Photos: Baird House, 1921.
Whitsett House, 1913 (destroyed 2007 by Merabi & Sons)
Valley Municipal Building, 1932

History buff plans Van Nuys walking tour

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 11/28/2007 09:22:14 PM PST

Car dealerships, swap meets and bail bond storefronts may be what comes to mind for many when they think of Van Nuys. But one man is determined to change that.

A Valley transplant by way of Kalamazoo, Mich., Richard Hilton has been a history aficionado for the past 20 years.

And while he has worked as a volunteer with the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Heritage Museum, it’s the treasures in Van Nuys that have captivated him so much that he now is planning a walking tour of the area.

“For some reason, the historical aspects of Van Nuys have been completely undervalued,” he said. “So many people in the area say `Van Nuys, why go there?’ Well, hey, I want to give them a reason.”

Hilton is hoping to launch his two-hour walking tour by the start of next year, featuring various “hidden” stories along the arterial boulevard that 96 years ago ignited the suburbanization of the San Fernando Valley.

Sylvan Street – originally called Virginia Street – was used by pioneers to get to a barbecue and land auction organized by William Paul Whitsett on Feb. 22, 1911.

Hilton plans to unveil cultural landmarks in the area, like the Woman’s Club on Sylvan. Now a church, the building near Kester Avenue was built in 1917 and used by Van Nuys’ earliest residents to hold everything from town hall meetings to birthdays.

“A lot of these landmarks contribute to the Van Nuys story,” Hilton said. “This really started as a classic
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American town.”

Lydia Mathers, a Van Nuys Neighborhood Council member, said a walking tour is perfect fit for a community that recently was designated a historic preservation overlay zone – the first in the Valley.

The idea is to kick off the area’s revitalization by drawing interest to the area’s history.

“What happens in neighborhoods like Van Nuys is people do not consider them to be the best neighborhoods on the planet,” Mathers said.

“This is an opportunity to rid people of their fears and let them realize how much we have to offer.”

Trudi Sandmeier, director of education for the Los Angeles Conservancy, said sites like the Municipal Building in Van Nuys – which received a preservation award from the L.A. Conservancy – are prime examples of the area’s overlooked history.

“This is a great opportunity for people to discover a new old neighborhood in the city,” she said. “It is high time it happened there.”

Admittedly, many of the classic buildings in Van Nuys are hidden. Modern facades have all but covered up the turn-of-the-century structures.

Harder still for Hilton is the reality that several Van Nuys landmarks – like the clapboard bungalow built in 1911 by Whitsett – have been destroyed.

“This is going to be a little different, but the idea is to save what little is left,” Hilton said.

For more information on the walking tour, e-mail Richard Hilton at vannuystours@aol.com

connie.llanos@dailynews.com 818-713-3634