Local Artists Featured in House Exhibit March 25, 2012 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
The Pinney House will be open for tours, art show - click to enlarge
Posted 3/10/12 – The historic landmark Pinney House, built in 1887, will be open for self-guided tours during the March 25 Wistaria Festival in Sierra Madre, California.
The Pinney House, designed by noted Victorian architects Joseph and Samuel Newsom, is celebrating 125 years, and has recently undergone a major renovation to a lovely estate house. It has six spacious elegant bedroom and bath suites, as well as several common rooms reminiscent of the late nineteenth century.
Tours will be offered to visitors on the Wistaria Festival shuttle, as the bus stops in front of the Pinney House at 225 No. Lima St. Visitors must have a shuttle ticket to enter. Noted California artists, William Wray and Lynne Fearman, local to Sierra Madre, will be exhibiting their work in the House. Wray’s gritty urban landscapes, often referred to as “dirty urban” uses a combination of realism and abstract expressionism. His evocative work exhibits internationally. Plein Air artist Lynne Fearman’s paintings portray beautiful serene landscapes of San Gabriel Valley and Southern California.
Wray has designed a commemorative poster for the 2012 Wistaria Festival, which will be offered for sale during the Festival.
The Pinney House was built by civil war surgeon and farmer Dr. Elbert Pinney during the land boom in Los Angeles. It was one of a string of railroad hotels that served as lodging for train passengers who disembarked at the Baldwin depot on their travels from the midwest and east coast. It is one of the last remaining railroad hotels of the Foothills that are still standing.
The Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival celebrates the Guinness Book certified “World’s Largest Blossoming Plant.” It is estimated that at the height of bloom it has 1.5 million blossoms with 40 blossoms per square foot, a weight of 250 tons and has branches that extend 500 feet. The vine is 118 years old. The first public Wistaria Festival occurred in 1918. Several blocks south of the vine, the village of Sierra Madre celebrates with arts and craft fair, live musical entertainment, a kids’ zone, dining al fresco at local restaurants, as well as food vendors in the Memorial Park. The Sierra Madre Post Office is offering a special postal cancellation to celebrate the Festival, with a special temporary postal station open 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. in Kersting Court of Sierra Madre’s downtown.
More information on The Pinney House can be found at www.PinneyHouse.com. For more information on the Wistaria Festival and to order Shuttle Tickets, visit www.WistariaFestival.com and www.WistariaTickets.com.