Arroyo May 2019

FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA

May 2019

Design 2019

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arroyo VOLUME 15 | NUMBER 05 | MAY 2019

11

33

DESIGN 2019

47

PHOTOS: (top) Stacy Chavez; (bottom left) courtesy of Peter Shire; (bottom right) courtesy of Del Frisco's Grille

11 AN ALL-NATURAL SHOWCASE HOUSE Descanso Gardens’ flora and fauna inspired this year’s Pasadena Showcase House of Design.

—By JANA MONJI

33 ON A MODERNIST’S MODERNIST: RICHARD NEUTRA Pasadena architect and Neutra expert Barbara Lamprecht discusses the modern architect’s philosophy, his Pasadena homes and more.

—By JORDAN RIEFE

38 THE RETURN OF MEMPHIS The postmodern design movement from the ’80s lives on in colorful, whimsical furnishings and home décor.

—By SCARLET CHENG

43 DISASTER LESSONS Comedy writer/producer Craig Mazin grapples with catastrophe in his dark new HBO series, Chernobyl.

—By KATHLEEN KELLEHER

DEPARTMENTS 08

FESTIVITIES LA Master Chorale gala, opening nights for Tiny Beautiful Things and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

19

ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX

46

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS May the Fourth be with You

47

ARROYO COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH The VIP

48

THE LIST Taste Walk Glendale, High School Choir Festival, Restoration Expo and more

ABOUT THE COVER: The 2019 Pasadena Showcase House of Design solarium by Tracy Murdock, photo by Stacy Chavez 05.19 ARROYO | 5

EDITOR’S NOTE

For this Design Issue, we look to the past, starting with the 55th Pasadena Showcase House of Design, which brings historic homes into the present, while honoring their roots. This year, Showcase House returns to Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge for a second turn at the Boddy House. The Hollywood Regency–style home by James E. Dolena was built in 1939 for newspaper publisher E. Manchester Boddy, who later sold the estate to Los Angeles County. Not surprisingly, the designers looked to the fabulous gardens surrounding the house for inspiration, and the result is rooms that bring the outside in in new ways, by borrowing images from nature, many expressed using sustainable materials. Jana Monji reports on the arts fundraiser, which runs through May 19.

We also look at the revival of the whimsical ’80s design movement known as Memphis. When Ettore Sottsass launched it in 1981, the Italian-based Memphis Group of designers and architects made a big splash with fun, colorful furnishings that obliterated the line between decorative and fine arts, but the group disbanded just seven years later. Scarlet Cheng talks to the only American in Memphis — Peter Shire, who works out of an Echo Park studio — and explores the movement’s beginnings as well as its continuing appeal. See page 38 for details on Shire’s special pop-up exhibition in Los Angeles this month.

Of course, Pasadena is SoCal’s capital of historic preservation, and midcentury modern architect Richard Neutra’s residences are among the region’s most prized. It’s also home to architect Barbara Lamprecht, a leading authority on Neutra’s work, who will be lecturing on his landscaping philosophy at The Huntington Library’s Rothenberg Hall on June 3. Jordan Riefe talks to Lamprecht about Neutra’s homes in Pasadena and more.

On a different note, La Cañada Flintridge writer/producer Craig Mazin talks to Kathleen Kelleher about Chernobyl, his new HBO docudrama series about the 1986 nuclear-power plant disaster in the Soviet Union. Mazin explains why this sharp departure from his string of bigbudget comedies (including two Hangover movies) is more relevant than ever.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Torres ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Richard Garcia PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Yumi Kanegawa EDITOR-AT-LARGE Bettijane Levine COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Léon Bing, Martin Booe, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Richard Cunningham, Noela Hueso, Kathleen Kelleher, Frier McCollister, Brenda Rees, Jordan Riefe, Ilsa Setziol, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lisa Chase, Javier Sanchez ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Bruce Haring HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker PAYROLL Linda Lam ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, Quinton Wright OFFICE MANAGER Ann Turrietta PUBLISHER Dina Stegon 6 | ARROYO | 05.19

—Irene Lacher

arroyo fine living in the greater pasadena area

SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL editor@arroyomonthly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105 ArroyoMonthly.com

©2019 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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FESTIVITIES

Terri and Jerry Kohlv

Dan Monahan and Dr. Annette L. Ermshar

For this annual gala on March 23, the Los Angeles Janeyear’s Kaczmarek Master Chorale moved to an alluring location – Los Angeles’ Marciano Art Foundation, where guests saw George Marciano’s striking contemporary art collection. More than 300 supporters raised a record-breaking $741,000 at the fundraising dinner, which honored philanthropist Lillian Pierson Lovelace, who underwrote the choral group’s touring production of the moving Lagrime di San Pietro, directed by her friend Peter Sellars. Also honored was L.A. visual artist Doug Aitken, who has been collaborating with LAMC on a groundbreaking large-scale work to be presented in the 2020-21 season… Reese Witherspoon, Jane Kaczmarek, Alfred Molina and Rita Wilson were among the Hollywood celebs who turned out for the April 14 opening of Nia Vardalos’ Tiny Beautiful Things at the Pasadena Playhouse. The warmly reviewed production starring Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), which she adapted from a book of advice columns

by Cheryl Strayed, runs through May 5… Dance lovers gathered for a dance party after the April 6 performance

by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where fans cut a rug with Ailey pros.

Terry Knowles and Marshall Rutter

Rita Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Nia Vardalos, Cheryl Strayed and Sherri Eden 8 | ARROYO | 05.19

Grant Gershon, Jean Davidson, Doug Aitken, Philip Swan and Lillian Pierson Lovelace

Kiki Ramos Gindler and David Gindler

Dr. Marguerite Marsh

Dance partiers Diane Wittenberg, Jane Jelenko, Sue Baumgarten and Julia B. Strickland.

PHOTOS: Alex Berliner/ABImages with the Step & Repeat shots Cory Rappaport/ABImages (Los Angeles Master Chorale ); Nick Agro ( Tiny Beautiful Things);

Maurice Marciano and Nicole Frank

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AN ALL-NATURAL SHOWCASE HOUSE

Descanso Gardens’ flora and fauna inspired this year’s Showcase House of Design.

STORY BY JANA MONJI I PHOTOS BY STACY CHAVEZ

hen you’re redecorating a historic house in one of the finest public gardens in Los Angeles County, you’re surrounded by pure inspiration. And the 15 participants in the 2019 Pasadena Showcase House of Design, who overhauled the interior of Descanso Gardens’ Boddy House, found just that, harnessing splendid floral and fauna elements in their designs.

Designed by James E. Dolena in the Hollywood Regency style, the 12,000-square-foot Boddy House was built for the late publisher of the Los Angeles Daily News, E. Manchester Boddy, as a home for himself, his wife, Berenice, and their two sons. Boddy purchased the land that is now Descanso Gardens in 1937 and called it Rancho del Descanso — Ranch of

W

Rest. This is the second time Showcase House of the Arts, which organizes the annual arts fundraiser, has made over the Boddy House; it debuted in 2007 as the 43rd Pasadena Showcase House of Design.

The sprawling botanical gardens in La Caňada Flintridge are particularly known for the Camellia Forest, so Boddy House is peppered with decorative objects evoking camellias. Descanso has the largest camellia collection in North America, designated an International Camellia Garden of Excellence by the International Camellia Society. Boddy had planted thousands of the Asian flowering plants in the 1930s, to supply the cut-flower industry. Camellias also bloom in the Japanese Garden, which opened in 1966, long after Boddy sold the estate to L.A. County in 1953.

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–continued from page 11

The Living Room Louise O’Malley’s design for the living room uses dark greens and reds to bring out the colors of the delicate Japanese maple leaves visible from the window beside the piano.

For the walls, the Burbank-based designer used a slightly lighter version of Dunn-Edwards Paints’ 2019 Color of the Year: “Spice of Life,” a dark brownish, fire-brick red with orange undertones.

Chinese designs on the curtains give a nod to the gardens’ East Asian influences, as does O’Malley’s custom pagoda pet house, a charming tented pouf beneath a tiny chandelier — for your spoiled cat, small dog or rabbit. There’s also a large chandelier for humans with a clear sphere that magically captures an upside-down image of the room.

O’Malley juxtaposes a pair of brilliant white porcelain phoenixes against a wooden screen to brighten a dark corner and draw attention to a nearby set of six antique wooden chairs reupholstered in leopard-patterned fabric, with handcarved leopard “feet.”

The bird motif repeats on the back stairway designed by Studio Akiko of Arcadia, where hand-painted cranes fly up the walls. Framed Chinoiserie wallpaper on the upstairs landing, designed by Studio City–based Leila Bick, features well-known feral fowls of Pasadena. And on the outdoor “poet’s porch,” decorative artist Shari Tipich of San Pedro will present real caged birds as nature’s muses.

