The leaky stucco roof and non-ADA compliant bathrooms of the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club, located at 901 Haverford Ave., were removed in June as part of the first phase of the organization’s approximately $1.5 million clubhouse restoration.
The original building was constructed in 1951 and no upgrades or additions have been made since 1965.
PPWC President Terri Lyman told the Post they are approximately 10 percent of the way to their capital campaign goal.
The first phase should finish sometime in August. The project will not resume construction until December when there will likely be a lull in the clubhouse’s beehive of activity.
“This is not just a Woman’s Club project,” she said. “This building was built for the community, is maintained by the community, is used by the community, and now we’re undertaking this renovation thoughtfully for the community.”
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Each year, the clubhouse plays host to more than 40 community clubs and groups other than the PPWC.
“There’s just very limited meeting space in the Palisades, and it was not feasible to remove our building from the inventory. When we looked at it, it’s close to 1,000 people using it every week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week,” Lyman said.
The final straw with the roof came during Oscar weekend in February when, during the same night as the PPWC’s “Palisades Daddy-Daughter Dance,” 60-gallon trash barrels lined the clubhouse lobby to catch leaks from the downpour of rain.
“It was spectacular,” Lyman said jokingly. “We never had a water feature to our events before, but that was pretty much clear that another quick fix wasn’t going to happen.”
Lyman said the original building had a gabled roof in a big triangle and was shingled. Shingles are only made to last 10 to 15 years. Three layers of shingles had been nailed to that roof and eventually failed.
The 1956 addition to the clubhouse was a flat roof, which as Lyman portrays, was nothing but trouble.
“It aged a lot faster than the gabled roof, but they were both well beyond their years,” she said.
The damaged and rotted portions of the roof were removed and new insulation and plywood are going in. The flat roof is also being re-sloped, Lyman added, saying it will be a sound, “20- to 30-year” investment.
The PPWC’s bathrooms from 1956 – narrow, outdated and not wheelchair accessible – have been gutted and are also being replaced. During the restroom work, crews also removed two beehives, Lyman noted.
The next phase of work will consist of replacing the heating system, windows, doors, security, floors and electrical system.
“All of these things are urgent, but it’s very important that you assess them and you essentially improve those systems so you’re not ripping out walls,” she said. “You just rebuild.”
Palisades resident and architect Susan Oakley volunteered her time as a consultant to the clubhouse restoration and her work has been “absolutely invaluable,” according to Lyman.
Mark Pisani of Los Angeles-based C+P Design is the architect handling the entire PPWC clubhouse restoration due to his experience and faithful restorations of mid-century architecture, Lyman said.
Local Westside Aquatics water polo coach and general contractor Kirk Lasaruk is handling construction.
Lyman noted the PPWC’s largest event, the Pacific Palisades Home Tour, which takes place in November, is its biggest philanthropic event toward the clubhouse’s capital campaign.
For more information and on how to contribute, visit ppwc.org and pacpalhometour.com.
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