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REVEALING THE HISTORY OF THE GAYLORD
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Laura Eversz
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As a young girl, Martha Wilson got a thrill out of uncovering the shine beneath the tarnished silver pieces she polished for her mother and grandmother. Today, the artist, who resides with husband Bruce Woodhouse in the Gaylord Apartments on Wilshire Blvd., is getting pure joy out of bringing to light the cast iron wall in the lobby of the historic building.
Built in 1921 by millionaire Henry Gaylord Wilshire across the street from the Ambassador Hotel, the Gaylord functioned as a hotel until 1976. The structure is home to 195 apartment units as well as the Mermaid Café and HMS Bounty restaurant and bar.
Last October, Wilson was in the midst of stripping the paint from the doors in her unit to reveal the rich mahogany wood beneath when Eric Cutten, also a tenant, took over as manager of the Gaylord.
That’s when the idea arose to strip the paint from both sides of the ornamental screen that forms the entire front wall of the foyer. “I knew that Eric really loved the history of the building, and that it had always been a dream of his to uncover the cast iron,” said Wilson.
“I grew up the grandson of an antiques dealer, and my curiosity told me there had to be something under that paint,” said Cutten.
He was browsing through some archives when he came across pages from a magazine published in 1920 that showed the original cast iron screen. The “aha” moment led him to approach owner George Harb, who bought the building in 1991.
“Wherever we can, we’d like to restore the Gaylord to its original beauty,” said Harb, who resides in Hancock Park. “There is such a history that came with the building, including an eclectic guest list of clientele through the years, from Winston Churchill to Richard Nixon, who stayed here for three months when he was running for governor.”
The restoration has been an ongoing project, including redoing the elevators and the lobby walls, added Harb.
Wilson was the obvious choice for the project. “Martha has a love for the building as do many of the tenants,” said Harb. However, she had never worked with iron before.
“After college, I renovated a Chris Craft boat on my own,” she said with a laugh. “I guess renovating things has been a theme throughout my life.”
Four weeks into her latest project, Wilson says she’s learning a lot. “It’s fascinating. It’s different than stripping wood, and much more difficult.”
But the rewards keep her coming back. “There’s so much beauty… it’s absolutely gorgeous. The cool thing is that when I started stripping the paint, I discovered brass inlay, which is a beautiful addition to the cast iron.”
While Wilson predicts it will take a total of about 12 weeks to complete the project, Cutten is already dreaming of the next one. “There’s a trap door by the original mail shoot near the elevators. I stuck my head up there and spied a beautiful trompe l’oeil ceiling with unicorns and flags,” he said wistfully.
Wilson just smiles. “I’m doing this for the joy. It enriches my soul, because it’s a piece of art. I actually giggle when I come down here and see the shiny cast iron each morning… I have fallen in love with it.”
That said, “it’s a workout, I’ll tell you,” said Wilson, flexing her bicep. “When I’m done with this, you’ll find me out back by the pool in a bikini.”
BRASS INLAY is a beautiful addition to the cast iron. |
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