–continued on page 15

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–continued from page 13

Solarium SoCal gardens bloom year-round because of the abundant sunshine, and designer Tracy Murdock of Beverly Hills celebrates all those sunny days by dressing the solarium in Asian motifs expressed in a palette of whites and Delft blues. Entering from the family salon, you pass through a hallway boasting a glimpse of classic Hollywood style — a lovely photograph of the Roman Holiday princess, Audrey Hepburn, amid clouds of pink flowers. In an installation

by Murdock designer Dannielle Gross, antique and contemporary blue-on-white Chinese ceramics adorn the wall, both inside and spilling out of an ornate gold frame, as if making their escape. The work took four weeks to install.

Inside the solarium, small ceramic pagodas house bursts of blooms. The geometric blueand-white wallpaper by Scalamandre offers a modern take on the Chinese ceramic patterns, and the cut-velvet upholstery used for the circular conversation seat celebrates SoCal’s blue skies while echoing the Chinese ceramic blues.

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–continued from page 15

Morning Room Carbonshack specializes in sustainable design that reduces clients’ carbon footprints, and the Cypress Park firm’s inspiration for the morning room is both intellectual and instinctive. Carbonshack found fresh designs in magnified images of spores, mycelia (root systems that form a network) and other occupants of the gardens’ hidden world, reflected in hemp fabrics and the overhead light fi xture modeled on a diatom, a single-celled alga that produces 20 percent of the planet’s oxygen. The sustainably produced cork-tile floor mimics leaf cell structures, evoking a forest floor; according to designer Gregory Roth, the material has more give than typical hard materials, making it kinder on the joints. Cork flooring also recalls a past era when this sustainable resource was more popular (1930s and again in the 1950s). The table is recycled wood from a church pew, perhaps from a tree that was felled over 100 years ago. Amanda Triplett’s wall art uses reclaimed textiles to portray an organic cellular structure.

Yet life and living are about motion. Instead of still photography that captures a moment, eight art videos by Rachel Mayeri, a professor of media studies at Harvey Mudd College, use time-lapse photography and digital design for colorful depictions of plants blooming. The effect is mesmerizing and emphasizes rejuvenation or rebirth on an organic level. What better way to start a morning? |||| The 55th Pasadena Showcase House of Design, benefiting music education, performances and therapy, runs through May 19. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday and Sunday; Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Parking and shuttle-bus service is at 1919 Verdugo Blvd., La Cañada Flintridge. Tickets cost $35 to $45 online or by phone, $40 to $50 at the ticket office. Call (714) 442-3872 or visit pasadenashowcase.org.

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arroyo

™

HOME SALES ABOVE $900,000

~HOM E SALES I N D EX~

0.01% ALHAMBRA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. ALTADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. ARCADIA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. EAGLE ROCK Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. GLENDALE Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. LA CAÑADA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. PASADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SAN MARINO Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SIERRA MADRE Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. SOUTH PASADENA Homes Sold Median Price Median Sq. Ft. TOTAL Homes Sold Avg Price/Sq. Ft.

MARCH ’18 29 $680,00 1380 MARCH ’18 19 $910,000 1623 MARCH ’18 21 $910,000 1995 MARCH ’18 11 $840,000 1482 MARCH ’18 62 $859,500 1492 MARCH ’18 10 $1,949,000 2785 MARCH ’18 88 $881,250 1485 MARCH ’18 7 $1,760,000 1814 MARCH ’18 10 $1,090,000 1844 MARCH ’18 9 $980,000 1524 MARCH ’18 266 $610

source: CalREsource

2019 HOMES SOLD

ADDRESS

290

AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.

2018 HOMES SOLD

0.09%

March March

266

HOME SALES

MARCH ’19 29 $660,000 1443 MARCH ’19 24 $933,00 1705 MARCH ’19 17 $1,160,00 2275 MARCH ’19 17 $813,00 1240 MARCH ’19 34 $785,000 1469 MARCH ’19 11 $1,575,000 2271 MARCH ’19 114 $880,000 1580 MARCH ’19 14 $2,525,000 2954 MARCH ’19 13 $995,000 1682 MARCH ’19 16 $1,309,000 1660 MARCH ’19 290 $619

ALHAMBRA

CLOSE DATE

PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD

1129 North Granada Ave. 436 North Almansor St. 1210 South Marguerita Ave. 930 North 1st St. 1025 South Vega St. 417 South 5th St. 1712 Front St. 447 North Almansor St.

3/29/19 3/13/19 3/18/19 3/4/19 3/12/19 3/19/19 3/26/19 3/21/19

$2,100,000 $1,770,000 $1,230,000 $1,085,000 $998,000 $980,000 $960,000 $920,000

4 3 5 4 7 4 7 3

3,596 2,797 3,310 2,064 2,492 2,040 3,332 1,792

1939 1927 1908 1948 1948 1923 1965 1937

3130 Maiden Lane 1640 East Altadena Dr. 2450 Glen Canyon Road 1966 Homewood Dr. 1246 East Palm St. 1026 Alta Pine Dr. 2123 Santa Rosa Ave. 126 East Palm St. 1334 Sonoma Dr. 1786 Harding Ave. 411 Alta Pine Dr. 157 East Altadena Dr.

3/11/19 3/18/19 3/21/19 3/27/19 3/11/19 3/13/19 3/1/19 3/19/19 3/19/19 3/12/19 3/14/19 3/27/19

$2,500,000 $2,275,000 $1,680,000 $1,500,000 $1,445,000 $1,240,000 $1,220,000 $1,100,000 $1,080,000 $1,021,500 $990,000 $986,000

3 4 3 4 5 4 3 5 3 3 3 4

2,322 2,950 2,163 3,397 3,721 2,425 20,550 3,306 1,955 2,039 1,605 2,040

1920 1922 1947 1926 1924 1947 1948 1926 1926 1936 1956 1926

732 Carriage House Dr. 1635 Perkins Dr. 728 Carriage House Dr. 211 Monte Place 1739 Orangewood Lane 344 West Foothill Blvd.

2077 Vista Ave. 812 South 3rd Ave. 1042 Rafael Dr. 1651 Elevado Ave.

3/19/19 3/13/19 3/4/19 3/15/19 3/7/19 3/12/19 3/28/19 3/21/19 3/1/19 3/7/19

$3,200,000 $3,100,000 $3,010,000 $1,700,000 $1,438,000 $1,400,000 $1,385,000 $1,235,000 $1,160,000 $985,000

4 5 4 4 5 3 4 5 3 3

5,163 6,453 5,245 2,876 2,275 2,590 3,172 2,784 2,608 1,782

2071 Escarpa Dr. 4900 Onteora Way 5156 La Roda Ave. 2139 Yosemite Dr. 1016 Glen Arbor Ave. 2490 Loy Lane 1738 North Ave. 45 4831 Mount Royal Dr.

3/26/19 3/12/19 3/21/19 3/13/19 3/22/19 3/11/19 3/12/19 3/27/19

$1,643,000 $1,412,500 $1,327,500 $1,290,000 $1,152,500 $1,005,000 $914,500 $909,000

3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3

132 South Kenwood St. #A 128 South Kenwood St. 2475 Altura Ave. 1906 Calle Sirena 1441 Andenes Dr.

3/19/19 3/19/19 3/13/19 3/29/19 3/27/19

$5,100,000 $5,100,000 $1,525,000 $1,320,000 $1,265,000

5 2 6 4 3

ALTADENA

ARCADIA

EAGLE ROCK

GLENDALE

$310,000 $854,000 $750,000

1/30/01 5/31/17 4/15/15

$770,000

7/22/13

$1,610,000 $1,450,000

8/20/14 5/23/17

$659,000 $925,000

7/26/05 8/12/15

$315,000 $525,000 $729,000

7/14/00 3/15/11 6/10/15

2003 2016 2003 1976 1950 1946 1966 1975 1981 1951

$3,035,000 $4,000,000 $3,200,000 $1,800,000 $925,000 $1,550,000 $1,195,000

2/24/11 1/26/17 8/16/11 5/1/14 11/15/11 9/7/05 2/28/06

2,308 1,635 1505 882 1,406 1,198 1,240 1,340

1928 1956 1922 1910 1949 1936 1925 1974

$430,000 $525,000 $865,000 $465,000 $425,000 $575,000 $750,000

11/20/01 4/11/03 2/22/18 5/31/17 2/23/10 2/22/13 5/5/16

2,755 1,592 3,207 3,272 2,146

1953 1920 1925 1993 1933

$2,105,000 $595,000 $1,335,000 $800,000 $1,050,000

8/11/14 8/11/14 12/22/17 2/26/03 4/2/07

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The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia and Alhambra. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2019. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly.

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ADDRESS

GLENDALE

PRICE BDRMS. SQ. FT. YR. BUILTPREV. PRICE PREV. SOLD

1619 Thompson Ave. 1028 Eilinita Ave. 3468 Angelus Ave. 1356 Elm Ave. 3425 Downing Ave. 1311 Oak Circle Dr. 3328 Sparr Blvd.

