By Terry Miller
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 and effervescent former mayor and car washing guru got his wish realized last 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.
Sargis said, when completed with a new variable speed motor, the windmill will run at about six rotations-per-minute and will be illuminated at night.
Sargis said he remembers when the old windmill ran 20-plus years ago, so he is happy to be a part of this history-making event in Arcadia.
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 last year 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.
Denny’s CEO responded in the affirmative and “voila” – Gorge Fasching’s dream is now a reality.
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.
The city sponsored celebration will start at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29, at the Peacock Fountain.
