Where Does the Stuff in the Blue Bin Go? by Val Zavala We see them every week. Those monster gray and red Athens trucks with giant metal arms that reach down to grab bins holding tons of garbage, yard waste and recycling Altadenans throw away each week. And the stuff...
Letter from the Chair In its role as an advocate for the protection and preservation of Altadena, Heritage Board and committee members often spend time communicating with LA County officials, agencies, and utilities (Supervisor’s Office, LA County Public Works,...
Integrating Rooftop Solar Into Our Grid The original Luddites were 19th century textile workers in England who sought to protect their livelihood by resisting the mechanization of their trade in the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s. Weavers, out of work in a...
Where does the stuff in the Green Bin go? On a cool and cloudy Saturday in late October, Athens Services staged one of its semi-annual “Community Give Backs” and dumped 20 tons of fragrant steaming compost on a Loma Alta Park parking lot. Athens welcomed Altadenans to...
Map Your Neighborhood “People, not kits. If you really want to be ready for the next big earthquake, forget the earthquake kit and go talk toyour neighbors.”– Lucy Jones, June 12, 2021 Los Angeles Times. Altadenans have a long history of working together to help one...
Our Endless River of Waste by Mark Goldschmidt I would love to know when regular trash hauling service began in Altadena. Former Historical Society chair, Jane Brackman, told me that before the War it was the Altadena Historical and Beautification Society, and that...
Owen Brown Gravesite Committee — Progress Despite Lack of Budget! Original Gravesite 19th Century. Abolitionist John Brown failed to spark a slave rebellion in his 1859 raid of the US Armory at Harpers Ferry, but his attempt is often referred to as “the first battle...
Altadena Tree Committee The Tree Committee plus one at this year’s Tree Giveaway. From left Michele Zack, Kathy Musial, Lisa Wintner, Val Zavala, Anne Chomyn, and AH Member Michelle Huneven with Tatty Jane. Not pictured: Janet Castro, Mark Goldschmidt, Kathleen...
Old Marengo Park Cleanup Altadena Heritage staged another clean up day at Old Marengo Park on a recent Saturday morning. Altadena got the ball rolling with a design and a grant from Metropolitan Water on this little park on a piece of barren waste ground at Marengo...
Altadena is an unincorporated community of 43,000 sited on an outwash plane beneath the abruptly rising San Gabriel Mountain Range and between the Arroyo Seco and Eaton Canyon.
Altadena is 13 miles northeast of the city of Los Angeles and directly north of the city of Pasadena. Founded at the time of Southern California’s land boom of the 1880s, the town’s uniqueness derives from a distinct history, “live free or die” culture, and stunning physical setting.
Architecturally diverse with significant examples of every style of home from modest Craftsman bungalow to Italianate mansion and Modernist gem–Altadena has also been a racially diverse community since the 1960s.
Why Support Altadena Heritage?
At Altadena Heritage we put on events and programs every year. Our board of directors – a varying group who have joined because they love where we live and want to help Altadena become a more lively and vibrant community – gather once a month and we plot.
We ask ourselves: How can we raise awareness of what we have here in our community? How can we help our citizens become more connected to each other, to this place and to its history? What would make our community better and how can we promote positive change?
Members propose ideas for programs, events, and newsletter articles to address these questions, and our board works together to make things happen. This is the community service we do at Altadena Heritage, we find it enjoyable and deeply gratifying.
The fact is, our unincorporated community needs Heritage; we have no city government – and maybe that’s good – but this means we have to advocate for ourselves, to lobby for the community we want, and to work with others in a positive, constructive way. Because we’ve been active for over 30 years, and incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization since 1987, we have gained respect and standing. We give Altadena a voice that is heard in town and by the County.
In our office at the Community Center we maintain an archive on most buildings in Altadena, and virtually all built before 1940. Please make an appointment to research the history of your (or any) home. We are currently working to organize and update the archive and to migrate our computer database on to a modern platform.
Member Benefits
• Fabulous annual holiday celebration – every year in a different Altadena gem
• Annual Golden Poppy Garden Awards and garden luncheon in a beautiful Altadena garden
• Tours of local homes and showcase gardens
• Invitations to special events like the Boho-Highbrow event, and our AHA!s – Altadena Heritage Areas where we hold a street party and celebrate special Altadena enclaves and neighborhoods
• Heritage of Abundance – past programs and workshops have included:
Urban homesteading & sustainable living
Restoring your old windows
Starting native plants and produce from seed
Water-wise landscaping
Growing fruit in the shadow of the San Gabriels
• Receive our newsletter
• Get access to our architectural archives and database
• Have a voice in advocating for a better Altadena
Altadena Heritage Events
Altadena Heritage engages the community with a variety of educational and celebratory public events. We have only one general members’ meeting each year --our Annual Members Meeting & Holiday Celebration -- a festive occasion where we also vote in board members. Other events are open to the public, either free or with a member discount.
We hold our Golden Poppy Garden Awards & Garden Party each spring in a different glorious Altadena garden. Other events repeat irregularly when we are inspired. The AHA! (Altadena Heritage Area) Program celebrates special places or neighborhoods around town, and we have dedicated seven since 2000, most recently the “Equestrian Block” (2013) which honored Altadena’s Equestrian Heritage with a lively program at Altadena Stables.
We offer most of our educational events at Altadena Community Center, for free or at nominal cost. Our Heritage of Abundance Sustainability Series has addressed such topics as Growing Fruit Trees in the Shadow of the San Gabriels, a Tomato Workshop demonstrating ways to process home-grown tomatoes, Old Window Restoration, Affordable Gray Water Systems, Make your Home Energy Efficient, and many more. A recurring theme we’ve revisited over the years has been water: how it gets to us, and how we can use it efficiently.
We’ve sponsored a few home/garden/studio tours over the years, and special one-off programs, include such past events as Breakfast at Nuccios, our tour of Homes of Altadena Artists, and our Modernist Homes in Altadena tour and many others.
Board of Directors
Linda World, chair
Jinghuan Liu Tervalon, vice chair
Justin Pinchot, secretary
Martin Zacks, treasurer
David Mosher, assistant treasurer
Gail Casburn
Richard Davies
Camille Dudley
Mabel Duncan
Lili Etezady
Mark Rice
Dick Rubin
Judy Rubin
Michele Zack
Alan Zorthian