A month after the deadly Etonfire burned thousands of homes and buildings to the ground, the close community of Altadena is working together to save the town’s history.
Hundreds of community members and volunteers joined the mission of combing through a pile of ashes and tiles, hoping to identify and save historic tiles.
Organizers of the “Save the Tiles” mission said on their website that they believe these tiles are the only rescueable and surviving connections to the town of Altadena’s identity.
“The tiles remain while these homes are gone,” said Eric Garland, a resident of Altadena. “They are as beautiful as the day they were made, and our intention is to save all the last ones of them.”
Garland spoke with KTLA’s Angeli Kakade on Saturday to explain the history of these tiles. These tiles begin with an artist named Ernest Batchelder, who was a tile maker at the turn of the century.
“Immediately after the fire, my daughter Lucy and I were walking down our block, and there was this perfect bachelor’s fireplace that my daughter asked me.
Garland told KTLA that artist Bachelder got his start in Altadena and soon founded a commercial organisation in 1910.
“By 1912 he had a huge public commission and he had become famous,” Garland explained. “And Altadena’s house is full of his work.”
So, along with hundreds of volunteers, Garland joined the mission to save iconic tiles. This involves using Masonry experts to remove them from the burning fireplaces that were once decorated and carefully restored.
Vance Weissbrucci, another Altadena resident and victim of Eton Fire, spoke with KTLA, saying he was impressed by the effort.
“It’s going to be great because that was the main focus of the house,” Weiss Bruch said. “If you have a Bachelder fireplace, it just increases the price of the property.”
For Garland, he said there is little he can do for the community that his family has been calling home for over eight years.
“We can see what we can see as they return to our new home in Altadena and on the new fireplace that the next generation of Altentenans can enjoy forever,” Garland said.
So far, the team has saved about 30 tiles, but there’s a lot to do.
To donate to the mission, visit www.savethetiles.org.
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