725 East Cypress St.

3/5/19 3/20/19 3/6/19 3/8/19 3/26/19 3/26/19 3/15/19 3/12/19

$1,150,000 $1,100,000 $1,055,000 $1,050,000 $1,050,000 $1,045,000 $1,018,000 $900,000

3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3

1,950 1,852 1,638 1,684 1,042 1,240 1,778 1,539

1938 1951 1939 1925 1923 1948 1965 1927

5026 Castle Road 4318 Bel Aire Dr. 4653 Alveo Road 547 Meadowview Dr. 5386 Harter Lane 461 Noren St. 1336 El Vago St. 1703 Verdugo Blvd.

4603 Commonwealth Ave. 217 Lamour Dr.

3/12/19 3/21/19 3/7/19 3/22/19 3/8/19 3/19/19 3/26/19 3/28/19 3/5/19 3/20/19

$2,356,000 $2,325,000 $2,180,000 $1,760,000 $1,650,000 $1,575,000 $1,500,000 $1,233,000 $1,125,000 $1,075,000

3 4 3 4 3 3 3 4 2 3

2,624 3,472 3,096 2,509 2,271 1,962 1,836 2,701 1,885 1,423

5324 Godbey Dr.

3/19/19

$1,055,000

2

1501 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1509 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1587 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1475 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1521 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1553 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1595 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1515 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1529 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1491 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1559 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1571 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1603 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 1579 North Oxford Ave. 3/21/19 699 Bradford St. 3/1/19 185 South San Rafael Ave. 3/18/19 1234 El Mirador Dr. 3/20/19 1047 South Madison Ave. 3/21/19 1154 South Oakland Ave. 3/26/19 1509 Inverness Dr. 3/26/19 130 Kenworthy Dr. 3/11/19 191 Sierra View Road 3/19/19 1520 South Oak Knoll Ave. 3/22/19 1054 South Arroyo Blvd.

3/29/19 2090 Villa Heights Road 3/20/19 993 Glen Oaks Blvd.

3/5/19 635 South Hudson Ave. 3/12/19 814 Magnolia Ave. 3/6/19 500 South Allen Ave. 3/5/19 1451 Linda Vista Ave. 3/20/19 1250 North Holliston Ave. 3/22/19 437 South Orange Grove Blvd. #6 3/15/19 1253 Sierra Madre Villa Ave. 3/18/19 1365 Linda Vista Ave. 3/26/19 1125 Rexford Ave. 3/14/19 450 Sequoia Dr. 3/20/19 950 South Orange Grove Blvd. #C 3/11/19 2384 Galbreth Road 3/26/19 141 South Hudson Ave. #404 3/14/19 3316 Grayburn Road 3/11/19 1345 Leonard Ave. 3/29/19 1429 Paloma St. 3/4/19 2335 Las Lunas St. 3/13/19 2210 East Woodlyn Road 3/7/19 1483 La Loma Road 3/21/19 885 South Orange Grove Blvd. #27 3/1/19 2033 Kinclair Dr. 3/14/19 885 South Orange Grove Blvd. #28 3/12/19 710 North Pasadena Ave. 3/13/19 1541 La Loma Road 3/13/19 3333 Paloma St. 3/11/19 2970 East Del Mar Blvd.

3/14/19 590 North Sunnyslope Ave. 3/19/19 1155 Tropical Ave. 3/29/19 3547 East Del Mar Blvd.

3/18/19

$44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $44,022,000 $4,100,000 $3,175,000 $2,800,000 $2,525,000 $2,500,000 $2,475,000 $2,310,000 $2,210,000 $2,200,000 $2,170,000 $1,930,000 $1,815,000 $1,740,000 $1,630,000 $1,625,000 $1,600,000 $1,540,000 $1,525,000 $1,500,000 $1,439,500 $1,425,000 $1,403,000 $1,287,500 $1,270,000 $1,225,000 $1,200,000 $1,189,000 $1,170,000 $1,150,000 $1,125,000 $1,117,000 $1,100,000 $1,080,000 $1,075,000 $1,050,000 $1,034,000 $1,000,000 $995,000 $955,000 $940,000 $900,000

2 2 4 2 4 4 2 3 2 2 3 3 4 2 5 4 4 4 4 2 2 3 4 3 4 5 4 5 4 2 4 2 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 2 4 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 3 2 5

LA CAÑADA

PASADENA

20 | ARROYO | 05.19

CLOSE DATE

$745,000

8/16/16

$665,000 $340,000 $875,000 $755,000 $342,500

6/21/16 9/7/01 12/13/18 12/24/07 7/1/02

1932 1944 1947 1973 1963 1956 1953 1927 1930 1946

$2,250,000 $1,905,000 $1,250,000 $1,260,000 $990,000 $567,000 $560,000 $775,000

4/13/15 5/27/14 12/14/05 10/26/11 3/9/12 10/30/01 12/1/89 6/10/03

1,894

1973

$940,000

10/24/16

894 882 2019 830 1910 1580 888 1888 882 1712 1436 1212 1402 860 6042 3976 2821 4114 3273 1612 2287 2495 3523 2418 2527 2769 2212 2894 2558 1113 2794 1980 2149 2373 1546 1950 2233 2118 2230 1868 2075 2245 1952 2155 1934 2081 2538 2544 1979 1507 1719 1785 1793 1264 2195

1925 1925 1925 1924 1928 1923 1925 1919 1923 1925 1923 1926 1924 1923 1940 1933 1918 1912 1925 1958 1978 1934 1956 1961 1958 1951 1915 1954 1926 1921 1924 1970 1952 1929 1951 1956 1954 1942 2006 1933 1951 1923 1940 1920 1954 1973 1965 1973 1942 1939 1959 1895 1947 1951 1952

$150,000

11/1/88

$622,500 $467,500 $2,100,000

5/1/88 1/1/86 9/25/17

$2,475,000 $1,998,000 $907,500 $1,425,000 $1,650,000 $900,000 $775,000 $748,182

6/7/17 2/2/17 6/8/11 5/19/16 3/21/14 8/8/03 1/6/00 1/4/02

$1,227,500 $1,280,000

11/27/12 12/3/14

$1,300,000 $1,215,000 $645,000 $860,000 $1,100,000 $1,175,000 $950,000 $1,000,000 $535,000 $963,000 $865,000 $830,000 $949,500 $760,000 $1,065,000

12/22/17 7/17/14 5/5/00 11/10/17 12/1/14 11/8/16 9/12/18 5/9/16 10/1/89 8/26/16 4/27/12 7/27/18 5/11/05 10/16/12 1/28/16

$827,500

1/2/09

$845,000

7/29/12

$216,500 $695,000 $739,000

10/21/97 7/11/14 3/27/15

05.19 | ARROYO | 21

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ARROYO HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

PHOTO: Courtesy of Vergola

OUTDOOR DESIGN IS IN Don’t D ’t thi think k your options ti are limited li it d when h it comes to outdoor living

Indoor is indoors, and outdoor is outdoors, and never the twain shall

decorate the outdoors. Things like rugs and carpeting, unless specially

meet, said Rudyard Kipling. Or he might have, had he been talking about

designed for the outdoors, do not stand up well to the elements, and

living spaces instead of the east and west.

materials like suede and fleece should never be taken outside.

Particularly in Southern California, where our temperate climate allows

Certain types of material can be outdoors for a while, but should not

almost year-round access to outdoor living, homeowners are ignoring the

spend extended time in the elements. These include wicker, which may

artificial boundaries of indoor versus outdoor. No longer is entertaining a

be fine for a sunroom, but can’t handle direct exposure to the outdoors for

matter of staying in certain areas. In fact, homes are increasingly designed

long. Untreated metal is okay for short periods, but prolonged exposure runs

to advocate for open living, where the boundaries between living spaces

the risk of rust.

dissolve and the flow between spaces is natural.

Outdoor decoration is an art, but there are certain restrictions on what can be viable for the long-term. Let’s examine some of the elements.

Treated wood and hardwoods, galvanized metal, powder-coated metal (aluminum, wrought iron, zinc hardware), stone and cement (as tables, benches and umbrella stands), marbles, clay and reinforced ceramics (as planter pots), poly resin plastics and waterproof nylon (used

STAND UP TO THE ELEMENTS Mention the word “furniture,” and most people will immediately conjure a vision of sofas, chairs, lamps and tables, the staples of any indoor living

in canopies and as cushion covers) are some of the materials that can endure.

There are companies that specialize in outdoor furniture, some that

area. But amplify that statement to “outdoor furniture,” and the picture

handle mostly indoors, and combination shops, that offer a selection for

changes. Patio chairs, large and sturdy tables, barbeques and decorative

both.

plants come to mind, all designed to weather the elements.

