis, and local real estate prices, which had taken a big hit, were on the rise. With an increase in activity, development and zoning issues are soon on everyone’s mind. Fear of McMansionation in some neighborhoods sparks efforts to preserve historic character, and a lack of affordable housing is, in part, blamed for a growing number of homeless people on the streets. As rents go up, even Larchmont Boulevard is not immune to change as many mom-and-pop shops are replaced with national retail chains, or worse, “For Lease” signs. Then, a global pandemic hit, testing the resiliency of residents and shop owners.

The decade started off grandly for the neighborhood, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Los Angeles, staying in Hancock Park at the British

THE DEATH of Robert Lawrence Balzer in 2011 marked the end of a 75-year involvement with wine and Larchmont Boulevard.

Consul General’s residence.

The top of Mount Hollywood is the setting for the swearing in of Councilman Tom LaBonge on June 21 for his third term in office.

Longtime Larchmont figure Robert Lawrence Balzer dies at his home in Santa Ana on

Dec. 1, 2011. He was 99. The wine critic and educator was a familiar face on Larchmont due to his job at Balzer’s, his father’s much-beloved gourmet grocery store on Larchmont Boulevard. He was 24 years old when his father put him in charge of buying wine for the store. He wrote a column on wine for the store newsletter, which was so admired by Will Rogers Jr. that he asked Balzer to write a column for his newspaper, “The Beverly Hills Citizen.” Balzer was considered the first writer to cover wine and winemakers in the country.

The Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission releases its adjusted map, which places almost all of the Greater Wilshire area in Council District Four with Councilman LaBonge.

Metro approves two subway entrances in Miracle Mile in April 2012, following five years of review. Stations at La Brea

“Your Neighborhood Plumbers”

Avenue and Fairfax Avenue (plus a third station at La Cienega Boulevard) are to be parts of the Purple Line’s (now D Line’s) westward extension.

A 2013 tribute to community trailblazer Jane Gilman, publisher and editor of the Larchmont Chronicle, is held to celebrate that Gilman had cofounded the Chronicle 50 years before.

SUBWAY TUNNELING commencement By 2013, the housing from the Miracle Mile is announced by market is recovering Fifth District City Councilmember Paul with a lack of inven- Koretz and Mayor Eric Garcetti, with the tory — the reason for remodeled Petersen Automotive Musethe rise in home pric- um in the background. es, agents say.

The Natural History Muse- moves its Wilshire Boulevard um marks its centennial; first headquarters to Canoga Park. opened in 1913, the museum The decision is made partly to had at the time amassed more avoid the cost of a needed seisthan 35 million objects, some mic retrofit of its headquarters, as old as 4.5 billion years. which was constructed in 1937.

Farmers Insurance Group The Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Windsor Square is sold for approximately $8 million to the Maurice and Paul Marciano Art Foundation.

Although Purple Line subway station construction is slated to start in 2014, Metro begins relocation of underground utilities including water, power and communications lines in the fall of 2013.

New medians are installed on north Larchmont Boulevard. “It’s a great day for Larchmont,” said Councilman (Please turn to page 47)

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Centennial 47

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

2010s

(Continued from page 46) LaBonge as he and neighborhood leaders dug the first shovelsful of dirt. The project adds three eight-foot-wide landscaped medians between Melrose and Rosewood avenues, with the first median containing a gateway monument similar to the one installed a decade ago at south Larchmont Boulevard and Third Street.

The new Anderson Munger Family YMCA opens, providing a 30,000-square-foot facility for community meetings and recreational space.

Criminal and civil cases, “City of Los Angeles vs. Larchmont Bungalow,” are continued or appealed for years, and then, in 2014, owner Albert Mizrahi shifts tactics by seeking a zone change to turn the take-outonly business into a restaurant.

The request was unanimously denied by the Central Area Planning Commission.

Neighbors, preservationists and architects bemoan the changes to the 1912 Beaux Arts-style Chandler estate at 455 Lorraine Blvd., designated as a city Historic Cultural Monument. A website, dorothychandlermansion.com, was created to draw attention to what opponents term a “debacle,” including a petition for interested people to sign.

CONTROVERSY over illegal use of the Scottish Rite Cathedral building dates to the early 1970s, and the city ordered the facility closed in 1994. In 2013, it was sold to become the home of the private Marciano Art Foundation.

For the first time in the 52 years since its founding in 1963, the Larchmont Chronicle has a new editor and publisher with leadership of the paper passing from Jane and Irwin Gilman to lifelong Windsor Square resident John H. Welborne.

David Ryu takes the oath of office to become City Councilman for the Fourth District July 1, 2015, having defeated Carolyn Ramsay by 1,600 votes in the race to replace Tom LaBonge as councilman, who was termed out.

At a Brookside community meeting, CIM Group — new owners of the former Farmers Insurance property — unveils its plans for a residential development along Wilshire Boulevard, between Rimpau and Muirfield.

ZZ Z

A multi-year drought has given reason for residents to redo their landscaping with drought-tolerant gardens. In Windsor Square, in just a single block of Arden Boulevard, three houses in a row have new, non-lawn front yards.

DAVID E. RYU is elected to represent the Fourth District as City Councilmember in 2015.

LONGTIME Farmers Insurance property’s current owner, CIM Group, obtained general public and Park Mile Specific Plan (PMSP) Design Review Board consensus supporting this PMSPcompliant residential proposal by the end of 2018 … but the project still had not received City Planning Department approval as of autumn of 2021.

Wilshire Warriors 12U team make an impression on the national level by placing ninth out of 104 teams in the Cooperstown tournament played at the home of Baseball’s Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, N.Y. Paramount Pictures proposes a master plan that someday could change the film studio’s 56-acre lot at 5555 Melrose Ave., including the addition of six new adjacent buildings.

By October 2015, the Miracle Mile Residential Association and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences come to an understanding, paving the way for construction to start on the $300 million Academy Museum.

ZZZZZ

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Talk of sidewalk repair sparks ficus tree debate on Larchmont Boulevard as merchants and residents ponder how to repair sidewalk damage by tree roots of mature, healthy ficus trees.

Love it or hate it, it’s hard to miss the new Petersen Automotive Museum following its 13-month, $125 million renovation, which transformed the 20-year-old museum inside and out.

Customers help Edie Frère, owner of Landis Gifts & Stationery, at 138 N. Larchmont, celebrate the store’s 25th anniversary with a lively open house. At the Farmers Market, (Please turn to page 48)

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Larchmont Chronicle

2010s

(Continued from page 47) Kip’s Toyland was celebrating 70 years of business.

The City Planning Dept. releases amendments to the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (BMO).

Eleven years after it opened its doors, Larchmont Charter School is preparing its first senior class for graduation in June 2016. A group of parents and neighbors meets at John Burroughs Middle School to get a first glimpse of plans for a multi-year modernization project for that school’s historic buildings.

The need to prevent McMan-

MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL completed its Arden Project, with a new playfield and a new swimming pool, in 2016.

sionization and to preserve the integrity of residences in the Miracle Mile community were among the reasons

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neighbors began a campaign for an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ).

The first lady of Los Angeles, Amy Elaine Wakeland, is the guest speaker at the opening ceremony for the first singlegender school within the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Girls Academic Leadership Academy (GALA) adjoining Los Angeles High School.

Larchmont Bungalow owner Albert Mizrahi, 63, dies, but the long-running criminal case continues with Bungalow co-defendant, Larchmont Bungalow LLC. Marlborough School completes its Arden Project during its 100th year in Hancock Park. The school, founded in 1889, moved to Third Street and Rossmore Avenue in 1916.

Like a spaceship landing across Wilshire Boulevard, with Egyptian, or is it Incan, themes, architect Peter Zumthor’s newest design for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was revealed.

The Larchmont Bungalow closed its doors Aug. 1, 2017

100th!

THE G.A.L.A. (Girls Academic Leadership Academy) dedication in 2016 was attended by hundreds, including (from left) LAUSD superintendent Michelle King, first lady of Los Angeles, Amy Elaine Wakeland, and then-state senator Holly J. Mitchell.

after an unsuccessful, eightyear-long resistance to its city citation for intentionally and illegally operating as a restaurant despite being denied a permit.

Quiet residential streets are under threat by draconian measures being considered by the state legislature. Proposed legislation out of Sacramento is “an existential threat to all our neighborhoods,” Jim O’Sullivan says at the Miracle Mile Residential Association 2018 annual meeting.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) returns to Wilshire Country Club.

Lipson “for sale” Small-town Larchmont Boulevard may be in jeopardy as the estate of the late Charlotte LaBonte Lipson is selling the former landlord’s 14-storefront Lipson Building at 124 to 148 N. Larchmont Blvd.

The Wilshire Country Club celebrates 100 years with centennial events, including fireworks.

Larchmont Boulevard goes quiet as COVID-19 comes to Los Angeles. Mayor Eric Garcetti issues a “Safer at Home” emergency order in mid-March 2020, calling on residents of the City of Los Angeles to stay in their homes and limit all activities outside of their homes beyond

what is absolutely necessary for essential tasks.

For most of 2020, residents work from home, students attempt to learn from home, and restaurants prepare food for take-out-only. Neighbors remain resilient.

The death of George Floyd sparks protests nationwide, including a number of smashand-grab burglaries in the Larchmont Village shopping district. Reminiscent of 1972, residents shopping on Larchmont witnessed armed Nation(Please turn to page 50)

NATIONAL GUARD, on Larchmont June 3, 2020, was reminiscent of the Guard’s presence in the neighborhood in June of 1992.

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OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

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2010s

(Continued from page 47) al Guard patrols enforcing the peace. Several well-attended demonstrations were held at the Mayor’s residence, Getty House in Windsor Square.

The rise in property values and rents (an issue that predates the pandemic) are compounded by city-wide COVID-19 lockdowns, which exponentially increase the number of retail and other commercial

NEW COUNCILMEMBER Nithya Raman, elected in the Fourth District in 2020, is forced to have most of her initial constituent meetings via Zoom because of COVID-19 protocols.

spaces that appear vacant or “For Lease” along Larchmont Boulevard.

Taking nearly 53 percent of the vote in a City Council election with an unprecedented 133,000 votes cast, political newcomer Nithya Raman wins a runoff election for the Fourth Council District seat, defeating David Ryu, who became the first City Council incumbent in 17 years to be ousted by a challenger.

Malibu-based Christina Development begins construction on the former Lipson Building with plans to

Larchmont Chronicle

renovate its 14 storefronts on Larchmont, and the hopedfor end of COVID-19 has yet to come, with the “Delta” and other variants causing a second postponement of the

annual Larchmont Family Fair. Nevertheless, the community prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Larchmont shopping district on Sun., Oct. 24, 2021.

ORIGINAL Julius La Bonte commercial building, long known as the Lipson Building, saw its last tenants leave at the end of 2020.

BY JANUARY 2021, the new owner of the Lipson Building had major remodeling construction underway where the 14 tenant spaces are to comprise “Larchmont Mercantile.”

Larchmont 100 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION presented by the

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Centennial 51

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY LARCHMONT!

CHA Hollywood Medical Center—nearing our own centennial—has proudly served the Larchmont neighborhood over the past century. We look forward to being part of your healthy future!

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OCTOBER 2021 — SOUVENIR COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Larchmont Chronicle

SHOP

SALUTE

Shoe store for men & women debuts on the Boulevard.

Senior officers meet and mingle with the WS-HPHS.

Page 4

Page 8

Local News Schools Halloween & Harvest

DYSLEXIA

PAVILION

Early intervention can be a lifesaver.

Page 15

New landmark at Wilshire Boulevard Temple inspires.

Page 9

Larchmont Chronicle

Section 2 OCTOBER 2021

HANCOCK PARK • WINDSOR SQUARE • FREMONT PLACE • GREATER WILSHIRE • MIRACLE MILE • PARK LA BREA • LARCHMONT

Festivities at Larchmont to celebrate 100 years on Oct. 24 On the Farmers Market n Cake-cutting at the clock Boulevard in time for fall

By John Welborne Things are n Pumpkins, live music

By Nona Sue Friedman Halloween will be enhanced this season with Mr. Jack O’Lantern’s Pumpkin Patch at the Original Farmers Market, 6333 W. Third St. The pumpkin spirit starts Sat., Oct. 16 and continues throughout the month.

Indulge in pumpkin decorating, pumpkin bowling, animal feeding and viewing, a candy cornhole and a bouncy house. Most activities require individual tickets, but some events are free. For more inSee Farmers Market, p 16

Dining Guide

Restaurant and entertainment news will be featured in our Fall Dining Guide in the November issue. Larchmont Chronicle advertising deadline is early: Mon., Oct. 11. For more information contact Pam Rudy, 323-462-2241, ext. 11.

The celebration of the 100th anniversary of establishing the original Larchmont Boulevard shopping block will take place beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24 (the day originally planned for the traditional Larchmont Family Fair that has, like last year, been postponed, according to Larchmont Boulevard Association [LBA] president John Winther of Coldwell Banker Realty). Winther says there still will be significant celebratory opportunities that same Sunday — just with a smaller crowd and with the street not fully closed.

At a stage near the flagpole and Wilshire Rotary clock, in front of the Sunday Farmers Market at 209 N. Larchmont Blvd., LBA and community leaders will gather with neighbors to cut the birthday cake.

Also being planned is a tree planting for the empty sidewalk spot near Tailwaggers at 147 N. Larchmont Blvd. Organizers say, “Come celebrate Larchmont on the 24th!”

looking up

n New tenants open doors

FESTIVITY PLANNERS for the “Larchmont 100” celebration include Boy Scouts and the Larchmont Boulevard Association (LBA). At the Rotary Clock are Scouts from Troop 10, including from left: Michael Hanna, Eagle Scout Alex Rice, Jacob Prior, assistant scoutmaster Don Rice, George Nason, LBA president John Winther and assistant scoutmaster Scott Hanna.

Photo by Bill Devlin

By John Welborne Things are looking up … on the northwest end of the Boulevard, south of Beverly. What a difference tenants make!

Two long-vacant storefront spaces now are bustling with customers.

One is the restaurant, Great White, occupying the distinctively remodeled longtime home of Prado Restaurant. Co-owner Sam Trude told the Chronicle last month that he is very proud of how the project, conceived and constructed by him and his business partner, Sam Cooper, turned out.

In response to a question, Trude confirmed that the pandemic caused them to change the original design a bit, making the entire wall on the sidewalk one that would pull back to make even the See On the Blvd., p 4

‘Modified,’ but still scary, Haunt in Wilshire Park n Ghoulish time is Oct. 20

ACADEMY MUSEUM main entrance is at the Walt Disney Company Plaza beneath the massive spherical building housing the 1000-seat David Geffen Theater. Escalators and gallery lobbies on all five levels are bathed in natural light behind the tall glass wall.

Academy Museum — open at last!

By John Welborne Following a week of Oscar Ceremony-worthy press previews, a glamorous Donor Gala (Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga!), and member preview days, the long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened to the public — at the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire — on September 30.

The Sidney Poitier Grand Lob-

by on the museum’s first floor may be entered at no charge, from either the Walt Disney Company Plaza on the north or through the original May Company doors on Wilshire Boulevard on the south.

To learn about ticket information and to see a few photos from last month’s press frenzy and the gala, plus images of some of the new Academy Museum facilities, turn to pages 14 and 15 of Section 3.

By Suzan Filipek

Halloween returns to Wilshire Park this year, albeit as a modified version of its former scary self. But scary enough, for sure.

The popular 11-year-old Halloween Haunt will return as the first annual Halloween Neighborhood Walk on Sat., Oct. 30 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm.

A “Twilight Zone”-themed haunted house will join other holiday favorites at the event, including a haunted cemetery, carnival games, bouncer, trickor-treating and a food truck.

Meet your neighbors in your front yard and on the autumn walk, all dressed up for the ghoulish event, which will take place in Boulevard Heights, which is on Wilshire See Haunt, p 17

WILSHIRE ROTARIAN volunteers — Elsa Gillham, Pam Rudy, Louis Schneiderman, Wendy Clifford, Janice Prior and Christopher Cox — help out at the group’s pumpkin patch last year.

