I have been to Santa Monica and Venice three times and find it to be beautiful and stimulating. However, I am truly shocked by the unwillingness or inability of the taxpaying population to diminish the homeless population. Is it political correctness gone haywire? Do you all need to go into therapy to figure out why you allow yourselves to be subject to this? Or are you all too busy with careers to become involved in your community’s policies in order to protect your children? I am not a dispassionate person. In fact, I am a social worker from New York. I realize that the population that sleeps on the street is more likely to be mentally ill and drug addicted, and statistically more likely to engage in crime, minor or major. Furthermore, you have the right to enjoy your parks without viewing them and their filthy belongings strewn about in a manner that impinges on you. If this sounds harsh, you are wearing rose-colored glasses.
Pam Lief
New York
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Dear Friend of the Barry Building:
We had great success at the Cultural Heritage Commission hearing where we received high praise for the architecture of the building and the architect from the Commissioners, the LA Conservancy and experts in architecture. We are now quickly moving towards the final City Council vote for designating the Barry Building as a Historic Monument and in so doing also assuring community input into Charles Munger’s development project. To obtain the City Council’s vote for designation we must have Councilman Rosendahl’s assured support and your voice is what will achieve that.
Your help is critical! We need all of you to send an email, letter or fax to Bill Rosendahl with a copy to me, as soon as possible. Even if you have sent one before, reaffirm your support now. We need to flood him with letters of support for designating the Barry Building a Historic-Cultural Monument. The City Council hearing is scheduled for September 18. We will need you to show up for that if at all possible as well. More on that later.
Below is a pre-written support letter to Rosendahl. You may either write your own support letter, use this one as is or revise it as you please. Whichever way you choose, please send a statement of your support. Additionally, please pass this on to as many others as you can, even out of the district. As many letters as possible will get us the council support needed for designation.
Sincerely,
Diane Caughey, Ph.D, Architect, and
Friends of the Barry Building
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Support Designation of the Barry Building as a Historic-Cultural Monument
Dear Councilman Rosendahl:
Thank you for supporting the City of Los Angeles’ Cultural Heritage Commission’s July 12, 2007 decision to formally recommend that the City Council designate the Barry Building as a Historic-Cultural Monument. Your support of the Commission’s determination was officially communicated at the May 3, 2007 Commission hearing by Andrea Epstein of your staff, who testified, “I’m here on behalf of Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s office. Once you all as a Commission make a decision, we will support whatever decision that is.”
Mary-Klaus Martin, Chair of the Cultural Heritage Commission, stated, “I think this is a jewel of a building…designed by a thoughtful, acclaimed, young architect. And it has contributed over the last 50 years to the liveliness of the [Brentwood] Community. These qualities are extremely rare along San Vicente.”
The Cultural Heritage Commission adopted the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources’ recommendation that the Barry Building be dedicated as a Historic-Cultural Monument. Similarly, the designation has been supported by many prominent architects, preservationists, architectural photographers, the LA Conservancy, the Brentwood Community Council, the Brentwood Historical Society and hundreds of individual community members.
Julius Shulman, who is generally acknowledged as being, in the words of NPR, “the greatest living architectural photographer,” testified that “there aren’t many good buildings in our society which can offer to a community the values that this building does offer, especially its central court; it’s a centerpiece.”
Marvin Rand, another famous architectural photographer, testified, “I believe that you must preserve over the ages examples of really good architecture that the next generations will come to visit and appreciate. And we need to keep that thread. And this is one of the buildings that exemplifies that thread.”
Jay Platt of the LA Conservancy testified, “This building is austere. When you first see it, the details are rewarding and ultimately magnificent. It’s a beautiful example of mid-century architecture.”
Taylor Louden, a renowned preservationist architect, testified, “This building is a prototype of an astounding example of the modern style which is increasingly hard to find.”
In sum, the Barry Building is recognized as an excellent example of California modern architecture and a living piece of Brentwood history. Mr. Munger can preserve this historic resource simply by integrating it into his development project. Designation of the building as a Historic-Cultural Monument would also assure that the community has meaningful input into the permitting process through CEQA-mandated Environmental Review. This would allow proper consideration of mitigation opportunities and provide a formal basis for negotiations designed to protect the community.
Cultural Heritage Commission Chairwoman Martin stated, “I would hope that this building would be restored to its original splendor so that future generations can really enjoy it and use it as a study.” By doing so, Mr. Munger could achieve his stated goal of leaving a living legacy for which he could take great pride.
I support this designation and thank you again for your support of this designation.
Print Name Clearly
Sign Name
Address, City, Zip
Date
Email Address (optional)
Fax to Councilman Bill Rosendahl at 213.473.6926 or e-mail to
councilman.rosendahl@lacity.org
Fax copy to Diane Caughey at 310.476.2604 or e-mail to
friendsofbarrybldg@gmail.com
