The Heritage Association’s Port of Long Beach Harbor Tour 

The Heritage Association of Long Beach sponsored a Harbor Tour on Saturday, April 19. The ninety minute boat tour detailed highlights from the 100 year history of our Port, the second largest in the country. The Port began in 1911 and originally consisted of 800 acres of mud that had to be dredged. After wooden wharfs were constructed dozens of ‘lumber schooners’ began arriving from northern California with lumber to build houses here. Today, the Port has innovative ‘green’ piers that allow huge container ships to turn off their polluting engines while docked. The historic Administration building, with its tile murals illustrating the history of the Port up to 1958 is a notable piece of architecture. To learn more about the history of the Port of Long Beach or to find dates for your own Boat Tour, check out their website: Port History .

We were able to see up close so many historical and architectural marvels including:

*The “Sea Launch” This rocket launcher at the Port propels satellites into space (near the equator) that conducts transmissions for Satellite XM Radio and Direct Cable TV (the one we use here at the St. Regis):

*The old “Edison Power Plant” This dinosaur is still operational! It isn’t currently being used because it isn’t “green”, but in the event of an emergency, it could still be fired up:

 *The Heim Vertical-Lift Bridge (named for a Navy Commander). If you are a Movie Buff you may recognize this bridge; it was featured in the opening sequence of every Mannix:

In addition, the bridge was also host to scenes in Robocop, Inception, and many other films, TV shows (including The Closer and other police shows) and commercials. I also recommend you check out It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World which also includes many shots of downtown Long Beach and areas around the Port. 

Speaking of Movie Making, we have several upcoming appointments with Directors and Location Scouts in order to see if the St. Regis could be of interest as a shooting location. Eli Guzman and I have been promoting the St. Regis as a possible venue. Of course, many sites are reviewed and inspected before Directors find their ideal location, but the St. Regis boasts one of the nicest locations in Long Beach and our lovely historical building is of interest to many people. 

Upcoming Historical Events in Long Beach

“May Day in Drake Park” The Heritage Association is sponsoring a May Day Festival to be held Saturday, May 3 in Drake Park (951 Maine Avenue) from 1-4 p.m. Also, across the street, there will be The Bembridge Heritage Homesite Tour from 1:30-3:30p.m. A $2. Donation is requested. “Great Homes of Long Beach Tour” This 2014 docent led tour will take place on Sunday, June 1 from 12-5 p.m. This year’s Tour will include homes in Naples, Bluff Park, and other sections of the city. There are six homes in all, each of differing architectural character. The tickets will go on sale at the end of April and you can get detail at their website, lbheritage.org. The tickets sell out fast and the proceeds are all used to help restore The Bembridge House.

Our 2013 St. Regis Retrospective

It is hard to believe the 2013 St. Regis Year is drawing to a close…..it went by fast, but we made so much progress. Please join me in looking back over the last twelve months of the Board year, and we will see you all at the 2014 Annual Meeting on Saturday, March 22 at 2 p.m.

After checking with everyone, we thought we would feature our Grant Representative, Ms. Karen Clements on the very first blog of this new year. The 2012-13 support from the Heritage Association and Ms. Clements was a big part of this past year and the progress we made here.  I have worked very closely with Ms. Clements over the last two years in order to put together a successful application to the LONG BEACH NAVY MEMORIAL HERITAGE ASSOCIATION GRANT AWARD, and we could not have been blessed with a more diligent advocate.

When we originally toured the ST. REGIS, Karen told me that visiting brought back such sweet memories for her; the St. Regis, and Karen’s association with her, go back a long way. Karen told me that she (and the Heritage Association) struggled with City Hall in order to save several downtown landmarks from the wrecking ball. These buildings included the Villa Riviera, the Lafayette, the Wilmore, the Sovereign, the Artaban, the Blackstone, and the St. Regis among others. Their group supported the “Earthquake Retrofitting Project” which kept us safe from the City then, and helps to keep us safe now. That “rolling sensation” you feel when we have tremors is a safety mechanism their architects helped design, in order to absorb shocks.

