We did it! Alhambra FINALLY has a historic preservation ordinance! Alhambra City Council unanimously adopted the proposed Historic Preservation Ordinance on Monday, August 25, 2025!
With their vote, Alhambra City Council codified legislation that will work to preserve and protect Alhambra’s historic homes, businesses, churches and schools. The development of the ordinance was the third and final phase of a comprehensive historic preservation program implemented by the City of Alhambra.
This vote was the culmination of Alhambra Preservation Group’s more than 22 years of advocacy for meaningful legislation to preserve and protect Alhambra’s historic resources. It was the result of thousands of volunteer hours of work that included countless meetings with Alhambra leaders and residents; numerous home tours and City Council candidates’ forums; house histories and heritage awards to worthy homeowners; a citywide windshield survey in 2016; countless e-blasts, news articles and posts on social media; and a recent fight to save Alhambra’s historic 1930s-era community clinic on Shorb.
As you can imagine, we are over the moon with the City Council’s adoption of a historic preservation ordinance. It is with great pride that we can finally celebrate the adoption of meaningful historic preservation legislation here in Alhambra! Cue the celebration, pour the bubbly, and clink those glasses!
So, what are the next steps for Alhambra’s Historic Preservation Program?
The next steps for Alhambra’s Historic Preservation Program is the procedural second reading of the historic preservation ordinance on September 8. Then the ordinance will become law in mid-October – 40 days after its second reading.
Once the ordinance becomes law, the City of Alhambra will begin implementing the ordinance. This will include the development of application processes for the various elements of the ordinance including the official designation of historic resources and the process for the review of modifications to historic resources. We anticipate that this may take the City of Alhambra several months. The City of Alhambra has contracted with Historic Resources Group, LA County’s preeminent historic preservation consulting firm, to provide ongoing guidance to the City of Alhambra on the implementation of this ordinance.
As the City of Alhambra begins implementing the adopted ordinance, Alhambra Preservation Group will continue to monitor matters, ensuring that the various elements of this ordinance are adhered to and helping to educate residents about Alhambra’s newest legislation.
In the meantime, it’s time to celebrate the adoption of this ordinance and recognize and celebrate the hard work of APG members who made this momentous achievement happen!
A huge thank you to Alhambra City Council for their leadership on this issue and thank you for your ongoing support of Alhambra Preservation Group and for never giving up on the belief that Alhambra’s historic resources deserve to be preserved and protected. We’ll say it once again… WE DID IT!
To learn more about the Alhambra Preservation Group, please visit our web site.
An important decision will be made this coming Monday night (March 25, 2024) about one of Alhambra’s most significant historic buildings. Your input will be vital!
Voice your support for the preservation of the historic Alhambra Health Center (located at 612 West Shorb Street, Alhambra, CA 91803) at the upcoming Monday, March 25, 2024 Alhambra City Council meeting. Here are the specifics:
Date: Monday, March 25, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Alhambra City Hall, 101 South 1st Street, Alhambra, CA 91801 or online
Item 2: Alhambra Community Center Design Update
The City Council meeting agenda may be found here. The packet for Item 2 begins on Page 12 of the agenda. Renderings for the various proposed designs may be found below.
Please plan on attending either in person or via Zoom.
What Will Alhambra City Council Consider on March 25?
City Council will consider design options for completing the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) project description for a new community center to be built on the site of the former Alhambra Health Center at 612 W. Shorb Street, Alhambra. City and consultant staff will present four options, two new building designs, which both call for the demolition of the current Alhambra Health Center, and two reuse designs, which call for the preservation of all or a portion of the two-story structure. The proposed new designs are named Scheme I “Around the CampFire” and Scheme II “Overlooks”. The proposed adaptive reuse designs are named Alternative I “Flowscapes”; and Alternative II “Connecting Gems”.
We are pleased that the two proposed reuse design alternatives (Flowscapes and Connecting Gems) support the preservation of the two-story north facing portion of the original Alhambra Health Center.
Alhambra Historical Society and Alhambra Preservation Group representatives have reviewed the proposed design proposals. We support reuse design Alternative II “Connecting Gems” and have sent a joint letter to the City Council encouraging them to vote for and adopt Alternative II. The joint letter may be viewed here.
