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<br /> PRESERVATION NEWS
<br /> trict in Beverly Hills . The state listing
<br /> describes North Arnaz Drive as a rare
<br /> example of historic regional architecture W H 0 S
<br /> and "an early 20th century Southern Cal-
<br /> ri
<br /> ifornia prototype which is rapidly disap- N E W S
<br /> fearing within the city under the pres-
<br /> ks sures of high-density development."
<br /> Says Chaim Pelleg, "The decision was
<br /> r unanimous . They fell in love with us . Selma Savior
<br /> f Meanwhile , the city council Was MICHAEL VAUGHN SIMS Was 15
<br /> debating approval of the condo project, to when he first saw the Pleasant Hill
<br /> be called the Chateau Arnaz, and even- Presbyterian Church near Selma ,
<br /> tually voted 3 -2 to allow its construction. Ala . , and it was 130 , Awed by the
<br /> The developer, Gerald Marcil, says wood-framed church's 14-foot win-
<br /> his $ 15 million building will enhance the doves and its perfect proportions, he felt frustrated by its deterioration. Fifteen
<br /> I neighborhood. "The top story will beset years later, in 1997, the set designer for Broadway shows was home visiting his
<br /> back so that it will look like it is two sto- parents when he drove by the church again . This time he began a campaign
<br /> ties tall from the street. It will match the to preserve the 1852 structure, which hadn't seen a congregation since 1923 .
<br /> rhythm of the street. " Sims , 36 , had taken architecture classes in college ; now, he did a set of meas.
<br /> Arnaz Drive residents and business ured drawings `just for my own satisfaction" and sent them to the state his-
<br /> people who, along with the conservancy, torical commission , which soon awarded him a $22 , 000 matching grant. The
<br /> disagree filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles church, and an association formed in the 1970s to maintain it, had a savior. With
<br /> County court to reverse the decision of the help of families with ties to the church, the brick piers it stands on have been
<br /> the council. An environmental impact rebuilt, and planning has begun to work on the roof and install new trusses .
<br /> le report prepared for the state by an rode- After that. windows, shutters , the original slave-made plank pews , and new
<br /> pendent agency states that "the project landscaping. No plans yet for how the church will be used. Sims will continue
<br /> would result in a substantial adverse s _ r to oversee the project but
<br /> vim,tie change in the significance of the North .ki intends to keep his day job
<br /> It
<br /> Arnaz Apartments Historic District" Still, % , � in New York,
<br /> ANA
<br /> live a judge ruled that the project could pro- � ' J.
<br /> ring AIL
<br /> Geed; the decision is under appeal. Seeing
<br /> Win or lose this articular case ,
<br /> .h P y the Forest
<br /> Roberts admits that preservation in Bev-
<br /> ion, erly Hills has "a long way to go, but there ONE NIGHT, A YEAR AFTER
<br /> is a groundswell of support, especially as sh he retired from the US .
<br /> ial demolition of old buildings r to
<br /> increases . " Forest Service , Jim Holm,, 1Y
<br /> in Pelleg strolled down North Arnaz = , .k , , brook read something in
<br /> itals , W Drive one recent sunny day with David ; : ,,,hh an old book that made
<br /> W :`
<br /> Dtels Y Blanco , whose family has owned and him sit up in bed. In his 33
<br /> UJ occupied one of the historic buildings for years as a forester in western North Carolina, he'd never noticed anything spe
<br /> W30 years . Pelleg, who greeted his neigh- vial about a grove of red spruce trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway near
<br /> nd o bors by name , reflected on the old build- Waynesville . But the book said the trees were a memorial, one for each
<br /> ;n - o in that are disappearing from Beverly soldier North Carolina had sent to 'the Confederacy. The 125 , 000 trees ,
<br /> ie Hills . "These are beautiful and affordable planted in 1941 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, had been
<br /> gift i houses , but this city only cares about marked with a big stone and a bronze plaque, both now long gone . When
<br /> m - N celebrities' homes , " he complained. Holbrook discovered the forest's significance , he suggested a new sign. The
<br /> n o "They don't even care about those ,' Sons of the Confederate Veterans helped him raise $ 400 , and a rededication
<br /> Blanco responded. `A few years ago, the = ceremony was held in August at milepost 422 on the parkway. "Ma' am, I am
<br /> city even let Jimmy Stewart's house be proud, " says Holbrook, who will oversee the memorial. "But the big thing
<br /> demolished. " is , walking in that forest is like walking into a cathedral. The trees come
<br /> together, the sun filters through. It makes you appreciative of the folks who
<br /> Kerri Westenbergis a writer in Santa Monica, established the forest andwho it's dedicated to . " ANN OLDENBURG
<br /> CL
<br /> Calif.
<br /> NOVEMBER ` DECEMBER 200I 17
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