The HERITAGE ASSOCIATION is a non-profit education and advocacy group promoting public knowledge and preservation of significant historical and architectural resources, neighborhoods, and the cultural heritage of Long Beach. “The City of LB has recognized certain buildings and neighborhoods as having special architectural and historical value.” The St. Regis is one of the “protected” landmarks of Long Beach, and you can find our name on the Historic Preservation List on their website,

http://www.lbheritage.org (click on Historical LB, Historical Landmarks)

I hope we can eventually obtain a beautiful plaque to be added to the entrance designating and identifying ourselves as a landmark and a part of this significant community.

In addition, Karen told me recently, that the Heritage Association worked with City Hall to reinstate the Mills Act, a Congressional tax relief bill that “is the single most important economic incentive program in California for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners.” This great opportunity will be available to us beginning the summer of 2014 and I will continue to work to see if we can be included in this important program. The Mills Act is an opportunity with an ‘open window’ that can open but also shut, as there are a limited number of eligible participants.

My husband Jon and I have applied for another Grant for 2014 and we are hoping for more good news.  We have many projects which we could get started on, and this financial support that may be offered, is a real blessing to us. Of course, these projects are a lot of work too. This past year, our Grant involved several areas of focus, including needed restorative work to two areas of concrete. These included the large broken area of decorative pediment surrounding the facial areas of the building above the first floor and restoring a seashell corbel at the south column.  Any large project involves a lot of management and organization to ensure that pedestrians and their property are kept safe and that any inconvenience to the residents is kept to a minimum. This project took five days, but we hired a good team and got great results!  Repairs such as this ensure the safety of St. Regis residents and visitors, and add to everyone’s property values.

The Entrance Project will be the final gift supported by the (2012-13) Grant, including the new mahogany doors, the hardware, the lighting, etc.; leading this Project has been our Board President, Rodney Hilburn, and we all owe him a debt of thanks for his work and involvement. These new doors are the ‘face’ to the building and the first thing visitors and residents see when they walk up to the entrance. Our new entrance will be an elegant and beautiful new look for us.

The Architectural Committee put the finishing touches on the urns yesterday. Eli Guzman, Katerina Contreras, Theresa Madrid and I are all part of an active Architectural Committee that has done so much to implement the design and color choices around the building. In addition, Nancy Weatherup helped us glue everything down and we thank her for her help. Another Resident, Joey Hernandez helped us place and stabilize the urns.  Eli’s “eye for detail”, helps bring a design element into a total package of a beautiful product, including the Lobby, the lighting, the color choices, and the design elements of the new passenger elevator.

Speaking of the new elevator, the restoration of our long-dormant second elevator is also a wonderful new, soon to be completed, project. This massive project was done in the “step by step” fashion advocated by the Heritage Association; most large, expensive projects are best done a little at a time, in order to avoid, if possible, large, sudden expenses. Though large, this project was done over time and with no additional hardship on the residents or tenants. No project can go smoothly without team work, and so many volunteers gave of themselves and their time to make this happen. We thank a former resident, Ms. Lisa Chin for helping us locate a very good vendor and helping us begin this massive project.

I also want to thank our wonderful architect, Mr. Jonathan Glasgow. None of our projects could have been done without the “Certificates of Appropriateness” and City Permits. In June of last summer, Mr. Glasgow, Karen Clements, and myself were required to attend a City Hall Hearing whereby all changes and additions to historical edifices are put before a Jury; these historical experts decide the fate of any applications, and believe me, many applicants were turned down and had to start over. Mr. Glasgow defended our projects very well and in fact, the Jury asked me to stand and they commended our building for beginning the long road of Restoration. Working with Mr. Glasgow was an honor and such a wonderful experience for me and the blueprints and advocacy he did for us really helped us succeed in this hurdle and one of the reasons he is the Architectural “Preservationist of the Year.” He advocated we develop a Long Term (step by step) Restorative Plan, which includes a compilation of all potential projects needing to be accomplished over the next two decades.  Mr. Glasgow was recently featured in the Long Beach Press Telegram (click to view the article).  In his words, “I love Long Beach, and I want it to be the best it can be. That’s why our firm is here rather than in L.A., because there’s so much opportunity, and there’s still a lot to do.”