Here’s the thing - outdoor living spaces don’t have to be filled with ordinary patio furniture. You can put just about anything in your outdoor

But there is more to outdoor design than sticking some furniture on the grass. Let’s take a look at some companies in the Pasadena area that offer ways to enhance your experience that go beyond the obvious.

space, provided it can withstand the elements, and there are treatments and fabrics that can help you achieve just that.

For the most part, furniture designed specifically for the outdoors

OUTDOOR LIVING ENHANCERS Sandy Maher is with Vergola, a Gardena company that makes

is weather-resistant. It uses durable woods with tight grains and natural

louvered systems for patios, terraces, walkways, and other areas to provide

oils that can withstand insects, decay, and moisture from rain, dew and

shelter and style.

humidity.

Use some common sense when deciding what can be used to

Maher advises that those interested in decorating their outdoor space continued on page 24 05.19 | ARROYO | 23

PHOTO: Courtesy of Aldik Homes of Van Nuys

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always meet with a designer first and talk over your desires. That will help shape the vision, based on your budget, on what’s possible, and you may discover some ideas that never occurred to you. Before the meeting, have an idea as what you are looking to cover and your budget.

Every Vergola product is a custom design that aims to dovetail perfectly with your home. Since Vergola is the manufacturer and use inhouse installers, they can make sure you’re not beset with markups from numerous middlemen. More information is available at vergola.com.

Aldik Homes of Van Nuys is a purveyor of high-quality silk flowers, silk foliage, floral arrangements, custom artificial trees, home decor and holiday items. All can be used to enhance indoor and outdoor spaces.

Michael Perez of Aldik says that furniture is the “foundation of the continued on page 28

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PHOTO: Courtesy of Aldik Homes of Van Nuys

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space. Nothing worse than sitting on a chair and feeling like you can’t relax and lean back because it could break.” He also advises to avoid outdoor furniture that can’t stand up to the elements. “Furniture should look nearly new for at least five years with normal use.”

Where to start? Perez says the first step is to measure the space in question. “On a piece of paper, make a rough sketch of the space and its measurements. Don’t be afraid to measure more than one time. Take pictures of the space from all angles so you have some perspective when you’re asking questions at the store.”

He also says it’s perfectly acceptable to tear pictures of out of continued on page 31

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magazines or print photos from the web if you see something that interests you. That will tell your contractor a lot about your attractions. “This can help As for what’s hot in the area, LED lighting leads the parade. “Its ultra low power consumption makes it easy to plug into one location and run multiple strands of light together. The use of warm white light creates a romantic soft setting in any space, small or large.”

There are other places in the area that can help with your outdoor design needs. Ethan Allen Furniture of Pasadena is a family run business in the area for more than 50 years. The Brown family knows there’s no right or wrong way to design - just your way. That’s why they offer styles from

PHOTO: Courtesy of Arroyo Outdoor

anyone trying to get a feeling of the style direction you’re thinking about.”

traditional to modern and many custom choices. The firm also provides free design help.

Also family run is Arroyo Outdoor, a landscaping firm in South Pasadena that offers an intriguing array of outdoor planters, pots, fountains and other enhancements. Arroyo Outdoor remembers a time when gracious estate living meant commissioning artisans to carefully create beautiful custom products. They bring that sensibility to everything they do. Arroyo Outdoor is a unique line of outdoor and garden products that complement each other to create a fully integrated look. All products are ideally suited for Mediterranean, Tuscan or old European designs.

Whatever your taste, budget, or style, there is someone in the Pasadena area that can help you achieve your dream for your outdoor living space. Just come with your vision and imagination and see what is possible.

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Barbara Lamprecht and Harry

PHOTOS: (Top left) Stefan Studer, (bottom left) Barbara Lamprecht, (top and bottom right) Julius Shulman/ © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

(Top right and bottom) Perkins House

ON A MODERNIST’S MODERNIST: RICHARD NEUTRA Pasadena architect and Neutra expert Barbara Lamprecht discusses the modern architect’s views on building with nature, his Pasadena homes and much more.

BY JORDAN RIEFE

F

rom 1923 until his death in 1970, architect Richard Neutra made Los Angeles his home.

The Vienna-born architect rose to prominence designing modernist residences in Southern California, starting with the Lovell Health House in Los Feliz, a 1929 landmark using store-bought materials and erected in a mere 40 hours; his iconic flat-topped Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs followed in 1946. The Health House is a hallmark of International Style architecture, championed by masters like Philip Johnson, and a precursor to midcentury modernism; both movements were characterized by clean lines, geometric forms and the use of mass-produced industrial materials. In Pasadena, Neutra left his mark on two homes: the Clark House (1957) and the Perkins House (1955). That period also saw his involvement with the Case Study House program, which commissioned important modern architects to design affordable housing for soldiers returning from World War II. Their simple designs accenting horizontal planes and incorporating the outdoors were characterized by the same principles Neutra learned from his mentor Frank Lloyd Wright, for whom he worked as an assistant.

But all of Neutra’s projects reflected his philosophy. “For him, modernism was not something you impose on people. The point of his architecture is that it provides opportunities for you to acquit your

life in ways you could never imagine. That’s what makes a good architect,” says architectural historian Dr. Barbara Lamprecht, a leading expert on the work of Richard Neutra, who will speak on his use of landscape architecture June 3 at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. The author of several books on the leading modernist, including Taschen’s Richard Neutra 1892-1970: Survival Through Design (2004) and the art publisher’s comprehensive Neutra: Complete Works (2000), Lamprecht is a trained architect and conservation consultant, submitting structures for landmark protection.

Lamprecht sat down with Arroyo Monthly to talk about the midcentury modern master, his work in Pasadena and the ceaseless struggle to stave off the wrecking ball.

Arroyo: Returning from World War I, one of Neutra’s first jobs was as assistant to pioneering landscape architect Gustav Ammann in Vienna.

Lamprecht: Ammann was in the forefront of modernist landscape architectural theory.

Neutra always seems to be in the right place at the right time, meeting Mies van der Rohe and being invited to speak at the Bauhaus in 1930, or growing up in Vienna where he was –continued on page 35

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Perkins House –continued from page 33

introduced to Gustav Klimt and Arnold Schoenberg. So, Neutra’s first job with Ammann put him in contact with great figures in landscape architectural history in Germany. These people were investigating why we should use certain kinds of plants rather than others, establishing a theoretical basis for landscape design. You had the idea that gardens were for people, not just the aristocracy, not just the landed gentry.

PHOTO: (Top) Julius Shulman/ © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

What were some of the aesthetic principles they were grappling with?

He based his ideas about why human beings needed [to live amid] landscape and nature on evolutionary biology, the new discipline that suggested that we evolved on the plains of East Africa. That meant that in our visual field would have been bodies of water and savannas and the horizon lines, groups of trees — our DNA, our genetic ancestry, had evolved in order to accommodate that. Because it was ingrained in our DNA, because it was part of our genetic ancestry, it behooved contemporary human beings to create that same kind of quality in our environment.

How does the 1955 Perkins House here in Pasadena reflect where he was in his practice at the time?

Throughout the entire spectrum of his work, there is a move away from what was called the International Style, which is what you see at Lovell Health House and the Strathmore Apartments [in Westwood], into a more relaxed expression of lines and planes and pavilions with walls of glass. You see less of the white boxy volumes and more natural materials. That’s why the 1950s is called Neutra’s golden era.

He designed the house to the specifications of Occidental College art scholar Connie Perkins, didn’t he?

You asked a client all kinds of questions. You learned about their lives, you learned about what made them tick. You didn’t impose architecture on people. Neutra had designed a –continued on page 37

Perkins House floor plan

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–continued from page 35

(Below) Perkins House

discreet bedroom for her in the north end of the house, but she preferred to sleep facing the view. So, where she worked — her office, her desk, her bed — that could be sealed off from the living room. It was an open plan house.

It’s Neutra’s golden era, but it’s also very much in keeping with what has come before.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s old dictum of breaking a box — a Victorian house is very much a solid box, a clearly defined volume, vertically oriented. But if you take that cardboard box and start taking it apart and making it a series of interlocking planes, rather than a big fat volume, you get a different experience of living. When you look at the Perkins House, that is a series of lines and planes that engage the hill. It’s incredibly graceful and really exploits the incredible view that she enjoyed every day. And she and Neutra designed the pool that goes inside and outside; they designed that jointly and it was her idea.

At Pasadena’s Clark House, built for a musician and a teacher in 1957, landscape architect Isamu Watanabe did the grounds.

Neutra had a great affinity for Japanese architecture and landscape design and was deeply informed on his own sensibility based on his trip to Japan. In a forward to a book on Japanese architecture, he said when he came to Japan in 1930 he felt as though he was coming home. It confirmed a lot of his ideas about the landscape. For example, with Neutra’s entrances to his houses, they’re sort of zigzag paths to his front door. He designed it in such a way that the body slows down to make the transition from your public persona to your domestic, private self.

As highly regarded and well known as he is, Neutra’s structures continue to be in danger. Why is that?

