A Little History
The weather lately has been a lot warmer than usual- it's starting to feel like summer! We're both just relaxing as much as we can before my wife starts her internship and before I immerse myself in yet another round of job searching. It's a nice vacation for both of us; just some time alone to reconnect and enjoy each other's company.
Today we decided to go to the Museums of the Arroyo Day, an annual freebie involving several nearby museums just east of downtown L.A. in the Arroyo Seco, between Mt. Washington and Montecito Heights, and in Pasadena. Since we'd already gone to the Southwest Museum and we didn't have any interest in going to Pasadena, we just went to Heritage Square and the Lummis Home. I'd been to Heritage Square maybe fifteen years ago, and went to the Lummis Home about the same time, so it had been a while. I really didn't remember all that much. My wife was a first-time visitor.
We got there fairly early, soon after the museums opened, and it was already pretty crowded. We parked at the very end of the street, just off the freeway, and walked down to Heritage Square. This is a park-like area that contains several houses and buildings that used to be elsewhere in Los Angeles. Many of the buildings have been restored, at least on the outside, while several have had extensive work done to the interior. They were all Victorian-era homes, most in Eastlake or Queen Anne style, and are similar to the types of houses you would have seen on Bunker Hill prior to the "march of progress." A more contemporary setting would be the Carroll Avenue houses in Angelino Heights that I took my mother-in-law to see; these homes are also mostly Eastlake, Queen Anne, Italianate, etc. and date from the same time period.
The workers and volunteers were all dressed up as if it was still the turn of the 20th century, in Victorian or Edwardian-era clothing. Since Heritage Square was gated off, there were no modern vehicles, and it was possible to sort of envision what it must have looked like once upon a time. A couple of the houses were open on the ground floor, such as the Hale House, and furnishings could be found within, including old parlor furniture, kitchenware, etc.
Where Heritage Square differs from most museums is that there's hardly any signage or descriptions, so it was difficult to get a sense of the history of the house, its occupants, or how it wound up at Heritage Square. A brochure we obtained at the information booth provided a brief description of each building and the year it was moved to Heritage Square, but said nothing else. For the most part, our time there was appreciating the architecture of an era long gone.
The most interesting house there that we saw was the Octagon House, which once stood in Pasadena. It's in the shape of an octagon, and was very creatively designed. Definitely a lot of cross-ventilation and maximum use of space! No long hallways or narrow foyers that use up square footage, and since the frame was octagonal, it actually used a bit less wood than a usual square or rectangular-shaped home would. Some present-day developers could certainly learn a thing or two here.
Another home once belonged to a wood carver, and the interior of the house was beautiful, with wood-scroll carvings in the lintels, mantels, door frames, and everywhere. Although it was not clearly stated, I inferred that the former owner did all of this work himself. Right now it's in the process of being restored.
An old police car from the 20's had been brought out on the lawn for exhibition, and as we finished touring the handful of buildings, an old army truck from the WWI-1920's era pulled up, with several re-enactors in old army uniforms from the period. Considering the thermometer was pushing 90, I doubt it was very comfortable, but it certainly promoted a sense of authenticity!
Once we finished our tour, we took the free shuttle from Heritage Square to the Lummis home, just across the Pasadena Freeway from Heritage Square. This was once the home of Charles F. Lummis, a well-known journalist and historian who was a proponent of the Southwest and its peoples; he helped found the Southwest Museum (using his own collection of Native American artifacts to start the museum's holdings), which is not too far away. The house, called El Alisal, is constructed of boulders and concrete, and looks somewhat like a sort of Southwestern castle. Lummis built the place himself over a number of years, so his handiwork was quite evident throughout. The ground floor is open to the public, and contains some furnishings of Lummis', along with lots of photos and mementos lining the walls, including photos embedded in the window shutters. There are also offices within the house, as the home now houses the Historical Society of Southern California. The rear has a patio, where someone was giving a lecture. Behind that was a building which was not open to the public, but was apparently once the guest house (It probably contains offices for the HSSC). Surrounding El Alisal is a large garden filled with native flowers, shrubs, and plants, with plenty of cactus along the way.
