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Politics & Government

An Emergency at the Arboretum Finally Gets Attention

Years ago an emergency was declared that the Hugo Reid Adobe needed stabilization. Efforts by county officials and Arcadians have come to fruition: repairs begin within 90 days.

An emergency of historic importance has been averted at the in Arcadia due to the combined efforts of County officials, Arboretum activists and local Arcadia residents.  The Hugo Reid Adobe, preserved but never rehabilitated, is now set to undergo an extensive one-year emergency stabilization program beginning July 2011.   

The Adobe, which dates to 1839, has been deteriorating for years with the walls crumbling and the roof leaking.  Even though an emergency had been declared, the iconic adobe continued on a downward spiral.  Going back almost 10 years, a lack of funding left the historic building vacant of furnishings and in a forlorn holding pattern with a tarp over the roof in an attempt to preserve the structure.  Now, an action plan is finally underway.

Last week Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof told Arcadia Patch that an emergency stabilization study for the 172 year-old building has been completed and funding approved by the County.  The project is expected to begin in July 2011 and be completed July of 2012.

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"We will replace the roof with the Baldwin-era roof design," Schulhof reported.  "The work will encompass drainage improvements inside the adobe and new fascia will be added to the adobe walls."

The emergency condition of the adobe is a story that has been ongoing for years.  As early as 2004 the County's Department of Parks and Recreation, which is responsible for all gardens in the county, evidenced concern about maintenance of Arboretum historical buildings.  In 2006 when concerns were raised, Russ Guiney, director of Parks and Recreation responded in a letter to the Pasadena Star News that funding provided by a 2004 Getty Foundation grant obtained by the California Arboretum Foundation would study, among other things, improvements, including a new roof for the Hugo Reid Adobe.  The study was completed but the project did not move forward. The roof and the structure continued to deteriorate. 

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Eventually a group of Arcadians founded The Baldwin Adobe Restoration Committee to call attention to what they called an "emergency" regarding the adobe structure.  In October 2009, the group held an awareness event at a local residence--attended by about 100 prominent locals--devised to stir interest in saving the adobe and restoring the area to its Baldwin-era likeness.

The night of the backyard party, a newcomer to the area attended—Richard Schulhof.  The event was Schulhof's first in the community as the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer at the Arboretum.  That night he pledged to the group that he would take the historical section of the gardens seriously and move on their concerns.   County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who also attended, said he too would see if county funding might be available for at least a portion of the restoration. 

Almost immediately, county officials began to work behind the scenes with director Guiney to get things moving.  At the Arboretum, Schulhof appointed Mitchell H. Bishop, the current Curator of the Historical Section at the gardens, to form a committee to oversee selection of a qualified firm to update the previous study on rehabilitation.  Others in the County worked with Supervisor Antonovich to seek project funding. 

But, first, there needed to be money to fund an updated study since relevant new information and rehabilitation techniques had changed in the intervening years.  The Arboretum Foundation and Los Voluntarios, a volunteer group serving the Arboretum, stepped forward with approximately $28,000 that led to the hiring of Kelly Sutherlin McLeod Architecture to determine what modern-era steps might be taken to stabilize the structure, prevent future moisture damage to the walls and finally, to rebuild the roof to the way it looked when Baldwin was the owner of the ranch. 

The fresh enthusiasm by both Arcadians and the Arboretum worked.  The study was completed just two months ago, according to Schulhof, and with Antonovich's leadership, $5 million provided by Proposition U funds will be utilized to keep the Coach Barn and the Queen Anne Cottage in shape, restore other older garden areas, and most importantly, to do the emergency work at the adobe.  Proposition U was passed by voters in 2008 as a telephone tax on residents of unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.   

Since the 2004 study, Sandy Snider, an authority on Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin and the Arboretum's former Curator of Historic Collection, found through research that the adobe had been built by circus owner Joseph Rowe and not by Reid as had been previously thought. Even if Reid did not build the adobe, it's historical importance to Arcadians remains vital, Snider concluded, as it was in one of the adobe's rooms that Baldwin signed papers founding the City of Arcadia and also became the city's first mayor.

It is Snider's hope, and that of the Baldwin Restoration Committee, that once the emergency stabilization project is complete, that people in the San Gabriel Valley can come together to raise funds to restore the adobe historic area to the look that Elias J. Baldwin created in the late 1800s next to the picturesque lagoon and across from the Arboretum's most popular attraction, the Queen Anne Cottage. 

The historical section of the Arboretum remains popular with the almost 400,000 who visit the gardens annually.  A recent online study by the Arboretum offered an insight into the popularity—and the importance of-–the historical section.  Over 60% of those responding insisted the historical section was of critical importance.

"Those responding to the survey overwhelmingly said they wanted us to take better care of the buildings and make them more accessible," Schulhof said.

There is entertainment value in history as well.  To kick off the $5 million project and to spotlight the historical section of the Arboretum, there will be a celebration on April 30 and May 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Called "Wild West Days," the event will celebrate the rich history of the Baldwin era with music and entertainment.  The Coach Barn, the Santa Anita Train Depot and the Queen Anne Cottage will be open for tours.  Stagecoach rides, western bands, a singing cowboy, a calliope and even a saloon (OK, it's a root beer saloon) will be available for the price of admission to the gardens.

"We're excited about the Wild West Days as a way to put history in front of the public," said Schulhof.  "We're absolutely thrilled to celebrate the richness of the garden's history and be able to promote the story of Baldwin and his colorful era."

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