La Laguna Playground Under Rehabilitation

La Laguna Playground is enjoying some long over due rehabilitation this year. In 2009, the whimsical 1960s playground created by master concrete artist Benjamin Dominguez was placed on the California Register of Historic Places. It also became a local landmark for the City of San Gabriel. This was a fundamental goal of the Friends of La Laguna and has made it possible to begin addressing the work of rehabilitation. In 2010, the organization received a 250K grant from the California Cultural and Historic Endowment (CCHE), which is the basis for a Phase 1 rehabilitation project in conjunction with a grant from the Western Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The grant will result in a fully-restored Lookout Mountain by early 2012.

Lastly, bill AB 2701 has been drafted and forwarded to Governor Schwartzeneger for signature. This would amend the existing section of the Health and Safety code that governs playgrounds to acknowledge that playgrounds can be deemed historic landscapes. It will also clarify that a designated playground is subject to the Historic Building Code rather than the codes that govern modern play structures. For more information or to follow progress at the playground, visit Friends of La Laguna.