By the time we finished, it was getting hotter, and we decided we'd had our fill of history and culture for a day. We walked back across the bridge spanning the freeway, and hopped into our car and sped home. It was a nice day to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Today we decided to go to the Museums of the Arroyo Day, an annual freebie involving several nearby museums just east of downtown L.A. in the Arroyo Seco, between Mt. Washington and Montecito Heights, and in Pasadena. Since we'd already gone to the Southwest Museum and we didn't have any interest in going to Pasadena, we just went to Heritage Square and the Lummis Home. I'd been to Heritage Square maybe fifteen years ago, and went to the Lummis Home about the same time, so it had been a while. I really didn't remember all that much. My wife was a first-time visitor.
We got there fairly early, soon after the museums opened, and it was already pretty crowded. We parked at the very end of the street, just off the freeway, and walked down to Heritage Square. This is a park-like area that contains several houses and buildings that used to be elsewhere in Los Angeles. Many of the buildings have been restored, at least on the outside, while several have had extensive work done to the interior. They were all Victorian-era homes, most in Eastlake or Queen Anne style, and are similar to the types of houses you would have seen on Bunker Hill prior to the "march of progress." A more contemporary setting would be the Carroll Avenue houses in Angelino Heights that I took my mother-in-law to see; these homes are also mostly Eastlake, Queen Anne, Italianate, etc. and date from the same time period.
The workers and volunteers were all dressed up as if it was still the turn of the 20th century, in Victorian or Edwardian-era clothing. Since Heritage Square was gated off, there were no modern vehicles, and it was possible to sort of envision what it must have looked like once upon a time. A couple of the houses were open on the ground floor, such as the Hale House, and furnishings could be found within, including old parlor furniture, kitchenware, etc.
Where Heritage Square differs from most museums is that there's hardly any signage or descriptions, so it was difficult to get a sense of the history of the house, its occupants, or how it wound up at Heritage Square. A brochure we obtained at the information booth provided a brief description of each building and the year it was moved to Heritage Square, but said nothing else. For the most part, our time there was appreciating the architecture of an era long gone.
The most interesting house there that we saw was the Octagon House, which once stood in Pasadena. It's in the shape of an octagon, and was very creatively designed. Definitely a lot of cross-ventilation and maximum use of space! No long hallways or narrow foyers that use up square footage, and since the frame was octagonal, it actually used a bit less wood than a usual square or rectangular-shaped home would. Some present-day developers could certainly learn a thing or two here.
Another home once belonged to a wood carver, and the interior of the house was beautiful, with wood-scroll carvings in the lintels, mantels, door frames, and everywhere. Although it was not clearly stated, I inferred that the former owner did all of this work himself. Right now it's in the process of being restored.
An old police car from the 20's had been brought out on the lawn for exhibition, and as we finished touring the handful of buildings, an old army truck from the WWI-1920's era pulled up, with several re-enactors in old army uniforms from the period. Considering the thermometer was pushing 90, I doubt it was very comfortable, but it certainly promoted a sense of authenticity!
Once we finished our tour, we took the free shuttle from Heritage Square to the Lummis home, just across the Pasadena Freeway from Heritage Square. This was once the home of Charles F. Lummis, a well-known journalist and historian who was a proponent of the Southwest and its peoples; he helped found the Southwest Museum (using his own collection of Native American artifacts to start the museum's holdings), which is not too far away. The house, called El Alisal, is constructed of boulders and concrete, and looks somewhat like a sort of Southwestern castle. Lummis built the place himself over a number of years, so his handiwork was quite evident throughout. The ground floor is open to the public, and contains some furnishings of Lummis', along with lots of photos and mementos lining the walls, including photos embedded in the window shutters. There are also offices within the house, as the home now houses the Historical Society of Southern California. The rear has a patio, where someone was giving a lecture. Behind that was a building which was not open to the public, but was apparently once the guest house (It probably contains offices for the HSSC). Surrounding El Alisal is a large garden filled with native flowers, shrubs, and plants, with plenty of cactus along the way.
By the time we finished, it was getting hotter, and we decided we'd had our fill of history and culture for a day. We walked back across the bridge spanning the freeway, and hopped into our car and sped home. It was a nice day to spend a Sunday afternoon.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 6:00 PM
<< Home