Chattel at the LA Conservancy Preservation Awards

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Credit: Gary Leonard

On May 7th, 2015, Chattel staff joined a large gathering of preservation professionals for the 2015 Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Awards, held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. This annual event recognizes outstanding work in the field of preservation for projects completed throughout the greater Los Angeles region.

This year, Chattel received an award for work performed on the Pacific Electric Railway - El Prado Bridge. Chattel was part of a comprehensive project team, which included the City of Torrance, Torrance Historical Society, Old Torrance Neighborhood Association, Krakower & Associates Structural Engineers, and Preservation Arts.  

The bridge, a signature work of architect Irving Gill, was a focal point of the city's original plan for the central core, now known as Old Torrance.  The project team was recognized for its efforts in revitalizing an icon of civic identity for the City of Torrance, fittingly, just in time for the bridge's centennial.  The project also exemplifies strong civic stewardship and community partnership, while expanding the public's understanding of the meaning and value of preservation.  

Council member Kurt Weideman accepted the award on behalf of the project team, which was able to celebrate their accomplishments over a delicious lunch, while learning about other noteworthy works of historic preservation.

Two Tales of Striking Black Gold

Spectra representative Ruben Lombardo and Valerio representative Elfa Gomez inspect new foundation and exterior finishes under contruction.

"Eureka! Two Tales of Striking Black Gold: From attendants pumping gas to baristas serving coffee" was the title of Robert Chattel's Three Minute Success Story presentation at the 40th California Preservation Conference. The rousing evening at the former Naval Training Center in San Diego had a Bob Hope-theme and featured indomitable host Tim Brandt in several roles including that of Phyllis Diller in a Mondrian inspired dress (woo hoo!). Costumed as a Gilmore Gas Station attendant, Robert presented the first black gold strike by AF Gilmore in 1905, when he struck oil while drilling for water on his nearby dairy farm; the second black gold strike by Starbucks occurred in 1971, when it opened the first store across from Pike Place Market in Seattle. On March 29, 2015, the Starbucks store at Highland and Willoughby in Hollywood opened to thunderous applause in social media. According to the rare press release for a single store opening, "Starbucks real estate and design teams are always looking for unique locations that connect us to the past...Sometimes we stumble on a gem like this one, and are honored to get the chance to bring it back to life." Kudos to the team and lattes all around!!!

A Window into Santa Barbara History

The fourth phase of construction at Mission Santa Barbara is well underway! The project team met on April 17, 2015 to see the work in progress.  "Windows" have been opened through exterior, Portland cement cladding on the convento wing to reveal a mix of underlying, early California building materials like sandstone, adobe, terra cotta, and brick.  These materials will be repaired, and a new overlay of lime-based plaster and paint will be applied. 

Project team members in front of the convento wing south elevation.  From left:  Napoleon Gallardo (Spectra), Troy Parry (Spectra), Nels Roselund (Roselund Engineering), Shane Swerdlow (Chattel), Tina Foss (Old Mission Santa Barbara), John Griswold (Griswold Conservation Associates), Brother Brian Trawick (Old Mission Santa Barbara), and Gabby Gonzalez (California Missions Foundation).

Project sign.

Project conservator John Griswold discusses mix of underlying building materials.  

Convento wing south elevation with "windows" showing underlying sandstone.  

Convento wing north elevation with "windows" showing underlying building materials.  

2015 City of Los Angeles Mills Act Workshop

The Mills Act Program is California’s leading financial incentive for historic preservation, providing potential property tax reduction to owners of qualified historic buildings. This informative event will provide an in-depth look at the review and approval process and provide tips for preparing successful applications.  

Join Chattel and representatives of the City of Los Angeles, Office of Historic Resources (OHR) and County of Los Angeles, Office of the Assessor for a Mills Act Workshop on Saturday, April 25 at 10:00 AM. The workshop is free, but reservations are required.

 R.S.V.P. at this link. 

Chattel Senior Associate Shane Swerdlow discusses Priority Consideration Criteria at the 2014 Mills Act Workshop

Pecha Kucha at the Getty

On December 9, 2014, Robert Chattel was one of six presenters at the inaugural "Powered by Pecha Kucha" event sponsored by the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative at the Getty. Robert presented a 6 minute 40 second presentation entitled Medicinal Masterpiece: Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of the Stuart Building. Check it out!

A Torrance Icon Day and Night

The Torrance City Council presented a Proclamation to those involved in rehabilitating the bridge.  Pictured from left, front row:  Jamie Ruth Watson (President, Torrance Historical Society), Shane Swerdlow (Associate, Chattel, Inc.), Pat Furey (Mayor, City of Torrance), Elizabeth Overstreet (Engineering Manager, City of Torrance, Department of Public Works), and Andy Perez (Director, Port Affairs, Union Pacific Railroad).

On December 2, 2014, the Torrance City Council kicked off its weekly meeting with an official lighting ceremony for the 1913, Irving Gill-designed Pacific Electric Railway - El Prado Bridge. Chattel Associate Shane Swerdlow spoke at the event, accepting a Proclamation from the City Council on behalf of the team involved in the bridge’s rehabilitation. Watch the Proclamation presentation and lighting ceremony.