Rotary Pumpkin patch, Tree Lot open 15th year on Blvd. n Maze and a scavenger hunt for prizes at the Patch

By Rachel Olivier The Wilshire Rotary Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Lot that appear annually at the vacant lot at 568 N. Larchmont Blvd. each October and December celebrate 15 years on Larchmont this year!

The pumpkin patch will be open Sat., Oct. 9 through Sat., Oct. 30 (or until they run out of pumpkins). Hours are Monday to Friday, 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

See Pumpkin Patch, p 17

2

Editorial

Calendar

By John Welborne

100 Years!

“Happy Birthday,” Larchmont Village shopping district! A 100-year anniversary certainly is a special one.

This issue of the Larchmont Chronicle also is special, in many ways. As we did in 1971 — 50 years ago — your local newspaper is publishing a special section, a “Souvenir Collector’s Edition,” to salute this major anniversary of the founding of today’s wellknown and popular Larchmont Village shopping district.

We believe that this special section is full of stories that you will enjoy — recounting 100 years of this remarkable commercial block and the historic neighborhoods surrounding it. This special section brings us up-to-date on much of what’s transpired around here during Larchmont’s most recent 50 years (as well as reporting on the first 50).

As always, we at the Larchmont Chronicle are grateful to the paper’s advertisers. Not only do they provide wonderful services and products for the community; they also make possible (for 59 years!) the publishing of this community newspaper. Thank you!

In addition to publishing the Souvenir Collector’s Edition, we also have prepared and are enclosing something else that we believe is special — a keepsake booklet, “Larchmont Boulevard: Then and Now.” This is our Centennial gift to the neighborhoods surrounding Larchmont. Note that this photo-collection booklet only covers the original one-block commercial section south of Beverly Boulevard. Read Patty Lombard’s book, “Images of America — Larchmont,” to learn more about the three blocks north of Beverly!

Finally, and to paraphrase — slightly — the paean to Los Angeles often heard from our late City Councilmember, Tom LaBonge: “Let’s continue to enjoy and love Larchmont!”

Surrounding Larchmont Village, the Windsor Square Association salutes our local shopping district on its 100th anniversary.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Sat., Oct. 9 to Sat., Oct. 30 – Wilshire Rotary Pumpkin Patch, 568 N. Larchmont Blvd., wilshirerotary.org.

Mon., Oct. 11 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Wed., Oct. 13 – Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council board meeting via Zoom, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Check greaterwilshire.org for login.

Mon., Oct. 18 – Hancock Park Homeowners Association annual meeting via Zoom, 6 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 23 and Sun., Oct. 24 – The Original Farmers Market Fall Festival at 3rd St. and Fairfax Ave. farmersmarketla.com.

Sunday, Oct. 24: LARCHMONT 100: Centennial celebration of the shopping district, including ceremony and cake-cutting in front of the Sunday Farmers Market, 209 N. Larchmont Blvd., 11 a.m.

By Billy Taylor California Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed into law controversial legislation that essentially abolishes single-family zoning in the Golden State.

Signing SB 9 just two days after surviving a recall election, Newsom has welcomed development of up to four residential units on single-family lots across California.

Newsom also signed SB 10, creating a process for local governments to streamline new multi-family housing projects of up to 10 units built near transit or in certain

Founded in 1963 by Jane Gilman and Dawne P. Goodwin

100 years

.

.

Publisher and Editor John H. Welborne Managing Editor Suzan Filipek Deputy Managing Editor Billy Taylor Contributing Editor Jane Gilman

presented by the Larchmont Boulevard Association

Staff Writers Talia Abrahamson Helene Seifer

CEREMONY SUN., OCT. 24

Advertising Director Pam Rudy Advertising Sales Caroline Tracy

11:00 a.m.

Art Director Tom Hofer

Cake-cutting at the clock!

Classified and Circulation Managers Rachel Olivier Nona Sue Friedman

For more information go to: larchmont.com

Accounting Jill Miyamoto 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., #103 ©LC1021

The Windsor Square Association, an all-volunteer group of residents from 1100 households between Beverly and Wilshire and Van Ness and Arden, works to preserve and enhance our beautiful neighborhood. Join with us! Drop us a line at 325 N. Larchmont Blvd., #158, Los Angeles, CA 90004, or visit our website at windsorsquare.org.

ADV.

‘What are you planning to do for Halloween?’

That’s the question inquiring photographer Caroline Tracy asked locals along Larchmont Blvd.

Thurs., Oct. 28 – Delivery of the November issue of the Larchmont Chronicle.

Sat., Oct. 30 – Wilshire Park Assoc. Halloween Haunt, Bronson Ave. between Wilshire Blvd. and 9th St., 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., wilshirepark.org.

Sun., Oct. 31 – Halloween!

“I’m going to a party. Everyone will be vaccinated. I don’t go to parties where people aren’t vaccinated. I’m dressing as a sexy butterfly — butterfly top with wings, a pink tutu, fishnets and tons of butterfly clips in my hair.”

Noah Johnson Junior at Marlborough

Newsom signs SB 9 and 10 to end single-family zoning

Larchmont Chronicle

We encourage our neighbors to attend the

Larchmont 100

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Los Angeles, CA 90004 323-462-2241 larchmontchronicle.com

urban areas.

In August, the Los Angeles City Council passed resolutions in opposition to both SB 9 and SB 10. “SB 9 and 10 are the third attempt by San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener to destroy local control over multi-family and singlefamily zoning in the state of California. This council has unanimously voted to oppose essentially the same bills twice before, and we should do it again,” said the sponsoring councilmember at the time.

Read more about how both bills could impact Greater Wilshire neighborhoods on page 9 of Section Three.

Council redistricting moves forward

By John Welborne As of the press deadline for this month’s paper, the appointed City Council Redistricting Commission and its staff and consultants were coming up with some fairly specific recommendations for new boundary lines for the city’s 15 council districts.

The general distribution area of the Larchmont Chronicle, the circa-1920s part of Los Angeles, is now divided among Council Districts 4, 5, 10 and 13. Stakeholders throughout most of our Greater Wilshire community — generally the neighborhoods north of Olympic Boulevard and south of Melrose Avenue, between Western and La Brea avenues (Please turn to page 22) Write us at letters@larchmontchronicle.com. Include your name, contact information and where you live. We reserve the right to edit for space and grammar.

“We will probably attend a ‘trunk or treat’ with members from our school community.

She attends Micheltorena in Silverlake. All of the families drive to a parking lot and load their trunks up with candy.

This way it’s controlled, but they still get to have fun.”

April Belford and Charlie

“We used to go to a friend’s house for a party, but she moved, and now I’m not sure what we’re doing because of COVID. I guess it’s a wait-and-see situation. It’s a bummer that the Larchmont Family Fair isn’t happening.

The kids miss it. It’s been a long two years without.”

Emily Duvall and Conrad and Violet Hancock Park

“Athena has already decided what she wants to be, and she’s wearing her costume right now. She’s going as Catwoman. I’m thinking of taking her to the ‘Carved’ Halloween event at Descanso Gardens.”

Leah Amaya and Athena Hancock Park

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Mile residents await study on Cochran parking lot development

COUNCILMEMBER Mark Ridley-Thomas, left, at the dedication for Gramercy Place Apartments, top.

Permanent supportive housing opens between Gramercy and Wilton

By John Welborne Yet another needed facility featuring permanent supportive housing, this project focused on seniors as well as those formerly experiencing homelessness, has opened nearby. It was celebrated at the end of August by 10th District City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, with the participation of Mayor Eric Garcetti and the sponsors of the new facility, Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (HCHC).

Named the Gramercy Place

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YOUTH SPORTS

18

SOCIETY 8 SCHOOL NEWS 11

SECTION THREE VIEW:

Real Estate Entertainment Libraries, Museums Home & Garden

X OLYMPIAD 5 HOME GROUND 6 ON PRESERVATION 9 REAL ESTATE SALES 10 ENTERTAINMENT On the Menu 12 Movies 16 Theater 17 MUSEUMS 14 LIBRARIES 17 POLICE BEAT 18 POKER FOR ALL 19 A TINY CHALLENGE 19 BEEZWAX 19 CLASSIFIED ADS 19

Apartments, the project is between Gramercy Place and Wilton Place on Washington Boulevard. It opened to residents in May, and it provides 64 units of housing for seniors age 55 and over. Of the 64 units, 32 are available to low-income seniors who were formally unhoused. Residents have access to on-site case management, health and well-being management, vocational train-

ing and educational services throughout their tenancies.

At the opening event, Councilmember Ridley-Thomas said that “this project is a fulfillment of promises to some of our unhoused neighbors” ... to provide “a place that they can call home. This project is a testament to what Measure HHH funds can do.”

HCHC explains that its mission is to transform commu-

nities by creating affordable housing that achieves design excellence and environmental sustainability, while at the same time respecting the history, culture, and architecture of the communities served.

This property, designed by architect Kevin Daly, is equipped with solar panels and rooftop vegetable gardens.

Learn more at hollywoodhousing.org.

By Billy Taylor A feasibility study is underway following City Council approval of a motion proposed by Councilmember Nithya Raman to analyze the feasibility of converting a city parking lot in the Miracle Mile into affordable or permanent supportive housing.

The Los Angeles City Council on Aug. 25 approved the motion, which will study an existing 41-vehicle parking lot at 728 Cochran Ave. to assess if the lot is suitable for such housing. The lot is located directly across from a retirement home and a K-8 school, which depends on the lot for parking, as do retail businesses on Wilshire Blvd. It is the last public parking lot in the area.

President of the Miracle Mile Residential Association (Please turn to page 19)

(Continued from page 1) inside of the restaurant feel like part of the outside world.

Read columnist Helene Seifer’s review on page 12 of this section of the paper.

Almost next door, the longawaited second Los Angeles location of the shoe store

Rothy’s opened at the end of last month as well. The bright, open space — with pale walls displaying colorful shoes and accessories — has been welcoming customers every day since it opened.

This month is the community’s celebration of 100 years of stores on Larchmont Boulevard. A retrospective photo-

graphic look at the storefronts on the street — during the past 100 years — comes in the “rotogravure” magazine insert accompanying this issue of the Larchmont Chronicle.

Titled “Larchmont Boulevard: Then and Now,” the booklet is the newspaper’s centennial gift to our community.

Wilshire Rotary’s Pumpkin Patch Comes to

ROTHY’S, whose colorful shoes and other fashion items are made from recycled plastic waste, opened last month.

Rothy’s shoes are stylish and washable — and on Larchmont

LARCHMONT!

By Suzan Filipek Stylish and sustainable lifestyle brand Rothy’s opened its newest shop Sept. 23 in Larchmont Village at 248 N. Larchmont Blvd.

The shop carries both men’s and women’s washable footwear and accessories, and this location will serve primarily as a men’s flagship. The shoe store is in the former location of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse and, before that, longtime shop Village Footwear.

Among offerings at the Rothy’s store are sneakers, flats and loafers in a wild variety of colors and styles. The new store launches some new styles, too — Women’s Driver, Sporty Duo and Men’s Varsity Collection — and it debuts a men’s wallet,

Get Your Pumpkins!

Open October 9 thru 30

Weekdays 2pm-6pm • Weekends 10am-6pm 568 North Larchmont Blvd.

Christmas trees at the same location. Tree lot opens November 27

100% of net proceeds are used for Rotary service projects

ROTHY’S, now open at 248.

N. Larchmont Blvd., carries both men’s and women’s footwear and accessories.

carryall and card case.

The Larchmont Village shop opens on the heels of six other retail locations in San Francisco, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles (Melrose Place).

Since launching in 2016, the company claims on its website to have repurposed nearly a million water bottles and 275,000 pounds of oceanbound marine plastic to produce its footwear at its factory.

Irwin Gilman 1932 — 2021

Irwin I. Gilman, husband of former Larchmont Chronicle publisher Jane Gilman, died September 26 of natural causes. He was 89. Born in New York City in 1932, he graduated from the University of Denver and served in the US Army. A Certified Public Accountant, he was a partner in Henig & Gilman and later had his own firm. In addition to Jane, to whom he was married for 62 years, he is survived by a cousin Joel, sister Sylvia, nephew Clifford and niece Elena. Donations in his name may be sent to www.kidney.org.

Be Prepared for

H lloween!

Do your Spooktacular Shopping in

Larchmont Village SPONSORED BY

LARCHMONT BOULEVARD ASSOCIATION

www.LARCHMONT.com

©LC1021

On the Blvd.

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©LC1021

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PORTRAITS MAKE HISTORY smithsonian’s national portrait gallery presents

THE OBAMA PORTRAITS TOUR Featuring works by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald

from lacma’s collection

BLACK AMERICAN PORTRAITS Featuring works spanning 200 years

TWO EXHIBITIONS OPEN NOV 7 PUBLIC TICKETS ON SALE OCT 21 Image credits: (L) Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley, 2018, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2018 Kehinde Wiley. (R) Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama by Amy Sherald, 2018, oil on linen, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. The National Portrait Gallery is grateful to the generous donors who made these commissions possible and proudly recognizes them at npg.si.edu/obamaportraitstour. Support for the national tour has been generously provided by Bank of America; Portrait of a Sailor (Paul Cuffe?), United States, c. 1800, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Cecile Bartman, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA; Sargent Claude Johnson, Chester, 1930, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. William J. Robertson in memory of her father Adolph Loewi, photo © Museum Associates/ LACMA

Los Angeles County Museum of Art 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, near Fairfax LACMA.org | 323 857-6010 Always free for members and L.A. County youth 17 and under

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

Remembering 9-11 at memorial

First-In Fire Foundation In Fire Foundation president honored those who perished on Lyn MacEwen Cohen.

The Miracle Mile Milestone 9/11 on the 20th anniversary of the tragedies at the Pentagon remembers American Flight 77 Capt. Charles Burlingame and World Trade Center sites.

A memorial in Miracle Mile and his crew and passengers salutes all who were affected on that fateful day. He was the by the events on Sept. 11, 2001 brother of Brad Burlingame, a and its aftermath, including Mile resident at the time. first responders and their families.

The memorial includes the Miracle Mile Milestone monument and a grove of trees.

“May we never forget 9/11 and how we transform our deep sorrow into what MIRACLE MILE MILESTONE honors is most touching American Flight 77, which was crashed into and beautiful in the the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. The stone words ‘United We was installed in 2008 on the grounds of the Stand,’” said First- La Brea Tar Pits and Museum.

Parks Foundation coming up roses Los Angeles Parks Foundation will host its 10th Annual Rose Award luncheon and ceremony on Thurs., Oct. 7 at Expo Center’s Rose Garden from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Diana Nyad, a long-distance swimmer and inductee into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, is the recipient of the 2021 Rose Award, and Gillian Zucker, Los Angeles Clippers President of Opera-

tions, is the 2020 Rose Award Honoree. Mayor Eric Garcetti will be a special guest.

The Los Angeles Parks Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds for park projects and programs throughout Los Angeles. Its executive director is Carolyn Ramsay of Windsor Square.

Visit laparksfoundation.org for ticket and sponsorship information.

CENTER FOR YOGA INVITES YOU TO

EXPERIENCE 1 WEEK OF UNLIMITED YOGA $30 SPECIAL • 1ST TIME GUEST & LOCAL RESIDENTS ONLY

Masks and Vaccinations Required to participate in-studio.

See our website for our most up to date policies, procedures, and class schedule at centerforyogala.com 230½ N Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004 | 323.498.0222

Follow us on Instagram @ centerforyogala

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Larchmont Chronicle

SALUTING Mary Nichols at a belated birthday celebration are a group of friends and admirers, including Ann and Robert Ronus, Hancock Park.

skin

SOCIETY

Neighbors are getting out again

By John Welborne Well, there seems to be a bit more socializing going on, as local residents find ways to deal with the latest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not surprisingly, most of the gatherings are outdoors (or masked, indoors).

MARY NICHOLS, Windsor Square, was celebrated on an outdoor terrace downtown.

A case in point was a wonderful (and naturally, pandemic-belated) birthday tribute to Windsor Square resident Mary Nichols, the retired chair of the California Air Resources Board, given by her friends Michael Peevey, Diane Wittenberg and Amy Holm on August 31. A large number of Mary’s local friends and fans were on hand, on the outside terrace on the Third Floor of The California Club, including Hancock Park’s Ann and Robert Ronus and Larchmont Village’s Rev. Betsy Anderson. Also there to honor Mary was the senior local Episcopalian, the Bishop Diocesan, Rt. Rev. John H. Taylor. Among the speakers and well-wishers was former Gov. Gray Davis.

