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!

Now you can do all of your online shopping and support Heritage Square at the same time!

We have just signed up for a wonderful program through shopformuseums.com. This website partners with museums and online retailers to help you donate to the museum of your choice! We hope that you will take a few minutes to look at the site and see all of the retailers willing to donate to Heritage Square Museum through your purchase. It’s easy!

Once you are on the shopformuseums.com homepage, you are given the step by step instructions on how it works, but please find a recap below:

1. Signing up for the site – This is optional but it will allow you to track the donations being made in your name and let the site send you email updates with new retailers and offers.
2. Pick Heritage Square Museum – This is a must for us to receive the donation. We are listed as Heritage Square Museum – Los Angeles, CA. There are quite a few other museums with “heritage” as the first word in their name so please select carefully.
3. Start shopping – You can link to the retailer list from the Heritage Square page or by selecting “Shop Now!” from the toolbar. Once you are there, you select the retailer you will be shopping at and shopformuseums.com links you to their website. From there you just shop like regular.

See …easy! One of the best things about shopformuseums is that they are partnered with retailers that I am sure many of you already shop at including; ebay, Amazon, Banana Republic, Champs Sports, JoAnn’s and so much more!

Please keep in mind however that for Heritage Square to get credit for your purchase, you must start your shopping trip at shopformuseums.com. You have to get to the site through their links and if you do not sign up for an account, you will have to select Heritage Square as your museum each time.

We hope you will choose to use this service and help support us in this very simple way! Thank you in advance and happy shopping!

On Saturdays, July 16, 23 and 30, Heritage Square Museum presents its annual Silent and Classic Movie Nights series. The museum will feature films that include some of the most recognizable male stars of Hollywood, including Rudolph Valentino and Robert Stack, plus some never before seen silent shorts provided by Flicker Alley.

On July 16th, “Beyond the Rocks” (1922), a classic silent movie starring Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson, will be shown. A story of love and duty finds Theodora, a young and penniless aristocrat, marrying a much older millionaire to make sure her family lives comfortable. However, she soon finds herself falling in love with another wealthy man she encounters in the rich social circuits of the Swiss Alps, Paris and London.

July 23rd, “Badlands of Dakota” (1941), a classic Western film with an all star cast, including Robert Stack, Ann Rutherford, Lon Chaney Jr., Frances Farmer, and Richard Dix. During the blackest, boldest days of the West we find Deadwood City, “a roaring capital of an empire of lawlessness.” Robert Stack was the great-grandson of William Hayes Perry, whose 1876 Italianate residence, the Perry Mansion, now stands at Heritage Square Museum.

Finally on July 20, Film Noir classic “Kiss Me Deadly” (1955) starring Ralph meeker, Paul Stewart, and Cloris Leachman will be featured. Filmed in historic Downtown LA location such as Bunker Hill, we find private investigator Mike Hammer caught in a whirlpool of mystery revolving around a doomed female hitchhiker he tries to help.

Special, never before seen silent shorts, courtesy of Flicker Alley, will be show before each film. Sponsored by Videotheque, admission to the Silent and Classic Movie Nights is free for Museum Members and $10 for general admission. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. for picnics with features beginning shortly after 8:00 p.m. These screenings take place on the lawn near the Palms Depot. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic dinners, blankets or chairs to sit on, and warm clothing in case it gets cold. Beverages and light snacks available with suggested donation.

On behalf of Heritage Square Museum, we wish everyone a safe and fabulous Independence Day on Monday, July 4. This day is one of four major holidays that Heritage Square Museum is closed. There are no tours on Monday, July 4.

The museum will be open July 1, 2 and 3, with tours at 12, 1, 2, and 3 p.m.