THIS OLD HOUSE COULD BE HISTORY ORIGINAL VALLEY BUNGALOW FACES WRECKING BALL.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer VAN NUYS -- In 1911, William Paul William Paul is the name of:
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. . Ninety-six years later, preservationists want to block another builder's plans to raze raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. the oldest known home in Van Nuys. "It's a shame -- there are so few of these buildings," said Laurie Lavine, president of the Valley Glen Improvement Association and a member of a loose-knit coalition to save the home. "This is the original Van Nuys, the humble beginnings Humble Beginnings was an American pop punk band from New Jersey. While never gaining large-scale success, many of the band's members went on to mainstream success with other outfits. started by a grand visionary. ... It all started here. It's incredible." On Tuesday, Lavine joined fellow preservationists outside the 1,000-square-foot house at 14628 Sylvan sylvan emanating from or pertaining to woods. See also sylvatic. St. They marveled at its gabled roof, hacked up (jargon, programming) hacked up - Sufficiently patched, kluged, and tweaked that the surgical scars are beginning to crowd out normal tissue (compare critical mass). Not all programs that are hacked become "hacked up"; if modifications are done with some eye to coherence and by firefighters ahead of a planned demolition. They marveled at its solid bay window. Its dormer dormer Window set vertically in a structure that projects from a sloping roof. It often illuminates a bedroom. In the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods, elaborate masonry dormers were designed. vent. Its modest proportions. Its humble front porch, now overgrown overgrown said of a part that has not been kept trimmed. overgrown hoof overgrown hooves put unusual stresses on bones and tendons and allow for distortion of the wall and sole. with bushes. A growing number of historic preservationists hope to obtain landmark status for the last of 10 homes built before a land-auction barbecue bonanza Feb. 22, 1911. Angelenos, lured by Whitsett to a barren wheat field with a few token structures, were sold Van Nuys as "the town that started Right." Plan is for condos Time is short. The developer, Merabi & Sons LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control of Encino, has pulled a permit to demolish the home to build condominiums. Kami A. Merab, head of the company, referred all calls to his attorney, Jeffrey Sklan, who was unaware of specific plans for the property. "The property is going to be developed into a condominium project," Sklan said. "My understanding is the city and the (Department of Water and Power) are aware of it." Three days before Merabi obtained his demolition permit, the city Cultural Heritage Commission had agreed to consider the home as a historic-cultural monument. A monument application could postpone demolition one year. Monument status would require an environmental review ahead of the wrecking ball. A hearing had been scheduled for Thursday, then postponed until July 12. Until then, Merabi has the legal right to destroy the home, bought last fall for $1 million from Barbara Benoit Baron, whose family had owned the house since 1933. Looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. options City officials said they are exploring all legal options to save the house before a formal landmark application can stop demolition. "I am committed to preserving the unique character of our neighborhoods and am looking into every lawful possibility to save this home," Councilman Tony Cardenas said in a statement. Officials say the last-minute effort to save the pioneer home is the chief reason the city has launched a citywide survey of its historic gems. "This appears to be the last remaining house from the William Paul Whitsett land sale in Van Nuys in 1911," said Ken Bernstein, manager of the city Office of Historic Resources. "Unfortunately, historic preservation in Los Angeles often occurs in reaction mode ... for structures that are under threat." Mike Buhler of the Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is the preeminent historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. , a preservation group, agreed. The building, he said, should at least be preserved long enough to be considered as a landmark. "Once it's gone, it's gone," said Buhler, director of advocacy for the conservancy. "Irreplaceable." The Whitsett home shares a street lined with pepper trees and historic bungalows, newer apartments and such landmarks as the old Van Nuys post office and library. It was once home to such Van Nuys pioneers as Wayne and Adah Bechtelheimer, the town's first druggists, and civic leaders Mark and Stella Sutton. Richard Hilton, who discovered the sleepy home while planning a historic walking tour, is founding a nonprofit group that hopes to buy the house and make it home to a Van Nuys historical museum. "These are the touchstones of the past," said Hilton of Valley Glen. "Without these touchstones, we won't be able to know who we are." "It is the gateway to Van Nuys," added Diana Lipari, his wife. "It's not just about the rich movers and shakers. It's about the working middle-class people who built this city. "I think they deserve to be remembered." dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, map Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Richard Hilton and Diana Lipari, at a Tuesday news conference, tell of efforts to save the Whitsett home on Sylvan Street, the oldest known home in Van Nuys. Left, an undated un·dat·ed adj. 1. Not marked with or showing a date: an undated letter; an undated portrait. 2. photo shows the house, at upper left. (3 -- color) During a Tuesday news conference, local historians Richard Hilton and his wife, Diana Liipari, detail attempts to stop a developer from bulldozing the 1911 Van Nuys home behind them. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Map: Historic home Daily News |
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