The event also provided support for theclimateregistry.org, with which Nichols works to reduce the carbon footprint and fight climate change.

LISTENING to former Gov. Gray Davis and other speakers are Rev. Betsy Anderson of Larchmont Village and, standing behind, Bishop John H. Taylor.

Two days earlier, and also outdoors, the annual meeting of the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society took place in the lovely garden of member and Windsor Square resident June Bilgore.

There was a full program, and a highlight was a salute to, and remarks from, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) (Please turn to page 20)

You own 20 pairs of shoes and only 1 pair of glasses?

What do people lo ok at first, your fe et or your face?

LA’s finest curation of quality eyewear in Larchmont Village since 2008 Alexander Daas • Barton Perreira • Blake Kuwahara • Céline Etnia Barcelona • Garrett Leight • KBL • Lindberg • Moscot Mykita • Retrospecs • Salt Optics • Tavat • Thierry Lasry 161 N Larchmont Blvd. | 323.466.4396 | LA@AlexanderDaas.com

EYE EXAMS AVAILABLE Independent Optometrist Dr. Tamar Kaloustian, OD 161 N Larchmont Blvd. Suite A (Inside Alexander Daas) t: 323.466.7184 | info@EyeExamLA.com

deep

by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald Maybe it’s the back-to-school memories from childhood, but fall has always felt like a fresh start to me. With renewal and rejuvenation in mind, we conceptualized Summer Skin Rehab. Choose from a range of three lasers starting with most gentle with no downtime to more effective with moderate downtime.

If you’re looking to prevent and address early signs of aging and you’d like to score better skin texture and elasticity, Clear + Brilliant will do just that and bring back your glow. The gentle laser uses fractional technology which erases recovery time. We’re offering a series of three Clear + Brilliant treatments for $1,200, a savings of $150.

Fraxel Dual laser treatments improve everything from age and sun spots to lines and wrinkles, even acne scars and precancerous lesions. Dual indicates two wavelengths to address all of the above, and to work in tandem to trigger new cell production and force damaged cells to turn over.

You can expect a couple days of redness and swelling if we’re addressing texture, lines and scarring; a few more if we’re zeroing in on pigment. Choose one Fraxel Dual treatment of the face, neck, and chest for $1,750, and receive a savings of $650.

Patients are crediting Halo with helping them achieve the best skin they’ve experienced in years. Halo is the very first hybrid fractional laser to marry ablative and nonablative wavelengths which means it’s highly efficacious, and we can customize the treatment to your complexion. After 5-7 days recovery time, you’ll face the dramatic sloughing of brown spots and sun damage to reveal positively glowing and plumped skin; then reduced crow’s feet, fine lines around your mouth and other creases; and in time, tighter, firmer, more youthful skin. Select one Halo Laser face and neck session at $2,000, a savings of $500.

Contact our office to choose your Summer Skin Rehab package and ask us about the skincare to maintain your exquisite results.

Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald is a Board Certified Dermatologist located in Larchmont Village with a special focus on anti-aging technology. She is a member of the Botox Cosmetic National Education Faculty and is an international Training Physician for Dermik, the makers of the injectable Sculptra. She is also among a select group of physicians chosen to teach proper injection techniques for Radiesse, the volumizing filler, around the world. Dr. Fitzgerald is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. Visit online at www.RebeccaFitzgeraldMD. com or call (323) 464-8046 to schedule an appointment.

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Philanthropists honored at Holocaust Museum gala Oct. 21

Three community leaders and philanthropists will be honored at the 13th Annual Gala of the Holocaust Museum LA on Thurs., Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m.

The event, “Ensure the Truth Survives,” will be held virtually.

Honoree Andrea Cayton, vice chair of the museum, also is on the board of the Cayton

Temple completes Audrey Irmas Pavilion

By John Welborne For the past two years, on almost a monthly basis and through the eye of photographer Gary Leonard, the Larchmont Chronicle has been documenting the construction of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s just-completed Audrey Irmas Pavilion. Situated on the Temple’s campus comprising a full city block, specifically on the northwest corner of Wilshire and Harvard boulevards, the 55,000-square-foot new building is impossible to miss.

Designed by the New York office of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas’s Office of Metropolitan Architecture, specifically by architect Shohei Shigematsu, the building is that firm’s first cultural building in California. The architect and client say that the new building is “intentionally designed to be in dialogue with the Temple’s historic and stunning 1929 Byzantine-Revival sanctuary.”

(Please turn to page 21)

Children’s Museum by ShareWell and Los Angeles Jewish Federation.

Melinda Goldrich, who serves on the board of directors of the Holocaust Museum, is on the executive committee of the USC Shoah Foundation Board, and she is honorary president of the Gino Bartali

Youth Leadership School.

Also being honored is photographer, humanitarian and philanthropist Judy Glickman Lauder.

Melissa Rivers is host of the event.

Proceeds will support free Holocaust education to help eradicate hatred, bigotry and

anti-Semitism and ensure survivors’ memories are carried into the future.

Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the U.S. For tickets and information, call 424-832-7434, or write mann@mannproductions.net.

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All photos by Jason O’Rear

SUNKEN GARDEN is below the new building’s rooftop terrace, shown with the historic Temple to the west.

(323) 466-0066 578 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004 • www.awespawellness.com

©LC0621

Group Massages by appointment only

Celebrating 36 Years Serving the Greater Los Angeles Community

36 27thth KATHY WHOOLEY PT, OCS, CSCS, CPI OWNER OF

LARCHMONT PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr. Julie Kelman, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) Senior Physical Therapist Specializes in: Neck & shoulder pathology, SI joint dysfunction

Dr. Doreen Cohen, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Specializes in: Lower back pathology Manual Therapy Pilates

COME VISIT US AT LARCHMONT PHYSICAL THERAPY

At Larchmont Physical Therapy, we are passionate about providing excellent patient care. As a privately-owned business with great integrity, we are able to attend to our patients’ physical and emotional states of being. We create an individualized plan of care for each patient that promotes optimal results.

Our team’s passion, background and expertise has been carefully selected so that we may better assist you with your own rehabilitation needs.

Dr. Jason Gordon, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Specializes in: Sports rehabilitation, Functional training and manual therapy.

Dr. Zachary Lygizos, DPT Doctor of Physical Therapy Specializes in: Orthopedic Injury Manual Therapy Sports Medicine

321 N. Larchmont Boulevard • Suite 825 • Los Angeles, CA 90004 • (323) 464-4458 Visit our website: www.larchmontpt.com

Email: larchmontpt@juno.com

©LC1021

Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) Certified Pilates Instructor (CPI) Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Special Interests: Pilates, Yoga, and Golf Specializes in Pelvic Girdle Dysfunction as well as Golf-specific injuries

LPT follows CDC guidelines in serving our community, to keep our staff and patients safe.

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Calderon-Caruso to lead fundraising at St. Vincent Christine Calderon-Caruso, formerly the community engagement and social media consultant at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels (SVMOW), has been named director of development, said executive director Veronica Dover.

Calderon-Caruso, who has been with SVMOW since 2018, has worked with a number of corporations and area businesses to raise funds for the organization’s senior nutrition programs. She will lead fundraising for SVMOW’s programs, which serve 1,200 homebound seniors and other vulnerable individuals throughout Los Angeles.

A native of the Philippines, Calderon-Caruso earned a bachelor’s degree from Union Theological Seminary in Dasmarinas, Cavite, later earning a Master of Divinity from Claremont University and serv-

CHRISTINE CALDERON-CARUSO

ing as a youth pastor prior to working in non-profit organizations. St. Vincent Meals on Wheels was founded in 1977

by Sister Alice Marie Quinn, and has grown into one of the country’s largest privatelyfunded senior nutrition programs.

Get ready for ShakeOut Day, Oct. 21

It’s time to brush up on your drop, cover and hold and other prepardness exercises. International ShakeOut Day is Thurs., Oct. 21, and Caryn Schuster wants you to be ready for the next Big One with her two-hour disaster preparedness course.

Her course will take place in the waiting area of the dental office of Dr. Nicole Farr, 427 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Schuster has a master’s degree in public health and 30 years of experience working with the American Heart Association, fire departments, doctor and dentist offices, gyms and trainers and others in CPR, earthquake and other disaster preparedness.

The courses being offered on Larchmont can be designed for families with young children and seniors, said Schuster, whose home collapsed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Luckily, she and her

family survived.

To set up a time for the free course, call 310-991-5698.

Schuster is also available for house calls (for a fee).

To learn more about International ShakeOut Day visit shakeout.org.

Election, homeless were discussed at Wilshire Park

Wilshire Park Association’s annual meeting Sept. 18 was well-attended as residents elected new board members and Council District Four Field Deputy Kevin Sanchez-Morales updated the community.

Progress on a parking permit application, resources for homeless concerns, sidewalk repairs, Senate Bills 9 and 10 and city council redistricting were among topics discussed, said WPA board member Lorna Hennington.

Larchmont Chronicle

Board election, land and zoning issues at HPHOA meeting Oct. 18 The Hancock Park Home Owners Association (HPHOA) will host its annual meeting via Zoom later this month where residents will hear committee updates on land use and zoning issues as well as infrastructure repairs in the neighborhood.

Details on how to join the Zoom webinar on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. can be found at the group’s website (hancockparkhomeownersassociation. org).

Members in good standing will receive ballots for the Association’s Board of Directors election at the meeting.

Local physician Dr. Patricia Gordon named a CNN Hero

Beverly Hills radiation oncologist Dr. Patricia Gordon was featured in a segment of CNN Heroes last month.

As the founder of CureCervicalCancer, she travels with teams of medical professionals to train others on how to screen and treat women in the developing world for precervical cancer.

Gordon, Hancock Park, founded the organization in 2013 after a trip to Senegal in 2012 where she saw how many women were dying from cervical cancer, which is a preventable and treatable disease.

She and her group have traveled to 10 countries — including China, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Vietnam — using a “See and Treat” low-tech model along with what they call a “Clinic in a Suitcase” to deliver screening, training and supplies to clinics around the world.

In October, CureCervicalCancer will travel to Kenya to introduce its HPV Testing & Treatment Mobile Clinic. Visit curecervicalcancer.org.

Halloween social at House of Lebanon

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The House of Lebanon, 4800 Wilshire Blvd., is having a Halloween Social for young adults Sat., Oct. 23 from 4 to 7 p.m.

The evening will feature food, games and a costume contest (no costume masks or weapon props are allowed).

Tickets are $30. RSVPs are required; the cut-off date for making reservations is Mon., Oct. 11.

For more information, or for day-of-entry availability, email hol@houseoflebanon. com or call 323-965-8000.

Larchmont Chronicle CENTER FOR EARLY EDUCATION

By Ren Lisenbery 5th Grade

The beginning of school is always a big deal, and this year was even bigger because of COVID. The Center did a great job at making coming back to school on campus fun and safe. Even though some things are familiar, some things are different. Every day we take our temperature before we can be on campus. Another big difference now is that students have to wear a mask and a device called a “mini” that keeps track

CATHEDRAL CHAPEL

By Kennedy del Pozo 5th Grade

Chapel students are very glad to be back to school in person this year. Everyone logs into DrOwl before entering campus to check their temperature and answer questions.

All of our teachers and staff are fully vaccinated, and we haven’t had a single case of COVID-19. Every Wednesday we have COVID testing to make sure that we remain healthy and safe in

OCTOBER 2021

of who we have been near. Last year, a lot of school was virtual, so we could not connect as much with friends, but now we have all already made new friends. In the classroom, even though we sit at separate desks, we can still chat together and play fun group games. It’s been a crazy transition, but everything is starting to work out well. Students have lots of mixed emotions, but a big one is the joy of being able to be with friends. Things have changed, but it’s great being able to learn how to navigate around the changes and make the best out of the situation.

We hope that COVID does go away so life can return to some kind of normal. However, as long as we can go to school, COVID and life with friends will be pretty great. our bubble.

Welcome to Mr. Jabra’il Sutton, our new 5th grade teacher, and Mrs. Khisna Holloway to our office staff. We would also like to thank Mrs. Karen Hall for her many years of service to our school in our school office. Mrs. Hall retired in June and moved to Lake Arrowhead.

We just completed our Student Council Elections and our new Student Council is eager to build school spirit through a variety of school activities. We will soon begin our daily canned food collection for HopeNet that helps Blessed Sacrament Church feed those in need. Happy September!

SECTION TWO

OAKWOOD SCHOOL

By Scarlett Saldaña 11th Grade

Due to remote learning last school year, many of the usual in-person events were either cancelled or held virtually. At Oakwood, beloved traditions such as the Arts Festival, an event where students exhibit visual and performing arts all over the school, was limited to a Zoom meeting. Even Immersion, a long-awaited program that allows students to gain hands-on experiences without the bound-

BUCKLEY SCHOOL

By Jasper Gough 12th Grade

There will be a parade in honor of Founder’s Day at Buckley on Oct. 1. This is a school-wide event and notably has floats from the different grades and sports teams. Even the relatives of our school founder, Isabelle Buckley, will have their own float.

Students in the Upper School may opt to take the SAT on Oct. 2 at test centers located around Los Angeles. The next week, Buckley will host a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion symposium where teachers and students will tackle social issues. After that, our exciting alumni basketball games

aries of a classroom, was cancelled altogether to abide by COVID safety protocols. While it was disappointing to be unable to fully experience Oakwood’s usual on-campus traditions, now that students have returned to inperson learning, Oakwood has planned several class trips and all-school events for this year.

During the middle of October, the 8th graders plan to head to Kings Canyon National Park to make up for their missed camping trip in 7th grade. I have always cherished these experiences at Oakwood, and the Kings Canyon trip is memorable for me as I made lifelong friends and connected with classmates and

teachers. Lastly, on October 28, the secondary school will host a Halloween event. Although details have yet to be finalized, students usually come to the event dressed in their Halloween costumes prepared to dance, play Halloween-related games and watch movies. While all of these in-person events and trips are certainly exciting news, since we are still in a pandemic, Oakwood continues to ensure that the entire school abides by the safety guidelines of wearing masks and keeping a healthy distance. Taking this into consideration, it’s great to be able to participate in these activities once again, after learning virtually for so long.

will resume on Oct. 13. Masks will be required by all those participating in the tournament.

Buckley will host an open house for the Lower and Upper School on Oct. 16. Students will be able to show their parents around the campus, guiding them through what school life is like. They can go to their favorite classes and show their parents projects they’ve completed. Later that night is the Senior Dance.

Seniors will go to a location chosen by the BSC (Buckley Student Council). Students can either go

alone, with friends, or with a date, although we can’t bring someone who doesn’t go to Buckley.

Lastly, on Oct. 28-29, Buckley parents will have the opportunity to have conferences with the teachers.

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The opportunities here are endless!

Spooky times at Zoo, Griffith Park

The Halloween spirit returns this year with Boo at the Los Angeles Zoo, whcih features a Spooky Stroll, an extinct-animal graveyard and more. Visit lazoo.org. Also back, Haunted Hayride is at Los Angeles Griffith Park. Visit losangeleshauntedhayride.com.

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MELROSE ELEMENTARY

By Bella Cho 5th Grade

It has been about three months since Melrose has fully opened, and there has not been a single case of COVID among Melrose students. We are still taking safety precautions, wearing masks, sanitizing and washing our hands often. Melrose is also resuming old activities that we did before, such as dance, garden ranger and music. But this year, we will have chorus classes outside instead of in

IMMACULATE HEART

By Kellyn Lanza 11th Grade

Adjusting to in-person classes after being online for a year and a half has been challenging, but Immaculate Heart is doing an amazing job helping students readjust and feel comfortable. And since starting the new school year in mid-August, we have also celebrated being together through school traditions, community-building events and extracurricular activities.

One of Immaculate Heart’s most cherished days, Welcome Day, kicked off the school year

the auditorium.

And as Halloween comes close, most of us are looking forward to the Harvest Festival. Traditionally at the Harvest Festival, students and teachers dress up in costumes and have a parade.