As we draw this Board year to a close, we thank all the volunteers who gave of their time and talents, including President Rodney Hilburn and the members of the Board, members of the Heritage Association, Ms. Karen Clements, Mr. Jonathan Glasgow, the Architectural Committee, our Staff, and everyone who has worked so hard not only on the restoration of the building itself, but the improvement in the quality of life, for everyone living here. 

Summer Days

Since Vacation Days are upon us, the blog postings will resume in August. Have a great summer.

                                   

The Roaring Twenties and Its Architecture

Oh how funny! Our May Board Meeting had originally contained a Presentation by our Historical Society Liaison, Karen Clements, and I had chosen a Great Gatsby theme for the Reception following. Though Karen had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict with another Long Beach Landmark, (The Bembridge House), I just noticed they had also decided to do the same theme:

The great gatSby

The Roaring Twenties produced an abundance of housing styles including “Art Deco,” which incorporated a vertically oriented, linear design that became popular after a Paris exhibition in 1925. The “Craftsman’s” architecture was designed around a central living area with the exterior being showcased with wide porches and low, gabled roofs that stone columns held in place. The “Mediterranean Revival,” built along the California coastal regions was reminiscent of the seaside villas in Italy. Symmetrical facades, arches, and large keystones, were often design elements employed, as well as, stucco walls and tile roofs. Though area landmarks such as The Lafayette are almost entirely designed around one style (Art Deco), our building is a combination of several styles. The beautiful tile work seen near the fireplace mantel in the lobby, denotes a rather famous local artisan at the time and was done in the Craftsman style. Other elements and embellishments in the St. Regis borrow from all three of the above styles. The homes were often built using reinforced concrete or precast concrete panels, and Twenties homes are sought after today by professionals who want to restore the beautiful character of these well-made gems.
 

Ms. Clements’ On-Site visit last week has served to move along our own restorative process; our Historical Architect is finalizing the paperwork to be submitted to the City for approval in July, on our own projects of new front doors, new lighting, etc. In addition, Mr. Glasgow is continuing the process of meeting with City officials to determine the feasibility of re-opening the Solarium.
 

We will continue to study our own Restorative Plan and we hope to have an overview of these choices by August. Ms. Clements and the Historical Society are very encouraged by the St. Regis progress, including the soon-to-be restoration of our second elevator, and she explained that as we develop a master plan for the restoration, they can continue to help with this process. She also explained that anything of this magnitude is a long process requiring time and patience.
 

You can visit Bembridge House (or their website) at:

 

953 N Park Circle Drive, Long Beach, CA 90813
In the Drake Park, Willmore City Historic District of Long Beach California

 

 

Honoring Our Past; Preparing For Tomorrow

We continue to navigate through the process of preservation and restoration of the St. Regis. The paperwork the Historical Architect needed has been completed; this allows him to start the process with the City on our behalf. We are hoping to get checked off on all the Second Place Entrance 'Certificates of Appropriateness', and also hoping for help with a possible clearance to re-open our beautiful Solarium (at least for filming so that we can generate income for the restoration of it).

 In addition to the Grant providing the award for help with the entrance and the architect, we also were appointed a Site Liaison with the Long Beach Historical Society. We are so fortunate to have such a warm and informed liaison in Karen Clements. Karen made a site visit this past Monday and she was quite familiar with our building and its history. She told me she had been here many times and had served on an Advocacy Committee defending eight area historical buildings during a difficult 'seismic retrofitting' project in 1985. She stated that often a major decision by the City concerning historical buildings can hang on the interpretation of the wording of any city law. Several buildings that she and her group helped to save with retrofitting included the Villa Riviera, The Blackstone, The Sovereign, The Artaban, The Lafayette, and The St. Regis.

