Echo Park Bridge Gets Face Lift

The landmark bridge at Echo Park Lake is currently being renovated as workers replace rotted wood and make other necessary repairs. The bridge's wooden railings and deck have been removed will be rebuilt and repainted in a historically appropriate manner in light of the park's new status as a city historic landmark. The photo shows the new color on the metal brace underneath the bridge (the orange netting and a pontoon bridge underneath is temporary) Officials are also looking at moving and building a new and more attractive gate that currently blocks access to the bridge and island. The new gate would be located at the end of the bridge closest to the island, allowing park visitors to once again walk across the span and enjoy the view but keeping the island (an unofficial bird sanctuary) off limits. The current bridge was built probably after 1940. A bridge of some sort has been located in the same spot for more than a century.

We Love Wood Windows!

We Love Wood Windows!
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

So, this renovation at the corner of Laveta Terrace and Scott Avenue is not necessarily a shining example of preservation. The interior of this unit has pretty much gutted without much thought to salvaging and recycling interior details. Some of the exterior details are not necessarily the right choices--in terms of preservation. The new wood windows, however, are a winner. The owner actually made the window openings smaller than the original. That's usually a bad sign that is
often by the installation of cheap, aluminum slider windows. But, in this case, we were pleasantly surprised to see the arrival of new double-hung wood windows (the slide up and down). Why do we love wood window so much? They really add depth and detail to even the simplest of buildings, like this boxy duplex. You can save yourself the expense and time of buying new windows buy repairing your existing ones. We will show you how during our upcoming Wood Window Repair Workshop in August. Check the Preservation section of www.HistoricEchoPark.org for details.

Bonnie Brae Fixer

Bonnie Brae Fixer
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

This house under renovation is located on Bonnie Brae Street just south of Sunset Boulevard. It's one of the few bright spots on a block where many of the structures have been either stuccoed over or remodeled beyond recognition. In this case, this lucky house is receiving a rather high-quality renovation. The exterior wood siding (increasingly rare) has been restored and repainted (though we are getting tired of this sage green color) and the columns and doorway frame on the front porch have also been retained, and look as if they are getting nicely renovated. The original wood windows, if you look closely, have been removed and replaced with double-hung (they slide up and down), metal windows. But the use of a dark window sash and the fact that the original wood window frames have been retained make up for the loss of the wood windows. We hope this encourages other thoughtful renovations in the area between Echo Park Lake and Alvarado