Columnist
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On Preservation: Well-heeled hero wanted to free Wright’s tarnished treasure
When Harriett Freeman deeded her home in the Hollywood Hills to the University of Southern California in 1984, she must have thought that she had taken an action to ensure its preservation and protection. Built in 1924, the rare architectural treasure was designed for Samuel and Harriett Freeman by none other than America’s most renowned […]
Pinewood Derby spotlights craftsmanship as well as racing
LISTON SPEEDWAY, Larchmont — Despite a strong surge from Jace Kim’s yellow Spiderman car, Jaden De Guzman’s blue and red Streak held the lead in the final race to remain undefeated the entire day in Cub Scout Pack 16’s Bear and Wolf combined-dens Pinewood Derby at Liston Speedway in the heart of Larchmont on May […]
The Nimby Diaries: Homes end homelessness — we need to say ‘yes’ to new housing
Recent polling found 66% of California voters (54% of whom were Republicans) approve of a bill to amend the California Constitution to establish a fundamental human right to housing. So, how is California doing — housing our residents? Sadly, Los Angeles allowed the population of the unhoused to escalate to crisis levels before taking action. […]
On Preservation: 410 N. Rossmore and the design of additions to historic buildings
For a few months now, I have been watching with some interest the saga of 410 N. Rossmore Ave., the sturdy Art Deco stump which sits between the stately dowagers, the El Royale and Country Club Manor, just north of Beverly Boulevard. The proposed project has given rise to multiple news articles, acrimonious review committee […]
Will ‘Diana,’ the musical, be as ill-fated as the people’s princess?
“It’s May! It’s May! The lusty month of May,” as Lerner and Lowe wrote in their musical, “Camelot.” Spring has sprung! Announcements blossom like crocuses, as theaters reopen from London to Los Angeles: the Globe, Shakespeare in the Park, our own Hollywood Bowl. The Fountain Theater will turn its East Hollywood parking lot into an […]
Nightmare on Wilton Place: Another historic home lost
There is a disturbance in the atmosphere of the leafy community of Wilton Place. A house has been brutally vandalized. Tragically, it is a familiar story: 215 S. Wilton Pl., a treasured historic home, built in 1907 and designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1992, and also within the Wilton Place National Historic District, […]