I was pretty involved in nominating a lot of houses for historic designation. The Kun House [in Nichols Canyon] is now being evaluated by the City of Los Angeles. I just submitted the application for nomination. We’re going ahead with nominating the Miller House in Palm Springs and the Kelton Apartments that Neutra designed in Westwood in 1941. The Strathmore Apartments were designated a few years ago. That’s a good means of protection, but it doesn’t protect against demolition.

PHOTOS: Julius Shulman/ © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

Is that the biggest threat? What is the biggest threat facing these buildings?

A lot of people don’t fully understand modern architecture. And they’re in great danger of being altered in ways that are incompatible with the building. And that’s why a new owner should typically take their time and understand a Neutra house and understand how incredibly rare they are. It’s very difficult to find a Neutra house that hasn’t been altered in ways that are not sympathetic.

Any accounts of what Neutra was like on a personal level?

I think he was probably far more thoughtful and intelligent than people gave him credit for. He could be charming one moment and sometimes very, very emotionally needy for recognition the next.

But his ideas — he really mesmerized people. He was so knowledgeable about so many areas. He would be on a first-name basis with prophets of the Old Testament. He knew Greek philosophers and Greek mythology. Wherever he traveled in the world, he appreciated the culture and the people.

And well-roundedness presumably helped him pitch what were radical ideas at the time.

A lot of his thinking is based in neural science, physiological psychology, evolutionary biology.

He wasn’t looking at architectural magazines. He was looking at other kinds of sources and thinking about how to better humanity no matter what the income strata.

What would he think of the super-wealthy who today occupy houses he designed for people of more modest means?

He had very wealthy clients too; he had Anna Sten, John Nicholas Brown, Philip Lovell, they are people with a lot of money. But you find the same materials and fixtures in the houses for the wealthy as you do in the houses for the migrant workers.

What would he say about affordable housing today?

I think he would be appalled at how we don’t have affordable housing, because that was a passion in the ’20s, the ’30s. In 1932, he was part of an exhibition on public housing in Vienna. He designed housing for migrant workers out of food crates, but [it was] never built. That was his passion. I don’t think he would mind a celebrity buying his house. But what he would have minded is our total lack of compassion for those less fortunate and the way that we’ve allowed houses to become unaffordable for most of us. |||| 05.19 | ARROYO | 37

THE RETURN OF

MEMPHIS The postmodern design dialect from the ’80s lives on in colorful, fanciful furnishings and home décor.

BY SCARLET CHENG

“Bel Air” chair by Peter Shire

“Tawaraya” by Masanori Umeda

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emphis can mean different things to different people. For some it’s the city in Tennessee where strains of blues, soul and rock ’n’ roll were born; for others it’s the ancient Egyptian city of the dead. It can also mean a colorful design style that sprouted in Milan, Italy, thrived internationally in the 1980s and is having something of a revival today.

Two years ago the Met Breuer in New York helped launch the revival with a major retrospective on Ettore Sottsass, the key founder of the Memphis Group. Last year Nordstrom’s flagship store in Seattle threw together a Memphis Milano popup store, featuring various home accessories and furnishings from greeting cards and toothbrushes to colorful tables and chairs, including Peter Shire’s fanciful “Bel Air” chair. Los Angeles–based Shire was the only American among Memphis’ original members, designing for the group’s line throughout its seven years of existence. Loyal followers of Memphis design included David Bowie and Karl Lagerfeld. The latter, who died in February, bought key items in the collection for his apartment in Monaco. He had Ettore

M

Chair by Peter Shire

PHOTOS: (Top and bottom right) Courtesy of Peter Shire; (bottom left) Memphis-Milano.com

Sottsass’ multi-colored “Carlton” room divider, George James Sowden’s plump red “Oberoi” chair and Masanori Umeda’s “Tawaraya” square lounge or “conversation pit,” resembling a boxing ring with striped sides.

The Nordstrom pop-up was initiated by Nordstrom’s VP of Creative Projects, Olivia Kim. “I’ve been a huge Memphis fan since I was a child,” she told Adpro, an online offshoot of Architectural Digest. She herself has a collection of Memphis objects, still being produced through an Italian company.

Furthermore, young designers today are being influenced

by Memphis. “There is a lot of revival going on,” says David Mocarski, chair of graduate and undergraduate environmental design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, “around the world with the younger generation — in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin and everywhere else.”

Memphis design was born some four decades ago. Many see it as part of the postmodern movement in design and architecture.

In December 1980 Sottsass — a veteran designer who had worked with modernist George Nelson and in the electronics division of Olivetti, where he designed the famous red “Valentine” typewriter — gathered together other young designers for discussion and

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“Parana” fruit bowl by Masanori Umeda

“Carlton” room divider by Ettore Sottsass

brainstorming. During the meeting they listened to Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.” Thus the name, Memphis Group, coined by Sottsass’ wife, Barbara Radice; Shire credits her with a lot of the group’s organizing and success.

The next year they debuted their first collection of clocks, lamps, cabinets, sofas and tables at Milan’s famous annual furniture fair, the Salone del Mobile, where they caused a sensation. “The night we launched Memphis, during the Salone del Mobile, we could not believe that the road in front of the showroom had to be closed after an hour because so many people were on the street,” designer Matteo Thun told Wallpaper in 2011.

Suzanne Slesin reported in The New York Times, “Billed as the New International Style, Memphis is an outrageous collection of bizarre colors and shapes designed by Ettore Sottsass, the genial guru of Italian design, and a group of international architects and designers… An effervescent, seductive and undeniably sympathetic group, it appalled some and amused others but put everyone attending the fair in a state of high excitement.”

American Peter Shire, who had studied ceramics at Chouinard Art Institute, was already making unusual, angled teapots. “I was making pots and attempting to make something I hadn’t seen before, and nobody else had seen before,” says Shire during an interview at his Echo Park studio. Having heard about the young Los Angeles artist, Sottsass visited him here and invited him to join the group. “He had an approach that wasn’t design-centric, it was art-centric,” says Shire. “It was about emotions and impact, it wasn’t about solutions and dictating a lifestyle. The other thing was that he spoke English and he spoke it well.”

A lifelong Angeleno, Shire was influenced by his father, an illustrator who was also a carpenter. They made furniture together, so he was familiar with the field. He did travel to Italy to work with Memphis but did most of his work for them by remote. “They’d tell me which things they’d be interested in,” Shire says.

In his studio we are surrounded by geometric ceramics and sculpture that reflect the colorful, whimsical Memphis style, though of course each designer in the group had his or her own personal style as well. “I sent them in the mail — drawings, thumbnail sketches. The first year they asked for a vanity, and I sent [a design for] a table, also. The table was a better fit, so they did something they didn’t even ask me for. I took that strategy and would send 60 or 70 designs at a time, I sent Ceramic mugs

by Peter Shire

Ginza” bookcase miniature by Masanori Umeda

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dozens on a sheet.” He became known for several pieces of furniture, including the “Bel Air” chair, with a tall back in the shape of a quarter-circle, and arm rests in two different colors. Also iconic was his “Brazil” table with its elongated triangular top in canary yellow — a piece that was in Lagerfeld’s collection.

Shire’s pieces were emblematic of the Memphis style, with its bright colors — often in sharp juxtaposition to another in the same piece — squiggles and stripes and shapes that emphasized geometry. The very titles of the pieces offered at the group’s first Milan show reflect the exuberant eccentricity of their aesthetics: Sottsass’s “Beverly” cabinet and “Tahiti” lamp Sowden’s “Oberoi” armchair and de Lucchi’s “Oceanic Lamp.” A number of critics and design historians have likened Memphis furniture to children’s toys and building blocks.

Design trends are not accidental — they are often a response to something in the sociopolitical fabric.

“When Memphis started, it was a really, really serious time for modern design,” says Mocarski via telephone from Milan, where he was attending this year’s Salone del Mobile. “It had been a period of extremely modern design, ultra minimalist to the point where everyone was wondering, What happened to humor, to fun in design?

What happened to color? Everyone was living in a super serious world, with all the nasty stuff going on. We had just gotten through the whole Vietnam War thing; there had been a lot of social unrest, just like we have now.”

Mocarski adds, “Memphis, postmodern design was very influential on graphics, too. We began to see more fonts, more colors used.”

Due to limited and highly customized production, Memphis items were always expensive, beyond the means of the middle class, and some pieces were impractical — the chairs were comically uncomfortable.

The group disbanded in 1988, but new Memphis pieces are still being manufactured in Italy. You can purchase them directly from memphis-milano.com, or visit the authorized American distributor in New York, Urban Architecture (there is no official distributor in California, alas). Auctions occasionally offer vintage Memphis pieces, or you can check out various online sellers such as 1stdibs.com, chairish.com and pamono.com. |||| Los Angeles pop-up gallery Furth Yashar presents a special exhibition, Peter Shire: Good Taste, from May 7 through 11 at the new Farrow & Ball La Cienega Design Quarter showroom, 741 N. La Cienega, L.A.