Design Alternative II is a good compromise for the community center project. It is concurrently equitable in cost compared to the previously presented two new building designs and preserves and adaptively reuses the most historically significant portion of the Alhambra Health Center. Additionally, the layout includes a great room, spaces for community programming and provides additional parking spaces, furnishing much-needed parking relief for the surrounding Mayfair tract community.
How Can You Help?
We encourage you to attend the March 25 City Council Meeting and voice your support for design Alternative II “Connecting Gems” for the Alhambra Community Center.
You may attend the City Council meeting either in person or via Zoom.
In Person: If you are attending the March 25 Alhambra City Council meeting at City Hall in person, fill out a blue speaker card for Item 2 and submit it to the City Clerk prior to the start of the meeting.
Via Zoom: If you are attending the March 25 Alhambra City Council meeting via Zoom, use the “Raise Hand” feature during the public comments for Item 2. The “Raise Hand” feature may be found under Reactions on the Zoom app interface. The Zoom link may be found in the March 25 agenda.
Your attendance and vocal support of design Alternative II is imperative and will demonstrate a groundswell of support to preserve the Alhambra Health Center for adaptive reuse. It will also communicate to Alhambra leaders the importance of protecting and preserving this historic resource, which is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Do you have suggested speaking points?
Yes. Suggested speaking points can be found below. Please feel free to revise, but remember to keep your comments to five minutes and speak respectfully.
If you have any questions, please email alhambrahistsoc@att.net. We hope to see you at the Alhambra City Council meeting on March 25!
Thank you for your ongoing support!
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SUGGESTED SPEAKING POINTS
MARCH 25 ALHAMBRA CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Good evening Mayor Maza, Alhambra City Council Members and City staff:
My name is __________________________ and I am a resident of Alhambra.
I am here to voice my support for reuse Alternative II “Connecting Gems” for the proposed Alhambra Community Center, which would preserve the most historically and architecturally significant portion of the Alhambra Health Center and adaptively reuse it as a community center.
Design Alternative II signifies a win-win-win for the community. It preserves the most architecturally significant portion of the Alhambra Health Center which eligible for the National Register of HIstoric Places, is financially feasible and gives Alhambra the community center it needs.
The Alhambra Health Center has been a part of the Alhambra community since 1930. Like many Alhambrans, I look forward to seeing this historic resource given new life and purpose as a vibrant community center. Its listing on the California Register of Historical Resources and eligibility for National Register of Historic Places status merits its preservation and adaptive reuse.
By voting for design Alternative II you will be honoring your unanimous 2021 decision to preserve as much of the original Alhambra Health Center as possible in the design of the community center. A vote for design Alternative II will also be consistent with your strategic planning goal of developing a comprehensive historic preservation program and prioritizing the protection and preservation of Alhambra’s historical, architectural and cultural resources.
I respectfully request that you adopt design Alternative II “Connecting Gems” for the proposed Alhambra Community Center project. Thank you for listening and your consideration.
Alhambra Preservation Group and Alhambra Historical Society are partnering to save Alhambra’s historic 1930 Alhambra Health Center located at 612 West Shorb Avenue, and we need your help!
You may be aware that the City of Alhambra is proposing the development of a community center at this site. While we enthusiastically support the creation of a community center at this location, we ardently reject any design scheme that proposes the total demolition of this historic Alhambra Health Center building.
The Alhambra Health Center building was built in 1930 and boasts a classic Monterey Colonial Revival architectural style. Due to decades of neglect by the County of Los Angeles, the structure is in a state of disrepair. Despite its current condition, the Alhambra Health Center is listed in the California Register of Historical Resources as well as in the 2023 Alhambra Historic Resources Survey Report that was recently completed as one of four Alhambra structures formally determined as being eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
This is unacceptable! We need to hold the decision-makers accountable for their promise to save this historic building. The destruction of the Alhambra Health Center should NOT even be considered a viable option.
On Monday, November 13, 2023 at a 6:00 p.m. Alhambra City Council Meeting, the Alhambra City Council will hear a presentation from City staff and KFA Architects and Environmental Science Associates that includes two community center design schemes. They will also present information compiled from an October 25 community workshop where they presented the two design schemes to the community and asked for input on design elements. Neither design scheme includes the adaptive reuse of the Alhambra Health Center. Both design schemes proposed its complete destruction. City staff is recommending that City Council select one of two community center building design options to assist in the development of the Environmental Impact Report project description.