Last year, we had a Zoom Harvest Festival, and we shared our costumes, made slime and had a treasure hunt. This year, due to coronavirus, we will have part of the Harvest Festival on Zoom and part of it on campus, even though the final decision has not been made. There will be lots of spooky decorations, and we can’t wait to see what kind of costumes there will be this year! with the student body welcoming the freshman class, transfer students and new faculty and staff.

It’s a day to show off your school spirit, too. Each class creates a skit, dance, song and poster based on a theme. This year’s themes included The Fresh Prince of BelAir Freshmen, Superstar Sophomores, Jack Sparrow Juniors and School of Rock Seniors. Students also competed in games for spirit points, and the seniors and sophomores are currently tied for first place.

Our annual luau brought families together for a fun Saturday evening to raise funds for our athletic department. This year’s event was organized by our new high school athletic director, Chris Rodgers.

EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF LOS ANGELES

ST BRENDAN

By Noah Borges 8th Grade

By Hank Bauer 12th Grade

Every year at the Episcopal School of Los Angeles, our seniors are free to decide (via voting) on a theme that adds color to their year. Last year, the seniors chose their theme to be the ocean, so they received custom sweatshirts, which they designed and bought with school funds, with an ocean-based design: in their case, navy blue with a deep-sea fish emblazoned on the back. Also written on each sweatshirt was a fun, ocean-themed nickname for its owner; for example, mine might hypothetically read, “Harpooner Hank” or “Beachboy Bauer.”

This year, my grade is in conflict over the front-running themes of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Las Vegas,” and most of us have strong opinions about one or the other. Some of my peers appreciate Alice in Wonderland for its surrealism, while others think of it as a cliché; similarly, Vegas is treated as both a gleaming city of culture and excitement, but also a center of debauchery. All of us seem willing to accept defeat gracefully: in the words of one of my peers, “No matter what the theme is, the 19 of us will find unity somehow.”

Last month, Saint Brendan School enjoyed so many new things! One being our first day of school assembly for the school year, and welcoming our new kindergarten class of 2029. We also started some of our varsity sports — football, volleyball and golf. Our teams are looking very strong, and we’re looking forward to winning

NEW COVENANT ACADEMY

By Dale Lee 11th Grade

The first month of inperson classes is over! Both students and teachers are loving the fresh change back to learning at school, and everyone is making sure to follow strict COVID-19 protocol. Students and teachers are required to wear masks, frequently wash and sanitize hands and maintain social distancing, and daily temperature checks are administered. Although these rules may seem tedious, it allows us to have a safe and healthy learning environment.

One exciting event students

some games and tournaments.

The time is ticking down for my 8th grade class to begin high school applications. Mrs. Reilly is doing a great job preparing us and helping us get rid of the high school jitters. This month we are looking forward to Halloween. We also have an amazing Halloween parade! The 8th graders will perform a fun and enthusiastic play and will run a super fantastic and competitive costume contest! We can’t wait to take on this promising and exciting year. Thanks for tuning in to St. Brendan School in the Larchmont Chronicle! and parents can look forward to is our Back-to-School Night. This will be an in-person event where parents can meet with teachers and discuss the curriculum and see just what their kids are learning. Students can help teachers to post projects, portfolios and maybe something special they’ve been working on. Make sure to join us on campus and maybe even receive some extra points in your grade book!

NCA has a tradition of going on seasonal camping trips to give students a break and allow them to build a stronger bond with friends and teachers. For this year’s Fall Camp, we traveled to Campus by the Sea, located on Catalina Island. We enjoyed a thrilling boat ride to camp and were able to see fish and even some dolphins along the way.

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Larchmont Chronicle

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THIRD STREET

By Nikka Gueler 4th Grade

Hello, readers. I am Nikka Gueler, a fourth grader at Third Street Elementary. I look forward to writing this column alongside Coco Min, who is in the fifth grade.

After a long year and a half of virtual learning, it’s wonderful to be back on campus with my fellow students, teachers and administrators. We are all back to in-person learning; however, everyone has to wear a mask and all students must take a weekly COVID test at school.

This year, Third Street Elementary is proud to launch its gifted

magnet program for third to fifth grades.

The program is open to any qualified student in LAUSD. In its first year, the program has already received many applicants. In addition to the new magnet program, Third Street Elementary continues to offer ETK (early transitional kinder), TK (transitional kinder) and KDLP (Korean dual immersion). The Korean dual immersion program at Third Street is especially popular, teaching in both English and Korean to stu-

dents from kindergarten through fifth grade.

In addition to these great programs, students can look forward to participating in the science lab, tech lab, drama, music and dance. The after-school programs Kids Kor and Beyond The Bell include science, chess, volleyball, soccer, basketball, karate, yoga, ballet, and more.

The school is especially proud of its technology program, where kids are already learning to code on Apple computers, and its science lab, where they create experiments.

We are looking forward to a great school year with a lot of activities to come.

HOLLYWOOD SCHOOLHOUSE

By Sienna Light 6th Grade

Hello, my name is Sienna Light. I am a 6th grader at Hollywood Schoolhouse, and 10 years have passed since I walked through the gates of the HSH preschool yard. I like to read new books, play numerous sports, and, most of all, I love to write.

I am a proud animal lover, and have three dogs. I take charge, and I am a leader. I owe much of that to HSH. Ever since I first came to this school, I learned that HSH’s main approach to learning is for students to become more academically strong, artistically proud, physically active and socially grounded. Hollywood Schoolhouse also makes sure that students and teachers always pro-

MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL

By Avery Gough 10th Grade

The past month has been especially exciting for Marlborough students. We went back to campus on August 31.

During our very first All-School Meeting of the year, the teachers choreographed and performed a dance in front of the whole school in order to get us excited for the upcoming school year. It was so much fun to see all of my friends, grade, and school once again, and school is finally feeling normal again.

Marlborough has begun its Community Days, which fall on either Wednesday or Friday; there will be six every semester.

These Community Days include

PAGE ACADEMY

By Amiely Rodriguez-Lopez 8th Grade

Neville Anderson, MD, FAAP Amaka Priest, MD Courtney Mannino, MD, FAAP

Page Academy has a long history and was founded in 1908. It’s hard to believe that we have already celebrated 113 years! I have attended Page Academy since I was two years old and I will be graduating middle school this year. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020 and all schools shut down, it resulted in Zoom classes becoming the new normal. The teachers helped us stay connected and positive dur-

mote and carry out tasks with fearless curiosity and inspired learning. This means sharing our values and donating our time to communities in need.

As a 6th grader, I will be introduced to many new field trips and events. Even though COVID is continuing to threaten our country, I know that the HSH community will continue to carry out these activities with utmost safety. For example, we will always be socially distant indoors and outdoors, wearing a mask over our nose and mouth at all times and sanitizing/washing our hands constantly throughout the day. I am very excited to participate in all the surprises that the school will offer to me. activities by grade or those with the entire school. For example, the last Community Day was divided by our class advisory and it was a writing seminar to help us compose our personal story in college apps.

Varsity and JV sports, including tennis and volleyball, which had their tryouts at the beginning of August, have begun regular practice. We have already had preseason games, and matches and games have already begun to fill up our weeks. The middle school’s White and Purple teams had their tryouts in the first few weeks of school, so they too can begin practice soon. For reference, the White team is the more novice and the Purple is more advanced.

In recent weeks we have celebrated Rosh Hashanah, Labor Day and Yom Kippur. We have also paid tribute to those who died twenty years ago on 9/11 and recognize their bravery and heroism. ing that time, but the students still missed our on-campus activities, especially the ones our student council organized.

Now that we are back at school in-person, we were able to hold our student council elections once again this September. It’s amazing to hear all the fresh ideas that the student council members are discussing! The excitement is flowing through the halls and has really uplifted the students as well as encouraged optimism within the student body. I look forward to giving you updates throughout the year, and wish you a safe and Happy Halloween!

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Larchmont Chronicle

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OCTOBER IS DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH:

What you should know about dyslexia; it can be helped

By Helen Hartung “We now know that dyslexia is a very common problem, affecting one out of every five children — 10 million in America alone.” So states Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, in her best-selling book, “Overcoming Dyslexia,” now in its second edition.

Dr. Shaywitz has reached this conclusion after many years of research and testing along with her husband and co-director, Dr. Bennett Shaywitz, and colleagues at the Yale Center. In fact, it was the work of Dr. and Dr. Shaywitz that prompted Congress to declare each October “National Dyslexia Awareness Month” beginning in 2015.

So October is the perfect time to learn more about dyslexia. Dr. Shaywitz, a pediatrician, began to learn about the subject in 1978. Not much was understood about this problem then, so, in 1983, the Shaywitzes and their Yale colleagues began a study of 445 kindergarteners from 24 randomly-selected Connecticut public schools. The boys and girls who began the study have been regularly monitored over the years, and this longitudinal study has provided a wealth of information on dyslexia and its long-term effects.

The central finding of their years of research is that children with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences can be helped. Early intervention is key, especially since undiagnosed children can suffer years of needless struggle and experience shame. So what should a parent or teacher of a young child look for?

Early indicators First, dyslexia is not simply reversing letters, reading “dog” instead of “god,” for example. The condition can be genetic, and it has nothing to do with intelligence. In fact, often dyslexics are blessed with remarkable creativity and entrepreneurial drive. For example, Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson, Charles Schwab, Jennifer Aniston and Henry Winkler are among many well-known

people who have thrived despite — or because of — their dyslexia.

Some indicators in early childhood might be if a child is late learning to talk or has difficulty pronouncing or rhyming

early identification and early intervention is the key to success and the key to turning around an entire generation of children at risk. ... If you catch them before they fall, they will succeed.”

To learn more about dyslexia, the screening test and Dr. Shaywitz’s work, go to dyslexia.yale.edu. Her informative book, “Overcoming Dyslexia” (Alfred A. Knopf and Vintage Books, 2020), is widely avail-

able. To learn more about Park Century School, visit: parkcenturyschool.org.

Helen Hartung, Windsor Square, has been a Park Century parent and serves on the school’s board of trustees.

A legacy of

distinction

YALE UNIVERSITY’S Dr. Sally Shaywitz is the physician whose studies provide the basic framework for the 21st-century understanding of dyslexia.

words. The child may omit or misread little words and have trouble decoding longer words.

In later childhood, the dyslexic may struggle with handwriting, spelling or copying words; have a poor sense of time; or appear inattentive or even “lazy.” Some children may even be perceived as stupid, or be bullied, and begin to act out in their deep frustration.

Early intervention But it’s not only parents who may not understand the source of their child’s issues.

Many teachers are not wellinformed about dyslexia and how to help. For that reason, the Shaywitz Dyslexia Screen, a user-friendly tool for K-3 students, was created to help teachers easily and quickly diagnose children with suspected learning differences.

Because early intervention can be a lifesaver, Dr. Shaywitz is a passionate supporter of specialized schools, including a local one, Park Century School (PCS) in Culver City. (Many local neighborhood children have attended PCS over its 50-year history.) Dr. Shaywitz serves on the board of PCS and particularly admires its commitment to providing each child with the specific, individualized instruction needed. As Head of School Judith Fuller told Dr. Shaywitz, “For me,

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Farmers Market (Continued from page 1)

formation, visit mrjackolanternspumpkins.com Stroll the Original Farmers Market Sat., Oct. 23 and Sun., Oct. 24 and enjoy the essence of fall. Bob Baker Marionettes will perform “Something to Crow About” on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. A pig puppet craft on Saturday and a scarecrow puppet craft on Sunday will keep little ones entertained. Live music will be performed throughout the weekend at the East and West Patios. For more information, visit farmersmarketla.com.

TWO YOUNGSTERS intently decorate pumpkins.

A PUMPKIN PATCH will be at the Fall Festival Oct. 22-24.

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Spooky outdoor movie to screen at Hollygrove Oct. 30 Uplift Family Services invites you to a movie night under the stars on Sat., Oct. 30 at its Hollygrove campus, located at 815 N. El Centro Ave. Gather your family and some blankets for a “spooktacular night of pre-Halloween fun” with an outdoor movie night. The event will include food, fun and a screening of “Hotel Transylvania,” with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support the privately funded programs at Hollygrove, which are designed to provide

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Food by Bludso’s BBQ, along with popcorn, candy and soft drinks are included with admission. Tickets are $25 per person, or you can sponsor tickets for a Hollygrove family to attend.

Doors open at 5 p.m. with the movie beginning at dusk.

All eligible guests must be fully vaccinated and wear a mask when not eating or drinking.

Visit upliftfs.org for more information.

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Larchmont Chronicle

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17

THE WILSHIRE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD gets all dressed up for the holiday.

Haunt

(Continued from page 1)

MINI PUMPKINS and crookneck gourds are some of the items for sale at the Wilshire Rotary Pumpkin Patch beginning Sat., Oct. 9.

Pumpkin Patch (Continued from page 1)

This year the City of Los Angeles is not allowing pumpkin patches to have bounce houses, carnival games or food sales; however, there will be a hay bale maze and a scavenger hunt for prizes.

The 25,000 pounds of pumpkins and gourds will be from a farm in the Santa Paula area.

Tree lot opening The Christmas tree lot will open the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the heat wave in Oregon in June caused severe damage to Christmas trees, which means there may be a tree shortage and prices most likely will be higher.

Sales of the pumpkins, gourds, trees, wreaths and other craft items made from them has helped the Wilshire Rotary raise several hundred thousand dollars for service

projects in the community, for humanitarian projects around the world and scholarships for local students.

Some of the organizations that have received funds raised

by Wilshire Rotary include the Salvation Army Red Shield, local YMCA branches, Covenant House, Operation School Bell, the Los Angeles Police Department Reserve Foundation, Big Sunday, HopeNet, the visually impaired students at Van Ness Elementary, and Alexandria House.

Recent international projects included providing and installing solar lighting for a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico and delivering fog catchers (a way to collect water in extremely dry areas), plants and animals to a village near Lima, Peru.

For more information, call 323-464-1935, or visit the Facebook page at facebook. com/larchmontpumpkinpatch.

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Park’s blocks of S. Bronson Avenue between Wilshire Boulevard and 9th Street, said Wilshire Park Association (WPA) board member Lorna Hennington.

Kids must be accompanied by adults; there won’t be any closed streets, so wear your

COVID-19 masks and social distance.

Last year, because of the pandemic, the neighborhood held an “in-your-own-frontyard” picnic and a scavenger hunt, and the event featured a ghoulish storefront of d’See’s (“deceased”) Candies.

WPA Treasurer Roberta O’Donnell researched the history of Mrs. See and her choc-

olate empire (the first shop was at 135 N. Western Ave.) to mimic the store’s iconic black-and-white décor. But, the treats at d’See’s were bugs and frogs made of Styrofoam and brown caulk.

Modified or not, this year’s event promises to be a thrilling, scary time, said Hennington. For more information, visit wilshirepark.org.

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Maintaining Marlborough School tennis tradition takes a lot Tradition can be a difficult thing to sustain, and nobody understands that more than the Marlborough School Mustangs’ head tennis coach, Paolo Caoile.

“It’s tough to make this team,” admitted Caoile.

Caoile has been coaching tennis at Marlborough for five years. He was initially hired as the JV coach, but took over as head four years ago.

Marlborough School is a private girls’ academy for grades 7-12. The website describes Marlborough as a collegepreparatory secondary school, and this was certainly the case for last year’s star Mustang player Arianna Stavropoulos.

Stavropoulos received a tennis scholarship to compete for UC Davis. She’s a college freshman this year, and will likely play in the No. 2 position. Her time at Marlborough was a series of tennis highlights. She arrived on the Mustang tennis team the same year Caoile began coaching at Marlborough.

“Arianna was a tough cookie,” he said. “I had a great freshman class that year.”

Tradition’s weight Era-Stavropoulos will be a tough act to follow. As a freshman, Arianna was league dou-

Youth Sports by

Jim Kalin bles MVP, and won singles MVP honors the following three seasons. But it wasn’t just about an individual player. On May 21, the team captured its first CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Southern Section Division 1 Championship in school history (in 2006, the Mustangs won a title in Division 3). The road to the finals was not easy.

Seeded No. 3 after finishing the regular season undefeated at 8-0, the Mustangs narrowly defeated Yorba Linda and Martin Luther King high schools in the opening rounds.

“After that MLK match, this team found themselves,” said Coach Caoile. “It was a breeze the rest of the way.”

