Surviving Issue of L'Union Nouvelle at Central Library

At least eight different French-language newspapers have existed in Los Angeles. Most didn't last long.

L'Union Nouvelle was by far the longest-running French newspaper, and the very last one standing - it ran from 1879 to 1962.  

None of those French newspapers are online - not even a single issue of L'Union Nouvelle.

That changes today.

I wasn't able to attend Central Library's centennial anniversary kickoff, featuring the unveiling of the time capsule's contents. The 1925 time capsule contained an even older time capsule from 1881, and due to being in a sealed copper box, the contents are in excellent shape.

The older time capsule contained a number of newspapers from 1881 in different languages, including the December 17, 1881 edition of L'Union Nouvelle.  

After the recent demolition of the French Hospital and the even more recent announcement of Taix's impending closure, this was a very good piece of news.

Todd Lerew, however, was there and kindly shared the following images of the newspaper. These are posted with his permission. 

Do zoom in and see how many people, places, businesses, and organizations you can recognize from earlier blog posts! 

Thank you, Todd! 

Taix Closing for Demolition...But Could The Building Be Moved?

Taix French Restaurant, a Los Angeles institution since its inception in 1927, recently announced that they are closing for demolition. (The French Hospital was torn down a few weeks ago - did I die and wake up in Hell?)

My fellow preservationists and Francophiles tried to save it - believe me. The battle got ugly.

Sunday, March 29 will be the last day of business. (Make a reservation and go while you still can, obviously.)

The plan is to raze the restaurant and redevelop the lot into a mixed-use project. Concept art shows a smaller Taix in one of the commercial spaces. 

But here's an idea...what if the building was moved instead of sent to the dump?

Taix's building is beautiful, and still useful. Suppose it was moved to a burn area, or to anywhere that has the space?

I'd offer to take it off the developer's hands in a heartbeat if I had a place to put it. At 15,000 square feet, the building is big, but it can be more than a restaurant.

Suppose it was subdivided into a mixed-use building, office spaces, or very unique apartments?

What if it was turned into a boutique hotel with an onsite restaurant making use of the existing kitchen? 

What if the kitchen and main dining room remained a restaurant space, a wine bar went into the former 321 Lounge, and the rest of the building eventually housed the French Museum?

Moving the building would clear the lot for redevelopment without letting a good and useful (and significant!) building go to waste.

How about it, Holland Partner Group? You'd save on demolition costs. Reach out to Omgivning, which specializes in adaptive reuse and is already moving "unwanted" older houses to Altadena. Who knows, they just might know someone who would happily take all or part of a 15,000 square foot building, even if it has to be moved in two dozen pieces.