A Day That Sizzled
2013 Mother's Day Home Tour Competes with 100 Degree Heat
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Homeowner Katie Gundersen (in the vintage hat) welcomes visitors to her 1928 English cottage. The house is currently awaiting final approval for landmark status.
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For the third year in a row, students from Mary Archibald's adult art class painted one of the houses on the tour. This year's subject was the 1889 Queen Anne Victorian.
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Docent Bernadette Forte (left) enhances the visitor's experience by providing tidbits and interesting details about one of the houses.
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Jim Constantian's vintage record player helped create the proper mood with songs from the turn of the twentieth century.
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East coast transplant Lincoln Fairchild (right) shares his long standing concerns for preservation with tour goers.
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MOHPG member and avid supporter Donna Baker (in the sunglasses) can always be counted upon to provide free cookies and punch to visitors during their tour of the homes. Her station saw lots of activity with the heat.
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Linda Leigh Long (second from left) has seen the tour from both sides. Here she acts as a docent but in 2011 her 1888 Queen Anne Victorian was part of the tour.
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One of Monrovia's first fire engines, a 1917 Seagrave pumper, was stationed outside the museum to underscore the fund-raising effort currently underway to pay for its restoration.
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Inside the museum was a display and demonstration of sewing on antique sewing machines. Ginger Alberti shows how its done.
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The Monrovia Historical Museum's most recent addition, "Icons of Monrovia," debuted at this year's tour. Curator Mark Still and his staff spent weeks finalizing the display to be ready for the tour.
Photography by Larry Marotta
The temperature neared 100 degrees on Mother's Day 2013 as almost 700 visitors (plus almost 200 volunteers who helped put the tour together) failed to be deterred in their goal of seeing all seven houses and the historical museum which were part of the tour. With a wide variety of housing styles to see, there seemed to be something for everyone. As antique automobiles cruised the streets of Monrovia, tour goers faced only short lines as they moved from house to house inside the three air-conditioned city trolleys which transported visitors to all of the eight sites.
The Monrovia Historic Preservation Group has sponsored a home tour for the past 31 years in a row. The community is justifiably proud of its architectural heritage, and each year MOHPG looks forward to the opportunity to share it with residents and visitors alike.
Going, Going ,..., But Not Gone
Oldest carriage barn in Monrovia moved to new location
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The last remaining vintage carriage barn in Monrovia was built on this site a few years before 1890. Steps on the interior lead to a second story floor.
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Bracing was necessary to correct a slight lean in the barn. Two small additions to the outside of the structure were the first parts moved.
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With the cupola and front gable removed, the next stage was to brace the roof and cut it into sections so that it could be lifted by the crane.
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"The Crane Guys" moving company brought in a crane and flatbed truck to handle the barn move. It was necessary to dismantle the barn as it was too big to be moved in one piece along the narrow roads to its destination.
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Bracing of the structure throughout made it possible to maintain structural integrity so that the pieces could later be reassembled with ease.
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With so many people and equipment in the area, great care had to be taken when disassembling the building to avoid damage to it or injury to the workers.
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As day breaks the morning of the 14th day, nothing remains of the barn at its original location. It took 13 days to prepare the structure for the move and to transport it to its new home.
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The future home of the carriage barn will be on a one-acre parcel in the 900 block of Norumbega. The timetable for erecting the barn at its new location has yet to be determined.
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These were the individuals who provided most of the labor for the move: (L to R) Bob Gomez, Brian Stoll (kneeling), Jennifer Walker, Brian Carlson, and Jimi Hendrix.
Fund-raising by MOHPG to pay for the move of the carriage barn has ended. A total of 28 donations were received from MOHPG members and others. Donors are listed below in the order their donations were received. They are to be applauded for their concern over this preservation issue as are all the others who expressed concern over the fate of the structure.
Jim Constantian
Tim Cragoe
John & Linda Dollins
Doug & Karen Poindexter
Margaret Shuler
Bill Wake & Lynn Pilchak
Robb & Nancy Stewart
Joe & Denise Lumarda
Jim Wigton & Pam Barkas
Jean R. Durbin
Cleve & Gloria Crudgington
Hal & Liz Leavens
Jim Carne
Jim Hinkley & Michelle Saykally
Camille L. Woolsey
Dave & Donna Baker
Bruce & Kathy Carter
Anonymous
Frank & Tammy Guarino
Charles & Johanna Coleman
Dave & Margie Totten
Carolyn Hayes
Jacqueline Gordon
Michael & Janene Khanchalian
Barry & Diane Carlile
Chris & Becky Shevlin
Bruce Marrs & Susan Motander
Anonymous
Including MOHPG's matching donation, a total of $ 26,328 was raised for the effort. Expenses are summarized below:
Labor (6 workers over 13 days) . . . . $ 12,697.50
Materials (including truck rental) . . . $ 3,150.04
Crane company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2,936.25
Total Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 18,783.79
These expense were incurred for the move only. The new owners of the structure have assumed the costs to reconstruct the building. Progress on that part of the operation will be followed here in the months to come.