In light of the citywide Historic Resources Survey Report that was presented to City Council in September 2023, we find it unacceptable and incomprehensible that there is no mention of the historic significance of the Alhambra Health Center in the City Council meeting agenda report.
Here’s how you can help us save the threatened Alhambra Health Center:
Attend the November 13 Alhambra City Council meeting and voice your support for saving the Alhambra Health Center. Encourage the City Council to direct staff to find a solution that creatively and sensitively reuses the current structure. Fill out a blue speaker card (Item #3) and submit it to the City Clerk prior to the start of the meeting.
OR
Attend the November 13 Alhambra City Council meeting via Zoom and voice your support for saving the Alhambra Health Center. The Zoom link may be found in the meeting’s agenda. Encourage the City Council to direct staff to find a solution for this site that creatively and sensitively reuses the current structure. Use the “Raise Hand” function during the public comments portion of the meeting.
You will find sample speaking points for your consideration below our signatures at the end of this letter. Speakers will have five (5) minutes each to speak.
It is long overdue for the City of Alhambra to reverse its development-at-all-costs policy, which has destroyed too many of our city’s historic resources. The City needs to honor and respect Alhambra’s historically significant resources and preserve the homes, businesses, churches, schools and public facilities that tell our city’s story and make Alhambra unique.
Please lend your voice to save the threatened Alhambra Health Center.
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SAMPLE SPEAKING POINTS – SAVE THE HISTORIC ALHAMBRA HEALTH CENTER
Date: November 13, 2023
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Alhambra City Hall, 111 South 1st Street, Alhambra, CA 91801
Item #3 – Council Direction on Alhambra Community Center Design
Good evening Mayor Maza and Alhambra City Council Members.
My name is __________________________ and I am a resident of Alhambra.
I am here this evening to voice my support for the plan to have a community center at this location and the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the historic Alhambra Health Center into a community center. I do not support the destruction of this historic structure.
The Alhambra Health Center has been a part of the Alhambra community since 1930 and while it has fallen into disrepair, this building has the potential to be given new life and purpose as a vibrant community center. It is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources and is eligible for National Register of Historic Places designation and deserves recognition and to be saved.
This City Council voted in 2021 to save the Alhambra Health Center and to pursue a design that sensitively reuses this structure. Alhambra City Council accepted a draft citywide historic resources survey report in September 2023, which identified this structure as a historically significant structure. I am respectfully requesting that you honor your 2021 vote and the statements you all made regarding the desire of the Council to save this structure. I’m also asking that you respect the historic significance of the Alhambra Health Center and its value to Alhambra. Please instruct City staff to move forward with a design that includes the adaptive reuse of the current Alhambra Health Center and reject any design scheme that proposes the demolition of this historic building.
Things are happening fast on the historic preservation front here in Alhambra! Let’s get everyone up to date!
As you know, Alhambra Preservation Group has been advocating for more than 18 years for the creation of a comprehensive historic preservation program. We’ve advocated for three key elements to be included: (1) establish an historic preservation commission, (2) adopt a historic preservation ordinance, and (3) conduct a citywide inventory of historically, architecturally and culturally significant homes, businesses, churches and schools.
On Monday, September 27, 2021, Alhambra’s City Council voted to create an Historic Preservation Commission – one of three new commissions established by City Council. Then, in their October e-newsletter, the City of Alhambra announced, “City of Alhambra to Establish Historic Preservation Program” stating that, “plans are well underway for the establishment of a Historic Preservation Program in Alhambra to recognize and protect important properties in the city’s history.” The City goes on to describe that Alhambra’s Historic Preservation Program will be developed in three phases:
Phase 1: Develop a Historic Context Statement
Phase 2: Conduct a Historic Resources Survey and Seat a Historic Preservation Commission
Phase 3: Adopt a Historic Preservation Ordinance
The City is currently in Phase 1 – the development of Alhambra’s first comprehensive, citywide historic context statement. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, a historic context statement is a written document that provides the framework for evaluating properties for their historic significance. In other words, this document will help residents understand what makes Alhambra homes, businesses, schools and churches historic, or not.
