ANNUAL REPORT 1981/82
HISTORICAL SECTION
Sandra L. Snider - Assoc. Curator
Condition of Buildings :
1. Queen Ann e Cottage ;
a. Building exterior was painted by Los Angeles County Mechanical
Department this past fiscal year.
b. Gordon Termite Co, inspected the building one year after treat-
ment and found no new or remaining infestation.
c A bid for painting the interior of the Cottage, sanding and
varnishing the floors , and oil ing the woodwork was received
from Anthony Triarsi of Anthony Decorators in Pasadena ($11,895)
and was accepted by the Cal ifornia Arboretum Foundation.
Work is projected to begin in August .
d . Brochures and cost estimates were received from Scalamandre Co .
in New York for replacement carpeting for the Music Room and
the Parlor in the Cottage. Mid- Victor i an Wilton patterns
are available in the necessary sizes at approximately $3,000 each.
Funding is to come from Las Voluntarias history monies .
e . All Cottage draperies are to be cleaned and repaired by Eldon
Drapery in Covina with money from Las Voluntairas history fund .
Draperies were removed in late July for cleaning,
f. Funding from Las Voluntarias history monies has been approved
for purchase and installation of improved Cottage porch lighting
fixtures. Work is projected to begin in August/September .
g . Vandals destroyed two of the three stained glass windows in
the tower of U -..-!! in May , 1982 . Pasadena Art Glass
undertook restoration and replacement of the glass and re-
installed the windows in June . Pro tec tive acrylic glass was
purchased by the Arboretum and installed ovei the to v. i ; Lained
glass by Arboretum personnel.
h. Restoration projects still to be accomplished include re-uphol stery
of the set of parlor furniture in the Cottage and re-wiring of
the prisms in the chandeliers in the Study, Bedroom and Parlor.
i. Volunteer Milt Mar'. i 1 * Lving in the Bedroom close
2 . C oach Barn
a. Bids were solicited by the California Arboretum Foundation
for new roofing for the Barn. Several types of roofing were
considered with estimates ranging from $5,000 to $33,000.
An engineering report was also solicited by the Foundation
for purposes of analyzing the strength of the Barn structure.
Work on a new wood shingle, fire retardant roof was begun
by Virgin Roofing Co. in August . *
b. An estimate was received from Anthony Decorators for spot,
sanding and varnishing and thorough oiling of the Barn interior
panel ling, currently in deteriorating condition . Cost woul d
be $5,600. The project is recommended for attention in the
very near future to prevent the pervasive weathering now taking
c. Volunteer Milt Murset constructed wooden horses for display
of period saddles in the case adjacent to the Tally Ho.
d. The old tack room near the east entrance to the Barn, was trans-
formed into a Stable Boy's Room (with bed, dresser, bath, etc.)
when the saddles were put on permanent display near the Tally Ho.
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e. Projects s til 1 to be accomplished in the Barn include:
repair of the torn velvet lining in the Tally Ho; repair
of several pieces of farm equipment; restoration and more
informative displays of blacksmith shop and farm implement
3. Boa t h ouse ; The Baldwin boathouse was destroyed by vandals in
1980 and has not yet been reconstructed. A "movie prop"
deck currently obscures the boathouse landing and steps.
It is recommended that the deck be removed as soon as possible
for both historic authenticity and publ ic safety reasons .
4. Wickiups : Only two of the original four wickiups remain and
these two are in extremely poor condition. Unsightly cement
"domes" should be removed from the wickiups and tule reeds
used to patch the numerous exposed areas of metal framework .
As they now stand, the wickiups are an embarassment to the
Arboretum' s historical integrity. It is recommended that
a long-term solution be the construction of two authentic
shel ters (with willow pole frames and reed thatch) such as
that constructed at the County Museum of Natural History.
5 . Hugo Re id Ad obe:
a. A viewing window in the sala (middle room), shattered by
vandals in 1980, was replaced by a better quality plastic
and by a stronger frame. Public viewing of the Adobe interior
would be greatly enhanced f t <> I i ten window and frame
were similarly replaced.
b. Minor roof leaks continue throughout the Adobe during rainy
seasons. New roofing will soon be necessary.
c . The rain-damaged secretary in the sala needs to be stripped
and re-varnished. A glass door, broken by vandals, needs
replacement .
d. In the courtyard, the iron door to the oven, removed by vandals,
still has not been re-attached by County masons.
e. It is recommended that an engineering report be solicited
regarding the structural soundness of the Adobe. Major cracks
in walls, door frames, and foundation continue to appear. In
several places , the cement- lined floor is caving in.
6. Santa Anita Depot:
a. The exterior wood of the Depot was painted by Los Angeles County
Mechanical Dept. this past fiscal year,
b. Roof shingles were patched this past rainy season, but holes
are again visible above the Baggage Room.
c. Interior surfaces will need re-painting in the near future.
It has now been 12 years since the original, painting.
d. A steady drip from the bathroom plumbing is decaying the outside
brickwork near the Depot back door.
e. The outdoor waiting bench has deteriorated to such an extent that
the Arboretum Shop says it is not repairable, A replacement bench
is needed.
f . Volunteer Milt Murset constructed shelving in the kitchen closet.
Milt also installed weather stripping along the Baggage Room
doors in an effort to cut down on the dirt blown off the hillside.