PHOTOS: (Far left) Memphis-Milano.com; (bottom right) Courtesy of Peter Shire

–continued from page 39

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DISASTER LESSONS

Comedy writer/producer Craig Mazin grapples with a devastating catastrophe in his dark new HBO series, Chernobyl.

BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER

PHOTO: Matt Sayles

C

raig Mazin is a successful writer/producer best known for big Hollywood comedies, including two Hangover sequels, two Scary Movie sequels and Identity Thief. And he’ll soon add the upcoming remake of Charlie’s Angels directed by Elizabeth Banks to the list.

But there is nothing funny about his latest venture, a sharp departure from his earlier work. The La Caňada Flintridge resident wrote and executive produced Chernobyl, a chilling five-part miniseries that debuts on HBO May 6. It dramatizes the horrific nuclear–reactor accident at Chernobyl in 1986, one of the worst manmade disasters in history.

The HBO/Sky co-production is a stark cautionary tale that reexamines what led to the devastating catastrophe 32 years ago. Mazin spent about four years on the project between creating and writing the series and co-executive producing with Jane Featherstone, whose producing credits include the popular British crime series Broadchurch. The docudrama is directed by Johan Renck (Breaking Bad) and stars Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves), Jared Harris (Mad Men) and Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting).

The miniseries sprang from Mazin’s fascination with Chernobyl.

“It had to be my idea, because nobody was going to ask me to do this, because it was not what I had been doing,” Mazin said in a telephone interview from his Pasadena office. “I have loved my time working in movies and working in comedies, but after 20 years of the same thing you start to change as person. There is only so much comedy you can do.

I have always had a scientific side and a historic side, and that is what I would watch. So I started reading about Chernobyl in 2014 and became kind of obsessed with it.”

When he pitched the show to HBO, the channel jumped at the opportunity. Kary Antholis, president of HBO miniseries, told Deadline.com that Chernobyl was one of the “most compelling” pitches he’d heard in more than two decades working in television. “Every step of the way it was, ‘Yeah, we really like this,’ and then [the British telecommunications company] Sky was absurdly supportive,” said Mazin. “Then I wrote parts for three actors in mind and all three agreed to do it. The rest was surprisingly easy. I am in my 25th year as a writer and Chernobyl is the only thing that is all me.”

The result? Jared Harris plays Valery Legazov, the Soviet scientist pressed into service by the Kremlin to investigate the nuclear accident; Skarsgard plays Boris Shcherbina, the deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and head of the USSR’s Bureau for Fuel and Energy; and Watson plays Ulana Khomyuk, a Soviet nuclear physicist driven to find Craig Mazin

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Firefighters battle the nuclear-power plant blaze.

–continued from page 43

the disaster’s cause in order to prevent future ones.

Chernobyl opens the night of April 26 1986, during a routine maintenance shutdown at the Chernobyl nuclear–power reactor in northern Ukraine. The plant overheated and a fire erupted, drawing frantic engineers trying to douse it with water. A buildup of steam then blew off the reactor’s 2,000-ton concrete lid. The core exploded, releasing masses of radioactive material into the atmosphere. The Soviet government initially denied that there had been an accident — ignoring scientists’ urgent warnings about the dire consequences — and failed to evacuate nearby residents posthaste. Saving face and protecting Soviet prestige trumped protecting human life.

Chernobyl is a European story not only because it’s set in the city of Pripyat in Ukraine, Mazin said, but because the fallout from the radioactive cloud reached regions as distant as Scandinavia within two days of the explosion. For the sake of authenticity, most of the filming takes place in Lithuania with some scenes shot in Ukraine, said Mazin. Lithuania is flourishing now as part of the European Union, but it still reflects remarkable Russian influences in architecture, he added. That allowed filmmakers to create facsimiles of Pripyat and the disaster as accurately as possible.

The ghastly scenes of the catastrophe were filmed at Chernobyl’s sister nuclear plant in Lithuania (deactivated when the country joined the EU), said Mazin. Locals hired for the crew weighed in on the authenticity of props and set pieces. When actors were filmed carrying their lunches in brown paper bags, for example, a crew member said that paper bags would not have been used to carry lunches; the Soviet-era custom was instead to pack lunches in briefcases. “Having a crew that grew up in the Soviet Union was invaluable,” said Mazin. “They wanted the story to be told. They were in the path of the smoke and they were sent in to clean it up. It was personal for them.”

Monitoring the reactor.

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azin has described La Caňada Flintridge, where he lives with his wife and two children, as a quiet community that reminds him of Mayberry. In 1992, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in psychology from Princeton University, where his freshman roommate was Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Since 2012, Mazin has been semifamous for venting on Twitter about how unbearable Cruz was as a roommate. Take this memorable tweet: “It would take a uniquely horrendous person to leave a 25-year-long, miserable impression.” Praise for Mazin’s anti-Cruz Tweet storms include Jezebel.com’s encomium calling him a “glorious one-man cottage industry of Ted Cruz burns.”

A supporter of his public school district, Mazin is a trustee for the La Caňada Flintridge Education Foundation’s endowment. He also co-hosts a popular weekly podcast, Scriptnotes, with screenwriter John August (Big Fish). They help fellow screenwriters grapple with common work challenges (at presstime, there were close to 400 podcasts in the archive).

Clearly, despite Mazin’s reputation for his acerbic wit and comedy-writing, he’s also concerned with far more serious matters. And he’s not the only one currently consumed with Chernobyl. Three new books on the disaster were reviewed last

PHOTOS: (Top) Courtesy of HBO; (bottom two) Liam Daniel/HBO

(From left) Stellan Skarsgard, Jared Harris, Emily Watson

month in the New York Review of Books — Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future by Kate Brown (Norton, 2019); Midnight at Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham (Simon and Schuster, 2019); and Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy (Basic Books, 2019).

Despite more than three decades of disaster autopsies like these, there is still no agreed-on figure for Chernobyl-related fatalities. Official counts put the number of deaths from acute radiation at 50, but United Nations agencies estimated 4,000 resulting deaths and Greenpeace International said the number could be as high as 90,000. Mazin believes the count is in the tens of thousands.

And the impact continues. In Ukraine, radioactivity in milk is more than 12 times the government’s allowable limit for children, and up to five times the limit for adults — rates occurring in villages as distant as 140 miles from the disaster site, according to scientists from the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter and the Ukranian Institute of Agricultural Radiology. Their report was published in the journal Environment International last June. Without robust interventions, scientists claim, radiation in milk will remain above adult levels until 2040 and above what is allowable for children for even longer. The samples were taken from 14 villages in the Rivne region of Northwest Ukraine. Farmers reportedly say they know the milk is unsafe, but they have no other way to support their families.

PHOTO: Liam Daniel/HBO

Jared Harris plays Valery Legazov, a Soviet scientist who investigates the accident.

Mazin says the most important takeaway from the gripping miniseries is not that nuclear power plants are bad. American nuclear power plants are among the best alternatives to carbon-burning energy, he said, and they are well-constructed with good safety protocols: nothing like the shoddily built and run Soviet-era power plants. The warning Mazin hopes resonates with viewers is that Chernobyl’s root causes still echo in the U.S. and the rest of the world. And the consequences could be globally catastrophic. Mazin concludes that Chernobyl happened because politicians dismissed scientists, denied facts and ignored the truth, which led to terrible decisions. They did it to protect a Soviet system that was corrupt and inhumane, he added. But much of the world is still facing a life-and-death problem with an ominous parallel — the toxic combination of scientists’ warnings against global warming, and politicians who deny it despite an alarming study by 300 scientists widely reported in November.

“I want people to watch and absorb the lessons,” said Mazin. “By the time you reach the final episode, you will see it is a story about truth and lies. And what happens when people believe the lies instead of the truth.” |||| 05.19 | ARROYO | 45

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

May the Fourth Be With You NERDS OF THE WORLD, REJOICE! STAR WARS HAS ITS OWN NATIONAL DAY IN MAY.

BY LESLIE BILDERBACK inspire a chef-fan. Okay. Aunt Beru does make something with roots; there are incidental

being a graduation month, and mother’s month, and a labor month, is an

be sexy but isn’t), and there are many creatures eating other creatures (Chewbacca roasts

year. And so, it is with great pleasure that I inform you that May, besides

incredibly important month for space nerds. I’m guessing you might know one or two,

fruits (Anakin makes a pear float in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, which is supposed to

the adorable Porg over a campfire in The Last Jedi). But if you want to throw a Star Wars

given our proximity to both JPL and Hollywood. National Space Day is May 3, National

Party on May the Fourth (and why wouldn’t you?), you will have to resort to the hackiest

known as National Star Wars Day.

into foods of the galaxy.

Astronauts Day is May 5 and the holy grail of nerd holidays is May the Fourth, commonly May the Fourth hasn’t been National Star Wars Day for long. It was initiated in

method of menu writing — pun foods. There is simply no resource for thoughtful insight

There is one series of cookbooks officially licensed by Lucasfilm, and it is full of recipes

Canada for a 2011 Star Wars film festival, and the date was chosen for the play on words

that are amusingly clever plays on words. And that’s totally fine — more power to the

greet everyone with “May the fourth (or force) be with you,” and if you are a real fan, you

thing. In fact, I have tried and failed to sell franchise tie-in cookbooks over the years. It

— a brilliant move that I can’t believe wasn’t conceived of earlier. On this day, you should will don your May the Fourth T-shirt, and serve up some blue milk.

Unfortunately, blue milk (served up by Luke Skywalker’s Aunt Beru in Star Wars

authors. They scored gold with that deal, and I would have 100 percent done the same ain’t easy.

But for me, when creating a themed dinner, I prefer that the recipes tie into the

Episode IV: A New Hope) is the only real food that can be positively associated with the

theme’s universe. I want to look into the fictional material and imagine what agriculture

of the other 10 films associated with the franchise. Sure, there are the power-bar-looking

employed. It’s all made up anyway, so why not make it interesting and delicious, rather

films. Because, unfortunately for us recipe writers, there is little in the way of eating in any things Luke eats on Dagoba (when he first meets Yoda), and there is the magic-towel

food Rey eats in Episode VII: The Force Awakens, but there is nothing really significant. No great feast with scenes of our heroes digging in, or extended meal preparation that would 46 | ARROYO | 05.19

would be like, what spices might be available, what cultural cooking methods might be than simply cute? And for me, a meal must first and foremost be delicious. Wookie

Cookies (which are just chocolate chip cookies, and aren’t even hairy), Death Star Cheese Balls, Princess Leia Cinnamon Rolls and Luke Skywaffles are all very amusing, but not

PHOTO: Courtesy of theaprongal.com

A

s my regular readers know, I am exploring the National Day Calendar this

really related to the Star Wars universe. And frankly, they wouldn’t make a very nice dinner party.

But that said, I have little to offer because, although it has happened in the past, this

year I will not be throwing a May the Fourth party. Mainly because the biggest fan in

the family is far away. But also, although my family is incredibly nerdy (which, if you are a regular reader, you’ve already figured out), I’m really not. Once, long ago, I met a guy I thought was cute. I wanted him to like me, so I watched all the sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV shows he liked. They were fine — but I was not moved emotionally by their

content to the same extent. I was, however, moved by him. Eventually this nerd fandom

progressed to attending conventions and spawning baby nerds. Still, throughout all this I have remained a nerd by association — a contact nerd.

Fast-forward 30 years, and suddenly being a nerd is cool. When we were kids,

admitting you were a nerd was super lame, and it almost certainly guaranteed you a swirly (a teenage method of torture too gruesome to describe in a food column). But today being nerdy is sexy. So much so that people just say they are nerds without even really knowing

what that means. It is a cultural phenomenon that has lost all meaning because it became ubiquitous — and I won’t do it.

Not really being a nerd, I suppose I ought not be so irked by the appropriation of nerd

culture. But it bugs me just as much as sports teams doing Native American chants, and Mickey Rooney playing Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It doesn't belong to you.

Find your own culture, then flaunt that. I don’t suppose it is exactly the same thing, but

the inauthenticity annoys me. Then again, who am I to say what makes a nerd authentic?

I’m no one, that’s who. But it has been interesting to watch the cultural shift from my vantage point. Having caught the my fifth-grader secretly watching all the Star Wars

movies back to back in the middle of the night in preparation for the release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and reading Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces to better

understand Luke Skywalker instead of doing math homework, I feel I have at least some insight.

THE VIP

But I suppose that if you are truly a nerd, you’re thrilled that all the cool people are

wearing “nerds are sexy” T-shirts. Or perhaps true nerds don’t even notice, or care. And I think there is something very appealing about people being true to themselves, and

liking what they like without the need for cultural validation. Which is why I married one of them.

||||

Chewbacca Chewies Here’s an appropriately “hairy-looking” cookie, which I submit in place of the “wookie cookie.” It does not appear in the franchise in any form, but it will please your sweet-toothed Star Wars nerd. After your Star Wars celebration you can continue the nerd festivities with Free Comic Book Day, also on May 4, and National Twilight Zone Day on May 11.

Ingredients

PHOTO: Courtesy of Del Frisco's Grille

INGREDIENTS 1½ cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips 1½ cup chocolate chips 3 tablespoons peanut butter

METHOD

W

BY MICHAEL CERVIN

hen Del Frisco's Grille opened on Lake Avenue in 2014, its signature cocktail, The VIP, was introduced to Pasadena. It’s a simple concoction of vodka and fresh pineapple, and simplicity informs the restaurant’s décor as well. The interior is old-school clubhouse with a touch of modern elegance — lots of wood tones, leather upholstery and clean lines, nothing complicated.

And the VIP is just that. Beyond understated, it is a superb and simple cocktail perfect before dinner. Pineapple and tangerine-flavored vodka, it can’t get much simpler than that. Though this cocktail sounds like a one-trick pony, it offers elements of spring, fresh citrus and muted pineapple and is easily quaffable. The staff refers to this as a “vacation in a glass.” Try it with their cheesesteak egg rolls with sweet and spicy chili sauce, or their sesame-crusted seared ahi tuna. The VIP is also one of the easiest cocktails to make at home during the warm months ahead. ||||

3 cups crunchy chow mein noodles 1 cup peanuts, chopped roughly 1 cup shredded coconut

1. Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine the chow mein noodles, peanuts and coconut. Set aside.

2. Melt together the chocolate and other chips in a microwave or double boiler (for microwave, be sure to stop and stir every 15 seconds to prevent scorching). Once melted, add peanut butter and stir to combine.

3. Pour melted chips over the chow mein mixture, and fold together until all ingredients are well coated. Drop by large tablespoons onto the prepared pan, then chill for at least 30 minutes to set. Serve with a tall glass of Aunt Beru’s blue milk.

THE VIP INGREDIENTS

4 pineapples 1½ liters Svedka Clementine Vodka

Orange peel

METHOD

Quarter pineapples and remove the cores and skins. Marinate the pineapple for two weeks in 1½ liters of vodka. Strain into large container. When ready to use pour 5 ounces into shaker and add crushed ice. Shake vigorously to build a froth. Rim chilled martini glass with orange peel, strain shaker contents into glass and add peel as garnish.

05.19 | ARROYO | 47

THE LIST COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER Chamber Orchestra Hosts Annual Gala

Beckman Auditorium is located on Michi-

May 2 — The Los

events.caltech.edu.

gan Avenue south of Del Mar Boulevard, Pasadena. Call (626) 395-4652 or visit

Angeles Chamber

tercontinental Hotel in downtown L.A. The

Community and Career Help for Mom

gala welcomes Music Director Designate

May 4 — The Happy

Orchestra hosts its annual concert gala at 6 p.m. at the In-

Jaime Martín before he takes the reins in

Mom Conference

the fall and honors Concertmaster Marga-

takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pasa-

ret Batjer on her 20th anniversary in the po-

dena’s Paseo Colorado, offering mothers

sition. Martín leads LACO artists in Manuel

connection, community and career-savvy

de Falla’s sung ballet “El Amor Brujo.” The

support. The celebrity keynote speaker is

event also includes dinner, silent auctions,

Ali Landry, model and actress. Panelists

cocktails, wine and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets

include “Optimism Doctor” Deepika Cho-

are $1,000 and up.

pra (daughter of Deepak), Kelly LeVeque,

The Intercontinental Hotel is located at 900

Liz Arch and others. A Mother’s Market-

Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

place features mom-oriented products;

May 9 — LACO’s Baroque Conversations

guests receive swag bags and refresh-

series features Matthew Halls conducting

ments. Tickets, available on the website,

a program of Bach, Purcell and Lully at

cost $100 to $130.

7:30 p.m. in Zipper Hall. Ticket prices start

Paseo Colorado is located at 300 E. Colo-

at $52.

rado Blvd., Pasadena. Visit landofmom.com.

Zipper Hall is located at 200 S. Grand Ave.,

Sondheim Smash at the Alex

L.A. May 18 — Guest conductor Barnard Labadie joins German lyric soprano Lydia Tuescher in a program of Bach, Handel,

TASTE WALK IN GLENDALE

May 5 — The Musical Theatre Guild presents Sunday in

Mozart and Haydn at 8 p.m. at Glendale’s

May 1 — Taste Walk Glendale returns from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with a banquet of

Alex Theatre. Tickets are $28 and up.

food samples from more than 40 restaurants, plus beer and wine stations and

the Park with George, winner of the 1985

The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand

live music. It takes place along Brand Boulevard between Lexington Drive and

Pulitzer Prize for drama, with music and

Blvd., Glendale. Call (213) 622-7001 or visit

Colorado Street in downtown Glendale. Proceeds benefit Glendale Arts, the Alex

lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by

laco.org.