In order to write Alhambra’s historic context statement, the City is asking for EVERYONE’S help to tell Alhambra’s story. They want to hear about the people, places and stories in Alhambra’s history that matter the most to us.
To begin the process of gathering stories and information to write Alhambra’s first comprehensive historic context statement, the City of Alhambra is having a virtual community outreach meeting on October 13. Please plan on attending. Here’s the information:
“APG is very pleased to share these announcements outlining the next steps in the creation of Alhambra’s historic preservation program,” stated Oscar Amaro, Alhambra Preservation Group’s founder and president. “We urge everyone to get involved and help tell Alhambra’s story. APG has already contacted the project team to share the myriad stories we’ve discovered over the years, and we strongly urge you to do the same,” continued Amaro.
If you should have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@alhambrapreservation.org.
It’s hard to believe that we’re almost half way through 2021. Like all of you, here at Alhambra Preservation Group, we’ve been trying to adapt to life post-COVID and figure out what the “next normal” will look like for our organization. We hope to have more information to share later this year.
For now, we’re writing because there are two items of interest on Alhambra City Council’s online meeting this coming Monday, June 14 at 6 p.m. We encourage you to review the agenda and provide comments.
The first item of interest is Item #8: Discussion Regarding the Establishment of New Boards and Commissions
City Council will be discussing the establishment of new boards, committee and commissions and included in this, the establishment of a Historic Preservation Committee.
“Alhambra Preservation Group (APG) strongly supports and encourages the City to establish a historic preservation commission/committee,” stated Alhambra Preservation Group President, Oscar Amaro. “This proposed historic preservation commission/committee’s responsibilities could include the identification of Alhambra’s historic resources as well as assessing properties for any potential historic significance and providing desperately needed oversight,” continued Amaro.
APG recommends that the City establish a five-member Historic Preservation Commission with each City Council member appointing one resident member. Each member’s qualifications should be based on interest or experience in Alhambra’s history, architecture, archeology or related fields. The creation of a historic preservation commission could also assist the City of Alhambra in qualifying for future state preservation-related grant funds and incentives.
How You Can Help: Send an e-mail to Alhambra City Clerk Lauren Myles at lmyles@cityofalhambra.org by 5 p.m. on Monday, June 14, identifying your comments for Item 8. Please voice your support for and urge the City Council to establish a Historic Preservation Commission/Committee.
The second item of interest is Item #23: Council Action to Accept Properties and Assets From The Alhambra Historical Society, Inc.
Unfortunately, the Alhambra Historical Society has decided to dissolve. They will be returning the Alhambra Historical Society building and associated funds to the City of Alhambra on June 30, 2021. While we are saddened to learn of the dissolution of the Alhambra Historical Society, we understand the necessity to return the building and assets to the City of Alhambra. We thank the Alhambra Historical Society board members for their decades of dedication and service.
APG supports the City of Alhambra’s creation of an account to receive any remaining funds and property as a result of the Alhambra Historical Society’s dissolution. We look forward to hearing recommendations on the future use of the building as well as remaining funds.
APG encourages the Alhambra City Council to earmark funds from the Alhambra Historical Society for historic-preservation related needs as was intended when the historical society was formed in 1966 and to consider utilizing these funds for a long overdue citywide inventory of historic resources.
How You Can Help: Send an e-mail to Alhambra City Clerk Lauren Myles at lmyles@cityofalhambra.org by 5 p.m. on Monday, June 14, identifying your comments for Item 23. Urge our City Council to earmark funds from the Alhambra Historical Society for historic preservation-related needs and request that they consider utilizing these funds for a citywide inventory of historic resources.
We recommend that you e-mail your comments; however, if you should choose to speak on any of the items, the June 14 City Council agenda provides instructions on how to do that.
As always, thank you for your ongoing support of historic preservation in Alhambra. If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@alhambrapreservation.org.
Photo of Alhambra City Hall circa 1960s courtesy of Alhambra Preservation Group.
In anticipation of the November 3 general election, two virtual Alhambra Candidates’ Forums will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 and Thursday, October 8, 2020.
