Barnum project almost complete
By Daily Press staff
Barnum Hall’s facelift is nearly complete.
Six Washintonia robusta palms, a large multi-trunk European fan palm, and birds of paradise plants were planted in front of the historic Santa Monica High School theater on Monday.
The installments complement Barnum Hall’s recent $6 million restoration. They are the crowning jewels of a landscape plan designed to recall the glamour of Hollywood in the 1930s, when the Streamline Moderne theater was built.
“Campus Beautification” organizers Judi Bloom and Bonnie Freeman, who secured funding from PTSA and private donations, oversaw the project.
“Landscaping a beautiful building like Barnum has been a labor of love for all concerned,” said Bloom, co-chair of the Beautification Committee. “It was the ideal private-public collaboration — one that everyone involved wanted to see happen. With students, the community and this beautiful building in mind, professionals and representatives from PTSA, ‘Restore Barnum,’ the district and the Samohi administrations did their best to make the project run smoothly and economically.”
Samohi students will install smaller plants to complete the project at a later date.
37D,“It’s been a year since Barnum Hall reopened, but we’re still completing the restoration, piece by piece,” said Jean Sedillos, chairperson of the Restore Barnum Hall committee. “It has been a pleasure to watch Judi and Bonnie put together this amazing group of professionals to add the finishing touch to Barnum on the outside.”
Contributors to the landscaping project include:
• Santa Monica landscape designer Mary Effron, who drafted the design, which features lush tropical plants that do not require excessive maintenance or water.
• Aaron J. Landworth, owner of LanDesign West, Inc. in Santa Monica, who donated many of the plants and is providing the larger trees and labor at cost.
• The Hammer Company. Owners Norman and Steve Hammer, as well as Steve’s son, Dr. Carl Hammer, are Samohi grads. Carl Hammer is assistant band director at Samohi.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 17, 2004. Read the original PDF.