In the championship game, Marlborough defeated topseeded Beckman High School 12-6 for the title.

Because of COVID-19, the CIF pushed several traditionally fall sports back from 2020 to last spring. Tennis was one of those. This year, it’s a fall sport

again, though that doesn’t indicate that things are completely back to normal. The school still monitors its students, and weekly COVID-19 tests are suggested. On the tennis court, doubles players are required to wear masks during competition.

Rebuilding Marlborough presently is undefeated at 4-0.

“I have a better team than last year,” said Coach Caoile.

“It’s more complete, and all the holes are filled.”

Marlborough’s tennis team runs with 28 players; 14 on varsity, and 14 on JV. “We had close to 40 girls try out for the team this year,” said Caoile.

One of those players who tried out — and made the cut — was Larchmont resident Abby Byrne. She’s a 9th grader at Marlborough.

“It was awesome to make the JV because I spent so much time practicing to do it,” said Abby. “The thought of actually having to play against other teams was also a little nerveracking, but it’s been a fun experience.”

Marlborough is a private school, though it doesn’t recruit athletes, which is impressive, considering the

MUSTANGS from Marlborough pose together as the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) Southern Section Division 1 2021 Spring Season championship team.

tennis team’s success.

“We don’t always get the top athletes, but once they make the team, the bond created transforms them into good players,” explained Caoile.

Part of the reason is co-captains Megan Wong, Ella Perry, and Tori Hickey. All three girls are seniors, and have contributed to their team’s previous success the past few years. The girls understand that maintaining tradition requires

inclusion.

“The camaraderie is great,” said Abby Byrne. “The upperclassmen have been so welcoming and helpful.”

Coach Caoile has been at it a long time. As a youth, he practiced on the Victoria Park Courts in Carson, when Venus and Serena Williams played there. He knows what it takes.

“I want my players to buy into the tradition,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION TWO

Youth Soccer returns to Fairfax for practice, games

By Caroline Tracy A local chapter of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is officially up and running. For AYSO Region 78, practice and (notably) games

commenced in mid-September at Fairfax High School.

While a smaller operation took place last fall with practices only, the full-scale opening is a welcome affair

for many young players in our area.

“We are starting a little later this year as Los Angeles Unified School District office that permits the use of fields, closed since March 2020, just re-opened,” explained Region 78 league commissioner Kurt

Muller. “We also had to make some adjustments to COVID protocol, so things just took a little while to get off the ground. Thankfully, our families have been patient, as they know this is a volunteer-driven community effort.”

While player and volunteer

numbers are down from 2019, the league has a registration of about 600 players and 100 volunteers.

“Our boys’ and girls’ teams have started practicing, and they are undoubtedly ready to play and make up for lost time on the pitch,” said Muller.

Visit ayso78.info for more information.

PLAYERS run drills during practice at Fairfax High School.

Parking lot

(Continued from page 3) (MMRA) Greg Goldin told the Chronicle last month that the group’s board members are withholding judgment on the proposal until they read what the study says.

“That said, however, we are in no way opposed to finding solutions to the housing needs of our neighbors who suffer the misfortune of living on the streets and sidewalks of our city. This is a national disgrace, and a local disgrace, and the MMRA wants to see real-world solutions emerge.”

Goldin said that the MMRA supports building housing that is appropriately scaled, that fits the design of the historic neighborhood and that will provide high quality homes to those in need.

Council District Four “The MMRA has urged CD4 to consider this site for supportive or truly affordable housing — preferably for older residents who might be the most vulnerable. We’ve also urged CD4 to make this process open

to community input in a way that pays more than lip service to neighborhood concerns. We are hopeful that a neighborhood-wide alliance can emerge that, working with the council office, will find the best way forward for the parking lot,” said Goldin. Nevertheless, he notes that the MMRA shares concerns of nearby school Cathedral Chapel as well as the other businesses that rely on the lot as a necessity.

Raman’s office, when contacted, declined to provide an updated statement, instead directing the Chronicle to the councilmember’s Aug. 15 press release, which reads: “In the weeks and months to come, our office will continue to engage constituents to share information on this process, gather questions and comments and ensure the feedback is provided to the CAO’s [City Administrative Officer’s] office to consider as part of its feasibility study.”

Raman’s motion calls for the CAO to review the property and report back to City Council within 45 days.

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OCTOBER 2021

SECTION TWO

GAYLE GARNER ROSKI, artist, traveler, storyteller.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY members convene under an outdoor canopy for their garden party annual meeting and luncheon.

Society

(Continued from page 8) Commander Shannon Paulson. She recently was promoted to her current rank and has become assistant commanding officer of the CounterTerrorism and Special Opera-

tions Branch, following her successful tenure as captain of Wilshire Division.

Also from the LAPD and attending as guests of the Society were: Commander Paulson’s replacement at Wilshire Division, Capt. Sonia Monico and, from the LAPD’s very senior

LAPD BRASS at the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society annual meeting include, from left, Capt. Sonia Monico, Commander Shannon Paulson and Assistant Chief Beatrice Girmala, seated with Society president Richard Battaglia.

leadership, Assistant Chief Beatrice Girmala, who directs the Office of Operations for LAPD. The Society’s many speeches, elections and interview with Alison Martino were followed by a delicious buffet lunch.

On a more somber note, but with loads of bright colors as the deceased would have wished, a number of locals headed south to Santa Ana on Sept. 12 for a

HILARY CRAHAN and Roski’s “Waiting for the Angels — Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels,” 2001.

Larchmont Chronicle pandemic-delayed celebration of the life of artist Gayle Garner Roski, who died in October of 2020. Raised on Hudson Avenue in Hancock Park, Gayle went on to an adult career of family raising (primarily in Toluca Lake), followed in later years by much exotic world travel LOUISE and STEVE GRIFFITH and Roski’s “An Out-of-this-World View — Griffith and — significantObservatory,” 2018. ly for all who are enjoying her artistic legacy chase from the museum or — painting, especially images from Gearys (gearys.com and documenting her beloved City bit.ly/3zQJaJ3). of Los Angeles.

Locals Cheryl and Bob Baker, Hancock Park; Hilary Crahan, Windsor Square; and Louise and Steve Griffith, Hancock Park, were among the hundreds of people who gathered with Gayle’s family to celebrate her life and work and also to view the exhibition of her paintings now installed at the Bowers Museum (bowers.org) through November 7, 2021.

Many of the exhibited images are from Roski’s extraordinary, large-format book, “The Gift of Los Angeles: Memories in Watercolor,” published following her death. The book includes so many scenes that “LET’S GET ICE CREAM — are familiar to Larchmon- The Original Farmers Market” tians. It is available for pur- by Gayle Garner Roski, 2018.

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION TWO

21

THIRD FLOOR sunken garden opens up to the sky and has a stairway to the roof terrace.

All photos by Jason O’Rear

Temple

(Continued from page 9) The contrast is clear.

Wilshire Boulevard Temple is the oldest and largest synagogue in Los Angeles. The new building features flexible spaces that will allow the Temple’s members and other organizations and community groups

to host events, meetings, and programs. The interior rooms vary greatly in scale, and the Temple states that the spaces are “ideal for gatherings large and intimate.” The spaces literally open up the new building to the world outside (and the historic Temple building on the west). On the groundlevel first floor, the Grand

Ballroom takes most of the space. Upstairs is a smaller chapel / event space with a sunken garden above that. At the very top is a landscaped roof terrace with views over the city. Learn all about it at: audreyirmaspavilion.org.

William J. Flaherty, Jr. January 9, 1938 – September 13, 2021

SECOND LEVEL chapel / event space is a trapezoidal room that frames the stained-glass windows of the historic Temple.

William J. Flaherty, Jr., 83, of Los Angeles, California, passed away peacefully on September 13th surrounded by his family after an heroic battle with cancer.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church on Wednesday, September 29th.

Bill is survived by his wife of 58 years, Bonnie. He is also survived by his six children, twenty-two grandchildren and his sister, as well as a large extended family and cadre of friends.

Bill was born in Southern California to Agnes Manning and William J. Flaherty on January 9, 1938.

He graduated from Loyola University and entered the United States Marine Corps before marrying his beloved Bonnie Camero.

Bill enjoyed an extraordinary professional career.

He began his business career in 1964 with Northwestern

Mutual as an insurance agent. In 1966, he founded W.J. Flaherty & Associates, providing insurance and investment services to his clients. He then co-founded EAC Securities in 1976 which later merged into The Grant Nelson Group. In 1995, when The Grant Nelson Group was acquired by Century Business Services (CBIZ), he was appointed Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, a position he held until April 2011, when he retired.

In his free time, Bill was dedicated to his family, his faith and his friends. Bill was always extremely proud of his children and grandchildren and was never happier than when the family was together for Sunday night dinners, holidays or the annual family vacation on Balboa Island. His booming laughter exemplified his abundance of joy and love for life. His ebullience

was infectious. Bill was passionate about volunteer-ing his time and talents with many ministries and charitable causes. Bill’s generosity knew no bounds.

The family wishes to extend its appreciation to everyone who offered support, love and care to Bill.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) or Mission Doctors Association (missiondoctors.org).

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SECTION TWO

OCTOBER 2021

George Beattie Stoneman February 18, 1940 - August 27, 2021

George Beattie Stoneman, M.D., a fourth-generation Angeleno, passed away peacefully on August 27, 2021. He left this life surrounded by family at Good Samaritan Hospital, the same hospital where he was born on February 18, 1940, and where he spent almost four decades practicing medicine, mentoring, and advocating for the hospital’s patients and staff.

Earlier this year, at age 81, he was still practicing medicine, playing tennis at the LATC, and exploring California on weekend road trips with family. He was the kindest man one could know, adored by his family, respected by his peers, trusted by his patients, and loved by all who knew him.

He grew up in Hermosa Beach, CA, the son of George and Frances Stoneman, attended Mira Costa High School and spent many years bodysurfing in the waves off 22nd Street. He went to Stanford University as an undergrad, followed by USC Medical School, where he earned his M.D. in 1965, and, after two years as a flight surgeon in the Air Force, went on to complete a residency in Otolaryngology. Since 1972, Dr. Stoneman has been the ear, nose, and throat doctor to countless loyal patients at Good Sam, St. Vincent Medical Center, and Keck Medicine of USC. As an “old-school” doctor, George would often make house calls to neighbors on his way home, staying a bit longer for a glass of wine and a nice chat.

George was dedicated to philanthropy, and for many decades he generously supported mentoring and fundraising for Keck School of Medicine at USC and Good Samaritan Hospital.

George was a loyal participant and supporter of many organizations, including the LA Zoo, several botanical gardens, and the U.S. Adaptive Recreational Center in Big Bear Lake.

George married his wife and lifelong adventure partner Laurie Pallette in 1968. In 1974

they moved to June Street, where they recently celebrated their 53rd anniversary. George embraced his new Hancock Park neighborhood and became active in several local organizations. In the ’70s, he was chair of the Bicentennial Committee of the newly formed WSHP Historical Society to help plan the city’s 200th birthday on September 4, 1981. The committee organized a Children’s Fair, a Family Bicentennnial Party, “Retrospect Tours” of homes in the Rancho La Brea area, and a Time Capsule that lies buried under a plaque at the entrance of the US Bank.

George’s many interests included skiing, boating, nature travel, gardening, Trojan football, and especially photography (check out his photos at georgestoneman.photodeck.com).

He was passionate about his family history, giving enlightening talks on his great-grandfather General George Stoneman, who fought for the Union in the Civil War, finishing his career as commander of Drum Barracks in Wilmington, California. In 1871, General Stoneman and his wife Mary settled on a ranch in the San Gabriel Township (now Pasadena and San Marino). He later became the 15th Governor of California from 1883 to 1887.

George was a sincere and soft-spoken man who made a big impact on the people who knew him. He is survived by his devoted wife Laurie, son Josh, daughter Heather, brother Bob, and so many extended family members, friends, colleagues, and patients, all of whom he cared about deeply. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting: the Keck School of Medicine scholarships at bit.ly/GeorgeStoneman; Good Samaritan Hospital at memorialgifts-pihhealth.funraise. org and specify “Chaplaincy Program in memory of Dr. George Stoneman;” or a charity of your choice. Thank you.

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Larchmont Chronicle

Kazor, 81, led creation of the Wilton Historic District

Preservationist and Wilton Place resident Virginia “Ginny” Ernst Kazor died Sept. 8 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. She was 81.

She came to local and national prominence by halting a proposed highway through her neighborhood. If approved, the plan, proposed in 1972, would have wiped out six homes on Wilton Place’s signature curvy road.

Kazor’s efforts led to the creation of the Wilton Historic District, which cut federal funds for the project and saved the early neighborhood, which dates to the early 20th century.

The 10-year effort to receive a National Register of Historic Places designation is credited with helping mobilize the city’s preservation movement.

Kazor, who lived in a Craftsman home on Wilton Place, also founded the Ridgewood Wilton Neighborhood Associa-

tion; she was on the board at the time of her death.

A graduate of Marymount High School and USC, Kazor studied art history and architecture. After graduation, she worked in the modern art department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She worked under influential curator Maurice Tuchman, and she was cast as a socialite in Edward Kienholz’s life-size work, “The Beanery.”

Kazor went on to a 40-year career with the City of Los Angeles, Dept. of Cultural Affairs. In 2002, she received the Wright Spirit Award for her word in preserving Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019. In 2010, she was curator of Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers.

Her first husband, Gene Kazor, died in 1994. She is survived by her second husband, Tom Koester.

Redistricting

properly understand their long-established communities of interest and may cut them up or cut them apart from other Greater Wilshire communities on the west side of Wilton Place.

The elected members of the Los Angeles City Council ultimately will decide — supposedly by the end of the year — the actual changes in boundaries, if any, for the coming decade.

To learn what is the most current thinking of the Commission, which has been meeting often and publicly (via Zoom) for the past month, go to its website: redistricting2021.lacity.org

(Continued from page 2) — have been generally satisfied that their communities of interest have been fairly represented by the existing council district maps. However, because there now is vigorous debate about how to make the long-needed correction to end the existing split (into three separate council districts) of the “Koreatown” neighborhoods — to Greater Wilshire’s east — local residents, especially in the St. Andrews Square, RidgewoodWilton and Wilshire Park communities, are concerned that the city mapmakers may not

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SECTION TWO

OCTOBER 2021

Larchmont Chronicle

1920s TO TODAY

CURTAIN RAISED

MYSTERY SOLVED

Larchmont Boulevard was not the only place of note to get its start 100 years ago.

After decades of discussion, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens.

Page 14

Eighty-year enigma involves a Chronicle historian and a missing painting.

Page 4

Page 2

Real Estate Entertainment, Home & Garden

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Section 3

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OCTOBER 2021

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

Golf club, tennis club, JLLA also date back to jubilant 1920s

By Suzan Filipek The roaring 1920s were boom years for many American towns and cities, and Larchmont was no exception. The Los Angeles Tennis Club, Wilshire Country Club and Junior League of Los Angeles got their starts in that jubilant era.

And all are integral parts of the neighborhood today and are thriving well into the 21st century.

Wilshire Country Club at the start of it all?

Some say the Wilshire Country Club set the stage for the stately homes, wide parkways and general bucolic charm of the area.

“It’s such an integral part of the neighborhood. The neighborhood grew up around the golf course,” said club historian Doug Dickey.

When the idea for a golf course was first presented, it had its doubters. There were oil wells that dotted the Rancho La Brea land as far as the eye could see, and a dirt cow path where Melrose Avenue is today.

But by 1917 the oil had dried up, leading George Allan Hancock to suffer a nervous breakdown, Dickey said. Hancock found solace on a trip to Hawaii and in the game of golf.

On his return, when a few businessmen with the vision

1919 PROSPECTUS for potential members shows the new golf club’s location (looking east). Marlborough School had moved from near USC to Third Street and Rossmore Avenue three years earlier.

for the golf course approached him, it must have seemed like a good idea, as he agreed to give a lease for a modest amount with an option to buy. The early success of the 105-acre golf course increased the popularity of the vast, empty land that surrounded it and motivated Hancock to subdivide his remaining land and make his second fortune in real estate.