The Community and Candidates Forum on October 6 will feature Alhambra City Council candidates and will include questions from the community. All City Council candidates were invited to participate in the forum.
In City Council District 3, incumbent Council Member Jeff Maloney and challenger Chris Olson will participate. In City Council District 4, incumbent Mayor David Mejia and challenger Sasha Renée Pérez will participate. Mr. Karsen Luthi, a candidate in the City Council District 4 race, declined the invitation to attend.
California Senator Susan Rubio representing the 22nd senate district will provide the keynote welcome with the Pasadena area chapter of the League of Women Voters moderating the forum. To register to attend this free event on October 6, please visit the Community and Candidates Forum Eventbrite page.
Two nights later, on Thursday, October 8, the Kids and Candidates Forum will focus on candidates running for Alhambra Unified School District’s (AUSD) School Board and will also include questions from community members. There are races in three of AUSD’s five school board seats. All Alhambra School Board candidates were invited to participate in the forum.
The school board candidates who will be attending include challengers Dr. Marcia Wilson (District 1), Ken Tang (District 2) and Kaysa Moreno (District 3). As of the posting of this article on September 29, Alhambra Unified School District Board incumbents Wing Ho (District 1), Jane Anderson (District 2) and Patricia Rodriguez-Macintosh (District 3) had declined the invitation to participate.
AUSD Superintendent Denise Jaramillo will provide the keynote welcome and student leaders from our AUSD high schools will moderate the forum. To register to attend this free event on October 8, please visit the Kids and Candidates Forum Eventbrite page.
Alhambrans are invited and encouraged to participate in these two free virtual town hall-style meetings to meet the candidates and learn where they stand on key issues facing Alhambra.
Both forums will include live Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese translations.
If you would like to submit potential questions for either the City Council Candidates Forum or the AUSD School Board Candidates Forum, please send your questions via e-mail to education@alhambrasource.org. You may register for the events by visiting the Alhambra Source.
The goal of both candidates forums is to give Alhambra City Council and AUSD School Board candidates the opportunity to discuss the various issues affecting Alhambra and provide residents with an opportunity to hear their positions on issues. Given the many issues facing our city, the coalition invites all Alhambrans to attend this event and receive the information they need to cast an informed vote.
The general election will be on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Due to COVID-19, California will send mail-in ballots to all registered voters. For information on how to register to vote or to check your current voter registration information, please visit Vote.org.
This year we are focusing on 1920s Alhambra. In this issue, we shine the spotlight on three of Alhambra’s neighborhoods that were developed and “grew up” in the 1920s – Emery Park, Mayfair and the Orange Blossom Manor Tracts.
All three of these 1920s neighborhoods include homes that feature the architectural styles that were prevalent in the 1920s – Spanish Colonial Revival, Storybook, American Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, the English Cottage, among others. Architecturally, the 1920s was a time when there was a style for every taste, and all those “styles” can be still be found in present-day Alhambra neighborhoods – nearly a century after they were built.
Emery Park
The official opening day celebration for Emery Park was held on Sunday, February 26, 1922. Emery Park was a brand new subdivision, created from an area west of Fremont Avenue and south of Main Street, that had been annexed to the City of Alhambra in 1908. It had once been known as Dolgeville – Alfred Dolge’s model manufacturing suburb.
An Emery Park advertisement.
More than 1,000 people attended Emery Park’s opening day event, which was sponsored by the real estate development firm of Meyering & Lawrence. Many of them traveled from downtown Los Angeles on buses hired by the company. A free lunch was served as an enticement, and prizes were given away to buyers – handy domestic items that homeowners might need – like sewing machines, rocking chairs, table lamps and coffee percolators.
It must have been quite an impressive sight on that beautiful, late winter day, to see the more than 500 acres of Emery Park from a viewpoint near the top of the hill! One writer described his own experience of seeing the new subdivision for the first time:
“The view was so beautiful it shocked me – shocked me and thrilled me. Below was unfolded a panorama of unforgettable loveliness. It seemed such a different world I had to consult my watch to realize that twenty minutes before we had been held up by a traffic jam at Sixth and Olive. Peaceful Alhambra lay to the right, and far over on the left her autocratic sister, Pasadena, flaunted her charms. A green carpet rolled out from our feet, straight away to the backdrop – the mountain range, over which hung a purple haze. And rising out of this purple was Mt. Baldy, like a white-haired old vet, snowcapped, magnificent.”
