Honoring the life of a great man

On Sunday, the Secretary of the Board of Directors of Heritage Square Museum, Justin Gershuny passed away peacefully at his home. Only one day prior, Justin was honored at Heritage Square's 40th Anniversary Celebration at the San Antonio Winery for his contributions to the museum. The following is the obiturary from the LA Times. Members can look for a more in-depth article in an upcoming edition of On the Square.

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Gershuny, Justin JoshuaFebruary 11, 1927 - November 8, 2009
Justin Joshua Gershuny, born February 11, 1927, died peacefully of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, CA on November 8, 2009. He lived a healthy, active and full life and is survived by his sister, Betty Joy Denitz, his niece Doreen Denitz Garcia (Nicolas), his nephew Frederick B. Denitz (Jena), and six loving great-nieces and great-nephews. Justin was born and raised in Los Angeles. As a young man, he graduated from Los Angeles High School and then served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
He proceeded to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from UC Berkeley and in 1953, his Master of Science degree in construction engineering from MIT. He worked as a senior architect for such companies as WWCOT Architecture of Santa Monica and O'Leary Terasawa Partners of Los Angeles. He was a member of American Institute of Architects (AIA). Justin also used his knowledge and talents as an architect on several museum restoration projects and was a founder of the Heritage Square Society, where he served on the Board of Directors from 1985. He was a proud and active member of Wilshire Boulevard Temple for over 50 years. In recent years, he enjoyed watercolor painting, producing beautiful works of art.In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his memory to the MIT School of Engineering, the UC Berkeley School of Environmental Design, or the Heritage Square Society of Los Angeles.

15th Annual Lamplight Celebration

Witness as the past becomes the present among the beautiful glow of Victorian homes lit by the aura of lamplights at Heritage Square Museum’s 15th Annual Holiday Lamplight Celebration.

Hosted on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2009, guests will dance and experience spectacular holiday festivities in three of our historic homes. Experience this totally unique living history presentation by traveling through time to the years 1890, 1910 and 1930. Immerse yourselfe, as our costumed hosts transport you from house to house while warm apple cider and tasty treats await museum you at the end of the tour. Additionally, guest may view the return of a guest favorite, “Holiday Heritage: A Southern California Christmas”, a photographic exhibit offering a glimpse of the culture, commerce, and art of Christmas in Southern California from 1880 to 1950, listen to classic tales from a “special visitor”, and shop for unique holiday gifts in our Museum Store.

Evening tours begin at 4:00 PM and continue through until 8:30 PM. Advanced reservations are required as space on the tours is limited. Tours are approximately one hour in length. Tickets are $20 per Adult and $10 for children 12 and under. Museum members receive a 25% discount on ticket prices. (Number of member discounts incremental by level.) Tickets are non-refundable. The program not suited for children under 6 years of age.

For reservations or additional information about Holiday Lamplight Celebration, please call the museum’s box office at (323) 225-2700 ext. 223, Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. beginning November 1.Celebrating 40 Years of Preservation and Interpretation of the History of Southern California, Heritage Square Museum is an open-air, living history museum dedicated to telling the story of the development of Los Angeles. For further information, the public may visit our website at www.heritagesquare.org.

Holiday Home Tour

Witness as the past becomes the present among the beautiful glow of Victorian homes decorated for the Holiday Season at Heritage Square Museum.
On Saturdays and Sundays, from November 27, 2009 to January 3, 2010, visitors may tour three of the historic structures at Heritage Square decorated by professional interior designers and design firms. Acclaimed interior designer and LEED Accredited Professional, Sarah Barnard of Sarah Barnard Design is working with Heritage Square to create the first ever “Designer Holiday Homes Tour”.
Along with Sarah Barnard, the Designer Holiday House Tour has the impressive and creative talents of Karina T. Rizzo, founder of Karamia Design Group, award winning designer Jean Zinner, founder of J.A.Z. Designs, Sylva Kouzouian, Owner & Designer of Design Peel Studio, plus their talented team members, totaling up to 18 professional interior designers from the Los Angeles Basin.
Barnard plans to decorate the impressive William Perry Mansion in classic 1890s Victorian style, Zinner and Kouzouian will design an 1910 era space inside the Hale House, the museum’s beautiful 1887 Queen Anne residence, and Rizzo will jazz things up to reflect the essence of 1930 inside the Richard Shaw House, a wonderful Second Empire style home originally built in 1884.
The Designer Holiday Homes Tour is available for viewing each Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. from November 27, 2009 to January 3, 2010. Museum admission prices are $10.00 for Adults, $8.00 for Seniors over 65, $5.00 for Children 6 to 12 years, and Free for Children under 6 and Museum members.
Celebrating 40 Years of Preservation and Interpretation of the History of Southern California, Heritage Square is an open-air, living history museum dedicated to telling the story of the development of Los Angeles. Heritage Square Museum is located at 3800 Homer Street, off the 110 Arroyo Seco Parkway (110/Pasadena Freeway) at Avenue 43, just north of downtown Los Angeles. For further information, visit our website at www.heritagesquare.org.

Thank you LA County Art Commission

We want to just take a moment to thank the Los Angeles County Arts Commission for providing a "capacity building grant" that is now in its 2nd year. The grant has been a tremendous help in creating a greater awareness of Heritage Square among the general public and in the creation of improved marketing materials. As a non-profit with limited funds, we can not thank them enough for their support.
For more on the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, please visit www.lacountyarts.org.

Event Sold Out / Museum closed Saturday

Tickets to the November 7th fundraiser are sold out. As such, all staff and volunteers will be off site and Heritage Square Museum will be closed for tours. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we will be open again on Sunday, November 8th.