DIVERSIONS : A Visit to L.A.’s Victorian Past : Heritage Square Museum Tours Show Off Restoration and Results of Special Partnership

A museum devoted to Los Angeles of a century ago, when velvet and froufrou were de rigueur, doesn’t seem like the place to pick up clues on rebuilding riot-torn neighborhoods or providing job training for the unemployed.

But at the Heritage Square Museum in Highland Park, you can witness a partnership at work that does just that--and it’s one that could be applied to other places where rebuilding is needed.

You’ve probably seen the familiar sight on the east side of the Pasadena Freeway’s Avenue 43 exit: a cluster of eight 19th-Century buildings--five houses, a church, a train station and a carriage barn--each in various stages of repair. The cupolas and gingerbread, accented with candy-stripe pastels, radiate a half-dozen shades of green and tan.

The buildings, constructed between 1876 and 1897, were moved to this 10-acre site starting in the late 1960s, as part of an effort to save them from demolition. But restoration is expensive, and for years some of the structures sat half-finished. Then about a year ago, Kevin Cotter, a representative of the Lathers Union Local No. 42L, stopped by to admire the craftsmanship of the old Victorians.

The result of that visit, says Ellen Hughes, Heritage Square’s director of education, was a partnership that today benefits union apprentices and the museum.

This is how the partnership works: Union apprentices--students learning how to plaster, lathe, install sheet metal, plumb, pour cement, install electric wiring, hang doors and trim molding--need classrooms in which to practice their craft.

The museum--supported solely by private donations, grants and admission fees--can’t afford to pay for the materials and labor that authentic restoration demands.

Seeing a way the two groups could work together, Cotter got on the phone to ask other union shops and building material yards for help and supplies. Meanwhile, the museum worked out the details of an agreement with the workers.

The result is that today, apprentices--and sometimes journeymen tradesmen and retirees--volunteer time and skills to restore the buildings. In return, the museum donates classroom space and provides an on-the-job training environment for the students.

“The houses had been sitting there for years, with almost no interior work done on them,” says Cotter, a journeyman lather. “When we finally went into the Valley Knudsen House with our crew of guys, we did the whole upstairs in a day and a half.

“We put on our tool belts and have a good time working together, and we get personal satisfaction from doing something for the community,” says Cotter.

Museum tours, beginning whenever a group assembles, start at the Palms Depot train station near the front gate. The first stop is the Octagon House, which is jacked up and awaiting a new foundation.

At the next stop, the Ford House, you’ll see an interior with the walls stripped down to the original lath. To help the experts who will choose the final colors and patterns, workers leave selected patches of original paint and wallpaper intact.

“The Ford House is our next big project,” says Cotter. “The electricians will wire the whole thing first, upstairs and down, with hidden switches to keep it authentic. Then lathers and plasterers will come in and finish it up.”

The tour goes on to the church (which is closed during restoration) and the carriage barn, and continues to the Valley Knudsen House, also home to a gift shop and bookstore.

The last stop (the Mount Pleasant House is closed to the public) is at the Hale House, a Queen Anne Victorian with Eastlake architectural features. Hale House was moved here in 1969, and restored and furnished soon after.

If you visit today, you’ll witness a series of “living history” vignettes, one of the day’s special events. As visitors enter the front parlor, which is stuffed with plushy Victorian rockers, Tiffany-style glass lamps and Persian carpets, they’ll encounter two costumed women sipping tea and gossiping about local politics and their spinster sister.

In the middle parlor, the sister entertains her beau; in the dining room at the rear, the kitchen maid sets the table while giving a meddlesome aunt, visiting from Boston, the lowdown on rest of the family.

To complete the illusion, Dwight Kennedy will lead the Dixie Kings band, with banjo, trumpet and saxophone, in 1890s tunes on the lawn. Visitors are welcome to bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic outside; the Heritage Museum’s grassy park is intentionally free of “Keep Off the Grass” signs.

“We encourage people to bring a picnic and enjoy themselves,” says Ellen Hughes. “That’s what this place is all about.”

While the docent tours include a discussion of each building’s history and architecture, part of the museum’s stated purpose is to interpret for contemporary visitors the social and political climate in Los Angeles between 1875 and 1910.

The era after the Civil War and before the First World War was an unsettled time for the growing city, which had a host of problems, including a booming population, too few homes and services and conflicts between social and ethnic groups.

If all this sounds uncomfortably familiar, it’s wise to remember the words of philosopher George Santayana, who commented: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Heritage Square Museum Ordinarily, the museum charges admission. But today, in honor of National Museums Week, Heritage Square and the other three Museums of the Arroyo (El Alisal, Casa de Adobe and the Southwest Museum) will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at no charge.

Throughout the afternoon, Heritage Square docents in 1890s costumes will lead one-hour narrated tours.

Starting Wednesday, the Heritage Square Museum’s summer hours are noon-4 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. Admission: $5 for adults; $3, seniors and ages 13-17; $1, 6-12; free, under 6. Group tours are available.

For information: (818) 449-0193.