Writer Unknown
Twenty-two lots were sold that first afternoon alone. A grading camp was established on site, and work began on the construction of streets and roadways within Emery Park. Poplar Blvd was already paved, but it was widened so that the new tract could be connected to the main business district in Alhambra.
Fast forward nearly a century and many of the homes that were built in Emery Park remain there today. Driving up and down Emery Parks’ streets, one will still find Spanish Revival, Pueblo Revival, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Storybook homes.
Mayfair
Named after one of the most elegant and expensive sections of the city of London, Alhambra’s Mayfair Tract is 63 acres in size, bounded by San Marino Avenue on the north, Valley Boulevard on the south, Garfield Avenue on the east, and 6th Street on the west.
By the 1920s, Mayfair remained one of Alhambra’s last major undeveloped land tracts. The only other large areas of land that still remained were the Graves and Bean orchards in the northeastern portion of the city. With the newly built Garfield Theater just down the street and new businesses popping up all along Valley Boulevard, which had recently changed names from Ocean to Ocean Boulevard, one can understand the appeal of Alhambra’s Mayfair Tract.
A 1946 photo of the home on S. 4th Street.
One of Mayfair’s most beautiful homes is a Tudor Revival on South 4th Street. Built in 1929, this home, constructed for $5,900, was the first residence built on this block. It most likely served as the tract’s model home.
Today, the Mayfair tract remains one of Alhambra’s most intact historic neighborhoods. Driving through Mayfair, one will see many Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Storybook-styled homes. And, like Emery Park, in Mayfair one will find an attractive mixture of the many architectural styles that were prevalent in the 1920s.
Orange Blossom Manor Tract
The last neighborhood we’re showcasing is the Orange Blossom Manor Tract in northeastern Alhambra and which boasts some of Alhambra’ most beautiful homes. The boundaries of the Orange Blossom Manor Tract are Alhambra Road on the north, Grand Avenue on the south, Almansor Street on the west, and Hidalgo Avenue on the east. Almansor Street between Grand Avenue and Alhambra Road is unofficially known as Alhambra’s Millionaire’s Row with several stunning 1920’s revival-styled homes.
Before it was known as the Orange Blossom Manor Tract this area of land was owned in the late 1800’s by Francis Q. Story, one of Alhambra’ Founding Fathers. Story was a highly successful entrepreneur, who was known as “the Father of the Sunkist Orange” having developed the iconic campaign just after the turn of the 20th century. His citrus orchards stretched from the Alhambra Arroyo eastward toward San Gabriel.
Victor “Clyde” Forsythe painted by Norman Rockwell
During the 1920’s, Mr. Story began to sell off his many acres of orchard land, and local real estate developers snapped them up to create housing tracts. One of these was the Orange Blossom Manor Tract – so named after the home of famed artist Victor “Clyde” Forsythe and still located at the corner of Alhambra Road and Almansor Street. Some of the most prominent Alhambrans of the 1920’s and 1930’s lived in this exclusive neighborhood.
The varied architectural styles of the homes in this area are reflective of the post World War I period of their construction. The Orange Blossom Manor Tract features a diverse collection of architectural styles, including stately Mid-Atlantic Colonials, sturdy Dutch Colonial Revivals, stunning Spanish Colonial and Mission Revivals, and quaint English Cottages.
In a city that has experienced the destruction of many historic homes, it is important to note that these three Alhambra neighborhoods remain almost completely intact. When you visit Emery Park, Mayfair or the Orange Blossom Manor tracts, you’ll see these neighborhoods almost exactly as they appeared in the late 1920s – a testament both to the excellent quality of the homes and to the commitment of their residents in retaining the original charm and character of these three historic neighborhoods.
Thank you to Chris Olson, past president of Alhambra Preservation Group, for her contribution to this article.
Editor’s Note: This concludes Alhambra Preservation Group’s series on the 1920s. We hope you have enjoyed reading about 1920s Alhambra as much as we’ve enjoyed focusing the spotlight on the beautiful 1920s architecture that can still be found in Alhambra.
