Six museums along historic Arroyo Seco open for Free on "Museums of the Arroyo Day"

PASADENA, Calif. Longtime devotees of the daylong event where six museums located along the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena open free to the public call it "MOTA Day." But those who have yet to discover this opportunity to travel back in time to experience life in early Los Angeles through its art, architecture and history may appreciate a little more explanation.

"MOTA Day stands for Museums of the Arroyo Day," explains Kori Capaldi, program and operations manager at the Gamble House in Pasadena, which is internationally recognized as the most complete and best-preserved work of American Arts and Crafts architects Charles and Henry Greene. "And, this year, our MOTA Day participants are excited to be celebrating our 20th anniversary."

Museums joining the Gamble House at this year´s event on Sunday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., include Heritage Square Museum, the Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum, the Lummis Home and Garden, the Pasadena Museum of History, and the Autry National Center´s Southwest Museum of the American Indian. Most will also present exhibitions that pay tribute, in some form or fashion, to the event´s milestone anniversary.

"For example, at the Gamble House, visitors will see cars from the 1920s," says Capaldi. "We´ll also have children´s crafts and refreshments on site. But, of course, the highlight of a visit to every museum participating in MOTA Day is a tour of the facility itself. There´s a lot to see and even more to learn!"

Ample parking is available at each museum, as well as continuous shuttle service between sites, for those who don´t wish to drive from venue to venue. However, as MOTA Day ends promptly at 4 p.m., when making plans to visit, please remember that shuttles will stop running shortly after 4 p.m. as well.

"The writer Pearl Buck wrote, ´If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday,´ " says Diane Siegel, Manager of Programming and Curriculum Development at the Pasadena Museum of History. "I can´t think of a better place for all of us to start our journey than with MOTA Day."

For more information on the 20th Annual MOTA Day, visit www.museumsofthearroyo.com or call the hotline number at 213.740.TOUR (8687). Programs may be subject to change.

SPECIAL EVENTS AT MUSEUMS OF THE ARROYO DAY:

The Gamble House:

Although car enthusiasts will enjoy seeing the collection of 1920s-era cars on site at The Gamble House, the star attraction for MOTA Day visitors will undoubtedly be the house itself. Designed in 1908 by architects Greene & Greene, the Gamble House was commissioned by David and Mary Gamble, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a retirement residence. David and Mary lived in the house until their deaths in 1923 and 1929, respectively. Their son, Cecil Huggins Gamble, and his wife, Louise Gibbs Gamble, lived in the house beginning in 1946 and briefly considered selling it. They soon changed their minds, however, when prospective buyers spoke of painting the interior teak and mahogany woodwork white! The Gambles realized the artistic importance of the house and it remained in the Gamble family until 1966, when it was deeded to the city of Pasadena in a joint agreement with the University of Southern California School of Architecture.

Cookies, lemonade and smoothies from Jamba Juice will be available on the lawn as well as craft projects for children. The Gamble House is located at 4 Westmoreland Place in Pasadena.

Heritage Square:

Heritage Square, a "living history museum" of 8 historic structures reflecting the settlement and development of Southern California from the Civil War to the early 20th Century, will present "Lost to Progress" – a look at the balance between preservation and progress, as illustrated by how the three historical neighborhoods of Chavez Ravine, Chinatown and Bunker Hill were destroyed so that Los Angeles could develop into a modern, world class city – as part of its MOTA Day programming. Visitors are encouraged not to miss The Longfellow-Hastings Octagon Veranda, one of three buildings of this type of rare architecture in the state of California. Costumed docents will be available at each building to answer questions.

Guests can also visit a Spanish American War encampment, view traditional woodcarving and blacksmith demonstrations, listen to historical storytellers, hear live music, and much more. Children are encouraged, too, to play with Victorian games and make period crafts throughout the day.

"Heritage Square takes its guests back in time to an era where electricity was a novelty, a trip to the beach was often a full-weekend activity and manners were distinctly different from those of today," says Jessica Maria Alicea-Covarrubias, Director of Museum Administration and Operations. Heritage Square is located at 3800 Homer Street in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum:

The Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum, which chronicles the history of the LAPD from 1869 to the present, is located in the former Renaissance Revival style Highland Park Police Station, at 6045 York Boulevard in Los Angeles.

"The station was built in 1925, which fits perfectly into our 1920s theme, " says Executive Director Glynn Martin. "After it closed in 1983, it suffered from vandals, arson fires and water damage. But, since then, the station has been salvaged and restored by the Historical Society and is now a registered National Historic landmark."

MOTA Day visitors can tour the facilities, which feature private collections and historical memorabilia dating back to the late 19th century. Children will have a chance to climb into a retired police helicopter and try on police gear. Many guests also enjoy using their own cameras to create a "Booking Photo" of their favorite "crook" in the historic jail.

Autry National Center´s Southwest Museum of the American Indian:

The Autry National Center´s Southwest Museum of the American Indian is the oldest museum in Los Angeles. It also houses one of the nation´s most important museum, library and archive collections related to the American Indian.

Visitors can enjoy Native American performers and tour the ethnobotanical garden, as well as learn about the museum´s recent major repair projects. Video presentations will be shown in the Braun Research Library.

The museum is located at 234 Museum Drive in Los Angeles.

Lummis Home and Garden:

The turn-of-the century home of the founder of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, Charles Fletcher Lummis, is part of the MOTA Day tour as well. Lummis – an early activist, author, anthropologist, photographer, and civic booster who encouraged and nurtured some of the West´s finest poets, writers and artists – was also the first city editor of the fledgling Los Angeles Times. Tours of the Lummis Home, built over a 12-year period with stones from the arroyo, will be available throughout MOTA Day as well as self-guided garden tours.

In addition to touring the house and water-wise demonstration garden, MOTA Day visitors are invited to hear folksingers, Gigi and Mike, entertain children and adults with turn of the century folk songs and sing-alongs from 11 am to 12 pm. At one and three pm. historian Daniel Lewis will present "Charles F. Lummis in Chautauqua," a historical characterization of the home´s creator.

In the El Alisal garden, the Arroyo Arts Collective will present a multimedia display, "Bringing the Past to Light: New Art from Old Images" featuring an innovative mix of past, present and future visions of the Arroyo area. The Lummis Home and Garden is located at 200 Avenue 43 in Los Angeles.

Pasadena Museum of History:

The Pasadena Museum of History –located on the grounds of the Fenyes Mansion, an elegant 1905 Beaux Arts style building that is one of the few remaining grand homes on Pasadena's former "Millionaire's Row" – will celebrate MOTA Day´s 20th Anniversary by placing special emphasis on telling stories from the 1920s. "Family Stories: Sharing a Community´s Legacy" will chronicle the lives of six different families representing the largest population groups in early Pasadena. All had settled in Pasadena by the 1920s.

Several times throughout the day, visitors will hear "Travels with Babsie," a dramatic monologue near a 1920s Model T car, which will chronicle Pasadena resident Leonora Curtin´s adventures by car throughout the Southwest. The monologue is based on postcards Leonora Curtin sent her grandmother throughout the 1920s.

In addition, "newboys" carrying news bags filled with stories culled from archival 1920s newspapers stroll throughout the campus. A guest artist will also lead children in making paper dolls in the style popular with children of the 1920s and teach them about 20 famous people who have lived, worked, or studied in the Pasadena area. The museum is located at 470 West Walnut Street in Pasadena.