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Gatekeepers | Talmadge's Historic Portals
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They were called the pearly gates.
"The older residents of Talmadge told us that when their kids
went out to play,they were told `Don't go beyond the pearly gates,'
" Fred Lindahl said. And, according to Lindahl, those gates
are eight of the many reasons the Talmadge neighborhood is "a
little sliceof heaven" as a place to live.
 Lindahl
was one of the motivators behind the removal and restoration of
the ornamental gates that have stood guard in Talmadge since before
houses were built there in the mid-'20s. The eight gates were named
historic sites by the San Diego Historical Resources Board in 2000.
Talmadge was named for three sisters -- Norma, Constance and Natalie
Talmadge -- who were silent screen stars in the early years of the
last century. "They and their husbands raised the capital for
the project, that's why it was originally called Talmadge Park Estates,"
said Councilwoman Toni Atkins, within whose district Talmadge lies.
Pictures of the three glamorous sisters (major stars in their time)
in fur-trimmed coats and cloche hats planting a tree at the dedication
of the "Movie Girl Subdivision," as it was called, survive
and lend an air of Hollywood legend to the neighborhood.
Norma, Constance and Natalie streets still bear the sisters' names,
although many new residents are unaware of the community's origins.
But few can overlook the gates, which weigh about 400 to 500 pounds
apiece.
To restore these historical behemoths, Atkins worked with Lindahl,
Jim Blevins, Chuck Kaminsky, and other Talmadge residents to get
$108,000 in federal community block grant funds. "This is an
emotional project for the community of Talmadge, the gates are so
reflective of who they are," Atkins said.
 Over
the 75 or so years since they were installed, the forged- iron gates
and cast-iron lanterns topping them have deteriorated to the point
where "it's like the paint was holding them together,"
said Jim Gibson, whose firm, Gibson & Gibson Antique Lighting
in Chula Vista is restoring the gates.
"Their original color was black, but they've been repainted
a heavy gray three or four times," Gibson said. Painting and
replacement of the bulbs was just about the only work done on the
gates since metal first entered ground.
"There was vandalism, there's significant rust, and a lot
of deteriorating metal," Atkins said.
The first of eight sets of gates (each set consists of two sides)
was removed from Highland Avenue on Aug. 6 by crane, placed on a
truck, then moved to Gibson & Gibson.
Each set of gates will take four to six weeks to restore. "We
have to remove the pieces, send them out to be sandblasted down
to the original metal, all the joints need re-welding, and there's
a tremendous amount of corrosion on the bottoms so they'll have
to be rebuilt," Gibson said.
And, because the first set of gates was knocked down in a car accident,
one of the ornamental columns will have to be completely rebuilt.
Then, the gates will be sent back out to be galvanized and repainted
the original black.
The lanterns will also be brought up to current codes. "It's
the original wiring still in there," Gibson said.
Gibson will work his way through the entire system of eight gates,
one set at a time.
The project's genesis came about six years ago when a rumor circulated
through Talmadge that the gates were going to be torn down by the
city. "They're such a unique community identifier," Lindahl
said, "that I thought `No way!' But when I saw what horrible
shape they were in, I thought it was no wonder the city was going
to tear them down."
For once the rumor was just a rumor, but it galvanized Lindahl
and the Talmadge Maintenance Assessment District Committee into
taking action. They sought out grants, spending endless hours filling
out forms and eventually procured the entire $108,000 needed for
restoration.
"Every month, we'd spend at least several hours on getting
the money, but that's OK," Lindahl said. "If we can get
these things preserved and back to their original glory, it will
be worth it."
While dismantling the first set, a slot was discovered where a
name sign once rested and it turns out that all the gates have such
a slot.
But no one knows what went in there. The street name? The community's
name of Talmadge?
"It would be exciting to find out what was there," Lindahl
said, "and put it back in place. We've knocked on a lot of
doors, but no one remembers. It would be great if we could find
someone who knew the answer to that mystery."
Anyone who might have a clue to the original signage of Talmadge
is asked to e-mail aburnett@pacbell.net
or write to the Talmadge Maintenance Assessment District Committee
board, P.O. Box 600055, San Diego, CA 92160.
Because even though the gates are 70-plus years old, this little
slice of heaven can't wait forever.
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| Highlands Gates
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Highlands Gates
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Article copyright SAN DIEGO UNION
TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY Sep 15, 2002, Cathy Lubenski
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