Karen will be giving a short Presentation about the history and benefits of the LB Historical Society at our Board meeting on May 17th. Karen explained that she and the Society are all very encouraged by the progress of the St. Regis. We hope to continue to work with Karen and the Society on future projects.

LB Historical Society News

You can visit the Society’s website at   http://hslb.org.  The St. Regis survived intact this 1933 shaker:

Check out this Halloween tour in Long Beach:

 

 

Joseph H. Roberts – The St. Regis’Architect (from http://www.brownscourtapartments.com/index.php/historic-people)

Joseph Halstead Roberts, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1898. In 1903, he moved to Long Beach with his father. He attended Long Beach Poly and graduated in 1916. Mr. Roberts studied architecture and engineering before working as a superintendent, engineer and draftsman.

Mr. Roberts originally opened his architectural offices downtown at the Marine Bank Building. In 1930 he opened his studio at 501 Termino Avenue where he lived with his wife and child. In 1932 Mr. Roberts died, he was only 32 years old. During his short life he designed many beautiful buildings in Long Beach. These include the St. Regis at 1030 E. Ocean and The Californian at 325 W. Third Street.

Re-Opening the Game Room

Progress also continues with the Re-Opening of the Game Room. Eli and I continue to meet with Theresa to work out the specifics of the care and use of the Room. This is a big boon to the residents, and they are so thrilled about it, that many residents have volunteered to help us clean and paint the room. We have some of the nicest people living here and they all help to make it a really warm home and community. Making full use of the amenities we do have, helps us retain our good neighbors and good, long-term neighbors helps to protect our beautiful building and the people who make the St. Regis home.

Gary, a 'long-timer' here, thinks we should paint one wall white (for projecting movies). He has really good ideas and Eli and I are always asking him to help with something; he helped us fix up the older bench that was on the upper patio. He creatively put bottle corks in the structural holes, and it now works like new; check it out on the lower patio.

The Game Room could also be used for meetings, if need be. Eli and I hope to clean it up, paint it up, and I got several prints of older movies. We hope to have it up and running very soon. We have to give a shout out to our Board; we couldn't do any of these beneficial projects without our Board. The Board has worked very hard to be supportive, and we do appreciate all the positive changes, especially in the last year.

New York State of Mind

I Love New York!

My husband, Jon and I have been in the Big Apple this past week on business (a little) and pleasure (a LOT)! There is so much to see and do, that it is hard to know where to begin, but I will try.
Like our lovely Long Beach, there is a lot of filming, walking to shops/restaurants, street musicians, and bicycle riders in NY.  It also has an 'old world' feel; the gorgeous architecture, the attention to detail, the wrought iron encircling the trees out front, etc.

First Stop: Jackie Kennedy’s Fifth Avenue/Central Park Apartment

Jackie was the Preservation/Restoration Queen of NY, so we had to stop here. Across the street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), crowds were thrilled at the Temple of Dendur (from Egypt) that she helped to facilitate. She was also instrumental in facilitating the preservation of Grand Central Station. Saving this elegant jewel of NY will serve to enrich thousands of future little city dwellers for many years to come.

Of course, I have always thought that our beautiful St. Regis looked very much like the NY buildings, and the LB Heritage Association also works very hard to ensure the preservation and continuity of our city’s history and her beautiful architecture.

Lots of “walk-ups”

The Turn of the Century spawned many buildings in the ‘walk-up’ style of entrance and the use of wrought iron embellishment. Of course, our St. Regis also employs this European style; our 1922 edifice was designed by a LB architect named John Roberts. A prolific area professional at the time, he also designed “The Californian” in the 300 block of Third Street in downtown LB. You may have noticed a similarity with our façade; a recent grant allowed them a cut-glass canopy at the entrance (similar to the one at the Cooper Arms, which was so popular at the time). These canopies were also used at entrances to movie theaters, and are suspended with the help of large, stabilizing chains. You also see a lot of these icons in the historical districts in downtown LA (on Main) and in NY everywhere.

We visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, Broadway, Central Park, etc. Walking through the Met was amazing; really iconic pieces of world-class art are housed here. In fact, if you look closely at the piece "Repose", by John White Alexander (1856–1915). Date: 1895, you will see the original painting from which our own mantel art is derived!

Recognize Me? “Repose” (John Alexander White, 1895)

The people are really wonderfully unique and helpful and NY is a world-class city in every way. The subways felt safe too; locals all credit Mayor Guiliani with the gains in safety; they said he and the Police Commissioner followed 'The Broken Window' Study that cracked down on small things such as graffiti and minor drug violations to help ensure safer streets and compliance to rules. We stayed in a newly remodeled fourth floor walk-up in the East Village (at First Ave. and Ninth St.) and really had no trouble at all no matter what time of day (or night) we went out. The East Village has a young vibe with older buildings being refurbished with a loft-like feel. Everyone bicycles, walks, or takes public transportation; in fact, the bike lanes are almost as busy as the roads.

Jon was also here on business; we were to meet with Dr. Helen Fisher, of Match.com fame. She is the famed anthropologist and the leading expert on romantic love; you may have seen her on 20/20, Oprah, etc. and she has written a number of best-selling books and continues to teach at Rutgers University. Jon has worked for her for a number of years; they jointly created the test used by Chemistry.com. She has a gorgeous apartment overlooking Central Park, and we had a nice walk and lunch in the park with her.

Highlights of NY

…a walk across the amazing Brooklyn Bridge (view Ellis Island and the Stature of Liberty)
…taking the subways at rush hour
…a visit to Rockefeller Square
…walking down Mulberry in Little Italy and Chinatown
…a glass of wine at the Algonquin, a 1902 Hotel that housed the Round Table, a collection of writers, artists, and critics that met daily before Vanity Fair publications.   It was also the scene of the film noir classic, ‘Laura’ with Gene Tierney
…a tour of Radio City Music Hall
…a visit to Ground Zero
…(across the street from Ground Zero) St. Paul’s Church, built in 1775, George Washington attended church here and site of make-shift shelter for 9/11 workers
…a visit to Grand Central Station
…a walk (or carriage ride) through Central Park

St. Regis News

Of course, when you leave home, there is always something needing attention in our absence. If you have visited our lovely garden in the last six months, you know that wonderful changes have occurred there. After removing the dried and dead plants, Rodney and I began a small ‘restoration’ of the upper patio and slope. Eli has always kept the lower patio raked and clean from cigarette butts and trash. As some of you may know, I have been watering the garden since last summer; I am happy to say that life is now returning to our lovely garden. So many residents now enjoy sitting out there, especially in the evenings when the birds feed, just watching the surf roll in or reading and relaxing. We have such a spectacular, ‘one of a kind’ view and location on our patios; completing and caring for our garden is a great investment in the St. Regis for the residents and the owners. On any given day, you can see butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and all manner of birds. Combined with our new patio furniture, it really is beautiful out there now, and to make it feel ‘homey’, I have planted tomato plants in the side garden, that are growing like weeds and we already have several tomatoes. While I have been gone, Eli and our son, Sean, have stepped in to make sure everything is watered, so a big Thank You. Katerina offered to fill the bird feeder; another generous offer from our young residents, that helps to keep the St. Regis a home. Getting these young people involved in the St. Regis, ensures continuity and the future of the St. Regis for many years to come.

Another big Thank You to Lisa and Rodney, who have arranged to have Mr. Lau install a series of tubing or pipes that will entirely cover the slope and side garden with sprinklers and automatic timers that will provide the care the garden requires. Having these systems in place for daily maintenance will help relieve the residents, and puts the building on a beautifying and self-sustaining course that ensures the care and maintenance of our building for years to come.