Special activities :
1. Field Leader Training: A six-week session in California History
was conducted for 18-20 prospective History and Nature field
leaders from late September through mid-November . Of this group ,
ten new History leaders were added to the rolls,
2. Queen Anne Frolic, September 18, 1981: As usual, History volunteers
gave the Cottage a thorough cleaning in preparation for the Frolic.
History docents and other volunteers offered guided tours through
the Cottage (for groups of 10-15 guests ) from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. ,
while the Assoc. Curator conducted special guided tours for tables
of Arboretum Benefactors. In addition, a special display of photo-
graphs of movie locations using the Arboretum, from 1937 to 1980,
was presented in the Coach Barn.
3. Benefactors Dinner, June 1982: The Historical Section provided
hostesses dressed in period clothing from the Arboretum collection
during the cocktail hour in the Coach Barn. The Barn loft area
was opened for benefactors to view special displays and to look
at the underpinnings of the new roof they would be funding.
4. Lecture/slide talks : The Assoc. Curator spoke to the Monrovia Historic
Houses group July 30, 1981 on the Baldwin Ranch and to Las Vol untarias
November 9, 1981 on Mt. Lowe .
5. A list of items on loan to the Historical Section was compiled and
registered letters were sent to al 1 owners of loaned items asking
that they either donate the items outright or make arnangements
for retrieval of the articles. This move was necessitated by
questions of Arboretum responsibil. ity for articles not actual ly
owned by the facility. 0 the letters sent, 3 replied, 2 were
returned marked "deceased , " and one went unanswered. Of the 3
replies, only Patricia Warren retrieved her items. Anne Puree! 1
and Dextra Hopper both asked that their items be held for retrieval ,
but neither has followed through as yet on arrangements to pick up
their articles.
6 . American Protection Industries burglar alarm system was al lowed
to lapse (monthly service bills not paid ) in July, 1 9 8 1 , because
of poor service and 1 ack of response to requests for improvement .
The historical buildings have been without burglar alarm protection
for a year now, but attempts are being made to either instal 1 our
own system or contract with a local company for alarm protection.
7 . An Historic Preservation Commi ttee of volunteers, headed by Marilyn
Llewellyn, was established in January, 1982 with the purpose of
providing ongoing cleaning and refurbishing service to the historic
buildings. The committee meets once a month (third Monday) at a
designated building to undertake spec i f i'c cleaning projects.
To date , accornpl ishments include cleaning and oil ing saddles and
tack in the Barn; cleaning Cottage stained glass, marble mantel s
tiles and woodwork; dusting and vacuuming Depot.
8. The book Arcadia: Where Ranch and City Meet, a photo history of
the city of Arcadia from the days of the Baldwin Ranch to the
present, was completed by the Assoc. Curator and Arcadia Library
research 1 ibrarian, Pat McAdam, in November 1981 and distributed
to purchasers . Several copies we r e secured for sale in the Arboretum
gift shop. Many additional photographs were added to the. Historical
Section files through this proj ect .
2. Slide collection: We have now re-numbered and fully descirbed
over 2 ,000 si ides in our collection and cataloging by subject
has begun. Al 1 important si ides , especially those used in
talks , are being duplicated as time and money permit,
3. Anita Baldwin collection: Letters, clippings, documents, photos,
etc. have been arranged by subject matter and a subject file
is being developed.
4. Historical magazine articles file: pertinent articles continue
to be referenced by subject on index cards, though not as ex-
tensively as in past years.
5. Decorative arts file: information, descriptions, historical
background of various antiques are being collected in a vertical
file for reference use.
6. Baldwin Ranch file: Extensive research notes are arcanged by
topic (horses, winery, family tree, etc.) and stored in Hoi linger
boxes in the Assoc. Curator ' s office. Notes in longhand are
typed by volunteers and duplicated for inclusion in the file.
7. Arboretum History file: The beginnings of a research and docu-
mentation file on significant events in Arboretum history (1947-
present ) came with the work on an Arboretum chronology this
past fiscal year. It is hoped to expand this file with infor-
mation from Garden magazine, publicity releases , etc.
8. Historic clothing collection: Clothing has been more centrally
located in metal closets in the south wing of the Coach Barn
loft this past fiscal year. Clothing has been sorted by type
and' period and work has been progressing on matching existing
accession cards and descriptions with items on hand. A separate
accessioning system for clothing (in addition to the regular
' ing) is being set u, '"•>- > r ease in infor-
mation retrieval .
9. Accessioning of artifacts: Each of the historic buildings has
been inventoried to ascertain which artifacts remain of those
represented on accession cards of past years. Missing items
are being reconciled with missing cards as all donations are
checked against master accession books .
10. Rotunda displays: Every 2 months, or as requested by the Education
Dept. , an historic display is put in the north Rotunda case .
Displays this past fiscal year have included an Arboretum chronology,
Santa Anita Depot historical time line, and 2 separate displays
of photographs of Arboretum movie locations.
11. Public information: Various requests for historical information
are regularly answers 1 via mail and/or telephone.
12. Building maintainence : The historical buildings are inspected
by the Assoc. Curator twice a month or as needed. Problems are
noted and forwarded to the Superintendent for appropriate action.
Light bulbs are changed in the Queen Anne Cottage as needed by
and Assoc . Curator (a groundsman is usually asked to do the ceil ing -
level spot lights) .
