SPRING 2018
THIRTY YEARS OF COMMUNITY ACTION LOOKS LIKE THIS…
What do you get when you combine historic preservation with urban forest protection, quality development, affordable homes, and the beautification of Uptown? You get Penn Court, the magnificent project that has just opened at the corner of Comstock Avenue and Penn Street. This project is the result of nine years of Conservancy activism, ideas, consultation, fundraising, and perseverance that ultimately resulted in the only affordable housing project in the city in years and the only one that has included the preservation and restoration of an important piece of Whittier’s history. Guilford Hall, the landmark cornerstone of the project, once stood as a single family home on the northwest corner of Bailey and Bright. It was built by a pioneer family circa 1893 and became neighbor to the much-revered Carnegie Library that was erected at Bailey and Greenleaf in 1905. In the 1920’s the large Queen Anne
was purchased by Dr. William F. Kroener and served as both his home and his office, where he practiced as the first obstetrician in town. In 1938, during the economic downturn of the Great Depression, the Kroener family donated the great home to Whittier College. It was moved to Earlham Drive where it housed the college’s music program from 1939 through the 1960’s. Its landmark status derives from its association with Dr. Ruth Haroldson, cont. on pg. 2
URBAN FOREST SAVED IN THE NICK OF TIME The chain link fences speak for themselves. They are there to protect the four mature Canary Island pines that grace the city-owned parking lot next to Rite-Aid in Uptown. But, their protected status did not come easy. Last fall the city decided to re-pave the parking lot the way they always have: by taking down every tree, filling in the holes, and paving over every square inch of the property. They were also going to remove the jacarandas in the parking lot on Bright Street two blocks to the east. That 1972 approach, not permitted under the city’s own Tree Ordinance policy, was brought to the Conservancy’s attention by astute resident, Nina Kuka. With only hours to spare, Nina and the Conservancy appealed to the City Council, providing them with the exact code specifications that require the City to preserve and protect trees on city property and incorporate them into city projects. In conformance with twenty-first century urban forest procedures and the visionary rules already in place within the Tree Ordinance, the trees will remain in place, providing essential shade and beauty to Uptown for years to come.
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