Plan B was a church The founders of Wilshire Country Club “would be very proud of the club’s first 100 years of progress, especially since the original clubhouse was designed to be converted into a church in case the club failed to be successful,” according to Dickey, author

of “The History of Wilshire Country Club: A Centennial Celebration.”

Today, the club hosts the esteemed Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and its Hugel-Air Premia LA Open, when many of the world’s best women golfers descend upon the Hancock Park course, which certainly would be impressive to the group of businessmen who incorporated the club on Sept. 25, 1919.

Memberships were open to women from the start, although they didn’t initially have voting rights or financial interests in the property. But that would change.

In the early days, there were celebrities on the course, (of

course) with its proximity to Hollywood. Actress Katherine Hepburn and her beau Howard Hughes played golf secretly near their home at the club’s eighth green.

The club’s third and current clubhouse was completed in 2001 by architect Scott Johnson and the Johnson Fain firm, which would further remodel the building in 2008.

The latest rendition was built with the first building’s California Mission style in mind.

Norman Macbeth Invitational The club’s centennial celebrations were held in 2019 with great fanfare and fireworks. The club’s esteemed 72nd annual Norman Macbeth Invitational Tournament, however, was moved because of the pandemic this year from its traditional Memorial Day weekend slot to Labor Day weekend.

The invitation-only event is considered among the finest in all of Southern California and is held in honor of the club’s original golf course designer, club manager Daniel Enzler said.

The tournament’s winner last month was the team of Scott Krivis and Pablo Suarez of Valencia Country Club.

“It’s a great neighborhood,” said Enzler, who was previously at the Brentwood Coun-

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Home of Champions— Los Angeles Tennis Club A love match is at the genesis of the Los Angeles Tennis Club, whose 101-year history also teems with sport legends and movie stars.

“In its heyday, we were the place where the tennis stars mingled with the celebrities,” said Colleen Connors, director of membership at the club.

But before the stars and the crowds, the clubhouse and multiple tennis courts, there was May Sutton, a teenage girl (Please turn to page 3)

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

CURRENT CLUBHOUSE at Wilshire Country Club was completed in 2001 and remodeled in 2008.

1920s clubs

(Continued from page 2) who was determined to marry a man who could beat her in the game of tennis.

Not an easy feat, as the 17-year-old Sutton was the first American to win the Wimbledon singles title.

Apparently, tennis champ Thomas Bundy did win at least one game with Sutton, as the couple was married in 1912.

Bundy, a subdivider of Miracle Mile, was among a group of businessmen and amateur tennis players who would, on the heels of another pandemic — the 1919 Spanish flu — make an offer to George Allan Hancock to buy five-and-onehalf acres of his vacant land for $11,000.

The Tennis Club was founded in 1920 at 5851 Clinton St., and Bundy was its first president.

Everyone was an amateur

tennis player in those days and would remain so until the 1960s when some players began receiving salaries.

But that’s not to question the Tennis Club’s royal lineage: Bundy was a three-time winner of the U.S. doubles championship, and May Bundy won Wimbledon not only in 1905 but again in 1907. The power couple and their daughter, Dorothy “Dodo” Cheney, were among a long line of members to enter the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

When tennis legends played the courts, including the famous Center Court (christened the Home of Champions), Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn and other stars cheered from the box seats.

Until the 1980s, the Pacific Southwest Tournament — the fifth largest match in the world — was held here, with Billie Jean King and John

McEnroe swinging racquets before sold-out crowds.

Times changed when the Olympics came to Los Angeles in 1984. The club’s stands weren’t large enough, and so the tournament was moved to a new facility at UCLA. According to LATC historian Patricia Henry Yeomans’ book, “History and Heritage of The Los Angeles Tennis Club 19201995,” LATC continued to host significant matches, including Southern California United States Tennis Association events for juniors that featured the likes of Tracy Austin and Serena and Venus Williams.

While the Tennis Club no longer is the center of the tennis world in the west, there are no regrets.

What’s left “is a nice neighborhood club. It’s an extension of the Greater Wilshire Hancock Park area,” said Connors.

“We feel so honored by this history we’ve been given, but looking ahead, we’re becoming more of a family club.”

Zachary Gilbert, a sixth-generation Californian from a prominent tennis family, agreed.

The club’s new director of tennis, Gilbert is charged with leading the club into the future.

In his younger days, when his father coached Andre Agassi, Gilbert spent time with the tennis pro and was inspired by Agassi’s philanthropic work.

SECTION THREE

CELEBRITIES often lined the grandstands. Notables included Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Gary Cooper and Charlie Chaplin.

CENTER COURT has featured a myriad of stars, from Rod Laver to Jimmy Connors to Pete Sampras.

Gilbert hopes to bring that same spirit to the Tennis Club.

While many aspects of the planned centennial celebrations are still on hold because of the pandemic, Gilbert says he hopes to celebrate next year. “When we do it, we want to do it right.”

Meanwhile, with all that’s been going on, the club has served as a welcome oasis to its members, he added.

‘Super-charged’ Junior League of Los Angeles Since 1925, the members of the Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA) have been a powerful voice for those whose voices have often been silent throughout history.

“Women and children have been our focus since the beginning,” said current JLLA President Sarah Christian.

(Please turn to page 8)

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OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

Larchmont Chronicle

Remembering ‘Chronicle’ historian and his wife and daughter

By Suzan Filipek Artist and historian Harry Muir Kurtzworth (18871979), whose sketches created for the Larchmont Chronicle are featured in Section One of this issue, is back in the news — the California Art Club Newsletter, to be exact.

“It’s very exciting that my grandfather is still very, very popular on Larchmont, and in the Chronicle,” Kurtzworth’s granddaughter, Hancock Park resident Carolyn LayPort, told us.

Her grandfather joined the Larchmont Chronicle staff in the 1960s, and he wrote articles accompanied by drawings about the life of Larchmont’s prominent residents, such as

Larchmont Boulevard pioneering developer Julius LaBonte (shown here and also on page 1-18 of this issue). His drawings of Larchmont Landmarks are on page 1-22.

“Mr. Kurtzworth came into the office the second or third year we started [the paper], and he offered to do a column on historical homes and buildings in the neighborhood. I was thrilled,” said Chronicle founder Jane Gilman last month.

A mystery More recently, the local historian has been linked to an 80-year-old mystery: the identity of the two subjects in a 1930s painting, “Mrs. Harry Muir Kurtzworth and Her Daughter Constance.”

AN ILLUSTRATION by Harry Muir Kurtzworth of Larchmont Boulevard developer Julius LaBonte.

The portrait by Theodore Nicolai Lukits is featured in the California Art Club’s Win(Please turn to page 5)

What Lies Beyond The Door?

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Compass is a licensed real estate broker (01991628) in the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice.

SUBJECTS of the portrait “Mrs. Harry Muir Kurtzworth and Her Daughter Constance,” by Theodore Nicolai Lukits, were a mystery until now.

Courtesy of California Art Club, est. 1909; Newsletter, Spring 2021

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

5

Kurtzworth

(Continued from page 4) ter / Spring 2021 newsletter, in an article, “Tales of the Past: California Art Club’s Permanent Collection,” by Daniela Ionescu, the Art Club’s director of Library and Research Centre.

When the focus of the research shifted to Mrs. Kurtzworth’s husband, the mystery unraveled, and the identities of the mother and daughter portrayed on the canvas were revealed as the wife and daughter of historian Harry Kurtzworth.

They are both named Constance; the younger one, the daughter, is now 97, “and still with me,” says Carolyn.

Carolyn’s grandfather, Harry Kurtzworth, was a Detroit native and Ph.D graduate, an esteemed painter, designer, art critic, art historian and art educator of his day.

In 1930, he moved to California to serve as art director and curator of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art (in 1961, the museum split in two: the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Natural History Museum.

Los Angeles 1932 Olympics In 1931, Kurtzworth was the appointed artist for the 1932 Olympics, and he designed

OLYMPIC DIPLOMA from the 1932 Summer Games, designed

by Harry Muir Kurtzworth.

the 10th Olympiad Diploma Award for the Los Angeles 1932 Summer Olympics, also known as the Games of the X Olympiad. Greek vases at the museum where he worked provided inspiration for his design — the goddess Columbia serves as a modern-day Athena, and Kurtzworth’s signature is on the bottom right side, below Athena’s temple.

From 1933 to 1937, Kurtzworth was director of the Los Angeles Art Association, and in 1937 he curated an exhibit for the Los Angeles Central Library, which featured works

by Lukits and other artists, most of whom were California Art Club members at one time.

One year later, Lukits painted the portrait of Kurtzworth’s wife and daughter wearing

dreamy rose and light greencolored dresses. The mother wore pearls and the daughter had a beguiling smile.

Lukits was sought-after for using jewel-like colors, and he was a favorite among the Hollywood set. He also mentored many Art Club members, including current CAC President Peter Adams.

It turns out that the painting of Kurtzworth’s wife and daughter was done in return for a favor owed to Harry Kurtzworth. But Lukits was volatile, and in the end, he willed the canvas to the Art Club instead of giving it to the Kurtzworth family, says LayPort.

Carolyn said the family didn’t know where the painting was until about a decade ago, and now a photograph

ARTIST and Larchmont Chronicle columnist, Harry Muir Kurtzworth, at work on the Olympic Diploma.

Photograph courtesy of Kathleen Zlokovich, Kurtzworth’s great-granddaughter.

of the portrait hangs in her home. She has her treasured family history, which includes her S. McCadden Place home, built in 1925 by her paternal grandmother.

“I just love my family history,” adds the Windsor SquareHancock Park Historical Society member.

Harry Kurtzworth and his wife and daughter lived on S. Lucerne Boulevard behind The Ebell of Los Angeles. Her grandfather “was quite a gen-

tleman and very talented,” LayPort recalls.

Her grandmother Constance joined the Ebell in 1939, and Carolyn’s mother, the younger Constance, taught ballroom dance lessons there when she was 18. They had cotillion then as they do today, said Carolyn.

Membership to the Pasadena-based California Art Club is open to both artists and nonartists. Visit californiaartclub. org.

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OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

Larchmont Chronicle

1921: In praise of photographer Margrethe Mather (and Edward Weston) Edward Weston’s name is one we remember now. In 1921, though, when Larchmont Boulevard was aborning, Edward Weston and Margrethe Mather were tucked away in Weston’s simple (but successful) wooden portrait studio in Glendale.

The two photographers had been collaborators since 1913, and would be until 1923. The images they were making together in 1921 and the following year taught the world to see anew.

But Mather is remembered by few except students of the history of photography. Yet she was Weston’s collabora-

tor and teacher, and was, in Weston’s own words spoken decades later, “the first important person in my life.”

Mather and Weston were very much aware of the fruiting tree of American modernism at the end of the First World War. Softness and impressionistic images in the visual arts were as old-fashioned as long skirts. The ideas born of Cubism, Dada, technology, the distillation of form and the beauty of the quotidian were part of the new modernist conversation. How were they to find their own photographic vocabularies?

Weston was born in 1886.

Home Ground by

Paula Panich

He came of age early in the pictorialist photographic movement, which thrived in the U.S. and England between 1889 and the start of World War I. These soft-focus, atmospheric images were impressionistic, seemingly not connected to the real world.

Weston later became best known for his modernist aes-

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thetic: elegant, simple, fiercely intimate, sensual images, with shadow and light beautifully in balance.

That aesthetic was formed in a significant way by the synergy — and love — between Mather and Weston. It is essential to understand that Mather was the vanguard in the creative relationship. Her work caused Weston to re-evaluate his own.

Mather and Weston were not working in a cre- COLLABORATORS and one-time lovers, ative vacuum. Margrethe Mather and Edward Weston’s They were a part story is told in the book, “Artful Lives.” of a “bohemian” group of art- one else. (He died in 1958.) ists of all mediums, including When Carl Sandburg visited Charlie Chaplin, the leftist Los Angeles in early 1921, he writer Max Eastman, the poet read his poetry to the Friday Moon Kwan (whom Mather Morning Club. Before he left photographed in such a star- Los Angeles, he traveled to tling and elegant way that Glendale for a portrait sitWeston ran to keep pace), ting with Mather and Weston. among others.

Instead, they took him to a In 1921, and for a brief peri- bridge over the L.A. River. od of time thereafter, Weston The resulting photograph is a and Mather jointly signed masterpiece of light and shadphotographs, the only time in ow and architectural sweep, as Weston’s long career that he Sandberg leans on the wooden shared attribution with any(Please turn to page 7)

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Larchmont Chronicle

COVER PHOTO of book is Cunningham.

Home Ground (Continued from page 6)

bridge and casually looks over the river.

Weston’s departure for Mexico in 1923 with his new love and protégé, Tina Modotti, was the conclusion of Mather and Weston’s relationship. He left behind a 10-year collaboration and an “unresolved love affair, even as she struggled to relegate their languid Los Angeles days, spent together or with their bohemian friends, to the province of the past,” according to their joint biographer Beth Gates Warren.

Weston’s career subsequent-

OCTOBER 2021

ly soared to the heights of international fame, where his reputation remains. He nurtured other loves to establish photographic careers and to aid his — not only Modotti, but also Sonya Noskowiak.

But Mather, his mentor, was mostly erased from his legacy. “The Daybooks of Edward Weston” (first published

by Imogen in 1961) opens in 1923, in Mexico.

He destroyed his earlier diaries, a record of his Glendale days with Mather. But the dozen or more beautiful and significant photographs they left behind endure, “irrefutable evidence,” writes Warren, “of the creative spirit and formidable talent they shared in a time and place unlike any other.” That was Los Angeles, 1921.

Ghosts of Greystone

Learn about the book “Ghosts of Greystone” with author Clete Keith and the Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society on Wed., Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Visit wshphs.com to purchase tickets for the presentation link.

SECTION THREE

7

1920s clubs

(Continued from page 3) More than 2,500 kids were

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

impacted in a good way by JLLA programs in the past year alone. And throughout its illustrious history, the group

has launched and supported more than 100 projects.

Its members learn leadership skills and in turn become

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JLLA PRESIDENT-ELECT Joy Williams at a recruitment event.

advocates for issues they are passionate about, including education and foster youth.

The latter issue is close to Christian’s heart and one she has followed in her 10 years with the JLLA. A litigator by profession, she began her term as president in June.

Christian joined the League, because “I wanted a formalized way to volunteer … and loved the opportunities of serving. … It really has given me a lot of joy.

“The leadership training is what sets us apart. Members find a passion in the League, and then they go from there.

We like to think we create super-charged volunteers,” said Christian. (JLLA presidentelect Joy Williams will take the reins in June, 2022.)

Members do hands-on volunteering and work on government initiatives and policy

changes. But whatever the scope, be it teaching campers outdoor skills, helping foster youth learn to budget or working on Senate Bill 1065 to provide increased benefits for homeless youth, members hope to make lasting changes.

As they approach their centennial in 2026, they are considering issues to highlight going forward, including those that have been hard-hit by the pandemic: homelessness, food shortage and domestic violence, Christian said. “We’re trying to help create curricu(Please turn to page 9)

MEMBERS at Touch-a-Truck fundraising event.

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

9

Alas, victory of SB 9 and SB 10 will no doubt be a pyrrhic one

One has to hand it to California state Sen. Scott Wiener. After years of failures in the face of fierce political and public resistance, he managed with Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins to drag SB 9 and SB 10 over the finish line just in time for Gov. Gavin Newsom, fresh from his victory over the forces that sought to recall him, to sign the bills into law. YIMBYs (Yes In My Backyard), housing developers and contractors and real estate lobbyists were ecstatic, taking to Twitter to gloat that they had vanquished single-family housing once and for all and opened the flood gates for a construction boom that will lead to greater supply, lower prices and more affordable housing.

But I dare say that this victory most likely will be a pyrrhic one. For when the reality sets in that these bills will not have the impact on housing that supporters hoped, proponents will find cold comfort in having stuck it to the homeowning class whose single-family neighborhoods endure. The proponents will find they are right back where they started, having to work with the same localities they tried to make an end-run around. For the fact of the matter is that SB 9 and SB 10 were — as the British say —

“damp squibs” even before they got to the governor’s desk.

SB 10 SB 10, which allows cities to upzone to allow apartment buildings of up to 10 units to be constructed on an urban infill site or in a “transit rich” area, requires a specific local ordinance to be passed to go into effect. But recent analysis by the law firm Holland and Knight states, “SB 10 exempts only the rezoning process, without providing any CEQA exemption, ministerial approval or by-right approval process for the actual housing itself.

