Miracle Mile
Residential Association

The Miracle Mile will have its own farmers market beginning Wednesday, July 10th, 11 AM to 3 PM, at the Wilshire Courtyard, 5700 Wilshire Blvd. The weekly market is managed by California Certified Farmers Markets [CCFM], who coordinates successful farmers markets in a number of locations, including Century City, Larchmont Village, and Pacific Palisades.
 
Katie Rhault, a spokesperson for CCFM, said that they had concluded negotiations with Tishman Speyer Properties LP, who purchased the Wilshire Courtyard property in December 2012. Rhault explained that Tishman Speyer felt that a farmers market would not only benefit the many workers at Wilshire Courtyard but also the greater community.
 
The Miracle Mile Farmers Market will offer certified California-grown fruits and vegetables straight from the farm to consumers. The weekly market will provide fresh seasonal produce year-round, rain or shine. An array of other items will also be available: breads, cheeses, fresh eggs, gourmet prepared foods, dried fruits and nuts, organic produce, natural juices, spices, oils and vinegars. The market will also feature fresh cut flowers, Asian bonsai and bamboo, and orchids ­– as well as handmade arts and crafts merchandise.
 
Farmers markets have become a popular trend throughout the country. Nationwide the number of farmers markets increased by almost ten percent last year as more communities are drawn to fresh, healthy, locally grown foods. These marketplaces provide small farmers with a profitable outlet for their produce and offers them an opportunity to develop personal relationships with their customers.

The Miracle Mile Residential Association salutes CCFM and Tishman Speyer for joining forces to bring a new source of fresh food to our community. 

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American Contemporary Ballet

Finds A Home in the Miracle Mile

The American Contemporary Ballet [ACB] has taken up residence in the eastern pavilion of the “Variety” building at 5900 Wilshire Boulevard. The ACB was founded by artistic director and choreographer, Lincoln Jones, to create original contemporary classical ballets. The company has received much praise from the critics, including Los Angeles Times dance reviewer Victoria Looseleaf, who wrote that Jones “makes smart, elegant ballets that showcase, among other things, his associate director, ballerina extraordinaire, Theresa Farrell.”

The Ratkovich Company, owners of the well-known Miracle Mile high-rise, provided the space to the ballet company on a “permanent temporary basis” said Adam Lev, Development Manager for Ratkovich – until such time that a desirable commercial tenant can be secured for the space. The Ratkovich Company has always taken an active role in the cultural life of the Miracle Mile. They host the Wende Museum's collection of ten sections of the Berlin Wall in front of their building and have made their eastern pavilion available to other non-profit groups in the past.
 
The ACB has partnered with The Da Camera Society, which is well known for producing chamber music concerts in architecturally and historically significant locations through Southern California, to present dance performances to the works of Stravinsky, Britten, Couperin and other venerable composers. These presentations have included the participation of such notable classical musicians as Martin Chalifour, Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic – who donates his services to perform with the company.
 
In a recent New York Times article, that featured the ACB, Chalifour expressed his support for the troupe: “The fact that they’re so good and just getting started, I feel I owe it to the art of dance to help build whatever I can. Lincoln [Jones] caters to the complexities of the musical score and, like Balanchine, that’s his inspiration. Music transports you, and when you augment that with beautiful dance, it becomes a unique sensory experience.”
 
The ACB DanceSpace – the name they’ve given their new performance and rehearsal location ­– is in the heart of Museum Row, directly across from LACMA. The floor-to-ceiling windows turn Wilshire Boulevard into a striking backdrop for their ballets and allow pedestrians to view the company at practice and in performance. The unusual setting affords the audience a very intimate perspective of ballet.
 
Jones, a California native who trained with the Joffrey Ballet, started the company in New York City in 2004 to create original ballets as well as an apprentice and training program. In 2011, seeking to expand ACB and provide it with a permanent home, Jones and associate director Farrell relocated the troupe to Los Angeles.

In 2012 ACB performed its first full season, which included six new works by Jones, a performance with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and – in association with the Da Camera Society – two different programs of MUSIC+DANCE:L.A.

Their next scheduled events are part of the MUSIC+DANCE:L.A. series, in which chamber music alternates with original ballets accompanied by the musical ensemble. The performances will be on Friday and Saturday, August 16 and 17, 7 and 9 PM, at the ACB DanceSpace, 5900 Wilshire Boulevard.

Tickets can be purchased online at: The Da Camera Society website.

American Contemporary Ballet ~ Suite for Piano and Violin

For additional information:

American Contemporary Ballet website

Photograph credits: Lauren Ward (top); Kathryn Brooks-Dean (bottom).

