HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 9238
CITY OF PALO ALTO OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
May 14, 2018
The Honorable City Council
Palo Alto, California
Proclamation Honoring MacArthur Park for Maintaining a Piece of
Palo Alto’s Historic Past
ATTACHMENTS:
MacArthur Park (DOCX)
Department Head: Beth Minor, City Clerk
Page 2
Proclamation
Honoring MacArthur Park for Maintaining a Piece of Palo Alto’s Historic Past
That Served as a Foundational Pillar of the Community
PREAMBLE: MacArthur Park’s building, designed by famed architect Julia Morgan, turns 100 this year.
Morgan believed that an architect’s legacy lived on in the buildings they created. MacArthur Park is more
than a restaurant. It serves as a place for our veterans to meet; a place for citizens of Palo Alto to gather; a
place where Palo Alto’s history can be experienced first-hand.
Whereas, Julia Morgan, best known for Hearst Castle, was the first woman admitted to the architecture
program l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first woman architect licensed in
California. She went on to create over 700 buildings, including the Hostess House, in a male-dominated field;
and
Whereas, after entering into World War I in 1917, the YWCA hired Julia Morgan to design a portion of the
1000 acre Camp Fremont known as the Hostess House, an ‘H’ shaped Craftsman styled building that served as
a meeting place and community hub for soldiers, their relatives, and friends; bolstering the civic, neighborhood,
and government organizations that are so vital to our area’s historic economic and social success; and
Whereas, the YWCA sold the Hostess House to the City of Palo Alto for a nominal $1 (one dollar) which
was also intended as a gift, where Julia Morgan personally gave strict instructions for the move of the building
she designed. This was approved in a city committee in 1919, and the dismantling of the building began. The
Hostess House was cut into 9 sections and was painstakingly moved by teams of horses to Palo Alto’s new El
Camino Park; and
Whereas, the Hostess House continued to serve California’s community as one of the nation’s earliest
examples of a municipally funded community center; the Community Center House, was an employment center
that also housed local “little theatre” performances, as well as various public programs and meetings, then by
1935 the building became known as the Veteran’s Memorial or Veteran’s Building hosting numerous veterans’
groups; and
Whereas, the Veteran’s Building declined after WW II, deteriorating until it sadly became a candidate for
demolition. In 1976, Hostess House was saved by its nomination for inclusion on the National Registry of
Historic Places Inventory, and in 1980, after Dorothy Regnery led a preservation campaign, the City invited
proposals for rehabilitation and new use by private developers, including MacArthur Patk co-founder and co-
owner Charles Frank and head chef and co-owner Faz Poursohi; and
Whereas, MacArthur Park continues to give back to its community by inviting everyone to be a part of Julia
Morgan’s work, as well as supporting various community charities and Palo Alto’s veterans; MacArthur Park
carries on the vision of the many amazing women who turned a building into a hub for the community.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Liz Kniss, Mayor of the City of Palo Alto, on behalf of the City Council hereby do
hereby express our heartfelt appreciation of MacArthur Park for their contribution to preserving Palo Alto’s
history.
Presented: May 14, 2018
______________________________
Liz Kniss
Mayor