Conversing with L.A. Conservancy Member and Volunteer Juliet Drinkard 

by Liz Leshin 

image

Young Juliet Drinkard with her parents in 1951.

Juliet Drinkard has always loved history, so much so that at the age of 16, she entered an essay-writing competition to highlight a significant African American in history. She chose mathematician and surveyor Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), won the contest, and was crowned Queen of Los Angeles’ “Miss Negro History Week” in 1969.

Then there’s the tour she organized and scripted for a family reunion in 1986 large enough to fill two tour buses that caravanned through many of Los Angeles’ historic areas, starting at Watts Towers, ending in Hollywood, and of course allowing for a shopping stop at Santee Alley. And although she moved out for years-long stretches, she still lives in the huge South Central house she was raised in, purchased by her parents in 1954, which she describes as “looking like a big ship.”

Although living in the home can be bittersweet now that her folks are gone, she has special memories of eating family meals looking out of the big picture windows of the breakfast room into the backyard at her father’s lush garden, which she says was “like being in a professional nursery.” 

Keep reading

Time, Taste, and Tradition: Preserving L.A.’s Legacy Businesses 

image

Congratulations to the selected recipients of the L.A. Conservancy’s Legacy Business Grant! The five legacy businesses of the first round of our $5,000 grants have been selected and we’re thrilled to introduce them to you: 

  • 88 Gifts Shop (1987) in L.A.’s Chinatown 
  • Candelas Guitars (1947) in Boyle Heights 
  • El Aguila Bakery (1973) in El Sereno  
  • Gardena Cinema (1976) in the City of Gardena 
  • SIKA (established in 1992) in Leimert Park 

From an essential neighborhood shop selling everything from houseware items to plants to a rare, affordable single-screen movie theatre, these locally-owned businesses boast a combined age of more than 200 years in operation in their neighborhoods and communities. They also represent the essence of L.A.’s legacy businesses: long-standing neighborhood anchors where people connect, memories are made, and a sense of community is nourished. 

We hope that their stories demonstrate the value of longtime businesses and that you hurry out to patronize their business in the very near future! 

Keep reading

Membership Matters: An Interview with Sonya Kolowrat

image

Photo by: Tim Soter

Sonya Kolowrat joined the Conservancy this year, and jumped in feet first, participating in our Community Leadership Boot Camp and joining the Last Remaining Seats committee. Development Director Liz Leshin recently checked in with her. 

LL: How did you learn about the L.A. Conservancy, and what compelled you to join?

SK: A few years ago, a friend and I were talking about Downtown LA and all the stunning buildings there, the theaters in particular, and she told me that her father-in-law (Herb Silverman) is a docent for the Conservancy-led tours. That was my initial introduction to the Conservancy.

Keep reading

Membership Matters: An Interview with Etan Rosenbloom

image

Etan Rosenbloom, photo by Salvador Ochoa

Etan Rosenbloom is a blogger on L.A. history, a lifelong Angeleno, and a new L.A. Conservancy member! His blog Etan Does L.A. follows his journey to visit all of the L.A. County landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We recently asked him to share his “L.A. story” with us and how the Conservancy’s resources have enriched his life and work.

Note: an edited version of this interview appeared in the L.A. Conservancy’s July/August 2022 newsletter.

Keep reading

A Win-Win for Television City

image

CBS Television City. Photo by Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy

Television City (TVC) is an iconic place in Los Angeles, both for its commanding presence and stature in the Fairfaix District at the southeast corner of Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, and for its undeniable lead role in making television history. As a place that helps define this city, and a touchtone to our roots dating to the early ‘50s, TVC also illustrates just how vulnerable our heritage can be as part of the ongoing surge in growth and new development throughout L.A. 

The potential for loss is the reason the Conservancy had Television City designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) in 2018. It is also why we have worked so hard for the past year to ensure proposed new development surrounding TVC is compatible and does not overwhelm this historic place. 

Keep reading