2 weeks Ago
Three months in, and what we lost in the fire, what we saved from the fire and what comes from the fire runs across so many people’s minds every day.Everyone’s evacuation story is still vivid in their telling. The wayward thoughts: “Oh, I should have grabbed that photo on the fridge!” or “We never got a warning.
” The ways they’ve learned to accept help. The ways others have found to give it.And every day, a story.
This year’s Dr. Robert Winter Memorial Lecture and Reception will focus on the enduring importance of historic tile, with special focus on the iconic work of Ernest Batchelder and the campaign to rescue and preserve these treasures from homes burned in the Eaton fire.Anuja Navare, director of collections at the Pasadena Museum of History, will talk about the Batchelder Tile Registry, the museum project that aims to study and preserve Batchelder’s design legacy, business innovation and community impact.
Navare will also discuss the impact of Batchelder’s work on Pasadena’s architectural landscape and the broader Arts & Crafts movement.The lecture will also include a presentation from Stanley Zucker, one of the founders of Save the Tiles, and Amy Green of Silverlake Conservation. They will discuss the new nonprofit’s efforts to salvage and preserve historic tile, including Batchelder pieces, from Altadena homes burned in the Eaton fire.
The lecture is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the historic Blinn House, 160 N.
Oakland Ave., Pasadena. Tickets for the lecture and reception are $36 for members and $45 for nonmembers.
Virtual admission on YouTube is $16 for members and $20 for nonmembers.Following the event, the official artwork for the 2025 Pasadena Heritage Bridge Party will be unveiled. The bridge party is set for Saturday, July 19, at the Colorado Street Bridge.
The artwork is created by Pasadena native Kristopher Doe, a graduate of Art Center College of Design. Doe’s work is known for its details inspired by California Impressionism, pop culture and disappearing Americana. His family has also been part of Pasadena’s preservation efforts, maintaining historic bungalow court units in the Villa Park neighborhood of the city for generations.
The first memorial lecture in Winter’s honor was in 2019, the year the architectural historian died. Pasadena Heritage officials said Winter “was a gift to us and to the cause of historic preservation nationwide – his teaching, writing, critical eye and witty commentary still influence what we do and how we look at historic places.”Healing through historyPasadena Heritage invites the community to a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon from 9 a.
m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 26, at Blinn House. Help document and preserve what was lost, and stay in a space for remembrance and healing.Bring your laptop (there will be WiFi) and help upload photos, expand articles, and create new Wikipedia pages about the fire, its impact, casualties and historical implications.
Editors will be on hand to guide the process and all skill levels are welcome.Best to sign up for a Wikipedia account in advance and remember to bring your own photos of properties lost or damaged to help expand the historical record.I do remember almost apologizing to a woman who had lost her home in Altadena, mere days after the fire.
She waved my words away, “I am thankful you’re here to document what happened.”Here’s to remembering culture and art and history and the people of Pasadena and Altadena. Organizers said this is a way “to process loss, uplift our communities, and ensure that what once stood is not forgotten.
Join us in preserving these memories and shaping a collective history that honors both destruction and resilience.”For more information, visit Pasadenaheritage.org.
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