You’ve got the bungalow, the yard, and the walkability factor. Your bike is parked in the garage, and there’s a coffeehouse just around the corner. You’ve been reading Cottages and Bungalows magazine and you’re pumped to spiff up your casa. And then you realize that what makes living in an historic district special is that your neighbors aren’t building mansionettes or putting in vinyl windows.
But what changes can you make on your house? Who has the answers? Who has ideas?
The Restoration Trade Fair— now in its third year— is the place to get these questions answered from the experts. During the day-long fair on Sunday, Sept. 19 from 9:30am to 4pm at Luther Burbank Elementary, 501 Junipero Ave., attendees can meet neighbors, figure out house-improvement budgets, and tap into resources far and wide— from city officials, community experts, specialized contractors and consultants— all educated and certified in historic and preservation topics.
Event highlights will include:
• More than 50 specialty vendors and exhibitors. On hand will be a variety of non-profit, city, heritage, historic and community groups providing educational services to add color and character to the day. Plus, top-notch local vendors and artisans offering services and consulting in a variety of areas, including landscaping and nursery resources, interior/exterior design, lighting, flooring, furniture and cabinetry, painting and finishing, house numbers, and more.
• Workshops and speakers, covering topics such as: How to Buy in a Historic District, Discovering Your Home’s History, and How to Work with an Architect.
• Architectural photography movie and lecture. Screening at the Art Theatre on 4th Street will be Visual Acoustics, a film about mid-century architectural photographer Julius Shulman, directed by Eric Bricker and narrated by Dustin Hoffman.
• Community mosaic project. Attendees may participate in an historic mosaic mural at Luther Burbank Elementary School, a project of the Garden of the Mind. Inspired by Luther Burbanks’ Shasta Daisy, the mosaic mural will hang in the school’s reception area.
• Morning swing music, courtesy of the Union Station Band, a 1930s- and 1940s-era swing orchestra.
The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Rose Park Neighborhood Association (RPNA). Funds will be used for education and participation in RPNA restoration activities. The event is free to RPNA members and children under 18; $5 for all others. There is no on-site parking.
More Information
rpna-tradefair.org