Photos courtesy of Alhambra Preservation Group.
A Spanish Colonial Revival home located in the Emery Park neighborhood of Alhambra, CA.
A Tudor Revival home located in the Emery Park neighborhood of Alhambra, CA.
A Storybook home located in the Emery Park neighborhood of Alhambra, CA.
An English Tudor Revival home located in the Mayfair neighborhood of Alhambra, CA.
A Spanish Colonial Revival home located in the Mayfair neighborhood of Alhambra, CA.
The Garfield Theater in 1924 – a popular place for Alhambra residents.
Alhambra’s “Father of the Bride” home, located in the Orange Blossom Manor Tract.
Victor and Cotta Forsythe’s Orange Blossom Manor, a Mid-Atlantic Colonial Revival home.
Measure V will promote integrity, honesty, fairness and transparency in Alhambra elections
By Oscar Amaro, President, Alhambra Preservation Group
On your mail-in ballot, you’ll see Measure V – Alhambrans for Election and Campaign Finance Reform. Alhambra Preservation Group endorses Measure V, and I strongly encourage you to vote Yes on Measure V. Here’s what Measure V will do for Alhambra:
Measure V will improve representation
Measure V will increase government accountability and transparency
Measure V will get Big Money out of Alhambra politics
When I formed the Alhambra Preservation Group (APG) in 2003, I never thought it would take 17 years (and counting) for city leaders to support what a clear and very vocal majority of Alhambrans had been calling for, for generations – the protection and preservation of our neighborhoods and our city’s historic homes, businesses, schools and churches.
What I discovered throughout the hundreds of hours APG spent attending city meetings, writing letters and lobbying City officials on behalf of saving Alhambra’s historic buildings and homes, is that for decades our city leaders have been beholden to moneyed, special interests instead of Alhambra’s residents. Developers and larger real estate interests consider “historic preservation” measures an impediment to their plans for uncontrolled, massive development. Meanwhile Alhambrans suffer the effects of increased traffic, stressed city services and infrastructure and the continued loss of trees and green, open space. This system benefits the few at the expense of many. I firmly believe that if there had been provisions in place similar to what Measure V is proposing when APG was founded, we would have saved many historic homes and preserved our neighborhoods.
I STRONGLY encourage APG members and Alhambra residents to VOTE YES ON MEASURE V. It will greatly limit the influence that Big Money (i.e. developers and real estate interests) has on the decision-making within Alhambra City Hall. It will also give a voice to residents who, for too many years, have been drowned out by policies decided on outside of their immediate neighborhoods by politicians with a bigger agenda.
Measure V is endorsed by a coalition of organizations and supported by the entire Alhambra City Council. If you’d like to learn more, visit the Yes on Measure V website.
Vote YES ON MEASURE V and send a clear message that Alhambra is not for sale!
Graphic courtesy of Yes on Measure V – Alhambrans for Election and Campaign Finance Reform.
The City of Alhambra is taking its first steps toward the development of a historic preservation program, and we need you to be there…from the comfort of your own home! We’ve counted on you in the past and you’ve been there for us, for our communities and for preserving our city’s collection of historic homes.
Pleaseplan on attending the City of Alhambra City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. on July 13, 2020 via either your computer (for video & audio) or phone (audio).
“We are pleased that the City of Alhambra is remaining true to its General Plan goals as they relate to historic preservation,” stated Oscar Amaro, President and Founder of Alhambra Preservation Group. “We are also grateful to this City Council for FINALLY making the development of a historic preservation program a priority after 17 years of advocacy on our part. We look forward to working with the City of Alhambra to adopt an ordinance that preserves and protects Alhambra’s many historic resources and sends the message that ‘This Place Matters.'”
At this meeting, City of Alhambra staff will present Item #2 “Historic Preservation Program” to City Council for their consideration. Per the July 13 agenda, major steps to be discussed will focus on (1) the preparation of a Historic Context Assessment, (2) an in-depth survey of potential significant properties, and (3) the development of a regulatory framework with an ordinance. Each step will encourage community outreach and participation. The recommended action is that City Council receive and file the presentation, discuss the 3-step Historic Preservation Program and initiate its implementation by authorizing the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Step 1 of the Historic Preservation Program, which is the preparation of a Historic Context Assessment.
