Gives Lemon to Awards
Reading Sam Hall Kaplan’s column, I was reminded of my experience. I used to pay quite close attention to the Downtown Breakfast Club’s annual Rose & Lemon Awards.
In 1985, I attended the awards. What I found was a group of contractors, developers, architects, designers and the Community Redevelopment Agency, all interested in boosting their own projects.
There were nominations to someone who entertained the elderly, someone who set up a shelter for abused women, and someone who had a program for latch-key children. They, of course, got nothing, except for one impromptu $50 award.
The most ridiculous award was a Rose presented to the WCT Tower at Wilshire and Bixel.
I was later told that it was the leading vote-getter for the Lemon award, but the Center City West people applied enough pressure to give a Rose to a building west of the Harbor Freeway. The Lemon then went to International Plaza, not entirely undeserved either.
Anyway, the media always seem to treat these awards as if they have some legitimacy when, in fact, they appear to be a charade.
WARREN R. AMOLE III
Redondo Beach
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