Wednesday May 26th at 7:00 PM. A prime Hancock Park 1927 Mediterranean Revival Architectural Masterpiece has been fully renovated, restored, decorated and enhanced into its present pristine  condition by the legendary design firm of Ron Wilson Interiors and its owner, Joseph Guidera as his personal residence.  This distinctive estate has all the hallmarks of a truly unique and special property: built in the 1920s for a direct descendant of Los Angeles oldest original Spanish land grant holding families, designed for large-scale entertaining and yet with many smaller intimate personal spaces in a grand period revival style by noted architects, constructed by a local well know builder of most prestigious luxury homes of the era, and now restored to all of its former glory.

$25 Member price (Pay Below with a small Paypal fee)*
$35 Non-member price (Pay Below with a small Paypal fee)*
*After your purchase you will be emailed the special presentation link by 6pm the day before the presentation and by 12pm on the day of the presentation.

Wednesday May 26th at 7:00 PM

The Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society

presents its first

History and Virtual Home Tour of 330 N. June Street

Featuring an interview and guided tour through this historic property by President Richard Battaglia and home owner Joseph Guidera followed by question and answer period with Mr. Guidera.

Patrick J. Watson was born in 1876 to his parents, Colonel James Alexander Watson of Scotland and Maria Dolores Dominguez on the old Manual Dominguez Rancho, which encompasses much of present day cities of Torrance, Wilmington, Compton, Carson, San Pedro and the South Bay area of Los Angeles. This was the first Spanish land grant in CA from King Carlos of Spain. Patrick Watson was the vice president of the Watson Land Co and in 1923, he sold his share of the original Rancho property to The Pan American Oil Company which was a subsidiary of the Doheny Company. In the mid-1920s, Patrick Watson & his wife, Miss Mamie O’Farrell of San Francisco, were looking to move off of the original Rancho property and decided to build a new home for themselves in the fashionable and developing area of Hancock Park.

Patrick hired the notable Architectural firm of Hunt & Burns to design his new family estate on a large double access lot located on a prominent corner in the new district of Hancock Park.  During their tenure together, Sumner P. Hunt and Silas R. Burns built some of the most beautiful buildings in the Los Angeles area including:  Automobile Club of Southern California, Headquarters – 1921-1923, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles – 1910, The Wilshire – Ebell Club, Clubhouse – 1926-1927, Los Angeles Public Library, Vermont Square Branch – 1913, McKinley House, Lafayette Park, Los Angeles, CA – 1917, Scripps College, Claremont, CA – 1929, The Los Angeles Tennis Club – 1927 and The Wilshire Country Club – 1919.

For his new home, Patrick Watson would enlist the services of the Sweden-born master builder C.J. Nordquist who had a well-deserved reputation for building some of the grandest homes and public buildings in Los Angeles.

August 25th, 7:00 PM. Do you want to read something funny?  Let’s say, a novel set at a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s?  A book with memorably eccentric characters, sparkling dialogue, a satisfying plot twist, and some romance and sex?  A feel-good literary comedy/western?  Here it is, then, the book you’ve been looking for: Julia Claiborne Johnson’s Better Luck Next Time.”— author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement

The eagerly anticipated second novel from the bestselling author of Be Frank with Me, a charming story of endings, new beginnings, and the complexities and complications of friendship and love, set in late 1930s Reno.
$10 Presentation only  – Members (Pay Below with small Paypal fee)*
$15 Presentation only  – Non Members (Pay Below with small Paypal fee)*
$31.74 Better Luck Next Time book signed by author Julia Claiborne Johnson – Available for pick up at Chevalier’s Bookstore or shipped for an additional $6
*After your purchase you will be emailed the special presentation link by 6pm the day before the presentation and by 12pm on the day of the presentation.

The Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society

presents

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME

with author Julia Claiborne Johnson

Please join us WEDNESDAY August 25th, 7:00 PM

It’s 1938 and women seeking a quick, no-questions split from their husbands head to the “divorce capital of the world,” Reno, Nevada. There’s one catch: they have to wait six weeks to become “residents.” Many of these wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees flock to the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that caters to their every need.

Twenty-four-year-old Ward spent one year at Yale before his family lost everything in the Great Depression; now he’s earning an honest living as a ranch hand at the Flying Leap. Admired for his dashing good looks—“Cary Grant in cowboy boots”—Ward thinks he’s got the Flying Leap’s clients all figured out. But two new guests are about to upend everything he thinks he knows: Nina, a St Louis heiress and amateur pilot back for her third divorce, and Emily, whose bravest moment in life was leaving her cheating husband back in San Francisco and driving herself to Reno.

A novel about divorce, marriage, and everything that comes in between (money, class, ambition, and opportunity), Better Luck Next Time is a hilarious yet poignant examination of the ways friendship can save us, love can destroy us, and the family we create can be stronger than the family we come from.

May 22nd, 12-3pm. Daniel Orlandi is an American costume designer whose work can be seen in a wide variety of films such as: Saving Mr. Banks, The Blind Side, Trumbo, Cinderella Man, Angels and Demons, The Davinci Code, The Normal Heart, Down with Love, etc. He has been nominated for several costume awards including a BAFTA, an Emmy, and a Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in a Period Film.

Members: $35
Non-Members: $45

Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society

Presents

An Afternoon with Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi

May 22nd, 12-3pm
511 S. Van Ness Ave.

For those of you who have never been to The Magic Castle, you are in for a treat. The Historical Society will have its long overdue Halloween party at this legendary Los Angeles landmark on Thursday, October 19th starting at 5:00. Doors open at 5:00 for drinks and various activities.  This is a no-host bar. At 6:00 guests will enter the main dining where they will be treated to the Classic Magic Castle 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu, and the option to choose from a variety of delicious dishes. The price for dinner and the shows is $175 per person.

CHOICE OF MAIN COURSE
GRILLED 6oz FILET MIGNON garlic whipped potatoes, grilled jumbo asparagus, and red wine sauce
CITRUS ROSEMARY ROASTED HALF CHICKEN garlic whipped potatoes grilled jumbo asparagus, and citrus beurre blanc
PAN-SEARED SCOTTISH SALMON garlic whipped potatoes grilled jumbo asparagus, and citrus beurre blanc
BUCATINI OGLIO E ALIO WITH FRESH TRUFFLES

Please select your main course and ticket from the drop down menu. (small Paypal processing fee added)

At 8:00 pm there is the Palace Magic Show in the main theater

Guests can stay to enjoy more of the rest of the shows and the castle until closing which is 1:00 AM. Please keep in mind this is a no-host bar and no-host parking. Parking is $25. and carpooling, Uber, and Lift are encouraged.

The Magic Castle is located at 7001 Franklin Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90028 323 851 3313

The Magic Castle is a private magic nightclub of the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) which hosts nightly performances and it is considered an honor by many magicians to perform there. It is located in Hollywood, California, and opened its doors on January 2, 1963. Only members and their guests are allowed entrance, though courtesy invitations can be obtained by magicians visiting from out of town.  During a typical evening, there are numerous magic shows and historic displays, as well as a full-service dining room and numerous bars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of classic nightclub days, and a dress code of fancy party attire is enforced.