CALABASAS TO REVIVE OLD WEST AMBIENCE : CALABASAS AIMS FOR OLD WEST LOOK.Byline: Susan Goldsmith Daily News Staff Writer If city leaders have their way, this small community off the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. will have a rock-solid identity by the end of the year: a little bit of the Old West in the heart of the suburbs. This summer, Calabasas will undertake its most ambitious municipal project to date - a $2 million overhaul of the city's downtown. The renovation aims to turn the clock back 100 years to wooden boardwalks, hitching posts, a hanging tree, cobblestone walkways and lamps in turn-of-the-century style. ``We're trying to create a place in a town that has no sense of place: L.A.,'' said Steve Harris Steve Harris or Stephen Harris may refer to:
Although the idea for the project had been kicking around for years, a $2 million federal grant from the Economic Development Administration turned the notion into reality. ``This is the city's first major project since incorporating in 1991,'' said city manager Chuck Cate. ``We're trying to create a pedestrian-friendly environment where people can step back in time.'' Work on the project is scheduled to start this summer and finish by the end of the year, Cate said. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Harris, the decision to turn the downtown area along Calabasas Road into an Old West town was far from random. That stretch was a commercial center in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. during the 1800s - a stagecoach stagecoach, heavy, closed vehicle on wheels, usually drawn by horses, formerly used to transport passengers and goods overland. Throughout the Middle Ages and until about the end of the 18th cent. stop between Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and Ventura. And at the heart of the downtown area is the sprawling Miguel Leonis Adobe - an 1844 ranch center and two-story home that is part of the National Registry of Historic Places. But except for the historic ranch and a couple of Western-style storefronts nearby, there are few reminders of the community's Old West heritage. ``Calabasas once was a sleepy little Western town, but that's long gone,'' said Jean Lamont, a Leonis Adobe docent. ``We can't take out the freeway.'' Nonetheless, the history buff is thrilled that the city is taking its Western heritage seriously. ``I believe in trying to preserve where you've been, so you know where you're going,'' Lamont said. Business owners also like the idea, convinced the themed downtown will help attract more visitors to Calabasas. ``Regulars and locals come here anyway, but I think it'll bring more tourists here,'' said Kathy Palumbo, manager of the Sagebrush sagebrush, name for several species of Artemisia, deciduous shrubs of the family Asteraceae (aster family), particularly abundant in arid regions of W North America. The common sagebrush (A. Cantina can·ti·na n. Southwestern U.S. A bar that serves liquor. [Spanish, canteen, from Italian, wine cellar.] , a popular Mexican restaurant in the heart of the Old Town area. ``It'll be nice to bring some of Calabasas' Old West flavor back.'' The idea for the Old Town renovation arose about five years ago when a plan was being considered to build a modern, three-story glass office building in the city's downtown. Concerned the building would forever destroy efforts to revive the town's Western theme, a group of residents formed the Old Town Coalition to convince the developer to revamp re·vamp tr.v. re·vamped, re·vamp·ing, re·vamps 1. To patch up or restore; renovate. 2. To revise or reconstruct (a manuscript, for example). 3. To vamp (a shoe) anew. n. the project's design, said member William Pauli. Before long, the office-building proposal was waylaid by the recession, but the Old Town Coalition decided to stay together and promote Old Town's revitalization, Pauli said. ``Old Town is a significant area in Calabasas with a historical background and a charm that's unique,'' Pauli said. ``We wanted to keep that as a vital part of the city.'' At Savannah Savannah, city, United States Savannah, city (1990 pop. 137,560), seat of Chatham co., SE Ga., a port of entry on the Savannah River near its mouth; inc. 1789. A Coffee Oasis - a restaurant-coffeehouse in the center of the Old Town area - there's a lot of excitement about the renovation. Savannah employees are convinced the project will transform an area that is not very appealing to pedestrians into a themed destination interesting for local residents and tourists alike. ``I think it's going to bring a lot of foot traffic to the area, and that's really needed. There's no sidewalks now - no area to just stroll,'' said Savannah manager Jon Goldstein. ``And it's definitely the right theme.'' The Western downtown area will blend in Verb 1. blend in - blend or harmonize; "This flavor will blend with those in your dish"; "This sofa won't go with the chairs" blend, go fit, go - be the right size or shape; fit correctly or as desired; "This piece won't fit into the puzzle" easily with the rest of the city, Goldstein predicted. ``I don't think it conflicts with the newly developed Calabasas,'' he said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO William Pauli is working in the Calabasas Old Town Co alition to revitalize the community's downtown area. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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