Getty Announces $1.4 Million in Grants for Architectural Preservation of Historic Buildings and Sites in Los Angeles County.

    News & Lifestyle Editors/Architecture Writers

      LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 27, 2000--

            21 Preserve L.A. Grantees Exemplify Diversity
                  of Los Angeles' Cultural Heritage

      A historic African-American sorority house, an early California
adobe, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and Frank Lloyd Wright's Freeman
House are among 21 Los Angeles County landmarks that will benefit from
a total of $1.4 million in grants announced today by the J. Paul Getty
Trust.
      The Getty's Preserve L.A. initiative, a new three-year program
launched last December, provides funds to conserve landmark buildings
and sites of architectural, cultural and historical significance.
      The grantees represent a broad spectrum of landmarks, from
historic residences and garden landscapes to museums, schools,
libraries and places of worship that have played a unique role in
defining the identity of local communities.
      Nineteen recipients were awarded planning grants of up to $75,000
for developing comprehensive strategies for the conservation of
historic buildings and districts in the county.
      In addition, two projects -- the historic Griffith Observatory and
the Greene & Greene-designed Oaklawn Bridge in South Pasadena -- for
which exemplary conservation planning has already been completed will
receive implementation grants of $200,000 and $150,000, respectively,
to conserve and protect the historic structure of these landmark
sites.
      "We are delighted to support such a wide range of local projects
that reflect the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Los Angeles,"
said Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Grant Program.
      "The tremendous interest in Preserve L.A. resulted in a high
volume of worthy applications for this initial deadline, and that made
the selection process particularly competitive. We look forward to
continuing the initiative over the next two years."
      Preserve L.A. is designed to complement the national Save
America's Treasures campaign, which received one of the Getty's
largest single grants -- $1.1 million -- in 1998.
      An initiative of the White House Millennium Council in partnership
with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America's
Treasures was created to protect artifacts and places of historic
value throughout the United States.
      Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, commented: "Historic sites are the backbones of our
communities and economies, yet they are too often threatened by
neglect, deterioration and insufficient funds.
      "I am delighted that Preserve L.A. is reinforcing the national
Save America's Treasures program by providing these additional
resources to safeguard the heritage of Los Angeles."
      The application deadline for the next round of Preserve L.A.
grants will be announced later this year. Interested applicants --
including nonprofit organizations responsible for managing historic
sites of all types, including schools, religious structures, public
buildings, neighborhoods and commercial areas -- should contact the
Getty Grant Program office at 310/440-7320 or visit the Getty's Web
site at www.getty.edu/grant/preservela.
      The Getty is an international cultural and philanthropic
institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty
Museum as well as programs for education, scholarship and
conservation. The J. Paul Getty Trust and the Getty programs are
located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
      The Getty Grant Program, part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, provides
crucial support for projects in the areas of art history, museum
practice and conservation undertaken by institutions and individuals
throughout the world. Through its local grantmaking and programs, the
Getty maintains a special commitment to its home city of Los Angeles.
      Since 1984, the Getty has given grants totaling more than $44
million to local organizations.
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                       Grants Awarded -- July 2000

Planning Grants:

Alpha Gamma Omega House (South Los Angeles)
Alpha Gamma Omega Foundation, $50,000

The 1911 Craftsman Alpha Gamma Omega House, in the historic West Adams
neighborhood of Los Angeles, is one of the oldest graduate chapters of
the first African-American sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Founded in
1908, the sorority includes members Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou and
Coretta Scott King. Preserve L.A. funds will support a historic-
structure report for the future use and management of the chapter
house.

Architectural Design Guidelines for the Historic Core of Downtown L.A.
Los Angeles Conservancy, $65,000

The Los Angeles Conservancy, the Historic Core Business Improvement
District (BID), the Downtown Center BID and the Fashion District BID
will join forces to develop design guidelines for the rehabilitation
of historic buildings within the historic core of downtown Los
Angeles. These guidelines will assist property owners, developers and
design professionals in facilitating the preservation and
rehabilitation of historic buildings in an area that includes two
National Register Districts.

Brand Library
City of Glendale, $65,000

Prominent Glendale developer Leslie C. Brand commissioned and resided
in the Brand Mansion, known as El Miradero. Designed by architect
Nathaniel Dryden, the 1904 home was inspired by the East Indian
Pavilion of the 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago. A blend of
Spanish, East Indian, Moorish and Victorian architectural styles, the
home is now a branch of the Glendale Public Library system. Preserve
L.A. funds will support a historic-structure report, as well as
conservation and conditions assessments of the building.

