Highland Park Heritage Trust

P. O. Box 50894

Los Angeles, CA 90050

July 14, 2006

Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa

Mayor

City of Los Angeles

200 N. Spring Street, Room 1625

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,

The Highland Park Heritage Trust (HPHT), established in 1982, is a volunteer-driven community-based historic preservation organization with a mission of education and advocacy for the historic communities of Los Angeles’ Arroyo Seco, including Highland Park, Mt Washington, Garvanza, Hermon, Montecito Heights and Cypress Park.

When hearing of the potential merger in 2002, our organization immediately reached out to our fellow community organizations and residents and founded the Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition. The future of the Southwest Museum and Casa de Adobe is the most important historic preservation issue for not just our community but for all of Los Angeles and the region of the Southwest.

HPHT asked historic preservation organizations from the local to the national level to support and join the Coalition and assist in this work including groups such as Los Angeles Conservancy, California Preservation Foundation, Save Our Heritage (San Diego), South Pasadena Preservation, and multiple Route 66 preservation groups including National Historic Route 66 Federation.

We do not support the Autry National Center’s assertion that they will adaptively re-use the historic Southwest Museum or Casa de Adobe buildings. We believe these facilities must retain their historic use and be maximized for museum exhibition, education and interpretation to the visiting public every open day of the week. New complementary uses can and should enhance this primary use, such as a cultural center, restaurant and the continued use of the gift shop on the 12-acre site or even re-configured into the non-historic Braun Library building.

Why do we believe this? First, the owners of the historic resources are in the same line of business as the historic use – museum operators. Therefore, there is no functional business reason that would trigger an adaptive re-use as the manner in which to best preserve the buildings.

Second, there is overwhelming evidence that it is feasible for the historic use to continue; therefore providing no reason that the next-preferred preservation standard of adaptive re-use should be invoked. The Autry-commissioned “Brenda Levin Rehabilitation Report” provides conclusive evidence that the Southwest Museum is viable, with rehabilitation investment and maximizing exhibition space, to continue as primarily a museum use. The consultants concluded its rehabilitation as the historic use will require minimal changes and the least impact to the structure. The Friends of the Southwest Museum provided third-party verification of the economic viability of an enhanced museum-use through an independent study by ConsultEcon.

Third, the historic and cultural significance of the National Register-listed site is greatly tied to the legacy and life of its founder, Charles Fletcher Lummis, and to the Southwest Museum Collection. Charles Lummis specifically envisioned this site as a Museum for the geographic region he coined the term for – The Southwest. The complete removal of the Collection from public access and enjoyment would cause a significant adverse change to the historic resource. As Smithsonian Magazine so eloquently states: “Its architecture a part of the display, the Southwest Museum in the Highland Park section of Los Angeles is one of Lummis’ more enduring achievements.”

Fourth, the Casa de Adobe was built as an interpretive museum to depict the living history of the early Californios. Founded by the Hispanic Society, the building and its collection were deeded with specific restrictions to the Southwest Museum in the 1920s. Autry cannot disregard the intentions of the Hispanic Society by not allowing most or some of the original artifacts to be presented in the Casa de Adobe as intended as a museum. It appears that Autry’s decision to forever cut the interwoven tie between the building and the furnishings (Collection) is not based in study or evidence but on a perception that this community is not good enough to see or appreciate these items. What would the Gamble House be without the furnishings and finishes that tell the complete story during a specific point in history?

Based on the only credible evidence available through these two independent studies, the Highland Park Heritage Trust concludes that the highest and best use for the historic structures would be a continued museum use, maximizing the exhibition space for display and interpretation of the vast Southwest Museum Collection. We have always supported complementary uses to the primary museum use. And, we would support additional new uses on the 12-acre campus that could provide an enhanced museum experience and possible revenue sources to support the Southwest Museum. The Coalition has provided a whole range of ideas for Autry National Center to explore and study including new exhibition space, new space for cultural center activities, facilities rental, restaurant, more parking. Autry has provided no study or evidence that a museum with these enhancements in Mt. Washington wouldn’t out-perform their planned expansion in Griffith Park.

We do not support relocation of the Southwest Museum to Griffith Park, especially the new construction of 20,000 sq. ft of gallery/exhibition space. We have seen no studies or evidence that conclude this idea is feasible, what this would cost and the negative impacts to our City’s great Griffith Park or the adverse impacts to the historic Southwest Museum in Mt Washington.

We stand with our Coalition colleagues in demanding that Autry conduct a real and integrated Master Plan (as they promised in the Merger Agreement) that would produce the necessary information for the viability of all locations (Griffith Park and Mt. Washington) and factual data in which to base their decision-making.

We adamantly request that the City Recreation and Parks Department environmental staff conduct (or contract with an “on call” consultant) a full Environmental Impact Report on any proposed Autry expansion plans in Griffith Park. Due to the leasehold relationship and that the parkland property in question is owned by the City of Los Angeles, Autry should not be allowed or given the responsibility to hire its own consultants in this case.

Highland Park Heritage Trust overwhelmingly supports a vibrant future as a museum and in a manner that makes the Southwest Museum a more viable museum destination for greater Los Angeles. This needs to be the vision of the Autry National Center… not taking Lummis’ most enduring legacy and trying to somehow replace this authentic museum with a new stucco box in Griffith Park, at the expense of the park and to Los Angeles’ cultural heritage in the Arroyo Seco. Lummis fought hard for the current hilltop site and the removal of the collection to another location is exactly what he did not want.

We adamantly support the preservation of the Southwest Museum Collection and thank the Autry for their vision for its care and conservation. We do not know the best location for its proper storage and care but hope that a true Master Plan would review all options to give Autry and the public the necessary data to inform a decision. There is enough in the vast and diverse Collection for two world-class museums. We insist that, first and foremost, the public access to and appreciation of this Collection should always remain tied to the Southwest Museum in its original location. We would support more space for exhibition of the Collection and expanded public access, but not at the expense of the original Southwest Museum.

We call upon you, Mayor Villaraigosa, to see the museum opportunities for Los Angeles in your home-town neighborhood of Mt. Washington.

Sincerely,

Anne Marie Wozniak

President

cc: Councilmember Jose Huizar, CD14

Councilmember Ed Reyes, CD1

Councilmember Tom LaBonge, CD4

Friends of the Southwest Museum Coalition

Gary de la Rosa, Human Relations Commission