Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society Store

Walter Askin Print

Walter Askin Print

In the late 70's then historical society President, Sid Adair commissioned artist Walter Askin to do a map of the original Rancho La Brea boundary lines. What Askiin came up with was a colorful and whimsical print which only he can do. This print was sold to members at that time for $95.00. They are very rare and only one is currently on display for sale on Ebay for $603.00.  While moving from our old storage space to our new office we discovered a few more of them and are offering them to our members first for a gift/donation to the society of $500. or more.

 




Walter Askin, painter, print maker, sculptor and professor, was born in Pasadena, California on the 12th of September 1929. He studied sculpture, painting and printmaking at the Pasadena City College where one of his mentors was Leonard Edmondson. Askin went on to study at the University of California Berkeley where he earned his BA and MA degrees as a Calmerton Scholar in Art and continued graduate work at Oxford where he helped start the Museum of Modern Art. His first one-person show was at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco while he worked as assistant curator at the Legion of Honor.

He began his lengthy teaching career at the California State University, Los Angeles in 1956 where he became Professor of Art. He was also a visiting professor at the University of California Berkeley; the California State University, Long Beach; and the University of Hawaii. He served on the board of trustees of Pasadena Art Museum; Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art; as the artist representative to the Graphics Arts Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and on the board of governors for Baxter Art Gallery at California Institute of Technology. He was an adjunct Professor in the Visual Arts Research Institute at Arizona State University and twice an invited artist at the Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico.

Askin is a member of the College Art Association of America and was president of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society. He was honored with many awards for his teaching and his art and his work is represented in the collections of the Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; the Kunstlerhaus, Vienna; the Oxford Museum of Modern Art England; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Norton Simon Museum and the Portland Museum of Art amongst many others.

Adrian, AMERICAN DESIGNER, HOLLYWOOD ORIGINAL by Richard Matukonis-Adkins

Fortune” magazine suggested to the American fashion industry that they could benefit from the showmanship demonstrated by the Hollywood designers in order to compete with the French couturiers. The Hollywood designer “Fortune” most praised was Adrian of M-G-M. It was a logical choice as Adrian’s design for Joan Crawford in the 1932 film “Letty Lynton” dominated the fashion industry for the next two years. Join us for Adrian, American Designer, Hollywood Original by Richard Matukonis-Adkins.

$45 Electronic book (Pay Below with small Paypal fee)


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An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles
by David Gebhard and Robert Winter
revised and updated by Robert Inman and Robert Winter Foreword by Nathan Masters

The map may not be the territory, and the word may not be the thing, but An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles is as close as it gets. Originally authored over fifty years ago by renowned architectural historians Robert Winter—described by Los Angeles Magazine as both the “spiritual godfather” and “father” of L.A. architecture—and the late, great David Gebhard, this seminal vade mecum of Los Angeles architecture explores every rich potency of the often relentless, but sometimes—as captured here—relenting L.A. city scape.

$45 for an autographed copy of the book which will be delivered by Angel City Press directly to the customer. Click here to purchase.

Better Luck Next Time - Signed copies by Julia Claiborne Johnson

The eagerly anticipated second novel from the LA Times 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.

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.

$31.74 Better Luck Next Time book signed by author Julie Schumacher – pick up at Chevalier’s Bookstore or shipped for an additional $6

Bullocks Wilshire: The Genius Team Who Created Los Angeles’ Famed Art Deco Masterpiece
by Margaret Leslie Davis

A store like no other, the architectural gem is considered a national treasure, part of the fabric of Los Angeles, indelibly etched into the city’s cultural soul. This hard-cover volume combines 100 beautifully reproduced historical photographs with the dramatic text of award-winning author Margaret Leslie Davis. $50 Limited Edition + $3.95 shipping available here

Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir
by Nathan Marsak

In Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir, historian Nathan Marsak tells the story of the Hill, from the district’s inception in the mid-19th century to its present day. Once home to wealthy Angelenos living in LA’s “first suburb,” then the epicenter of the city’s shifting demographics and the shadow and vice of an urban underbelly, Bunker Hill survived its attempted erasure and burgeoned as a hub of arts, politics, business, and tourism.

Available through Angel City Press

Clubhouse Turn: The Twilight of Hollywood Park Race Track 
by Michelle Asselin

On December 22, 2013, the world-famous Hollywood Park Race Track closed its doors forever. In 2014, demolition began on the landmark race track, effectively erasing seventy-five years of history, while at the same time making space for an entire new neighborhood to suddenly arise in the middle of the metropolis. Photographer Michele Asselin spent every day at Hollywood Park in the last two weeks before it closed, photographing the buildings, the employees, and the patrons of the track. Clubhouse Turn: The Twilight of Hollywood Park Race Track is the product of her efforts, and the story of two cultures colliding in the middle of a rapidly evolving city.