Catholic-Protestant Chapel and the Streetcar Depot (West Los Angeles)
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, $75,000

In continuous operation since 1880, the V.A. Greater Los Angeles
Healthcare System includes a variety of historic buildings. Two of
these -- a 1900 Victorian-era chapel, designed to include both
Protestant and Catholic worship spaces, and a rare 1890 trolley depot
that once connected trolley lines between Los Angeles and Santa Monica
-- are the focus of the current planning project. Preserve L.A. grant
funds will support the creation of a historic-structure report for
these buildings.

Christ Faith Mission-Pisgah Home (Highland Park)
Christ Faith Mission, $45,000

The Christ Faith Mission-Pisgah Home, located within the Highland Park
Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, is a two-acre missionary complex
consisting of 13 structures ranging from the 1890 barn-like Tabernacle
to assorted single-family Queen Anne and Craftsman bungalows built
between 1900 and 1920. Established in 1895 by Dr. Finis Yoakum, an
early leader in the Pentecostal Church movement, Christ Faith Mission
is both a church and community service organization. The Preserve L.A.
grant will support a conservation plan for the site.

Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Hollywood)
Church of the Blessed Sacrament, $55,000

Blessed Sacrament Parish was the first Catholic parish in Hollywood
and remains one of the largest churches in Los Angeles. The Sunset
Boulevard campus -- with its exuberant Spanish Churrigueresque church
and Beaux-Arts parochial school -- is a prominent local landmark. The
church will use Getty funds to prepare a conservation plan and to
explore ways to reconnect the campus to its surroundings.

Faith United Presbyterian Church (Highland Park)
Faith United Presbyterian Church, $65,000

Faith United Presbyterian Church was designed in the Gothic Revival
style by architect George M. Lindsey between 1923 and 1924, during a
period of rapid development in the church and throughout northeast Los
Angeles. The Getty grant will enable the church to create a
comprehensive conservation plan and will contribute to broader
preservation efforts related to the Highland Park Historic
Preservation Overlay Zone, Los Angeles' largest historic district.

Historic Schools in the LAUSD
Los Angeles Unified School District, $50,000

The Los Angeles Unified School District includes a variety of
historically and culturally significant buildings in an assortment of
architectural styles, including 1920s classical, Mediterranean
revival, Depression-era Streamline Moderne, and Modern and
International Style examples. The LAUSD will use grant funds to
complete its first historic-resource survey to inventory and document
the district's rich array of buildings, campuses and other historic
resources. By providing baseline preservation information, the survey
will inform future planning and preservation efforts within the
district.

"The History of Transportation" Mural (Inglewood)
City of Inglewood, $50,000

"The History of Transportation" is a 1940 Work Projects Administration
(WPA) mosaic mural by artist Helen Lundeberg. The 240-foot mural is
located at the intersection of Florence Avenue and Rodeo Road in
Inglewood, near what was once the main road connecting Los Angeles and
Inglewood. It has suffered damage resulting from auto accidents,
invasive vegetation and earthquake damage. Planning funds will be
used to identify the best means for conserving the mural.

Italian Hall (Downtown)
Historic Italian Hall Foundation, $35,000

From 1908 to 1931, the Italian Hall was the headquarters of the
Garibaldina Society and the social center of the Italian-American
community of Los Angeles. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Hall
anchors the northwest quadrant of El Pueblo. Working in concert with
El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, the foundation will use
Preserve L.A. funds to develop a plan to restore the Italian Hall and
make it accessible to the public once again.

Kellogg House (Pomona)
Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, $50,000

In 1949, breakfast-cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg donated his winter
ranch to the state of California to become the southern campus of
California Polytechnic University. The 1925 ranch house was designed
by Myron Hunt, architect of the Rose Bowl, while Charles Gibbs Adams,
whose work included the Hearst Castle Gardens, designed the
surrounding landscape. Grant funds will enable an interdisciplinary
team of specialists to develop a comprehensive conservation plan for
the historic landscape.

Lopez Adobe
City of San Fernando, $50,000

Built in 1882 for Mexican Army officer Don Geronimo Lopez, the Lopez
Adobe is an important example of California architecture during the
transitional period following the decline of the missions and the
extensive development of the Gold Rush era. Over the years, Lopez
Adobe has become a cultural icon for the city, and it is one of the
few historic structures to survive both the 1971 Sylmar and 1994
Northridge earthquakes. Preserve L.A. planning funds will enable the
city to undertake detailed historical, photographic, structural and
condition assessments that will guide future conservation efforts and
will enable it to reopen to the public as a house museum.

