First, an apology for the delay in getting out this newsletter. The past three months have been busy ones as the newsletter shows.
To ensure expedient service, we’ve been completely reworking our membership mailing list to a new computer system. Some members may not have gotten current membership cards for the current year during this changeover (who needs Y2K for computer glitches?). If you did not get your card yet, please let us know, as you will need it for such events as the upcoming free screenings at the American Cinematheque (see article on page 8). Our new system will greatly speed up membership processing and flexibility. Our membership committee of Fran Offenhauser and Robert S. Birchard developed this new system.
A couple of last items of note. A major preservation victory was won by Hollywood Heritage as the latest (November) designs for the Hollywood Marketplace now incorporate the ABC / Merv Griffin Studios Building frontage as part of the project. Previous plans had called for the demolition of this 1935 Steamline Moderne landmark, the largest one so designed in Hollywood. After almost two years of everything from friendly discussions to threats of lawsuits by Hollywood Heritage, the developers (Regent Properties) realized the value of preserving the front (the back is burnt out) and restoring it as part of their new project. More on this in our next issue.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood Historic Trust unveiled the final phase of their historic building markers at a ceremony on November 23. Chamber Executive Director Leron Gubler devoted five years to getting the signs up, which will be finished by late December. Hollywood Heritage, which originated the project with Historic Resources Group, several years before, congratulates Leron Gubler and all those involved.