 |
2010 PRESERVATION AWARDS Walker House
Owner: City of San Dimas
Designed in the Queen Anne Revival style by noted architects Joseph Cather Newsom and his brother Samuel, the San Dimas Hotel was built in 1887 along the transcontinental Santa Fe Railway. It was the second building in the new town of San Dimas, constructed during a brief land boom to attract anticipated migrants from back east. The economic boom soon went bust, however, and the building never opened as a hotel. James W. Walker bought the property in 1889, and it housed his family for six generations through the 1970s. It operated as a restaurant for about a decade, then fell into decline through unsuccessful attempts at restaurant and event use. After suffering from neglect and earthquake damage, the building was vacated in 1997 and sat dormant for a decade—even though it is both a local and national landmark. Despite several efforts to save the house, no one had the means. Recognizing the very real potential of losing what was perhaps the community’s most significant historic resource, the City of San Dimas stepped up to purchase and preserve the property.
The house had deteriorated so badly that it had been red-tagged. All seven chimneys had collapsed, as had some of the floors and roofing. Unauthorized demolition had left part of the house stripped down to the studs. Floors and foundations were uneven. The weight of the roof had bowed out walls, and the grand central staircase leaned noticeably inward. With additional funding from a Getty grant and historic tax credit, the project team preserved what original material remained and rehabilitated altered sections for new uses. The many technical challenges included completing an extraordinary amount of repair and stabilization while keeping the structural work itself invisible. They rose to the challenge, reviving the residence inside and out, including some of the original landscaping.
The Walker House is now a mixed-use facility with a restaurant, public meeting space, and offices and galleries for the local art festival, historical society, and rodeo. The building is financially viable, with steady business and historic tours exceeding attendance expectations. This beautiful, significant landmark came back from the brink to serve as a vital community asset and source of civic pride, demonstrating the value of public investment in historic resources. Learn More
|
 |
 |
|
Palace Theatre Built in 1911 as the third home of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in Los Angeles, this theatre at Sixth St. and Broadway, a work of architect G. Albert Lansburgh, is now the oldest remaining original Orpheum theatre in the country. Loosely styled after a Florentine Renaissance palazzo, the facade of this brick and concrete structure features terra cotta flowers, fairies, and theatrical masks illustrating the spirit of entertainment. Photo courtesy of Tom Zimmerman |