Pasadena's Residential Historic Districts
City of Pasadena, $50,000

One of the oldest cities in Los Angeles County, Pasadena is home to a
number of historic residences dating from the city's initial
settlement period (1880s-1900), the Arts and Crafts era (1905-1930)
and the postwar period (1945-1960). Grant funds will support the
publication of illustrated design guidelines based on the U.S.
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. The
guidelines will provide owners with essential information on how to
apply these standards to the care and stewardship of their historic
properties.

Reginald Johnson Reception Room and Rico Lebrun Mural (Baldwin Hills)
Village Green Owners Association, $45,000

Originally called Baldwin Hills Village, the Village Green is
considered by many to be the best West Coast example of "Garden City"
planning principles, which sought to encourage planned communities in
safe, verdant, garden-like settings. Architect Reginald Johnson
designed the development in the 1930s with input from the noted
planner Clarence Stein. The project will include an assessment of the
feasibility of restoring a 1942 Rico Lebrun mural in the reception
room as well as the development of architectural plans to conserve the
Johnson-designed reception room.

Samuel Freeman House (Hollywood)
University of Southern California, $75,000

The Freeman House, designed in 1924, is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's
three textile-block houses created as experimental low-cost housing
and as part of his search for a new architectural vocabulary for the
southwestern United States. The Freeman home served as a center of
avant-garde artistic and political activity in Los Angeles from the
1920s until the 1980s, when the family left the house to the
University of Southern California. Preserve L.A. funding will support
the development of plans for the treatment of the aging textile blocks
while the house undergoes a seismic retrofit.

Second Baptist Church (South Los Angeles)
Second Baptist Church, $75,000

Second Baptist Church is the oldest African-American church in Los
Angeles. Its landmark 1920s Romanesque Revival architecture was
designed by local architect Paul Williams. Today, the church remains
the core of economic, cultural and religious life for the surrounding
African-American community. Getty funds will be used to research,
document and identify the conservation needs of the church's 74-year-
old sanctuary.

Wattles Estate and Gardens (Hollywood)
Hollywood Heritage Inc., $75,000

Hollywood's only surviving winter estate, the Wattles house and
gardens, was built by Nebraskan businessman Gurdon Wattles when he
moved to Los Angeles in 1905. Its development began with Wattles'
gradual transformation of 49 acres of agricultural land into an
elegant home complemented by a dramatic series of orchards, thematic
gardens and naturalistic landscapes. The Preserve L.A. planning
project will support the completion of a historic-landscape report for
the Wattles gardens and the development of conservation treatment
guidelines for the site as a whole.

Wilshire Boulevard Temple (Mid-Wilshire)
Wilshire Boulevard Temple, $60,000

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, one of the largest Reform synagogues in
the country, was built in 1929 in the popular Moorish style. The
temple includes notable interior features such as stained-glass
windows, elaborate decorative painted schemes, and murals by Hugo
Ballin depicting the history of the Hebrew people. The Getty's
planning grant will help fund a master plan for the conservation of
the building and its decorative arts.

Workman House
City of Industry, $64,000

The Workman House was constructed in 1841 as a three-room adobe
farmhouse. The Mexican-era adobe was transformed over the next 30
years -- a period of increased agricultural development in the area --
to its current form as a picturesque Italianate cottage. The Preserve
L.A. project will include thorough documentation of the house, forming
a basis for future study to determine the best methods of
conservation.

Implementation Grants:

Griffith Observatory (Los Feliz)
Friends of the Observatory, $200,000

Completed in 1935, the iconic Griffith Observatory dominates the
southern slope of Mount Hollywood. This Art Deco Moderne landmark is
familiar to residents throughout Los Angeles and across the country.
Preserve L.A. implementation funding will further the Griffith
Observatory Renovation and Expansion Project by supporting the
conservation of the Planetarium's original 1934 copper dome roof.

Oaklawn Bridge (South Pasadena)
City of South Pasadena, $150,000

Constructed in 1906 as a link between the South Pasadena Oaklawn Tract
and Fair Oaks Avenue, the Oaklawn Bridge was the only bridge designed
by architect brothers Henry Mathew Greene and Charles Sumner Greene.
An important example of an early reinforced-concrete structure, the
gently arched bridge is located in the Oaklawn district, which is home
to the greatest concentration of Greene & Greene architecture in the
United States. Grant funds will support the conservation of the
bridge.

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    CONTACT: J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
             Sylvia Sukop or Lori Starr, 310/440-6966

    KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA ILLINOIS
    INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BUILDING/CONSTRUCTION REAL ESTATE