Torrance Historical Society members gathered at the bridge while Mayor Pat Furey flipped a switch at City Council Chambers to officially illuminate the structure (source of photo: Torrance CitiCABLE 3)

Chattel worked with structural engineer Krakower & Associates, concrete specialist Preservation Arts, and City of Torrance, Department of Public Works to develop a project that brought back the modern elegance of the arched, reinforced concrete bridge, which had suffered years of deferred maintenance. Work included removing paint, graffiti, and dense vines, patching damaged concrete, reconstructing wood guardrails, and adding clear anti-graffiti coating. Chattel also consulted with the Torrance Historical Society to come up with the official Pacific Electric Railway – El Prado Bridge name approved by the Torrance City Council—the structure was previously called “the bridge” and several other colloquial names. Read more about Chattel’s presentation to the City Council on the bridge’s name in the Torrance Tribune. Chattel also worked with City staff to develop the new lighting scheme, which consists of in-ground uplights accentuating the iconic arches.

Chattel worked with City staff to develop the new lighting scheme.  Pictured here is Lea Reis (Associate Engineer, City of Torrance, Department of Public Works) with a sample in-ground uplight.

Built in 1913 by the Pacific Electric Railway, the bridge originally served trains passing over tracks used by southern California's famous Red Cars. It is one of the first bridges to use arches purely for decoration, disguising an otherwise simple structure of concrete girders and beams. Southern Pacific Railroad later took over ownership of the bridge and donated it to the City of Torrance in 1986. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. At a 100th birthday celebration on May 23rd, 2013, the American Society of Civil Engineers presented a plaque commemorating the bridge as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, joining the ranks of the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges. Today, it serves as Torrance’s eastern gateway and an icon of civic identity, prominently featured in logos and seals of City departments and organizations.

From top: bridge in 1913, soon after construction (Torrance Historical Society); 2012, before rehabilitation; 2013, after rehabilitation; and 2014, during lighting ceremony.

Banking on History: Five Incentives for Preservation Projects

CPF Workshop - Thursday, December 11th

Castle Green in Pasadena

Join Shane Swerdlow, Associate at Chattel, Inc. as he discusses the Mills Act at a special, day-long workshop on historic preservation financial incentives presented by the California Preservation Foundation at Pasadena’s historic Castle Green.

The Mills Act Program is California’s leading financial incentive for historic preservation, providing potential property tax reduction to owners of qualified historic buildings.  Owners must commit to a substantial scope of rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance work described in a Mills Act Contract that is executed with a local city or county government.

The workshop will also focus on Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, easements, and a variety of grant programs.

Register

Other speakers include: 

• Kevin Sanada, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Tara Hamacher, Founder and President, Historic Consultants, Inc.
• Diana Letsinger, Partner, Novogradac & Company LLP
• William Huang, Director of Housing, City of Pasadena
• Jesse Lattig, Preservation Director, Pasadena Heritage
• Shane Swerdlow, Associate, Chattel, Inc.
• Kevin Johnson, City of Pasadena, Planning & Community Development Department
• Patricia Johnson-Conner, Los Angeles County, Office of the Assessor
• Charles Loveman, Executive Director, Heritage Housing Partners
• Christopher Smith, Architectural Resources Group
• John LoCascio, Senior Architect, AIA, Historic Resources Group

Conserving Southern California's Modern Architecture

FREE Lecture at the Getty - Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00 PM

Stuart Company Building in Pasadena

Robert Chattel, AIA will highlight the preservation challenges and successes of his work on the Stuart Company Building at a FREE event sponsored by the Getty Conservation Institute's Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative, which seeks to advance the practice of conserving twentieth-century heritage. The presentation will be "Powered by PechaKucha," a simple presentation format in which speakers show 20 images, each for 20 seconds, making for a fast-paced and lively evening.

Please join us.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 7:00 PM

Museum Lecture Hall, Getty Center

R.S.V.P.

The Public Landscapes of Ralph Cornell

FREE Tour of Harvey Mudd College - Sunday, November 9th at 2:30pm

Harvey Mudd College Great Mall with new Center for Teaching and Learning at right.

As part of The Cultural Landscape Foundation's program What’s Out There Weekend Los Angeles - The Public Landscapes of Ralph Cornell, Robert Chattel, AIA will lead a tour of Harvey Mudd College in Claremont. Chattel evaluated the campus master plan amendment and identified a potential historic district with the period of significance 1957-1972. Chattel also reviewed a proposed replacement building by Portland-based Boora Architects, a center for teaching and learning, for conformance with the Secretary’s Standards.

Los Angeles-based landscape architect Ralph Cornell is known for his design restraint and thoughtful use of indigenous plantings. His work at Harvey Mudd College was in collaboration with landscape architect Thomas Church, and architects Earl Heitschmidt and Edward Durrell Stone. The upcoming What's Out There Weekend features free, expert-led tours of more than a dozen significant Cornell-designed landscapes in greater Los Angeles.

LA Conservancy Garden Apartment Tour

Saturday, November 1st; 10am to 4:30pm

Imagine living in a low-density, garden oasis like Chase Knolls (above) in the middle of America’s second-largest city.  Los Angeles has one of the largest collections of garden apartments in the nation, with nearly 40 built between the late 1930s and the mid-1950s.  Here’s a chance to see what life is like in historic garden apartments.

Robert Chattel, AIA will be available to discuss the careful analysis and development of a prioritized approach to phased rehabilitation of Chase Knolls buildings and landscape.  Join theLA Conservancy for this special one-time-only overview and tour of Village Green in Baldwin Hills (1941), Chase Knolls in Sherman Oaks (1948), and Lincoln Place in Venice (1951).