The law will have a limited effect in significantly advancing housing approvals.” The City of Los Angeles (but not our own councilmember Nithya Raman) opposed this bill. If Los Angeles, which implements a number of housing programs, will not pass an ordinance, you can predict the response of smaller, more resistant cities.

SB 9 The boogeyman SB 9 is also largely housing fool’s gold.

With the existing legislated ability of homeowners to construct ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) and JADUs (Junior Accessory Dwelling Units), the era of pure single-family zoning ended several years ago.

But as retired city planner

On Preservation by

Brian Curran

and local resident Dick Platkin points out, ADU construction has failed to produce, with only 800 certificates of occupancy granted for ADUs prepandemic in a city of 600,000 eligible homes. According to the Terner Center For Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, SB 9 will only have a modest effect on those parcels already financially feasible (for development) under existing law. “Few new single-family parcels are expected to become financially feasible for added units as a direct consequence of this bill.”

The Terner Center report also states that 97% of singlefamily home structures would likely be retained because duplex conversions of existing houses is likely the most probable outcome for most SB 9 eligible properties. The report concluded that “the new units unlocked by SB 9 would represent a fraction of the overall supply needed to fully address the state’s housing shortage.”

Governor Newsom signed

these bills because he knew that the YIMBY PR machine made them sound more significant than they are. Reading the fine print shows they will do little to disturb the status quo in the majority of single-family neighborhoods. Where the impact of SB 9 will likely be felt are the middle class and low-income areas where land is cheapest for developers, but also are far from the “high resource” (as in jobs and transit) areas — much to the disappointment of hous-

ing equity advocates.

SB 9 and SB 10 are to potentially be put before the public in 2022 with the Californians for Community Planning Initiative, a ballot measure which seeks to prohibit the state from overriding local control of planning. If the initiative succeeds, it will mean the YIMBY movement has crossed a bridge too far, needlessly antagonizing local governments and homeowners in an effort to score an ideological point.

1920s clubs

quarters at the stylish French Regency building they own at 630 N. Larchmont Blvd.

The building is named the Rainey House after 1943 League President Marjorie Hamlin Rainey, whose bequest helped fund the building, which opened in 1995.

Previously, the League’s office locations included the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Original Farmers Market.

Its major annual fundraiser, the Harvest Boutique, is a gala affair with boutique vendors, a silent auction and luncheon, which support JLLA’s many community projects and partners. This year, the event is scheduled for Dec. 12 at the Skirball Cultural Center. “Hopefully, it will be inperson,” said Christian.

(Continued from page 8) lum to change the landscape in Los Angeles,” she added.

JLLA 1925 beginnings While the group officially incorporated in 1926, a group of local women (including Pauline Schoder, mother of the Chronicle’s publisher) gathered a year earlier in the living room of one of the founders to conceive their first project: a 12-bed children’s convalescent home. It was to become part of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Today, members of the Los Angeles chapter — which is part of The Association of Junior Leagues International — meet online. They hope to return soon to their head-

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OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

Tom LaBonge honored again

By John Welborne At the Original Farmers Market, right near Bennett’s Ice Cream and Bob’s Doughnuts, market patrons will have a special spot to sip their coffees or eat their lunches, perhaps purchased from the adjacent China Depot or Magee’s — all Los Angeles fixtures, just like the late “Mr. Los Angeles,” Tom

LaBonge. There now is a table dedicated to Tom! As LaBonge family and friends gathered at the market’s East Patio for a brief unveiling ceremony on September 24, A.F. Gilmore Company president Henry L. Hilty, Jr. explained that the former Fourth District councilmember had been a friend and fan of the Farmers Market long before he was elected to represent it. He also was a supporter of the many family merchants at the market, often purchasing their wares and enjoying them right at that very spot.

LaBonge’s widow, Brigid, agreed that MUGGING at “Tom’s Table” on the day the market was a it was dedicated at the Original Farmers favorite stop for her Market are Brigid LaBonge, at left, and the late husband when LaBonge children, Mary-Cate and Charles. he was on his regu-

Windsor Square Beauty on Prime Tree-lined Street

lar rounds, visiting constituents throughout the council district.

She and their children, MaryCate and Charles, were happy to ham it up over Tom’s latest posthumous honor — a table. In addition, the Headworks Water Complex of the LADWP now bears his name, as does a hot dog at Pink’s and “Tom LaBonge Panorama” near the summit of Mt. Hollywood in Griffith Park.

In addition, when the Metro Wilshire subway extension opens around 2023, the subway station at Wilshire and LaBrea is to be dedicated to LaBonge, who served for a period on the Metro board of directors.

At the Farmers Market, the table’s new plaque with his photo reads, in part: “He gave his all whether guiding a City Council initiative or leading a neighborhood cleanup.”

And that is very true; and it’s why he is receiving so many honors, sadly posthumously.

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Larchmont Chronicle

Real Estate Sales

SOLD: This home at 165 N. Las Palmas Ave. in Hancock Park, was sold in August for $4,000,000.

Single family homes 105 N. Rossmore Ave. 516 S. Hudson Ave. 400 S. Hudson Ave. 120 N. McCadden Pl. 130 S. June St. 115 S. Irving St. 165 N. Las Palmas Ave. 277 S. Irving Blvd.

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637 N. Gardner St. 571 N. Cahuenga Blvd.

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926 S. Highland Ave. 618 S. Orange Dr. 403 N. Bronson Ave. 546 N. Stanley Ave. 245 N. Gramercy Pl.

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

Special Larchmont booklet published by the Chronicle

Being distributed with this October 2021 “Larchmont 100” issue of the Larchmont Chronicle is a special “rotogravure” insert prepared by the paper’s staff with the assistance of a great number of people who are acknowledged on the booklet’s inside back cover.

Titled “Larchmont Boulevard: Then and Now,” the booklet salutes the pioneer and current landlords and merchants (especially the merchants) who have made the shopping district the beloved place it has been for the past 100 years.

The booklet features photos of the Village since its inception.

A number of the images are of Boulevard shops near the time of the Chronicle’s 1971 fiftyyear salute to the Boulevard.

Others are from nearly 100 years ago. Enjoy!

Readers may purchase extra copies of “Larchmont Boulevard: Then and Now” at the Chronicle office, 606 N. Larchmont Blvd., for $3 each, while they last!

“LARCHMONT BOULEVARD: THEN AND NOW” illustrates the story of the Boulevard’s commercial district between First Street and Beverly Boulevard (originally Temple Street). This collection of city lots was created by the “Windsor Heights“ and “New Windsor Square“ subdivisions in the 1920s. See above right.

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

Great White is making a splash with California fare the number of Larchmontians stopping to request reservation information during a recent pre-opening media lunch, together with seemingly full lunch and dinner tables following its Sept. 17 opening, the new eatery is making a splash in the neighborhood.

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The all-day café’s architecture and décor are imbued with a coastal resort ambiance.

There are serene ecru banquettes, contemporary rattan chairs, marble tables, soaring wooden truss ceiling, warm cream-washed plaster walls punctuated by large arches, and giant glass doors that open the room to tables on the sidewalk. Stunning flagstone and cobblestone floors wouldn’t be out of place in an ancient beach town in Italy, Greece or Croatia. Local artisans wove the hanging rattan lamps and made the decorative ceramic pots. A large painting was created specifically for the space

by Spanish (by way of Mexico) City artist Rafael Uriegas.

From Australia Great White’s owners and designers Sam Trude and Sam Cooper were childhood friends in Australia who drifted apart and found each other again years later in Los Angeles, where they decided to collaborate on restaurants with an emphasis on organic local produce, fresh fish, carefullysourced meats and natural wines. Executive Chef Juan Ferreiro oversees the food program at both Great Whites and their Venice café and bar Gran Blanco, tweaking menus seasonally. The Venice locations have full bars.

At first glance, the eclectic food offerings seem typical for Los Angeles: avocado toast, a fried chicken sandwich, a burger, some bowls, some noodles, burrata, wagyu steak and seven varieties of pizza.

There are nods to health fiends with chia pudding, a live blue algae and hemp seed bowl and a turmeric chickpea scramble.

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A very fresh $18 ceviche, another “of-the-moment” menu item, tosses cubed blue Kanpachi from Baja in a vinegary bath with red onion, cucumber, cilantro, chives, avocado and tajin seasoning and served with house-made taro chips.

Delicate lettuce-wrapped grilled fish tacos, $22, are a welcome alternative to the more common battered and fried versions served in tortillas. Kanpachi is again the star, cut into three moist and meaty grill-marked rods and layered with garlic spread, cilantro, fermented mango salsa and red cabbage slaw onto three (Please turn to page 13)

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Storefronts have turned over quite a bit on Larchmont over the past few years, but many of our restaurants have anchored the Boulevard for decades, led by 33-year veterans Le Petit Greek and Louise’s, followed by Village Pizzeria’s quarter century of to-

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

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13

A restaurant worthy of Hollywood gold

On the Menu

(Continued from page 12) piles of Boston lettuce. The garlic spread and fermented salsa are an unusual choice for tacos, but the sweet fish flavor popped when enhanced with those condiments.

Our server highly recommended the banana bread, so we tried it. The thick slab is served with a scoop of honey butter, which was too much sweetness for my taste. The $8 bread itself is good, but great?

My mother’s recipe, frankly, is better. Still, with super-smooth

CLAY LA, new exhibits at Craft Contemporary

Three new exhibits will open Sun., Oct. 3 at the Craft Contemporary museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd.

An exhibition preview takes place a day earlier, on Sat., Oct. 2 from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the preview is $9 and free for members. Artist Pouya Afshar will be at the opening reception.

As the museum readies to open its doors, several protocols will be in place due to COVID-19, including limiting capacity to 75 percent, screening temperatures and requiring contact information for contact tracing purposes.

The three new exhibits are: “Witch Craft Rethinking Power,” where artist Moffat Takadiwa transforms consumer waste — toothpaste tubes, spray cans, computer keyboards — into sculptures and wall hangings.

“Pouya Afshar: The Charm of the Unfamiliar” follows the fictional journey of a group of migrants to an abandoned amusement park-like city, and “Consuelo Flores; The Roots of Our Resistance, Altar” is dedicated to the Latino and Black communities that have been most impacted by COVID-19.

The exhibits end Jan. 9.

CLAY LA showcases ceramic artists at a meet-and-shop and light breakfast / brunch preview on Sat., Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CLAY LA continues on Sun., Oct. 10 as a pay-what-you-can day. Visit craftcontemporary.org.

$4 macchiatos, it makes a satisfying end to a very good lunch.

Perhaps Great White, whose namesake shark has a 70-year life span in the wild, will join the ranks of other long-lived and loved restaurants on the Boulevard.

Great White, 244 N. Larchmont Blvd., 323-745-5059.

The Larchmont Chronicle will review Fanny’s in the November issue.

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FANNY’S AT THE ACADEMY MUSEUM offers breakfast and lunch and, soon, dinner.

By Helene Seifer The Academy Museum of Motion Picture’s dazzling displays of Hollywood history are matched by its glitzy two-story restaurant worthy of Hollywood gold.

Named “Fanny’s” in homage to donor Wendy Stark’s grandmother, Fanny Brice, the comedienne, actress and singer immortalized in the Barbra Streisand musical and film “Funny Girl,” the 10,000-square-foot restaurant is a contemporary take on old Hollywood glamour. Developed by restaurateur Bill Chait, formerly of Bestia and République, and Carl Shuster, chief executive of Wolfgang Puck Catering, the eatery offers breakfast and lunch inside and on a patio. Dinner service will be added by the end of the month.

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OCTOBER 2021

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Larchmont Chronicle

Academy Museum — the new neighborhood

By John Welborne The latest addition to “Museum Row” in the Miracle Mile is open! Media members from around the world got a preview the week before the public opening on September 30.

In between the preview and the opening, there also was a star-studded gala on September 25 that featured a dinner and awards presentations (it is the Academy, after all). Those took place on the outdoors, but glass-covered, rooftop Dolby Family Terrace. Awardees included the fundraising co-chairs, Annette Bening, Tom Hanks and Bob Iger, plus filmmaker Haile Gerima and cinema legend Sophia Loren.

There is so much to explore in the new building, which is the product of teamwork among 1,000 people, primarily the client, the Academy Museum, and architect Renzo Piano Building Workshop (in collaboration with Gensler as executive architect), general contractor MATT Construction and at least three dozen other expert design and installation consultants, including exhibition designers WHY Architecture.

Within the new building (and also within the “old” building, because the Saban

A FEEDING FRENZY for photographers took place in the David Geffen Theater when Anna Kendrick, Tom Hanks and various VIPs were posed for a group photo on “press day.”

Building, housing most of the museum facilities, is the restored 1939 May Company building), an important feature is the museum’s series of education and family programs. Both will be ongoing and will include youth programs, family studio activities, family matinee screenings, and school tours. These activities will take place throughout the museum in exhibition galleries, theaters and the Shirley Temple Education Studio.

Because this is a museum of motion pictures, there will be plenty of those projected. In-person screenings and public programs commenced on the Sept. 30 opening day.

During the first two months (Please turn to page 15)

MUSEUM VIP leaders at the Academy Museum press preview included, from left: museum director and president Bill Kramer, trustee and capital campaign committee co-chair Tom Hanks and museum architect Renzo Piano.

SEPTEMBER 25 GALA participants included Mayor Eric Garcetti and Dawn Hudson, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Photo ©Academy Museum Foundation

NICOLE KIDMAN cheered on the gala honorees, co-chairs of the Campaign for the Academy Museum: Bob Iger, Annette Bening and Tom Hanks (also a speaker at the gala). They and their colleagues reached the $388 million pre-opening campaign goal nearly one year ago.

Photo by Stefanie Keenan/ Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Larchmont Chronicle

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15

showplace — is open now

(Continued from page 14) following the opening, the museum will offer the public more than 115 film screenings, discussions, and programs for film lovers of all ages.

A tremendous amount of fascinating information about the new Academy Museum, including how to obtain the required advance timed ticket reservations and how to get tickets for screenings, is available at the website academymuseum.org.

THE CONCRETE GLOBE that hovers above the Walt Disney Company Plaza contains the David Geffen Theater and is topped by the Dolby Family Terrace under a distinctive glass dome.

Photo by Joshua White, JWPictures/©Academy Museum Foundation

COSTUMES are on display in the Identity gallery, a part of the three-floor core exhibition, “Stories of Cinema.”

SHIRLEY TEMPLE’S DESK that she used for her daily lessons on the Fox lot is outside the Shirley Temple Education Studio on the museum’s lower floor that also provides access to the smaller Ted Mann Theater (the one with the green seats!).

Photo by Joshua White, JWPictures/©Academy Museum Foundation

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

French thriller; Michael Caine in superb comic form at 88

Who You Think I Am (8/10): 107 minutes. Adapted from the best-selling novel by Camille Laurens, 50-year-old Juliette Binoche pretends to be 24 as she generates an online romance with her ex’s attractive roommate François Civil.

This is starkly reminiscent of the story of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, who fell victim to a similar scam in 2013.

Writer-director Safy Nebbou produces a superb psychological thriller highlighted by terrific performances. In French.

Pharma Bro (8/10): 94 minutes. NR. This is the story of Martin Shkreli, who seemingly lobbied to earn the title of the most hated man in America. He bought a pharmaceutical company that made pyrimethamine daraprim, the only treatment for toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that kills lots of AIDS patients. But it was treatable with this drug and had been selling for $30 per bottle of 48 pills. Shkerli, a 38-year-old hedge fund manager, “promising financial savant” and pharmaceutical opportunist, got control and raised the price of it from $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill overnight in 2015, depriving those afflicted of this life-saving drug and earning the title.

Shkreli got bad publicity and did his best to make it worse.

His livestream, where anyone could contact him and speak with him, and his supercilious

contumely (but I repeat myself), was disgusting, to say the least. It is mindful of Martin Amis’ comment on Gore Vidal, “If there is a key to (his) public character, it has something to do with his towering immodesty, the superbity of his selflove.” The film is a fascinating study of a narcissist who was too smart (in his mind’s eye) for his own good.