Here is how you can participate in the July 13 City Council meeting:
If you are interested in participating in the meeting via Zoom, please use the Zoom Webinar direct link at the top of the July 13 City Council agenda.
If you are interested in listening by phone, please dial 1-669-900-9128 or 1-346-248-7799 or 1-253-215-8782. When prompted, please enter Webinar ID: 895 8304 3401 and Password: 499020698.
All members of the public calling or logging into the meeting will be muted so that the meeting can proceed without interruption.
For those wishing to speak on an agenda item, please e-mail David Tran at dtran@cityofalhambra.org by 5:00 p.m. on July 13 with the item number you wish to speak on and the phone number you will use when calling or the name you will use when logging into the meeting. You should then call or log into the meeting at least 10 minutes prior to its start time of 7:00 p.m. on July 13, 2020. You will have five minutes to speak, subject to Mayor’s discretion.
Alternatively, you may e-mail your comments to the City Clerk at lmyles@cityofalhambra.org by no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 13, 2020. Comments will be read into the records, with a maximum allowance of five minutes per individual comment, subject to Mayor’s discretion.
Thank you for your ongoing support in joining with Alhambra Preservation Group to fight for the preservation and protection of Alhambra’s historic, architectural and cultural resources. Your willingness to stand alongside APG for the last 17 years has led us to this historic day.
If you should have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us at info@alhambrapreservation.org.
We need your help to save one of Alhambra’s few remaining Bungalow Courts and a Craftsman home.
On July 16, Alhambra’s Planning Commission will hear a proposed development to raze a 1923 bungalow court at 234 South Marguerita Avenue and an adjacent 1908 Arts and Crafts home at 237 South Curtis Avenue, which sits directly east of the bungalow court. The owner/developer proposes combining these two parcels. The development will destroy affordable housing units to build at-market valued condominiums.
“Alhambra Preservation Group strongly opposes this proposed development. We urge residents to join us in stopping the destruction of historic buildings and affordable housing units in Alhambra,” stated Oscar Amaro, Founder and President of Alhambra Preservation Group. “In other cities, a bungalow court and Craftsman home like this would be preserved and protected. Instead, in Alhambra, it is developers and a ‘pay-to-play’ system that is preserved and protected. This system sends a signal to outside developers and business interests that Alhambra is easy to pillage, plunder and profit from destroying our city’s character and neighborhoods,” continued Amaro.
Please join Alhambra Preservation Group in opposing this project. Here’s how you can help:
Share the petition on social media and encourage your neighbors to sign it.
Write a letter opposing this development and e-mail it to Paul Lam at plam@cityofalhambra.org by 4:30 p.m. on July 16. Letters received by 4:30 p.m. will be read into the record at the Planning Commission meeting.
Participate in the virtual Planning Commission meeting at 7 p.m. on July 16, 2020 and speak out against this project. Here is the Planning Commission Agenda. For those interested in speaking out, please e-mail Paul Lam at plam@cityofalhambra.org by 5:00 p.m. on July 16, specifying that you’d like to speak on Item #5. Include the phone number you will use when calling or the name you will use when logging into the meeting virtually.
Until the City of Alhambra adopts a historic preservation ordinance, which will put into place the appropriate review process to determine the historical, architectural and cultural significance of Alhambra’s homes and buildings, our city’s historic homes will continue to be destroyed.
At the July 13 City Council meeting, the City of Alhambra took historic first steps towards developing a historic preservation program, which will include an ordinance. Because Alhambra has begun the process of developing a comprehensive historic preservation program, Alhambra Preservation Group is advocating for a moratorium on all development that proposes the razing of homes and buildings.
Help us stop this development! It’s time the City of Alhambra prioritized people and preservation over profits!
The City of Alhambra is taking its first steps toward the development of a historic preservation program, and we need you to be there…from the comfort of your own home! We’ve counted on you in the past and you’ve been there for us, for our communities and for preserving our city’s collection of historic homes.
We need your help to save one of Alhambra’s few remaining Bungalow Courts and a Craftsman home.
The Prose of Preservation 