‘A Plea Of Passion:’ Locals Try To Raise $80K To Save Theater Facade
The theater-turned-synagogue will all-but certainly be demolished under a luxury building plan, but locals want to save its Art Deco facade. (Google Maps)
From Patch: QUEENS, NY — A group of neighbors are making a self-described “plea of passion” to worldwide Art Deco enthusiasts, asking for help saving remnants of a historic-theater-turned-synagogue that’s slated for demolition.
Built in 1939 and named after that year’s World’s Fair centerpiece, the Trylon Theater in Rego Park is one of several Queens Boulevard buildings that developers plan to demolish to build a 15-story luxury building.
The proposal has aroused complaints from neighbors and politicians alike since its inception, but a group of neighborhood preservationists have been among the most outspoken critics (as is often the case with new development). A petition to preserve the “landmarks” and stop the demolition has raised over 4,200 signatures.
See What Lucy the Elephant’s $2M Makeover Is All About
The iconic Lucy the Elephant in Margate is six stories tall. Photo courtesy of Save Lucy Committee Inc.
From New Jersey Monthly: Everyone’s favorite Jersey Shore icon, Lucy, the six-story pachyderm, is in the midst of a $2 million restoration that includes total replacement of her outer skin and any rotted wood underneath.
“The big issue is rust,” explains Lucy’s executive director, Richard Helfant.
A new, rust-resistant, nickel-and-copper alloy will replace Lucy’s old tin skin. The floor of Lucy’s howdah (the ornate carriage atop her back) and the two doors in her back legs are also being replaced. Once her new hide is applied, Lucy will be repainted in her original colors; starting in January, some internal plaster will be repaired and repainted.
Helfant promises nothing will change about Lucy’s outer appearance—except that the 141-year-old roadside attraction “will look brand-new.”
Why Route 1’s Retro Architecture and Design Is at Risk
From The Hyattsville Wire: Dozens of buildings from the mid-20th century along the Route 1 corridor identified as historically significant are at risk of being torn down or have already been demolished.
A countywide effort identified nearly 50 buildings from Brentwood to College Park, one of three main areas historians found in Prince George’s County that have notable examples of mid-century modern architecture.
Ghost signs of Australia’s advertising past are more than faded memories
Ballarat Bertie still peddles his bitter in Ballarat. (Supplied: Brady Michaels)
From ABC News Australia: Faded signs are the ghosts of advertisers past — once carefully hand-painted on billboards or business walls, then neglected and ignored for decades, they have become markers of our cultural history.
These derelict advertisements are known as “ghost signs” and they attract a certain type of ghost hunter.
Photographer Brady Michaels and partner and co-author Dale Campisi have toured Australia in an old mini-van to snap and catalogue the elusive phantoms.
An Iconic Miracle Mile Storefront that Appeared in ‘The Big Picture’ Faces Redevelopment
Lindsay Blake
From Dirt: Redevelopment is rearing its ugly head yet again in Los Angeles, this time threatening a historic Miracle Mile storefront that the L.A. Conservancy notes is “one of the city’s last remaining examples of programmatic architecture.” The style, also known as mimetic or novelty architecture, classifies properties with a façade built to resemble whatever particular wares were sold inside. Wildly popular in the 1920s and ‘30s, the movement gifted the SoCal landscape with such whimsical structures as The Brown Derby, the California Piano Supply Company, The Donut Hole, Fleetwood Square and Mother Goose Pantry, among countless others, most long since lost to the wrecking ball. And now, another shining example faces an uncertain future.
As announced by The Real Deal last week, Canadian-based development company Onni Group just inked a deal to purchase a stretch of buildings located from 5350 to 5376 Wilshire Blvd. for an undisclosed amount. The small span of structures, currently occupied by a post office, a wig boutique, a salon, a print shop and a handful of restaurants, is largely unremarkable, save for one tiny storefront situated mid-block at 5370 Wilshire.
First Stuckey’s building being listed on National Register of Historic Places
