RPNA is distributing flyers near 10th Street in an effort to build a list of residents who are interested in a SAFER & More Beautiful 10th Street.

Please consider supporting this effort by emailing info@rpna.org and saying you also want 10th Street to be a focus of improvement by the city -or -volunteer to distribute flyers.

Moms For A Safe & Beautiful 10th Street 

RPNA participated in the 6th St Bike Route Workshop - there was a good turn-out by residents who live along East 6th St. Rose Parkians completed the initial landscape design and discussed possible placemaking signs. One RP resident brought a 3-D mock-up to help the discussion. As a follow-up from this workshop we should be receiving 1) palette of plants proposed for our 4 traffic circles and 2) a graphic of parking changes at each traffic circle. Stay posted!

Attached is photo from recent 6th St. Bike Route Landscape Workshop. Photo is of the Rose Park South group. They were the first of the 3 neighborhoods to complete their task and here they are celebrating! 

Please join us Saturday May 30th 11am-12:30pm at Luther Burbank Auditorium. Vice Mayor Lowenthal will be on hand to discuss issues related to Rose Park.  This meeting is open to all.  The auditorium is off Junipero, north side of campus - look for RPNA banner!

More Info: http://www.rpna.org/events/meet-with-vice-mayor-suja-lowenthal/

Just west of Rose Park on the other side of Cherry is Craftsman Village Historic District with many great Craftsman homes and a fantastic peek into the past on Toledo Ave (pictured below).

The Craftsman Historic Landmark District is situated on land that was formerly part of Rancho Los Alamitos. A tract map for this area, created by the Alamitos Land Company for the Alamitos Beach Townsite, Villa and Farm Lots, is dated April, 1888. It shows Hellman Street, Tenth Street, Walnut and Orange. The first recorded tract map in this neighborhood, the Alamitos Tract, dated December 17, 1898, is similar in configuration but not identical to the 1888 map. The Sanborn Fire Insurance map of 1902 shows the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad running along Ocean Park (now Ocean) and diagonally along Alamitos Avenue, then north on California (now Martin Luther King). Hellman Street, Orange and Walnut appear as streets, but there were no houses or other improvements indicated in the area.

Hellman Street was named after one of the partners of the Alamitos Land Company, Isaias W. Hellman. Hellman was a German immigrant who came to Los Angeles in 1859 and got a job in a dry goods store. Several years later he opened his own store, and grew into a very prominent and successful businessman and financier. He organized the Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1871 in Los Angeles, and served as its president until his death in 1920. He purchased Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach with members of the Bixby family in 1881, and had extensive real estate holdings both in Long Beach and Los Angeles. In 1902, he helped to establish the Long Beach Savings Bank and served on its Board of Directors.

Several tracts in this area were subdivided from the Alamitos Tract in 1904 and 1905. The Bridge Tract between 7th and Hellman was recorded September 24, 1904 and the Hoffman Tract September 6, 1905. Hoffman Street lies in the middle of this tract. The 1905 Sanborn maps show a few scattered small-scale dwellings in this area, although it was still outside City limits.

The pace of subdivision picked up between 1911 and 1919, by which time almost the entire area was divided into different tracts. This coincides with an acceleration of residential construction appearing on the Sanborn maps. The 1914 Sanborns show approximately one-third of the area with dwellings.

Tax assessment records show construction dates predominantly from the 'teens to the early 'twenties.

A profile of area residents obtained from the 1920 City Directories shows occupants in various trades, several as carpenters. Occupations listed also include actor, plasterer, decorative artist, electrician, bookkeeper, advertising manager, post office carrier, ship worker, meat cutter, cement molder and clerk. (Source: 1920 City Directory, Hellman Street).

The area today still contains most of the original construction, and has attracted residents interested in the revival of craftsman style architecture.

This district contains a high concentration of original Craftsman bungalows from the first development of this residential neighborhood in the early years of the twentieth century. The neighborhood is visually cohesive and largely intact, with the scale and character of an early Long Beach middle-class residential tract. Construction of these homes took place primarily from c. 1911 - 1920, with the earliest one built in 1902 (1333 Hellman), and the last historic homes in 1928. The period of historic significance is 1902 - 1928. Although there are some larger and newer multifamily buildings and some altered single family homes, the neighborhood retains a remarkable degree of its original historic character.

The Craftsman architectural style was current in California vernacular architecture from c. 1905 - 1920. Its philosophy was based upon an admiration for natural materials: simple, straightforward design; and open spatial qualities. Typically, the post-and-beam structure is made visible in the roof area, the porch and in the framing of major building components. Roofs are low or medium pitched, with projecting roof rafters and beam ends, and open vents under gables. Exterior cladding is wood clapboard or shingles. Broad open porches generally have masonry foundations and piers of massive, heavy dimensions. Windows are often subdivided into geometric sections.

This is a distinctive area that was part of the original Alamitos Beach Townsite, planned in 1888. Construction of improvements took place between c. 1902 - 1928, and represents a remarkably cohesive neighborhood of small scale Craftsman bungalow homes. Most are single-family homes but multi-family examples also appear. A sub-theme of a later architectural style, Spanish Colonial Revival, appeared in the late 'twenties.

The repetition of gabled roofs, open porches and other Craftsman bungalow features creates visual harmony and consistency.

Long Beach Health Department Offering Free Gardening Workshops

The Long Beach Health Department is offering FREE gardening workshops at Houghton Park during the spring.  The next workshop is on May 12th at 12 p.m., and will cover composting and vermicomposting.  For questions or to RSVP, call Viki Ornelas at (562) 570-7904 or email viki.ornelas@longbeach.gov.
 

 Please feel free to share with your friends and neighbors via e-mail and also post to your Facebook account. The event link is https://www.facebook.com/events/380696112131290/ 

Friends of Bixby Park will be holding their monthly cleanup this Saturday, May 2nd, 2015, from 9:00A till 11:00A.  Meet at the Bandshell. 

Come out to your neighborhood park and help us keep it an enjoyable, clean, and safe place to play and relax.

Gloves, bags, pickups, rakes will be provided.  Any amount of time spent with us is always appreciated.

Attached is our flyer.  Please post it in your building's common area bulletin boards for everyone to refer to.

Bring your neighbors, friends, and relatives to enjoy the fresh air and some exercise.  Meet new friends while making a difference in your community.

Our new t-shirts are sold at LB Skate on E. 7th or by emailing info@rpna.org and soon they will be on our website.

Not only are they nice looking but you are supporting your Neighborhood Assn AND all the work done by RPNA for our Historic Districts.

Perfect for gifts at only $20.00
 

 Support ROSE PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION (a legal charity) by buying on Amazon Smile.

Here's the link that will direct you to great Mother's Day gift ideas in support of Rose Park Neighborhood Association. 
 
AmazonSmile Mother's Day Link: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/charity/homepage.html?orig=%2Fgp%2Fbrowse.html%3Fnode%3D502659011&ein=20-2223783 

Or use this link anytime to support RPNA https://smile.amazon.com/

Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.

 Rose Park Neighborhood Association relies on voluntary membership annual dues.