Since Vacation Days are upon us, the
blog postings will resume in August. Have a great summer.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
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 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
In the Drake Park, Willmore City Historic District of Long Beach California
Thursday, May 9, 2013
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.
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.
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:
Joseph H.
Roberts – The St. Regis’Architect (from http://www.brownscourtapartments.com/index.php/historic-people)
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.
Friday, May 3, 2013
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
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:
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.
...............Sign up and Stay tuned!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Welcome New Owner-Occupants!
Jon and Jodi Rich,
their son Sean, along with their friend and neighbor, Eli Guzman, hosted a New
Owner Luncheon on Saturday, April 13, at 2 p.m.
Our very first luncheon was a roaring
success with 100% attendance by all the St. Regis new owners. We are all
thrilled to welcome this new group of vocal and interested homeowners. They
consisted of Francesca and Katerina, Tera and her sister Pamela, Kelly and
Joey, and Dr. Cynthia, a distinguished Oncologist at USC/Norris Cancer Center
and Hospital. Also in attendance were President Rodney Hilburn, and our
terrific On-Site Manager, Theresa Madrid.
We were amazed when
Katerina sang a beautiful operatic song for us; what a lovely voice! Katerina
also helped me serve lettuce wraps, veggie sticks, hot tea/mimosas and she and
her Mom such brought delicious cupcakes. We all got to know each other quickly
and felt like ‘old friends’ right away. We hope we can be a support to them all
as they get settled in their new home and community.
This is such a
talented and illustrious group; we feel so lucky to have them all as our new
neighbors. Our new O/O’s would like
to jump right in with Board/Building Participation and may be interested in
serving on the two new committees (The Solarium Study, and the Parking
Committee). The group came up with several concerns that were added to the
April agenda. We are already planning the next luncheon for May.
Friday, April 12, 2013
President Rodney Hilburn
Accomplishments he (along with the Board including Lisa Chin, Karen McClory, Mercedes Julian, Bruce Peterson) have been instrumental in supporting include:
·
placement
and hiring of our terrific new, On-Site Manager, Theresa Madrid
·
instituting
a higher degree of maintenance personnel for help with interior/exterior
cleaning
·
Ron,
the handyman that is beginning the process of oiling and conditioning our
interior doors, and help with the garden
·
Installing,
along with our own resident, Dave Heitz, a stone-mason, the beautiful, new
Retaining Wall on the lower patio to help with the erosion of the hill
·
personally
delivering most of the bricks used on the wall
·
picking
up countless necessary materials around the building
·
working
with Jon and myself on the LB Navy Memorial Heritage Grant and will still
involve several pending steps necessary (including getting the 'Certificate of
Appropriateness' from the Historical Architect in order to replace and restore
our new Front Door(including Appropriate Hardware)/Exterior Entrance Lighting
and Concrete Restoration near the Second Place Entrances.
·
replacing
all the old, aluminum and scuffed 'Transition Strips' on all floors with a more
'historically appropriate' oiled bronze shade of metal strips (listening to me
"bug him" relentlessly about this)
·
helping
to install a non-slip grit to the front steps
·
helping
with the reduction and sealing of cracking concrete window sills
·
helping
to begin the repair to our wrought iron fencing, including working with a
welder to replace the missing and broken spikes at the top of fence at the
entrance to the back patio
·
running
over with his El Camino to pick up tables/furniture at Goodwill or some garage
sale, or other far-flung sites, on the 'spur of the moment' because
"quick, we found a great deal!"
·
searching
for months with us until we found a deal on wrought iron patio sets for the beautiful new
upper patio
·
and
finally, being 'Johnny on the spot' with pop-up problems around the building including
maintenance issues, tenant issues, etc.
Rodney’s focus on quality of life issues
has helped to create an environment of greater satisfaction with safety and
maintenance concerns. Long-term tenants, in turn, help us all make the St. Regis
a safer, cleaner community.
Being the history buff and 'born and
bred' Long Beachian that he is, Rodney's care for the preservation and respect
for the history of the St. Regis, and the concern for the quality of life
issues and the many souls that make their home here, make him an outstanding St.
Regis President.
Thank you, Rodney Hilburn
Friday, April 5, 2013
Karen McClory - A St. Regis Star
Greetings!
I am highlighting this week, another St. Regis Star, and the services and contributions of a 2012 Board member, Ms. Karen McClory. The role of Board member is a working position, consisting of countless volunteer hours and practical action designed to serve the needs of the residents and care and maintenance of the building. Karen was such a hard-working and crucial member of the 2012 Board and all the positive changes that occurred this past year. These positive actions included:
…the responsibility of typing, editing, and submitting for printing all the notes from meetings
….the work involved in the acquisition of new paint and lighting for the lobby
….helping with the acquisition of the furniture for the lobby
….newsletters and other printed communication including posting building notes/memos, etc
….an integral role in the work involved in the hiring of staff, including our terrific manager, Theresa
When reflecting on her service, Karen stated,
Serving on the board really re-opened my eyes to the beauty and history of the St. Regis. I'm a Long Beach girl, born and nearly bred. We grew up in Compton during an easier time. I'm sorry everyone didn't get to grow up in the 50's... it was sweet! Anyway, my son's grandmother purchased #503 probably in 1975. She lived there with Olive, of course, Zeta Maney... what a character--she never went out of her apartment without a hat... a San Francisco style hat; Mrs. Colucci of the "plumbing Colucci family", Aunt Agnes Herbst... lots of interesting people. Mrs. Kellerman was the manager and she lived in the apartment just off the lobby... where Carl lives now. She was wheelchair bound but she was formidable! She ruled the roost and through the open slit in her door, she knew exactly who was coming and going and whether they should be! She spent a lot of time in the little office window, more or less as a concierge/manager, and while her rules were strictly enforced and I heard complaints from time to time, the building was always tip top shape. There were mostly resident owners back then. After Anna passed away and I became owner of #503, we had our annual meetings in the Solarium and they would get pretty heated. Interesting that the same faces who tend to heat up the arguments are still around... except for Dear Olive. There have been lots of changes in the last 40 years--that's for sure.
We cannot begin to count the many ways her integrity and responsibility served our building so well, and how the systems she initiated will continue to serve the St. Regis for many years to come. So, a big THANK YOU to Karen McClory-enjoy your retirement and please continue to visit us here.
I am highlighting this week, another St. Regis Star, and the services and contributions of a 2012 Board member, Ms. Karen McClory. The role of Board member is a working position, consisting of countless volunteer hours and practical action designed to serve the needs of the residents and care and maintenance of the building. Karen was such a hard-working and crucial member of the 2012 Board and all the positive changes that occurred this past year. These positive actions included:
…the responsibility of typing, editing, and submitting for printing all the notes from meetings
….the work involved in the acquisition of new paint and lighting for the lobby
….helping with the acquisition of the furniture for the lobby
….newsletters and other printed communication including posting building notes/memos, etc
….an integral role in the work involved in the hiring of staff, including our terrific manager, Theresa
When reflecting on her service, Karen stated,
Serving on the board really re-opened my eyes to the beauty and history of the St. Regis. I'm a Long Beach girl, born and nearly bred. We grew up in Compton during an easier time. I'm sorry everyone didn't get to grow up in the 50's... it was sweet! Anyway, my son's grandmother purchased #503 probably in 1975. She lived there with Olive, of course, Zeta Maney... what a character--she never went out of her apartment without a hat... a San Francisco style hat; Mrs. Colucci of the "plumbing Colucci family", Aunt Agnes Herbst... lots of interesting people. Mrs. Kellerman was the manager and she lived in the apartment just off the lobby... where Carl lives now. She was wheelchair bound but she was formidable! She ruled the roost and through the open slit in her door, she knew exactly who was coming and going and whether they should be! She spent a lot of time in the little office window, more or less as a concierge/manager, and while her rules were strictly enforced and I heard complaints from time to time, the building was always tip top shape. There were mostly resident owners back then. After Anna passed away and I became owner of #503, we had our annual meetings in the Solarium and they would get pretty heated. Interesting that the same faces who tend to heat up the arguments are still around... except for Dear Olive. There have been lots of changes in the last 40 years--that's for sure.
We cannot begin to count the many ways her integrity and responsibility served our building so well, and how the systems she initiated will continue to serve the St. Regis for many years to come. So, a big THANK YOU to Karen McClory-enjoy your retirement and please continue to visit us here.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Easter & Welcome to My New Blog
I hope you all had a safe and Happy Easter!
As you may know, we had the Annual Meeting in March, and elected the new Board members for 2013. We will have our first monthly meeting in April, and it looks like Karen McClory will be leaving us as Secretary, in order to enjoy Retirement and Grandchildren. Karen has done an outstanding job for us here at the St. Regis. In addition to all the note-taking she did, she had a BIG hand in all the changes and improvements to the St. Regis. She was a big help in orchestrating, along with the other Board members, the additions of Francisco, (Maintenance M,W,& F mornings), and especially Theresa, our terrific On-Site Manager (Th, F,& Sat). In addition, she worked tirelessly with the Beautification Committee (Eli Guzman and Jodi Rich) and was very supportive throughout the entire Beautification process for the new lighting and furniture for the Lobby. Karen, we owe you a big debt of Thanks; the Systems you helped put in place will continue to benefit the St. Regis, and her residents, for many years to come. After the April Meeting, I will post the line-up of Board members, and their respective positions on the Board.
In other news, our beautiful, old building was awarded a Navy Grant from the Historical Society of Long Beach. These grants are awarded to various institutions around Long Beach that hope to maintain and restore historical gems.We received an award to be used to enhance and restore the Second Place Entrance, which will include a beautiful, new mahogany Front Door, monies to replace and restore a chandelier to the Ocean Blvd. Entrance, plus 2 new Flush-Mount lights, appropriate long-handled hardware for the 2 Entrance Doors, new varnish and a marine sealant for all the exterior wood at both entrances, etc.In addition, money was provided to restore the broken pediment that encircles the building above the second floor that was broken several years ago by a falling concrete sill, as well as to restore the concrete, seashell design above the South corbel above one of four columns at the Second Place Entrance. This money is not easy to get; the legwork and paperwork is extensive and time-consuming, and my husband Jon, and I applied for this grant way back in September, so it is also a waiting game. Rodney Hilburn, our Fantastic President, and I picked this award up this past Thursday, March 28. I plan to have a picture of him accepting the award on my next blog, along with a BIO of Rodney, with pictures of all he has done, and is doing for the St. Regis. Where to begin? There will be pictures and descriptions of our beautiful new patio furniture, the addition of gardening help with Ron, new retaining walls to help with erosion, the beautiful new ‘transition strips’ in the carpet (something I know I drove him crazy about!)…..Following that, I hope to have more news and updates about our new ELEVATOR! This is exciting news for the St. Regis, as anyone who lives here can attest. A BIG thank you to Lisa Chin! Lisa is our “go-to”person and a key player on this needed project; she was also the person spearheading our recent water replacement. I plan to include a BIO on her to coordinate with the elevator completion.
In fact, all our Board members, the Staff, the Beautification Committee, the owners, the residents, and now, even the City, all are working hard to see that the St. Regis continues to be a safe, clean, and friendly place to live.
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