What's up at the Bembridge Homesite
by Charlotte Mitchell VP Bembridge House
Summer 2008
At last the ADA accessible
bathroom and the storage room are finished. We are all so pleased at how well
this wonderful addition looks and how it blends in with the carriage house.
Magnum Builders Inc. under the supervision of James Leonard and Mike Burrous ,
our very own valuable member and advisor, has done an outstanding job.
May Day was again a very successful event with over three hundred adults and
children touring the house. The theme this year was 1943 with docents dressed in
clothes of that era. The Carriage House was decorated as a USO and items in the
house were in keeping with that year. The activities in Drake Park included
dancing, games, face painting, May Day crafts and storytelling.
We were very pleased to have the Friends of Languages Associate Group, which
operates under the auspices of Long Beach City College Foundation, decide to
have their spring fundraiser at the Bembridge House. There were over sixty- five
guests at this event which included tours of the house led by our very
outstanding docents. This group raises funds to support the Foreign Language and
English-as-a-Second –Language Departments through scholarships, grants, and
special projects. They enjoyed seeing the house and socializing in the lovely
surroundings.
Thanks to all the dedicated volunteers at the Bembridge House who are so very
busy keeping the house in order, giving tours, gardening, sorting the collection
and archives and seeing repairs are taken care of when needed. We all enjoy our
volunteer hours at the house and invite you to join us in any of the activities
that would interest you.
Spring 2008 All of us are
very excited about the news that the work on the ADA accessible restroom and the
storage area will begin the first part of March and should be well under way by
the time you read this. We will then be able to advertise our events to the
general public which should result in increased participation. We have purchased
a National Register plaque and will proudly display it on the front of the
house.
The leaded glass windows have been repaired, cleaned and re-installed. The stained glass windows look especially beautiful when the sun shines on them. A new program has been started under the direction of Elena Broun-Levine and Marion Nickle. Needle-art classes will be taught on Saturdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. for ten weeks. The class started March 1 with ten eager students. More on this as the class progresses.
We had some major plumbing repairs due to pipes that had completely disintegrated and had to be replaced. This was something we had not budgeted so we will have to work even harder to raise a bit more money this year. With such wonderful volunteers working at the house I know we can do it.
The Bembridge House is open for tours every Tuesday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and on the fourth Saturday of each month from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. We continue to have people drop by and they are always entranced with the house. Our knowledgeable docents under the direction of Carol Ann Smith and her committee are very much appreciated. We have received many donations during the past year from our members and friends who have such warm feelings for the house. In February, donations were made in the name of Stan Poe to celebrate his birthday. This is a great way to honor a special event.
Now that spring has arrived, it is time to plant the garden with some colorful flowers. We who volunteer in the garden have fun and enjoy seeing the results of our labor. We could use more eager gardeners and would love to hear from anyone interested. Please call the office if this is something that appeals to you. I would like to thank all who help make the Bembridge
House a shining star for Long Beach Heritage.
Winter 2007 The exterior of the Bembridge House has been painted and looks beautiful. We will be open for tours on specified days so please take advantage of this great opportunity, bring your friends and visit soon. See what a wonderful home Long Beach Heritage has to call their own. We received a very nice donation of $500 from the office of Supervisor Don Knabe to be used for maintenance and preservation of the Bembridge House. This money will be put to good use as we have many projects needing attention. We received another generous donation from member Gary Roderick in memory of Norma Abalos. This donation was used to upholster and repair the settee and matching rocking chair, which are two of our favorite pieces in the house. The Bar-B-Q we held in July was great fun. The Long Beach Community Band played as we sat around enjoying the music and munching chips and dip. After the concert we had a tasty dinner at tables decorated for the occasion in red, white, and blue. More than fifty people enjoyed this casual, relaxed evening among friends. We have many fun plans for the coming year tours, classes, parties and music. If you would like to volunteer for even a small job we welcome you so please call the office or call me, Charlotte Mitchell at 562-493-7019.
