By Terry Miller
To everything there is a season, the late Pete Seeger wrote in the late ‘50s. How appropriate that during a tough and somewhat bitter political season, there is some good, positive news to report.
Last year we told you about a magnificent plan former mayor George Fasching had to get the old windmill atop of Denny’s restaurant on the corner of Huntington and Santa Anita in Arcadia rotating again like it once did.
Well, after several conference calls, emails, and a bunch of enthusiastic support and local media interest, the popular former mayor and car washing guru got his wish realized on Tuesday afternoon, April 5.
“It’s a done deal,” Fasching told Arcadia Weekly on April 5 … “It’s going to turn again … ” he said excitedly. The humble Fasching said, “don’t give me all the credit … a lot of people were involved in getting this approved … it’s going to be wonderful for the city.”
According to Fasching, the contractor hired to do the restoration is Creative Fabrication and Design under the watchful eye of owner Joe Sargis.
The grand project has full city support and it looks like the restoration work could be complete in a mere couple of months with a target date of June for the iconic windmill to start turning again.
Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakery, founded in 1915, was a Los Angeles institution for much of the 20th century. Its trademark Dutch windmill appeared on its bakeries and coffee shops across the region, but today only one windmill survives intact, atop a Denny’s in Arcadia.
Fasching penned a letter to Denny’s CEO requesting they seriously consider his proposal. Arcadia Weekly published an in-depth, front page story on the proposition back in December: www.arcadiaweekly.com/featured/george-fasching-leads-campaign-to-get-dennys-to-fire-up-historic-van-de-camp-windmill.
According to LA Conservancy, the building was completed in 1967 and was designed by Pasadena architects Harold Bissner and Harold Zook. It features a large update of the company’s Dutch windmill sitting atop the building’s circular folded-plate roof.
You have to hand it to former Arcadia Mayor George Fasching: not only does he keep our horseless carriages shining brightly while en-route to a Day at The Races, but he is always on top of what is good for the business community at-large, specifically downtown Arcadia.
City Manager Dominic Lazzareto told Arcadia Weekly, “Yes, I believe the city would support the idea of returning the windmill to its original status.”
Steven Dunn, Denny’s CEO, told Fasching, “This will be a fun endeavor for us to start in 2016.”
Congratulations to Fasching for getting the ball rolling or (more appropriately) Windmill turning again.