Best Sellers (7/10): 96 minutes. Lucy Stanbridge (Aubrey Plaza) has taken over her father’s publishing house and has run it into the ground. She is at her wits’ end when she finds out that the company is owed a book by Harris Shaw (Michael Caine). To say that Shaw is reclusive is akin to saying that J.D. Salinger was shy. After his one huge bestseller, he hasn’t done anything except drink booze and feel sorry for himself.

However, she finds out he has a new book that he hates, and she convinces him to let her publish it. He insists that nobody edit it and she agrees if he will agree to a book tour, which he does.

Meet the book tour from hell. Plaza and Caine have terrific charisma together and do wonderful work as the illmatched couple, as she tries to sell the book and he seems to be doing his best to torpedo it.

In lesser hands, this film could have been a real loser. At 88, Caine produces one of his bet-

At the Movies with

Tony Medley ter performances, and Plaza is right there with him; the acting is superb if the plot and situations strain credulity.

But it is well-directed by Lina Roessler from a script

by Anthony Grieco, and even though I don’t view it as a comedy, it turns out to be one of the better films of the year.

Fauci (1/10): 110 minutes.

NR. This is a no-warts, closed-

minded paean to Dr. Anthony (Tony) Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the President, in which never is heard a discouraging word.

That’s not too surprising, since it is produced by the National Geographic Society that has become a left-wing foghorn in recent years. While this sings his praise for his work on AIDS, ignored is the virulent criticism of his work by AIDS activists who blame him for tens of thousands of deaths for what he did and did not do.

Also barely mentioned is Fauci’s flip-flop on masks, first accurately saying they were

worthless, then saying they are mandatory. I agree with the March 30, 2020 statement of the executive director for the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Program which said, “there is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit.” Also ignored by the film’s directors is Fauci’s denial under oath before Congress that gain-of-function research was funded by the U.S. I believe that the evidence indicates that his organization did, in fact, fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Lab in China.

Rather than a “documentary,” this is akin to agitprop.

‘Classic Comeback’ marked return of Gilmore Auto Show

By Steven Rosenthal Following a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gilmore Heritage Auto Show returned to the Original Farmers Market. Although June was the traditional month for the auto show, Sat., Sept. 25 seemed just about perfect for the event.

Why a car show? After striking oil on the land that today includes the Farmers Market, the Gilmore Oil Company created a specially formulated gasoline pumped throughout the West at Gilmore Gasoline auto fill-up stations, a reproduction of which is at the market. “We’re excited to have

1914 Ford Model T

hosted a special September edition of the Gilmore Heritage Auto Show,” said Stan Savage, executive vice president of The A.F. Gilmore Company, longtime 1960 Lincoln Continental owner of the Original Farmers Market. “It’s ican cars ever made, a distina longstanding tradition here guished 1960 Lincoln Contiat Third and Fairfax to cele- nental convertible, exhibited brate our company’s contribu- by David Freedman, marked (Please turn to page 17) tion to California car culture.”

Themed appropriately as the “Classic Comeback,” the show exhibited more than UPHOLSTERY 50 gorgeous restored classic cars. One of the longest Amer& DRAPERY

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Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

17

Theater is live, that’s the point! So stop going digital

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death, or had multiple family owners who couldn’t agree on what they wanted to do. Graft and corruption in the construction process did not help.

The cultural part of the process, which began last year, involves mainly visual artists from around the world. I was invited to do something “live”

by Riabitare’s artistic director, the poet and photographer Allison DeLauer.

Well, theater is live — that’s the whole point of it. We had originally planned to do Macbeth in one of the semi-ruined castles, but that proved too complicated, so we settled on an afternoon of “Shakespeare in Italy”: scenes (in various Italian translations) from Shakespeare’s “Italian” plays — “The Merchant of Venice,” “Taming of the Shrew” (Padua), “Romeo & Juliet” (Verona), “Much Ado About Nothing” (Sicily), “Othello” (Venice, again), and “Cymbeline” and “Julius Caesar,” both of which prominently feature Rome and Romans.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the performance has to be outdoors. Rather than build an outdoor stage with seating, we decided to use the village square, with the audience promenading from one location to the next, following a “tour guide” to the piazza’s dramatic sites: the “Shrew” in the old bakery; Portia’s monologue by the town’s “famous” fountain; Antony’s oration on a set of steps; and Juliet, of course, in a neighbor’s balcony!

The two or three professional actors in the group hadn’t

Auto Show

(Continued from page 16) the crossroads of Gilmore Lane and the trolley tracks of The Grove. The Ford Model T was first manufactured in 1914 and was destined to change the way America travelled. Steve Beck’s, pictured on page 16, was spectacular.

The event was a wonderful opportunity for families and friends to share a breezy fall day with fun, fuel and fabulous motorcars.

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Louis Fantasia worked in a year; the student actors had had their conservatory classes cancelled; the amateur actors, perhaps the most dedicated, hadn’t been able to get together since the pandemic began. The excitement and joy they felt at being able to work and perform was palpable, and resonated across the village square as we rehearsed. This is the power of live theater!

Meanwhile… A group of young American producers, concerned that the Delta variant is destroying another season of plays, urged American theater artists to create more “digital theater” as a way of reaching audiences, especially underserved audiences. I understand and appreciate the intention, but we already have “digital theater.” It’s called television! As anyone who has seen, for example, “Hamilton” on Disney+ versus at the Pantages or on Broadway (or has read the critic Walter Benjamin) can tell you, the mechanical reproduction of art is but a pale imitation of itself.

Theater exists when actors and audience share the same space and breathe the same air at the same time. The fact

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that air is infected by people who refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated is not the fault of the theater. The essence of the theater must not be diluted simply to accommodate convenient technology, or the ignorance of some of its audience members.

I hope this report gives you an idea of what our little performance will be like, but it’s no substitute for being here.

I’m sorry you can’t join me in Italy to see it… Maybe next time!

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Greetings, Dear Reader, from Italy!

Your correspondent finds himself in the small Italian village of Fontecchio in Abruzzo as a guest artist in a project sponsored by the regional Italian government, called “Riabitare con l’Arte” (Rebuilding through Art). My production, which will take place after this paper’s deadline, is part of a plan to use art to revitalize communities devastated by the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake — plans that are just now coming to life.

The earthquake left thousands homeless and over 300 dead, destroying hundreds of buildings, including ancient monuments and homes that had been in the same families for generations. The reconstruction has been complicated by the fact that many of the older homes had been abandoned through emigration or

18

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

POLICE BEAT

Dog walker attacked; Burroughs School site burglarized

OLYMPIC DIVISION BURGLARIES: Unknown items were stolen after a suspect cut the lock to the back gate of a residence and forced open a rear door and entered the home on the 100 block of S. Wilton Pl. on Aug. 31 between 7:30 a.m.

and 6 p.m.

A suspect used a vehicle to ram open a condo gate to gain access on the 300 block of S. Wilton Pl. and then forced open the resident mailboxes, stealing mail before fleeing on Sept. 3 at 2:30 a.m.

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2019 Kia Sol was stolen while parked on the street near the corner of Van Ness Avenue and First Street on Sept. 3 between 1 and 4 a.m.

A 1999 Chevy S10 truck was stolen while parked in the parking lot near Third Street and Wilton Place on Sept. 12 between 6:30 and 10 a.m.

WILSHIRE DIVISION ASSAULT: A suspect pulled a gun on a security guard who tried to confront the trespasser on the grounds of the Wilshire Country Club on Sept. 10 at 4:30 p.m.

A veterinarian technician was walking her dog near the corner of Larchmont and Beverly boulevards when a suspect approached and used bodily force in an attempt to steal the dog. A struggle

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ensued and the tech was able to hold onto the dog until the suspect fled on Sept. 11 at 3 p.m.

BURGLARIES: Tools and other property were stolen from the construction site at John Burroughs Middle School, 600 S. McCadden Pl., after a suspect cut the pad lock fence to gain entry between Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. and

Sept. 9 at 6 a.m.

A bicycle was stolen from a driveway on the 300 block of S. Arden Blvd. on Sept. 6 between 4:47 and 4:52 a.m.

BURGLARY THEFT FROM VEHICLE: A catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota Prius while parked on the 500 block of N. Rossmore Ave. on Sept. 9 between 6 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

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In a Sept. 17 statement, campaign organizers blamed the reemergence of virus-related challenges, which made gathering signatures “nearly impossible.” Overly complex rules and confusing forms were also listed as impediments to the campaign’s success.

George Gascón The campaign to recall Los Angeles County District

Attorney George Gascón announced last month that it would end its signature gathering effort.

Organizers say they intend to refile and restart the petition process under a new committee name to allow for fundraising activities. “The reset will allow Recall Dis(Please turn to page 19)

Koontz

“The hardware STore” formerly “Larchmont Hardware”

Hi LarcHmont customers, Bertha has some great new housewares products that she wants everyone to see here at Koontz. As the former manager of Larchmont Hardware and now current buyer for the Koontz Hardware, she has put together a few of her favorites just for you!

Bright new enamel-coated colanders and strainers in your favorite fun colors. These whimsical and functional kitchen necessities are perfectly suited to display on your counter with your fresh fall vegetables.

Stack-able, Nest-able Glass-Lock storage containers. Keeps your food sealed and fresh when in use, and keeps itself out of the way for storage.

And, new this month, we have rolling shopping baskets that transform to standard carrying baskets with a retractable handle. Two convenient ways to help carry your goodies Be sure to say “Hello” next time you’re in.

310-652-0123 • 8914 Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson in West Hollywood Weekdays: 8am–7pm, Sat 8am–5:30pm, Sun 10am–5pm ©LC1012

AMAZING BRICKS Amazing Simons bricks in EXCELLENT condition with sharp edges & corners.

Great quality … just like Larchmont!

Call Tony at 310-697-9888

LC608

“Your Neighborhood Plumbers”

By Billy Taylor In the past month, all three recall elections facing many Greater Wilshire residents have been resolved or postponed.

Gavin Newsom California Gov. Gavin Newsom was retained in a recall election on Sept. 14 with 63.9 percent of the vote. More than 9.1 million voters participated in the election. Results will be certified on Oct. 22.

Nithya Raman The campaign to recall Councilmember Nithya Raman was called off last month due to a lack of verified signatures.

A petition to recall the councilmember was approved for circulation on July 9 by the Los Angeles City Clerk, but to get the effort on the ballot, petitioners had until Nov. 4 to collect 27,405 signatures from qualified registered voters.

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

19

Poker table scammers and con artists: Will we find them?

Isn’t deception exactly what we do when bluffing or semibluffing in a poker game?

Likewise, deception is essential when slow-playing, baiting opponents, check-raising, stealing the blinds on the flop and angle-shooting. Deception is an integral part of the game. Angle-shooting is the one form of deception that scammers and con artists have in common with poker.

What is angle-shooting?

Larchmontians, you have a new challenge — a tiny one This is A Tiny Challenge.

From time to time, we’ll issue a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, hotelsoap-bar-sized challenge to readers of the Larchmont Chronicle. A challenge to make our community just a smidgelette better.

Today’s challenge is: Pick up one piece of garbage off the street.

Just one piece of trash. Not two, not three, and don’t you dare pick up four pieces of garbage. This is A Tiny Challenge, not A Pretty Small Challenge.

But fret not, clean-freaks and germophobes. If you want to keep your hands clean, just shove a take-out napkin into your pocket and you can use it while grabbing that discarded bottle of Mountain Dew Baja Blast.

The point is to spot just one piece of litter, and put it where it belongs.

It takes five seconds, helps beautify the neighborhood, and anyone can do it as part of a day’s routine.

In fact, Walt Disney would regularly pick up trash as he walked through his theme park. It just wouldn’t be the happiest place on earth if you saw half-melted Mickey Bars everywhere.

So often we hear about people trying to save the world.

Picking up old Chobani containers isn’t saving the world.

It isn’t even saving the neighborhood.

The thing is, I don’t know how to save the world. What I do know is how to scoop up a crumpled Doritos bag as I

A Tiny Challenge with

Eric Cunningham walk by … without even slowing down.

So take A Tiny Challenge. You don’t have to do it right now, you have the whole month!

But let every unused takeout napkin sitting on your kitchen counter remind you: Buddy, you have a challenge to meet.

This space For renT!

Four easy steps: 1) Email caroline@ larchmontchronicle.com.

2) Include gist of the ad.

3) We send you a proof.

4) You send in a check!

Pay $35/inch or $52.50/1.5 inches to reach approx.

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by

George Epstein Most poker players are unfamiliar with this scam.

Here is one that happened to me: The river got down to one other player and me. She bet out, and I called. Without hesitation, she spoke up – loud and clear, “I have a straight.” Then she paused as I folded my hand (a medium two-pair). Thereupon, the dealer – apparently wise to her ways – put his hand atop my hole cards before they hit the muck and told the lady to turn up her hand. She held a broken straight draw. So, thanks to the dealer, I won that pot.

Based on deceptive practices, we might expect pok-

Eventually it becomes impossible to recruit enough people to support the pyramid. We won’t find any pyramid scams at the poker table.

Why? With deception such an integral part of the game, shouldn’t we expect to see a number of scammers and con artists at our poker tables? In my opinion, poker is just not their game. It’s all a matter of character – their personality.

Con artists lie, cheat and trick people; they take advantage of other peoples’ weaknesses.

Conscience and integrity are not parts of their character.

They have gained confidence in their ability to con their opponents. All this is anathema to poker players.

Poker Quote of the Month The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that comes along. – Anonymous

Recall

(Continued from page 18) trict Attorney George Gascón to gather necessary financial resources prior to starting the 160-day period for signature collection, rather than play catch up. The committee will be filing an updated petition with the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters shortly,” read the Sept. 17 campaign statement.

DeaDline For the november 2021 iSSue iS fri., OCt. 15, 2021.

For rent

Poker for All

er games to have their fair share of scammers and con artists. Instead, it seems that we find few, if any, at our poker tables. Interestingly, cons (scams) fall into several general categories depending on where they occur: business cons, street cons, loan cons, and home improvement cons – but generally not in a poker game.

Pyramid schemes In 1920, a business scam practiced by Charles Ponzi bilked so many people out of so much money that his name became synonymous with this type of scam. Ponzi schemes are illegal scams, but they still go on. They often are referred to as pyramid schemes. They target gullible “investors” who are convinced to make regular payments which are divided among those above them in the pyramid, with the understanding that the victim will soon share in those payments.

Larchmont Chronicle

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It is funny how one thing can lead to another. My city councilman sent out an email warning us of scams that are growing in number and scope. That got me thinking about con artists. I think con artists and scammers are pretty much the same thing.

You will find them almost everywhere. How about at the poker table? They use deception to gain people’s money — just as do poker players.

323-462-2241 ext. 11

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tell our aDvertiSerS you "saw it in the larChmOnt ChrOniCle!"

community

Get your shot yet?

community

Check to see when and where you can get your vaccination.

For appts, visit: publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/vaccine/ hcwsignup/

Happy Halloween!

Larchmont Chronicle

OCTOBER 2021

SECTION THREE

MASTER ARCHITECTS of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — 1920-1940 —MASTER —ARCHITECTS — OF

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1920 -1940

ROLAND E. COATE

GorDon GORDON B. kaufMann KAUFMANN

Marc appleton • Bret parsons • steve vauGht

ARCaA PPLETON• •B Bret RET p PARSONS TEVE AUGHT MM arc ppleton arsons• •S s teveVv auGht Book design by Lentini Design & Marketing, Inc.

PAUL R. WILLIAMS

Marc appleton • Bret parsons • eleanor schrader

Marc appleton • stephen Gee • Bret parsons

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WALLACE NEFF

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The "Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940" series presents the fourth volume in the 12-volume set profiling the extraordinary Paul R. Williams, FAIA. The series was created by architect Marc Appleton and realtor Bret Parsons along with contributing writers Steve Vaught, Eleanor Schrader, and Stephen Gee. May we suggest that you secure your books through Chevalier’s Bookstore or AngelCityPress.com.

Bret Parsons Founder & Executive Director, Architectural Division

Aaron Montelongo Estates Director

310.497.5832 bret@bretparsons.com DRE 01418010

310.600.0288 aaronmontelongo@gmail.com DRE 01298036

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. DRE 01866771. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate.