Community Corner

Residents Celebrate Preservation Success in Garvanza

Neighbors celebrate planned restoration of locally famous Dr. Smith House

Garvanza residents have long celebrated the storied history of the Dr. Smith house, located near the at Avenue 63 and Garvanza Avenue.

Now, following years of advocacy, those residents are now celebrating what they hope will be a bright future for the building.

Highland Park Heritage Trust Member Nicole Possert reports the following, for The EastsiderLA:

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One of the earliest and most significant properties in the Garvanza section of Highland Park  has been rescued and taken off the long-term “watch list” because of a new preservation-minded owner [Brad Chambers]. Suffering from  decades of severe neglect and was hidden behind overgrown trees and bushes,  the property, known as the Dr. Smith home at the corner of Avenue Avenue 63 and Garvanza Avenue next a Rite-Aid drug store, has been on the radar screen of neighbors and organizations like Highland Park Heritage Trust and the Garvanza Improvement Association.

Click here to read the full story on The EastsiderLA, which recounts the historical background of the 19th century home and details its architectural contribution to the neighborhood.

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Among the locals celebrating the sale of the home is Garvanza Improvement Association (GIA) member Tina Gulotta-Miller.

Gulotta-Miller said that Dr. Smith was the founder of the Garvanza Improvement Association, and that she and fellow GIA member Rosa Rivas had worked "straight out for 18 months" to ensure that the home was matched with a committed owner.

She said that, in Chambers, the neighborood has found just the owner to help restore the home to its former glory.


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