Conservancy to Honor Four Projects

A residential structure remodeled for commercial use, a chamber music program at historic sites and two buildings in Little Tokyo are the four top 1989 winners of Los Angeles Conservancy’s Preservation Awards.

A luncheon to honor these and other winning projects will be held Wednesday in the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel.

The Arcade Building at 479 W. 6th St. in San Pedro--a 1913 residence remodeled for commercial use in 1924 and renovated recently by the Larson family--reflects the highest preservation standards, according to Conservancy board member and event chairperson Suzanne Rheinstein.

In 1973, Dr. MaryAnn Bonino, a musicologist with Mount St. Mary’s College, founded the Da Camera Society and, in 1980, she initiated the first “Chamber Music in Historic Places,” a concert series that focuses attention on architecturally significant buildings.

Neighboring structures in the Community Redevelopment Agency’s improvement area for Little Tokyo--the 1920 Sindorf Building at 325 1st St. and the Art Deco 1930s Far East Building at 347 1st St.--were singled out for top awards for the high quality of the renovation work that was done.

A jury, chaired by Robert Harris, dean of the USC School of Architecture, also selected winners for six certificates of merit.

They include the Eli Broad Family Foundation Building in Santa Monica, a former 1927 General Telephone Building; the Chamber of Commerce Building in Pasadena, a Beaux Arts structure designed in 1906 by Parkinson & Bergstrom; the Chernow House Family Shelter in East Los Angeles, a renovated Streamline Moderne-style medical building.

Other merit recipients are the Dan and Susan Hayes House in South Pasadena, a fully renovated 1909 Craftsman house; the Highland Park Heritage Trust, a community voice on preservation issues, and the Hollywood Taft Building, a restored 12-story 1923 building that was the first height-limit structure in Hollywood.

Jurors serving under Dean Harris included Regula Campbell, architect, Campbell & Campbell; John Kaliski, principal architect, CRA of Los Angeles; Ronald Lushing, partner, Parkhill Partners, developers; Jay Oren, historic preservation committee, American Institute of Architects, and Mickey Wapner, member of the Los Angeles Conservancy board of directors.