On Feb. 9, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block wrote a piece in
the Daily Bruin stating that the sale of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden is
in the university’s best interests. The
organizations and the family of Hannah Carter who have formed the Coalition to
Save the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden respectfully submit that other options
are possible, and, indeed, preferable.
…On Jan. 31, the coalition convened a public informational meeting
– the kind of meeting any preservation organization would have gladly convened
on UCLA’s behalf had they truly wanted to “reach out to interested parties” and
“preservation-minded groups and individuals.” The unanimous opposition of the
nearly 100 attendees, along with more than 600 people who have since sent
emails to the chancellor, signals that it is time for UCLA to take another approach. What might a win-win situation look like? UCLA would proceed with the sale of the
former Carter residence, generating an estimated $10 million, but retain
ownership of the garden. A sale of the residence would generate enough money to
endow a fund to maintain the garden in perpetuity…
The coalition and UCLA could
develop a management plan to address: maintenance and staffing; volunteer
management; operating budget; interpretation and public access; educational
mission and programmatic partnerships; and fundraising. Members of the
coalition have experience with public/private partnerships. With the City of Los Angeles, the Bel-Air
Association and UCLA would address parking by developing
alternative means of promoting broader public access. Together, all partners would develop
further relationships with cultural and civic organizations such as the North
American Japanese Garden Association and institutions here in Los Angeles that
support the preservation of Japanese culture…
On behalf of the Coalition to Save the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden,
which includes the following groups: The Los Angeles Conservancy, The Garden Conservancy, California
Garden & Landscape History Society, The Cultural Landscape Foundation,
California Preservation Foundation, National Trust for Historic Preservation,
American Public Gardens Association, North American Japanese Garden
Association, The Hannah Carter Family (Partial list)
The photo
above is from a USC (!) website on Japanese Gardens in the local area:
http://www-scf.usc.edu/~suvarnab/final_project/primary.html
Note: Audio of the community meeting to which the item above refers is at:
http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/audio-of-meeting-on-sale-of-ucla.html
Inch by inch, there might be some progress:
Note: Audio of the community meeting to which the item above refers is at:
http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/audio-of-meeting-on-sale-of-ucla.html
Inch by inch, there might be some progress:
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