Theatre and youth arts programs. Tickets are $15 to $250.

James Lapine. The 7 p.m. performance

Visit tastewalkglendale.com.

follows Georges Seurat's imagined journey

School Choirs Sing Free at Disney

as he creates the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte; the musical then focuses on a modern-day

May 3 — The Los Angeles Master Chorale

les Master Chorale Chamber Ensemble,

Destino and Schoenberg’s violin concerto,

descendent of Seurat, an artist blocked

celebrates its 30th an-

conducted by Jenny Wong at 11 a.m.

“Orchard in Fog.” Featured violinist is Anne

and wrestling to generate with his creative

nual High School Choir

Admission is free, but tickets are required,

Akiko Meyers; David Lockington conducts.

spark in today’s commercial world. Tickets

Festival with a performance by more

available on the Master Chorale website.

Tickets are $35 to $123.

are $45.

than 1,000 student singers from schools

If tickets run out online, more will be avail-

Ambassador Auditorium is located at 131

The Alex Theatre is located at 216 N. Brand

around the L.A. area, including Glendale

able in the lobby at 10 a.m.

S. St. John Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-

Blvd., Glendale Call (818) 243-2539 or visit

High School and Pasadena’s Marshall

Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 S.

7172 or visit pasadenasymphony-pops.org.

alextheatre.org or musicaltheatreguild.com.

Fundamental Secondary School. A pop-

Grand Ave., L.A. Visit lamasterchorale.org.

up performance led by choral composer/ conductor Eric Whitacre starts at 11:30 a.m. outdoors on the main staircase of Walt Disney Concert Hall. The main con-

Symphony Classics Season Closes

cert follows at 1 p.m., conducted by Kiki

May 4 — The

and David Gindler Artistic Director Grant

Pasadena Sym-

Gershon and Whitacre, artist-in-residence.

phony presents its final

Searing Political Comedy at Caltech

Ride for Ronnie Combats Cancer

May 4 — The political

nual Ride for Ronnie

comedy group Capi-

motorcycle ride and

tol Steps makes its an-

May 5 — The fifth an-

concert, in honor of

nual Caltech appearance at 3 and 8 p.m.

the late heavy metal singer Ronnie James

The program includes Handel’s “Hallelujah”

Singpoli Symphony Classics concert of

at Beckman Auditorium. The ensemble

Dio, raises funds for the Ronnie James

chorus as well as works by Abbie Betinis,

the season, with performances at 2 and

of former congressional staffers performs

Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund for

Sydney Guillaume, Rosephanye Powell

8 p.m. at Ambassador Auditorium. The

song parodies poking fun at politicians

cancer research. Motorcycle riders gather

and Juan Pérez Bocanegra. The day also

program features Beethoven’s Symphony

and other newsmakers on all sides of cur-

at Harley-Davidson of Glendale for check-

includes a performance by the Los Ange-

No. 5, Verdi’s overture to La Forza del

rent issues. Tickets are $10 to $49.

in, onsite registration and a continental

48 | ARROYO | 05.19

THE LIST

breakfast at 9 a.m. At 11 a.m. the ride

to panel discussions and interactive

leaves for Los Encinos State Historic Park

roundtables. Admission costs $15 per

in Encino, where a rally and concert start

person, $19 for two or $24 for a family pass

at 11:45 a.m., continuing to 5 p.m. The

for three.

concert is hosted by radio and televi-

The Pasadena Convention Center is

sion personality Eddie Trunk, who will also

located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.

perform with Eddie Trunk’s All Star Band.

Call (626) 793-2122 or visit visitpasadena.

Other acts scheduled are Dio cover band

com/events/travel-expo/.

DIA, rock band Budderside and Petty

beer, wine, water, soft drinks and food will

Home History Tips at Restoration Expo

be available for purchase. Advance

May 11 — The Glendale Historical Society

registration, including the concert, costs

presents its annual Restoration Expo from

$35 per rider, $10 per passenger or $25

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Glendale Civic

for concert only. Day-of registration is $40

Auditorium. The one-day event spotlights

per rider, $15 per passenger, $30 for the

specialists, contractors, landscape and

concert only.

interior design professionals, period and

Harley-Davidson of Glendale is located

reproduction tile and hardware suppliers

at 3717 San Fernando Rd., Glendale. Los

and other resources. Owners of vintage

Encinos State Historic Park is located at

homes can receive practical ideas on

16756 Moorpark St., Encino. Visit

maintaining and restoring the original

rideforronnie2019.eventbrite.com or

charm and character of their properties,

diocancerfund.com.

while meeting the needs of modern living.

Cash. A silent auction is included, and

Admission is free and open to the public.

Food Bowl Features Night Market

The Glendale Civic Auditorium is located

May 8 through 12 — The annual Food

at 1401 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale. Visit

Bowl, sponsored by the Los Angeles

glendalehistorical.org.

Times, offers a month of dining activities, celebrating the cuisine and people of L.A.

Mathis’ Voice — Old but Still Gold

and Mexico. Of special note is the Night

May 16 — Johnny Mathis makes his

Market from Wednesday through Sunday,

Pasadena debut at 8 p.m. at the Pasa-

starting at 5 p.m. in Grand Park. Look for

dena Civic Auditorium. Celebrating the

dozens of food vendors, pop-ups, chef

artist’s 62 years as a star, Mathis will per-

collaborations, art installations and live

form his hits as well as personal favorites.

music, curated by the food staff at the

Tickets are $59 to $125.

Times. Admission to the market is free, and

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is located

there are also ticketed events for $75 per

at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626)

person, including the Wednesday Col-

793-2122 or go to visitpasadena.com/

laboration Lab, the Thursday Taco Tribute,

events/johnny-mathis.

the Friday Fried Chicken Party, L.A.’s Best Burger and Dumplings & Noodles on

MUSE/IQUE Season Swings Out

Saturday and All-Star BBQ on Sunday. The

May 19 — Pasadena’s Muse/Ique orchestra

Food Bowl benefits the L.A. Regional Food

presents its final concert of the season,

Bank, Food Forward and the Midnight

“Swinging/Stars,” at Caltech’s Milliken Pond.

Mission.

The 7 p.m. program celebrates the cosmos

Grand Park is located at 200 N. Grand

with a performance of works by such artists

Ave., in downtown L.A. Visit

as Gustav Holst and David Bowie. Mingling

lafoodbowl.com.

starts at 6 p.m., with food and drinks available for purchase. Guests may also

All Things Travel at Pasadena Civic

bring their own refreshments. Tickets are

May 11 — The Travel Expo comes to the

Caltech’s Milliken Pond is on the Caltech

Pasadena Convention Center from 10

campus, 1200 E. California Blvd.,

a.m. to 6 p.m., showcasing global cultures

Pasadena. Call (626) 539-7085 or visit

and people. Meet travel industry experts,

muse-ique.com.

fellow travelers and tour operators; listen

$70.

–continued on page 50 05.19 | ARROYO | 49

THE LIST

ARTISAN WORKS AT JACKALOPE FAIR May 18 and 19 — The spring installment of the Jackalope Indie Artisan Fair joins this year’s Burbank Arts Festival. Jackalope features trendsetting specialty goods handmade by more than 100 artisans. The Burbank Arts Festival includes live music, chalk artists and other attractions along the route. Admission to Jackalope and the Arts Festival is free. They run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days.

The festival takes place along San Fernando Boulevard between Angeleno and Orange Grove avenues in downtown Burbank. Visit jackalopeartfair.com.

–continued from page 49

Preservation Brunch at Blinn House

The Blinn House is located at 160 N.

May 19 — The annual Dr. Robert Winter

0560 or visit blinnhouse.org.

Oakland Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 796-

Award Champagne Brunch, hosted by

50 | ARROYO | 05.19

The Blinn House Foundation, is sched-

Pulitzer–Winner Marshall Speaks

uled for Sunday at the historic Blinn

May 30 — Author and Pasadena native

House in Pasadena. This year’s honorees

Megan Marshall speaks at the Pasadena

are Cathy and Lew Phelps, advocates

Public Library’s Allendale Branch at 2 p.m.

for local historic preservation for more

The Emerson College professor discusses

than 30 years. The couple is credited

and reads from her book about the

with launching Pasadena Heritage’s

legendary investigative reporter, Marga-

annual Craftsman Weekend, among

ret Fuller: A New American Life (Mariner

other accomplishments. The event starts

Books), which won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for

with a reception at 11:30 a.m., and the

Biography. Admission is free and open to

Champagne brunch starts at noon. Tick-

the public.

ets are $75 each. Dr. Winter served as a

The Pasadena Public Library’s Allendale

college professor, author, preservation

Branch is located at 1130 S. Marengo Ave.,

advocate and musician for more than

Pasadena. Call (626) 744-7260 or email

60 years. He passed away on Feb. 9.

Jean Penn at jpenn@cityofpasadena.net.

05.19 | ARROYO | 51