Do you struggle with finding unique gift items for the holidays?  Well, if you are an active museum member, this by-annual benefit may be the lead you need to finding that perfect present.  This November, Heritage Square members may visit 20 museums in Southern California for free and/or receive 20% off in their museum stores. 

During the Thanksgiving weekend (November 25, 26, & 27), our museum members may visit these other institutions  with a valid membership card: the California Science Center, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the Chinese American Museum, Craft and Folk Art Museum (Saturday and Sunday only), the Fowler Museum at UCLA, Heritage Square Museum (Saturday & Sunday) only, J. Paul Getty Museum, Japanese American National Museum, Kidspace Children’s Museum, the Library Store at Central Library, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) at Grand Avenue, The Geffen Contemporary, and Pacific Design Center;  the Museum of Latin American Art, Orange County Museum of Art, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena Museum of History, the San Diego Museum of Art (Friday and Saturday), and the Skirball Cultural Center.

Please note: Admission to special ticketed events not included; store discounts on applicable merchandise only. Please make sure to check each participating organization’s hours over the holiday weekend. Join one of these museums now to participate in this great member benefit. 

We look forward to seeing many of you during Holiday MADness.

Since April, the museum’s newest educational program, Preservation through Practice has been training individuals the art of restoration.  With our partners, the program has given several military veterans the opportunity to learn and fine-tune highly sought after skills in the preservation and construction fields.  Initially funded by the Department of Labor, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Weingart Foundation,  Preservation through Practice has garnered a good deal of respect and press coverage.  This awareness has lead to a donation to the program in which needs to be matched dollar for dollar.

In order for the students to continue to work on the Ford House, the latest project, the museum and its partners need to raise $10,000.00 to match an anonymous donation of the same amount.   There have had some commitments to aid in meeting this match, and we are thankful for this generosity.  But we have more to raise.  Heritage Square is making an appeal to everyone out there to give toward this important and innovative program.

 We understand with our current economic climate that everyone is being cautious on where they spend their money.   But every dollar given to Heritage Square for Preservation through Practice goes directly back into the program.  The more funding we have the more training these veterans, and those in the future, will have.  Furthermore, these real life job experiences and skills will aid these veterans to better employment opportunities,  build their confidence, and even lead them to work on other historic properties around Los Angeles with the Veteran Preservation Corps.

If you would like to make a donation to meet this $10,000 goal, please contact the museum offices at 323-225-2700 ext 221.

Veterans working on the Ford House

In remembrance of the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11, Heritage Square Museum will mark this important day of reflection by offering visitors an opportunity to donate $25 that will go towards the museum’s Preservation Through Practice (PTP).  All visitors who donate will receive an American flag that they can place around the museum’s box car to honor the veterans, as well as those lives that were touched on that day.  Flags may be purchased in the Museum Store every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from now until Sunday, September 11.

Preservation through Practice, launched in 2011, has made a significant impact on the lives of military veterans as they have received hands-on training in the techniques of historic preservation and restoration.

Each year, as an appreciation of museum membership, Heritage Square holds a special Contributing and above member only event. This year, our members are invited to “Meet the Collectors of In the Good ‘Ol Summertime”, the current exhibition of historic clothing and uniforms on display in the Perry Gallery.

1950s Traveling Family

This special in-depth examination of the artifacts in this spectacular exhibition will take place on Saturday, August 27, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Learn where and how the clothing was purchased; see up close the intricacy of the beading and stitch work, and the meanings of the emblems and ribbons on the uniforms.

This opportunity is our way to thank you, our Contributing and above members. If you would like to attend the Meet the Collectors exhibition event on August 27, (or if you if you need to upgrade your membership), please RSVP by August 26 to 323-225-2700 ext 223.

Preservation through Practice presents: Dr. Osborne’s Carriage Barn

As anyone who has visited Heritage Square Museum in the last 30 years may have noticed, Dr. Osborne’s Carriage Barn (built in 1899) was in need of some TLC.

Well just look at it now!

Through our new program, Preservation Through Practice, five armed forces veterans have been learning preservation skills through hands on learning experiences taught using our historic structures under the tutelage of an experienced instructor. The buildings they have been working on so far are the Valley Knudsen Garden Residence (Shaw house) and the Carriage Barn. These five men began their training working on the Valley-Knudsen Garden Residence, culminating in a fresh paint job as seen here:

The second project tackled by our program participants was Dr. Osborne’s carriage barn. It was amazing to see how much better it looked after just a simple power washing, but of course they did so much more than that. The building was fumigated, the wood was patched, a retaining wall was constructed behind the building and major repairs were made to the roof. An added surprise in the process was the discovery of an original window that had been removed and covered up at some point. The frame was restored and a new pane of glass installed. What has really brought the building back to life however is the eye-catching paint reproduced from the colors discovered during the paint analysis conducted on the building.

This program would not be possible without the help of our partners in this endeavor; Preservation Arts, New Directions and Harvesting Happiness for Heroes. We are so grateful for all of the hard work put into the building and the program by its participants and partners.

If you would like to help support Preservation Through Practice or any of our other programs, please contact our Development Manager John Kearns at (323) 225-2700 ext.221 or development@heritagesquare.org.

We hope you will visit and see how great the carriage barn looks!