Post #279863 by Swamp Tiki on Sat, Jan 20, 2007 7:17 AM

TO quote Jack Benny......"Well!"

I am glad that I made the trip out to get pictures of it a few months back. When the talk of Trader Vic's being lost began to pick up I figured that documenting it should be high on my list of things to do. Being a architectural historian, anytime a historic property becomes endangered the ole' alarms start going off. This property and its landscape qualify for the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. Actually the residential community across the street qualifies as a National Register District. National Register status is a pedigree that attracts attention and gives historic properties "bragging rights." I urge you Californians to contact the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)to learn more about saving these sensitive properties from the wrecking ball. Historic districts bring ordinances that are regulated by the people who live in them, not government, not big business. Districts bring in Design Guidelines that regulates new construction, and assists locals on proper restoration and rehabilitation techniques, AND available tax incentives and grants.

Oh GOD, I'm starting to rant.....

Listen, the Beverly Hills Trader Vic's IS a historic property. The exterior of the building is filled with awe inspiring art work that is worthy for a museum. Its even signed and dated by the artist, for God's sake! Here in the Eastern United States, FOLK ART is being recognized for its importance, its rare, beautiful, and irreplaceable. The bass relief artwork on the outside of Trader Vic's falls into this category. This issue should be addressed on the state level, and could qualify for Federal attention. Historic Properties that retain their historical integrity are rare and can get the attention they deserve when the community rallies around it.

I'm not going to rattle about my business, but go to my website

http://www.historical-integrity.com

Get passed all my design pages and get to the meat of its historic preservation element. Read about the National Register of Historic Places and the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Preservation. This knowledge will help you save California's vintage tiki landmarks. Developers have no since of history or community. As long as they are tearing down and rebuilding they are making money!

Let me say that if TV's is demolished and is rebuilt in another location, will the new property have the rich patina, that original luster that only the tests of time can give..? No. What history, what memories will exist in the new construction? None. The people and experiences associated with the original location will be lost forever. Causalities of urban development. We can never fully re-create the past, modern building codes and bias contaminates that ability... this is why historic preservation is so important.

If Trader Vic's Beverly Hills is lost, be sure you learn from this mistake, take stock in the resources you have left, get organized, get the right knowledge, and see that they are preserved for your old age and the next generation of tikifiles that haven't even been born yet.

Swamp.

[ Edited by: Swamp Tiki 2007-01-20 07:48 ]

[ Edited by: Swamp Tiki 2007-01-20 07:49 ]