Our Board for 2013 is:

Rodney Hilburn, President
Jodi Rich, Vice-President
Bruce Peterson, Secretary
Lisa Chin, Treasurer
Mercedes Julian, Member at Large
Alternate, Eli Guzman

I’ll close with the story of Matilda, the thoroughly modern, independent cat that lives at the Algonquin Hotel. She (and her ghostwriter) on Facebook (Matilda-The Algonquin Cat) and Twitter (@Algonqueen) will answer all manner of question or give any type of advice.

“What do you do when your heart is broken?”
Matilda’s answer, “Act more catlike and just ignore it.”

Have a PURRfect day.

NAVY GRANT/Historical Architect News

 

As I had revealed in an earlier letter to the owners, my husband, Dr. Jon Rich and I, had submitted an extensive application to the LB Navy Memorial Heritage Association, on behalf of the St. Regis, in order to secure funds for restoration and improvement to our Second Place Entrance.  On March 28, 2013, our Board President, Rodney Hilburn and I attended the Awards Ceremony where Rodney accepted the award for our building. This gift will help us move forward with plans to replace the aluminum door with a beautiful, new mahogany set of period-appropriate front doors complete with coordinating hardware finished with the oil-bronzed patina. This finish had been reviewed and chosen with the help of our Decorating Committee, Eli Guzman (and myself), President Rodney Hilburn, and our On-Site Manager, Theresa Madrid. Moving away from the brassy or aluminum finish on hardware, you may notice the new lobby light fixtures have a more subdued and elegant look too. Echoing that theme, you will notice that Rodney recently replaced all the carpet 'transition strips' down all the halls, and will shortly be replacing the long missing strips to the front entrance, thus giving the lobby a more polished and completed look.

In addition, the Grant provides funds that will replace a missing chandelier and two flush-mount light fixtures over the doors. We are reviewing now other associated changes related to the replacement of the doors, including a new placement of the entry system, etc. The Board hopes to finalize the decisions regarding these improvements soon. The final phase of the Grant award would consist of the repair of the concrete centered around the damage to the pediment surrounding the facial perimeter of the building just above the First Floor and the restoration of the seashell corbel at the top of the south column at the Second Place Entrance.

Our President, Rodney Hilburn, and I, met yesterday with a Historical Architect, Mr. Jonathan Glasgow. The Navy Grant included in our award, the fee for Mr. Glasgow to study, advise and review all the choices for our improvements, in order to give us a clearance to  proceed with a 'Certificate of Appropriateness'. The Historical Association of LB is an active voice within the city and is working to preserve and restore older buildings such as the St. Regis, which was built in 1922. In the presentation of the Grant, Rodney described our lovely building as THE oldest building along the LB coastline, even pre-dating the Villa Riviera. As a member and possible upcoming Tour Guide for the Historical Association, I hope to work to eventually add the St. Regis to the list of buildings on the roster of 'must see' landmarks.

In addition, Mr. Glasgow will be working with us to ascertain the possibility of re-opening our stunning Solarium! Our rooftop Solarium, original to the building, allows for an amazing 360 degree view encompassing the Queen Mary, Naples, Signal Hill, and distant points such as Catalina, downtown LA in the distance, etc.  We are forming a Committee now to study all the different aspects involved in this wonderful new project and having our own paid liaison and advisor on-board, is invaluable in helping us navigate the different exemptions that might apply, in our quest to re-open. The possibilities for potential are endless with this jewel and Mr. Wayland Moore, the contact person in the past for TV/Movie filming within the building, informed me that several directors had expressed interest in our Solarium for filming. The possibilities are endless and several people have expressed to Rodney and myself an interest in the various roles on a Committee. Check out the filming that has been done here in the past:
 

If you know of anyone in the TV/Movie business who might be interested in filming here, please contact Eli Guzman, namzug173@gmail.com.

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