The Beautification Council of Laguna Beach honored 32 businesses and
homeowners Tuesday at the Awards of Merit Breakfast and Slide Show.
The awards are distributed every other year.
All the award-winning properties can be viewed from public
right-of-ways.
Nominations for awards are made by council members Ben Blount, Joy
Dickerson, Ed Drollinger, Gilda Elk, Eleanor Henry, Mary Jeffries,
Harry Lawrence, Cossie Mechling, Jan Osborne, Yank Sefton, "Dutch"
Vanderhoff, Karl Von Muff; award judges Bob Borthwick, Ora Sterling
and Max Brown; and Director of Public Works Steve May.
Mechling, who for years did the photography of the honored
properties, and Blount were unable to attend the award presentation.
Mechling is ailing, and Lawrence was out of town, guiding one of his
tours of China.
The following are honorees, with brief committee comments, in
order of presentation:
* Hortense Miller Garden, 22511 Allview Terrace: Tours of the 2
1/2 -acre garden can be arranged through the city's community
services, (949) 497-0716.
* Laguna Beach Garden Club: Honored for maintenance of Main Beach
Park garden and the pocket park on Forest Avenue between Livewire
Cleaners and the Laguna Beach Presbyterian Church. Cost of the upkeep
is contributed by the members. Walt Von Gremp financed it in the
1980s. The late Hal Pastorius created the centerpiece sculpture
honoring motherhood. Borthwick was the landscape architect.
* Las Brisas Rose Garden, 361 Cliff Drive: A Laguna Beach icon,
the judges said.
* Laguna Beach County Water District, 306 Third St.: An example of
an addition blending with the original, made better by the garden.
* Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Ave: An oasis downtown.
* Stearns Architecture, 500 Broadway: A blue-light special.
* Tuvalu, 295 Forest Ave.: Mark Christie is the owner. Kirk
Saunders was the architect. Plans for the remodelling were
drastically changed when the water table was hit at 39 inches below
ground.
* Annaliese's School, 758 Manzanita Drive: Originally a monastery,
beautifully maintained with a whimsical touch.
* Harte Brownlee & Associates, 962 Glenneyre St.: The building was
moved to its present site from the Broadway side of the old Laguna
Federal parking lot (now Wells Fargo Bank), according to Borthwick.
* Peace Garden, Mountain Street beach access: Created and
maintained for 20 years as a labor of love by Michel Martennay.
* Art Center, 1492 S. Coast Highway: In the top 10 of Laguna
icons, it is owned by Steve Kalthhoff.
