[Last updated 1/15/25 7:11 PM PT—Added Saddle Peak Lodge, Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, and Inn of the Seventh Ray.]
[Updated 1/13/25 9:48 PM PT—Added Balian House]
How am I faring in the tragic firestorms of Los Angeles? I'm safe for now, but I'm stressed. I'm grieving. I'm in mourning. All of LA is.
So I turn my attention to documenting. It feels like all I can do.
I've already started a running tally of the places that were lost in the Palisades and the Eaton Fires, focusing on those I'd already photographed and knew pretty intimately.
But I'd like to add some good news in the mix, so here's what I know about some of the places I care about and their survival status.
Lake Shrine
According to a post on its website, Self-Realization Fellowship's Lake Shrine campus in the Pacific Palisades lost some monks' residences down the road, equipment, a storage unit, and a visitor restroom across from the museum, but the museum and all other legacy structures around the lake survived—including the windmill (pictured above in 2019).
Getty Villa
As documented by a Los Angeles Times article, Getty Villa's grounds got a little singed around the edges from the flames of the Palisades Fire, but its structures and collections (pictured above in 2015) are intact.
Eames House
The Eames Office and the Eames Foundation shared on Instagram that the Eames House (Case Study House #8, pictured above in 2013) has been spared thus far. Visits are temporarily suspended.
The Golden Bull
The Golden Bull (established 1949, pictured above in 2021) shared on Instagram that it's still standing. Likewise, Gladstone's Malibu was not destroyed, but it did sustain damage—and according to its GoFundMe for staff, it's unclear how and when it can reopen.
Saddle Peak Lodge
Saddle Peak Lodge announced on Facebook that while the restaurant was still under mandatory evacuation, the former hunting lodge was saved from the Palisades Fire.
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum posted on Facebook that the theatre complex in Topanga still stands, although still under evacuation orders.
Inn of the Seventh Ray
Although Inn of the Seventh Ray has yet to make an official announcement, maps of the Palisades Fire perimeter show that the blaze didn't reach the famed Topanga Canyon restaurant (although they got scary close).
Mt. Wilson Observatory
I couldn't take my eyes off the news when it was broadcasting the Eaton Fire live from the top of Mt. Wilson, where flames were licking the bottoms of broadcast towers and approaching the historic observatory campus (pictured above in 2019). Fortunately, fire crews were able to keep it back and structures were left unharmed.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
The NASA/JPL campus (pictured above in 2023) was also threatened—and, in fact, the entire city of La Cañada Flintridge, where it's located, was under mandatory evacuation orders. But firefighters were able to defend the perimeter and keep the Eaton Fire from advancing and causing any damage to the space research facility (home of the Mars Rover).
Mountain View Mausoleum & Cemetery
Mountain View has posted on its website that its main mausoleum (pictured above in 2014), Pasadena Mausoleum, mortuary, Vista Del Monte Crypts, and Fair Oaks Garden Crypts did not burn in the Eaton Fire...
...although parts of its cemetery (pictured above in 2015) sustained some minor fire damage.
Mt. Lowe Railway Powerhouse
A statement from the Mennonite community shared that Full Circle Thrift, located in the former Mount Lowe Railway's Pacific Electric Railway Company Substation No. 8 (pictured above in 2017), survived the Eaton Fire—despite the fact that everything across the street (including the ALDI) was destroyed.
Balian House
[Update 1/13/25] Although it's no longer decorated for Christmas during the holidays, the 1922 Balian House (pictured above in 2013)—once home to the Balian Ice Cream family—still stands.
Here are some places I'm tracking that I have some optimism for their survival:
- La Señora Institute
- Villa Aurora (which I have not yet documented but it's been on my list for years)
- Christmas Tree Lane Model Railroad
- Sturtevant Camp and Adam's Pack Station (although there was surely wind damage)
This natural disaster isn't over, folks. We're coming up on more red flag warnings, and it still hasn't rained.
Let's hope we don't lose anything else. But in the meantime, I'll keep updating this post as I found out more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment