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Iconic Van DeKamp Windmill Falls Off Motor in Arcadia
Arcadia Weekly Dec 29, 2017
Chart showing the number of unsheltered persons in Monrovia. – Courtesy illustration / LAHSA
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No one hurt in the early morning incident
Story and Photos by Terry Miller
Almost a year and a half ago we told you about a man and his great plan to get Denny’s Iconic windmill running again.
Well, we are sad to report that on Friday morning, Dec 29, the iconic landmark fell off and one blade sliced through Denny’s restaurant around 8 a.m.
“To everything there is a season,” the late Pete Seeger wrote in the late ‘50s. How appropriate that was on Wednesday afternoon, June 29 last year, the man whose idea of getting the iconic windmill turned again became a reality. Only to be destroyed in a freak incident On Dec 29, 2017.
The humble albeit well-known man who worked diligently behind the scenes with a letter writing campaign wants no notoriety about getting the windmill turning again, but we can tell you he specializes in keeping Arcadia’s horseless carriages clean and shiny. On Friday, he was devastated when he saw what happened.
READ: Denny’s Windmill Turns Once Again After 40 Year Hiatus
Denny’s CEO and the City of Arcadia gave the thumbs-up to the local visionary and before you knew what was happening, the new motor was installed and the fabled Van De Camp windmill was working great until this morning.
Originally built in 1967, the Arcadia windmill sits atop the building’s Googie-style architecture roof and was designed by Pasadena architects Harold Bissner and Harold Zook, according to LA Conservancy.
No one was hurt in the incident but the restaurant remains closed. No word on the cause and no word on the damage inside.
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