Summer 2007 More Great News... The Naval Trust awarded us a grant of $30,000 to fund the painting of the Bembridge House. We are all very excited and can’t wait to see the results. The carriage house is finished and looks great. One more item, the three pieces of furniture that have been upholstered are now back in place and look fantastic. Thank you Catherine Morley and Stan Poe for your input on this project. Thanks to Kay Tortorice, Cheryl Perry and Carol Ann Smith for the many hours they have put into writing grants for the funding of the many projects that we are now undertaking. Also, a great big thank you to the whole committee for all their hard work in making this busy year so successful. We have accomplished a great deal and are looking forward to another great year at the Bembridge Homesite. At this time, tours of the Bembridge House are available by reservation. Call the office for information.
Spring 2007 The driveway at the Bembridge house has been completed and looks wonderful. The carriage house is in the last phase of restoration and it will soon be painted and the windows will be rehabilitated. The roses that Linda Renner planted are lovely and are blooming profusely. Three pieces of furniture are in the process of being upholstered under the guidance of Catherine Morley and Stan Poe. We are so pleased to have twelve wonderful docents in training. Claudine Burnett and Carol Ann Smith are working with the group so they will be ready to take third grade children on tours soon. The May Day program on April 28 will be a great day for families. Members of Long Beach Heritage: this is your house! Please support our activities. Send donations, and volunteer at The Bembridge Heritage Homesite. Thanks to all who have already made contributions.
Winter 2006 The final phase of the carriage house is now under way. A Nonprofit Assistance Program grant enables us to complete the restoration of the outside of the carriage house and install electricity and a new driveway. We are very excited about this project. Before and after photographs of the restoration will be published in the next newsletter. Another project now underway is the repair of all the windows in the house. This is made possible with a Neighborhood Partners Program matching grant. It will be great to be able to open the windows in the summer. The Bembridge Committee visited the Hargett House in Norwalk. Two delightful ladies gave us a tour of this lovely Victorian House built in the late nineteenth century. We gathered valuable information during the tour, much of which we will be able to incorporate into our future plans. Now we are looking into more grant opportunities, increasing our volunteer base and starting our tours again. Thank you to a very hard working committee and a happy 2007 to all!
Bembridge Heritage Homesite
Status, Accomplishments & Goals
Accomplishments
1. Made critical repairs to the house such as electrical rewiring, porch reconstruction, installation of
security lights and alarm system. (2005)
2. Cleared overgrown vegetation from the site, trimmed and removed intrusive trees. (2005)
3. Created a photo inventory for the entire contents of the house. (2005)
4. Restored the original cast concrete landscape retaining wall and walkways. (2005);
5. Installed a handrail. (2005)
6. Repainted the kitchen, breakfast room and original kitchen/meeting room. (2005)
7. Approved for property tax relief through the Mills Act (2005)
8. Stabilized the foundation of the main house. (2005)
9. Restored the outside back porch and steps. (2005)
10. Installed protective carpet on inside stairs. (2005)
11. Restored the front door and sidelights. (2005)
12. Carriage House stabilization and restoration. (2006)
13. Fumigation of all structures. (2006)
14. Aviary restoration. (2006)
15. Replacement of roof on all structures. (2006)
16. Repair and restoration of antique doll collection. (2006)
17. Painted exterior of Bembridge House. (2007)
18. Bembridge House driveway competed (2007)
19. Last phase of Carriage house restoration completed (2007)
20. Landscaping (2007)
21. Bembridge House re-roofed. (2007)
22. Bembridge House leaded glass and stained glass windows have all been repaired and look wonderful! (2008)
23. Carriage House ADA accessible bathroom and storeroom are finished. (2008)
Current Goals
1. Bembridge House Restoration
2. Evaluation of collections and development of a Collection Policy.
3. Community & Education
4. Development of partnership/reciprocal agreement with City of Long Beach Parks & Recreation for
upkeep and maintenance on the grounds.
5. Definition of our interpretive theme, content and support materials for our educational programs.
6. Development of docent/volunteer training program.
7. Continued development of partnership programs and fund raising plan.