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 Time Traveling • A Message from Jim O'Sullivan

Time Traveling

A Message from James O’Sullivan

 
This 4th of July on Masselin Avenue is a very special day. This year we will be celebrating our thirty-third 4th of July block party. The day starts with volunteers putting up small American flags on each lawn and later in the afternoon the street is blocked so volunteers can start stringing decorations across it. Around 4 PM the tables and chairs start appearing close to 8th Street with early jockeying for space under the shade trees. Soon after that the barbecues appear, the DJ shows up, and the party is on. The Star Spangled Banner is sung, the DJ lays out some good dance music, old neighbors who used to live on the block show up, and the tie between past and present is renewed.
 

 
I first moved onto the block 27 years ago and was immediately informed that we did a 4th of July block party and a progressive Christmas-Chanukah holiday party. I didn’t quite get what it was all about and it took several years before I made my first 4th of July party. What I discovered that day has forever tied me to Masselin Avenue and the Miracle Mile. 
 
We are neighbors in a sense that is rarely seen today. We have watched families raised, children leave to start their own lives and then return again on the 4th of July. We’ve celebrated and grieved with each other, protected and supported each other. We’ve embraced new arrivals on the street and drawn them into our Masselin family. 
 
On that day our children run and play on the street. Contests are held, bicycles are decorated, and a piñata is hung – and pummeled to the delight of all.  The police and fire departments are invited and show up as their schedules permit. Good food and drink are consumed and, at some point during the day, I will find myself taking in a scene that can only be described as a living Norman Rockwell painting.
 
My wife will see that faraway look in my eyes and know that I am reliving a part of my life growing up that is for the most part gone from the American scene – but on the 4th of July on Masselin Avenue it all comes back again and I realize how truly blessed we are to live here in the heart of the wonderful Miracle Mile.

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Miracle Mile Real Estate • June 2013 Sales

Miracle Mile Real Estate
June 2013 Sales
 

1028 S. Curson Ave.
3 bdrm, 2 bath, 1,728 sq. ft.
lot: 5,807 sq. ft
listing price: $899,000
sale price: $899,000
sale date: 6-12-2013



931 S. Genesee Ave.
3 bdrm, 1.75 bath, 1,612 sq. ft.
lot: 6,056 sq. ft
listing price: $1,025,000
sale price: $1,025,000
sale date: 6-27-2013



5764 San Vincente Blvd.
condominium
2 bdrm, 2 bath, 1,310 sq. ft.
listing price: $499,000
sale price: $499,000
sale date: 6-18-2013




1064 S. Cloverdale Ave.
duplex, 4,612 sq. ft.
lot: 7,793 sq. ft
listing price: $1,159,000
sale price: $1,159,000
sale date: 6-17-2013

 

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My street...by Mark Zecca

 

My street…

by Mark Zecca

 
When buying a home, such as we did on South Dunsmuir Avenue in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles, it always interested me to find out who once lived in our home and on our street. To my surprise, I found many interesting lives inhabited these old beautiful homes that date back to the 1920s.
 
For instance, I found that one neighbor is a Hall-of-Fame baseball player. He was honored by both the Kennedy and Obama White Houses. He was one of several African Americans that broke the color barrier in professional baseball.
 
We also have the oldest living Los Angeleno residing on our street and she is still doing well as she approaches the age of 109.
 
Next door is an actor and director who is famous in Russia – before him, one of the musical members of the Platters lived there as well. Across the street is one of the stars from the original 21 Jump Street starring Johnny Depp. Down the street is a beautiful English-style home used in the TV series House.
 
On a sad note, I discovered that a murder occurred years ago in a home down the street from us. A woman was found stabbed several times in her living room. Tragic.
 
What I found most interesting though was the story of a Japanese-American family who once lived in my house and spent several years in California internment camps during World War II. When the war was over, they bought this lovely home. This was a shameful time in our country's history where innocent people of Japanese heritage were rounded up and sent away.
 
These and other interesting notes and photos are a click away by Googling your own address. I also discovered the Los Angeles Library has an excellent online collection of photos dating back decades – it was fascinating to see where Park La Brea now sits was once a vast oil field.
 
Knowing your own neighborhood history makes living in the City of Angels a much richer experience.
 

•••

 
Mark Zecca is a realtor and MMRA board member who has previously contributed to the newsletter [see: Miracle Mile Real Estate Report,  April 2013 edition].
 
This is the first of an occasional series of observations about life in the Miracle Mile by our residents. If you would like to contribute to this series, please contact the editor [newsletter@miraclemilela.com].

For another perspective (courtesy of The Agency Daily) read: 

Gail Lesser-Gerber on Life in the Miracle Mile of Los Angeles

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