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Weddington House on the Move Again |
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Written by Jennifer Morales
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
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The sometimes-mobile Weddington House in North Hollywood will be on the move again soon, although its final location is still being debated. North Hollywood residents, including a descendant of the original owner, want it to stay in North Hollywood whereas some feel the best place for it would be in the Heritage Square Museum in Highland Park.
Declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2007 after a threatened demolition, the Weddington House was built in the 1880s in Iowa before being moved along with the Weddington family to southern California in 1891. Reconstructed in a small community then called Toluca, the house made two more moves before reaching its current location at 11025 Weddington Street in 1924.
JSM Construction of Santa Monica has acquired the property and intends to build a mixed-use development on the site. The company has offered to move the structure to the Heritage Square Museum, a move preservationists support. North Hollywood residents, however, view the proposal as yet another attempt to strip the area of its history. City Councilman Tom LaBonge is involved in possibly finding a place for the house at Tiara Park. Preservationists do not agree with this move, citing that parks officials are not trained in structural preservation techniques.
"Both sides agree that the Weddington House is filled with history. Weddington family member Guy Weddington McCreary, who initiated the landmark designation for the house, traced its roots to Iowa."
"There, it was the home of Wilson Weddington, a farmer who was the sheriff of Buena Vista County. Weddington came to the Valley in 1889 to visit his sister, whose husband was superintendent for the Lankershim Land and Water Co. He was dazzled by what he saw."
"He moved to Toluca the next year and began farming. Three years later, he was appointed the township's first postmaster by President Cleveland. His little house was Toluca's first post office."
"Weddington opened a general store and employed his two sons, Guy and Fred. Fred Weddington was appointed the town's first deputy sheriff. He made news in 1904 by using his horse to chase down two robbers who had assaulted a man and then fled into a barley field. They were convicted and sent to prison."
"Fred Weddington went on to become a land developer, and he opened the town's first bank. He remained active in North Hollywood affairs until his death in 1967."
Sources:
Los Angeles Times, They want this house to stay put
By Bob Pool, 8 February 2008
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 March 2008 )
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Comments
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I conducted extensive research on the Weddington House for JSM. Guy Weddington alleges that the house was moved from Iowa. One need only look at the house in Iowa and the house on Weddington to see that they are not one in the same. Furthermore, there is no evidence to support this crazy idea. The real story, which I documented was that the house was constructed at the corner of Lankershim and Weddington, and moved to the existing site on Weddington in the 1920s. There were many members of the Weddington family and they owned a lot of property. The house should have been listed simply because it is the oldest house remaining in NoHo. I know that the Cultural Heritage Commission staff never bought the idea that the house came from Iowa. The family did move a house from Iowa, but it ended up on the other side of Lankershim and was demolished years ago. I wish reporters for the LA Times would not accept as fact crazy assertions in Monument applications.
Posted by Teresa Grimes, on 06/08/2008 at 22:06
I worked across the street from this house for 17 years. It always brought me comfort having this piece of north Hollywood history to look at. I believe three little old ladies lived there till around 1997, when a young man and his wife bought it, and began to restore the house. Tucked away among the industrial neighborhood always made an interesting contrast. Keep it in north Hollywood where it belongs.
Posted by matthew herzer, on 06/10/2008 at 14:52
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