IN TODAY’S HECTIC WORLD, WE OFTEN miss beauty in our own neighborhood. We’re so caught up with work or racing around crossing items off our “to-do” list. (In my case, straightening my sock drawer.) We’re always trying to save time. Rushing to save time? With all the time we save, it’s a shame we can’t store it somewhere, like in a bank, to use when we... have the time.
I live in Ocean Park and, today, I slowed down long enough to discover a jewel — the Edgemar Center for the Arts on Main Street, behind Peet’s Coffee and Tea. Coffee is something we make time for because it speeds us up so we can race around and... save more time.
The Edgemar complex wasn’t always so stylish. In 1908, it was the Imperial Ice Company, an 8,000-square-foot warehouse. But with the advent of refrigeration, the ice business melted, so to speak. Then it became Edgemar Farms. (“Edgemar” is a cross between English and Spanish, meaning “edge of the sea.”) It was used for “egg-candling,” where chicken eggs were held up to a light to check for fertilization. During the Depression, my father was an egg-candler part-time, and it might have been at Edgemar. He was also a delivery boy for the little market at Fifth Street and Rose Avenue. Easy to say now, but I wish I had paid more attention to his stories. Actually, it’s not easy to say now.
Edgemar had a dairy at Rose and Fourth, where a self-storage now sits. But, as far as I can tell, there were never any cows grazing on Main Street. By the early ’80s, Ocean Park, known as “Dogtown”for its blue-collar roots, was fast becoming “up town.” The highest and best use of the property was no longer examining eggs by candlelight, so in 1983 it was put on the market. Abby Sher, a neighbor with a vision, purchased Edgemar and commissioned architect Frank Gehry. (I seem to recall he’s done a couple of projects in his time.) She asked that he preserve the original structures and that’s how Edgemar evolved into a remarkable complex. But the space that caught my eye (other than Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream) was the “Center for the Arts,” a two-story building that houses exciting theater, art, dance, music and film. (Which is not to say egg-candling wasn’t exciting in its own way.) Inside the Center, which opened in 2003, are two theaters — 99 and 65 seats — that feature plays throughout the year. Jason Alexander, of “Seinfeld”and Broadway fame, has done numerous shows. (Now I find out!) He’s on the board of directors, along with Neil Simon and Steven Spielberg, among others. Every day, the Center buzzes with so much artistic activity you need a scorecard. It’s like a mini-Sundance for theater.
The Center offers classes and workshops for kids and teens ranging in ages from 3 to 17, weekends and after school. In one program, “Mommy and Me & Beyond,” for ages 3-6, children create storytelling and music through costumes and characters in a “Fantastical Story Hour.” For older kids, there are acting workshops that get honed into showcases for parents, and even agents. Through their Youth Outreach Programs, Edgemar has served hundreds of “at-risk” kids, bringing them into a supportive family of artists, teachers and adults they can trust.
At the other end of the age spectrum, the Center is developing a volunteer program for seniors from the neighborhood. The seniors create autobiographical scenes based upon their life experiences. Volunteers with writing skills take these events and create a scene to ultimately be performed on stage. Despite a board full of luminaries, all the outreach programs are in need of monetary support. Art and beauty seem to always be “pending funding,” as opposed to wars where money flows like oil. Hopefully, priorities will change. None too soon for me.
For professional actors and soon-to-be-actors, the Larry Moss Studio is in residence at the Center, and hosts a myriad of classes and workshops: scene study, cold reading on camera, improv, voice and technique breakdown classes. The program is regarded as one of the top in Southern California, with students coming from all over the city to attend.
So what’s hidden in back of Peet’s? A magical world of plays, classes and art exhibits. You know where it is, now all you have to do is find the time. Maybe have another cup of coffee and put it on your “to-do” list.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 2, 2007. Read the original PDF.