$50 Autographed hardcover book from Angel City Press

GHOSTS OF GREYSTONE – BEVERLY HILLS
by Clete Keith

Clete Keith never had thoughts of writing a book, let alone one on the paranormal. He was not someone totally convinced of the existence of ghosts or spiritual hauntings until he started working at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. After twenty-two years working at the mansion, he woke up one night with the idea of writing a book about the stories he has heard as well as his own experiences. Ghosts of Greystone – Beverly Hills is a landmark exposé of eyewitness accounts detailing supernatural activity associated with this extraordinary location.

For book purchases please contact Chris Keith at   chris.keith25@gmail.com

Inside Hancock Park
by Jane Gilman

Larchmont Chronicle pioneer and historical society co-founder, Jane Gilman has written a book about what she knows best, Hancock Park. She puts Hancock Park into the palm of your hand with ease and grace. This is a sweet book that would be a great gift for the holidays. Each book will be purchased directly by us from Chevalier’s Bookstore and autographed by Jane, herself. Please think of friends and family who may like this sweet gift of Hancock Park for Christmas, Chanukah, birthdays, etc.

$25 + ($3 shipping) for the book

$25 curb-side pick up of the book at Chevalier’s Bookstore 126 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004


INSIDE HANCOCK PARK
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Judson: Innovation in Stained Glass
by David Judson

Five generations of Judsons have worked with artists, architects, and designers to create Old World-style stained glass whose quality and craftsmanship has often been compared to the work of Louis Tiffany. Famed for its Craftsman glass, Judson arts-and-crafts era windows have been celebrated by experts in the field for decades. Judson’s work with Frank Lloyd Wright on Hollyhock House in the 1920s was recently re-saluted when the house was named to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Established in Pasadena during the heyday of the Arroyo Culture, headquarters of Judson Studios are still housed in the original Craftsman-era home and studio of patriarch William Lees Judson.

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Larchmont
by Patty Lombard

Most of us know Patty from being the recently elected President of The Ebell, proprietor of The Larchmont Buzz, a longtime member of the society, and resident of Fremont Place and She currently serves as a member of the Fremont Place Association Board. During her busy life, she somehow found time to write a book on the origin and history of everyone’s favorite street, Larchmont Boulevard. Larchmont The book is available at Chevalier’s Book Store. Patty is happy to sign and personalize each book purchased through the historical society. Each book will be purchased directly by us from Chevalier’s Book Store and available for pick up with your desired personalized greeting in it. A terrific gift for Christmas, Chanukah, birthdays, etc.

Available at Chevalier's Book Store on Larchmont.

Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940: Paul R. Williams by Marc Appleton, Stephen Gee, and Bret Parsons

Paul Revere Williams’s inspirational story has fascinated historians for the simple fact that his journey was so improbable. The orphan son of an African American fruit-and-vegetable merchant, he was repeatedly told he had no chance of ever realizing his childhood dream of becoming an architect. And yet, he ignored the naysayers to reach the pinnacle of his chosen profession, while overcoming widespread discrimination throughout early- to mid-twentieth century America. The odds against him succeeding were enormous.

$60 Hardcover copy of the book from Angel City Press

Preserving Los Angeles: How Historic Places Can Transform America’s Cities
by Ken Bernstein

Ken Bernstein, the City Planner for the City of Los Angeles and a national advocate for historic preservation shares how Los Angeles has led the nation in historic preservation and shares how other cities can do the same.

Los Angeles has an image as the “City of the Future”―a city always at the cutting edge of change―but also as a “throwaway metropolis” that cares little about its history or architectural legacy. Yet the reality is quite different. Over the past decade, the City of Los Angeles has developed one of the most successful historic preservation programs in the nation, culminating with the completion of the nation’s most ambitious citywide survey of historic resources.

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Saving Radio City Music Hall – A Dancer’s True Story
by Rosemary Novellino-Mearns

June 12th at 10:00am. In Saving Radio City Music Hall, published by TurningPointPress, Rosemary Novellino-Mearns reveals how Radio City Music Hall, Art Deco masterpiece and New York City’s premiere tourist attraction for generations, was saved from demolition. After years of struggling with intense, sometimes painful memories, “Rosie” tells the honest, fact-filled, emotionally charged, and often humorous story of how she organized the gargantuan effort to save Radio City Music Hall in the Spring of 1978. Against all odds, and in only four months, she succeeded. Readers will be shocked by the “no good deed goes unpunished” climax of the story in which Rosie reveals her reward for spearheading the movement to save “The Showplace of the Nation.” Book available through Amazon