Community News
Raman and Ridley-Thomas sworn in
New City Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Mark Ridley-Thomas, elected in November, took office last month. Raman was sworn in to her new job representing Council District Four at a Dec. 15 ceremony where she announced her first two motions before City Council. Both proposals are aimed at addressing homelessness, a key campaign priority for Raman. […]
Chronicle to publish souvenir edition for Larchmont centennial in 2021
This upcoming September is Larchmont Village’s 100th anniversary, and the Larchmont Chronicle will be publishing a special “Souvenir Collector’s Edition.” This will be only the second such edition, following our coverage of the 50th anniversary in 1971. The theme of the 50th anniversary commemorative edition was “From Barley Fields to Affluent Suburb,” a closer look […]
Generous gifts saved Marionettes
Bob Baker Marionette Theater (BBMT) is celebrating because its fundraising campaign “Keep Imagination Alive” has already met — and even exceeded — its $365,000 goal. BBMT began the campaign in November in a desperate move to pay rent and keep the lights on, said Winona Bechtle, director of development. She added that the board and […]
Chevalier’s and other Lipson Building tenants transition to their new reality
Longtime tenants of the Lipson Building on Larchmont Boulevard had until midnight Dec. 31 to vacate the 17,000-square-foot property located at 124-148 N. Larchmont Blvd. New owner Malibu-based Christina Development purchased the property in Oct. 2018 for $23.5 million with plans to renovate the existing structure. Some of those tenants have found new locations while […]
What's Entertaining
Finding hope in small things that can hold greatness
Last month, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission recommended that the City Council designate the former print studio of Sister Mary Corita Kent, the “Pop Art Nun,” as an Historic-Cultural Monument — thus ending the year with a ray of hope. With all the challenges that our fair city has endured in the […]
Great theater is ephemeral — you have to be there; look to Juno
January, as Professor Know-It-All might have told us before he retired, is named after Janus, the Roman god of gates, doors, transitions and new beginnings. Representations of Janus show him looking simultaneously forward and backward, but, with only Google to rely on (or rather, DuckDuckGo) and not the inestimable Professor, it’s hard to know if […]
Children’s Institute virtual gala sparkles, raises $470,000
Confined to computer screen Zoom rectangles, the Children’s Institute’s third annual Cape & Gown Gala on Dec. 12 none-the-less sparkled in this difficult fundraising season. Emcee Loni Love, a comedian, Emmy Award-winning television host and actress, dazzled in cranberry-hued sequins while entertaining with humor and enthusiasm, and President and CEO Martine Singer warmly welcomed us […]
Poker is like life — it takes skill, good decisions and a bit of gambling
As we begin another year, I thought we should take a break from our lessons on how to win more at the poker table. Instead, let us contemplate how much alike are the games of poker and life. Do you know who said: “Life is just like a game. First you have to learn rules […]
Who's Doing What
Ko brings Bespoke Beauty to Larchmont
Makeup maven Toni Ko may have made her fortune in cosmetics, but she is also in the business of happiness. She painted her Bespoke Beauty Brands building, 320 N. Larchmont Blvd., a pastel shade reflective of her brand. “Pink is a happy color,” she says. And, in case anyone misses the subliminal message, she added […]
If you build it, they will come: St. Brendan Basketball
I never played basketball as a youth, so it was quite a learning experience when my friend Joe Byrne invited me to be his assistant coach on the Saint Brendan Basketball Association (SBBA) teams on which our sons were members. During one of the two seasons we coached together, the squad went undefeated, then it […]
Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Newstat, Chevalier’s manager, 72
Elizabeth “Liz” Clare Newstat, Hancock Park, passed away last month. She was 72. A long time employee and manager at Chevalier’s Books on Larchmont Boulevard, Newstat was considered the local aficionado on all things literary. Some of her work included selecting books for Chevalier’s, meeting with publishers and planning author events, as well as the […]
‘Professor Know-It-All’ knew it all for 32 years at Chronicle
Last month was the final installment of William Bentley’s “Professor Know-It-All” column. Bentley has been answering queries regarding word and phrase etymology for Larchmont Chronicle readers for 32 years. Bentley first pitched the idea to Jane Gilman, founder and former publisher of the Chronicle, because he thought the paper needed something lighthearted and fun. The […]
Real Estate News
Opening date moved to the fall for the Academy Museum
If you’re anticipating a visit to see the Bruce the Shark exhibit from the movie “Jaws” hanging over the escalators at the new Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., you will have to wait a little while longer. The opening date has been pushed back to Sept. 30. Originally scheduled to open last month, the opening […]
A quick trip through Los Angeles history with Wayne Ratkovich, Part II
Last month, the Larchmont Chronicle featured the first half of a talk that Windsor Square resident, and “famous real estate developer,” Wayne Ratkovich presented to the Auxiliary of the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in the spring of last year. Also last month, Wayne received another accolade, being honored on December 8 by the USC […]
National Trust adds Ebell to list of places where women made history
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Saving Places division announced in January 2020 a crowdsourcing campaign to find 1,000 places across America where women made history. The response to collecting these largely forgotten or undervalued […]
Other Recent Stories
Finding hope in small things that can hold greatness
Last month, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission recommended that the City Council designate the former print studio of Sister Mary Corita Kent, the “Pop Art Nun,” as an Historic-Cultural Monument — thus ending the year with a ray of hope. With all the challenges that our fair city has endured in the […]
Raman and Ridley-Thomas sworn in
New City Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Mark Ridley-Thomas, elected in November, took office last month. Raman was sworn in to her new job representing Council District Four at a Dec. 15 ceremony where she announced her first two motions before City Council. Both proposals are aimed at addressing homelessness, a key campaign priority for Raman. […]
Opening date moved to the fall for the Academy Museum
If you’re anticipating a visit to see the Bruce the Shark exhibit from the movie “Jaws” hanging over the escalators at the new Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., you will have to wait a little while longer. The opening date has been pushed back to Sept. 30. Originally scheduled to open last month, the opening […]
Ko brings Bespoke Beauty to Larchmont
Makeup maven Toni Ko may have made her fortune in cosmetics, but she is also in the business of happiness. She painted her Bespoke Beauty Brands building, 320 N. Larchmont Blvd., a pastel shade reflective of her brand. “Pink is a happy color,” she says. And, in case anyone misses the subliminal message, she added […]
