DOWNEY – The 1887-vintage Dismukes House, said to typify the early settlement houses of early Downey and which has stood as a historical fixture for a number of years behind the Downey Historical Society in Apollo Park, needed a new coat of paint and, last week, it got one.

A group of Rotarians, led by community service committee co-chairs (contractor) Larry McGrew and (retired contractor) Dale Self, on Saturday and Sunday sanded the 400-sq.-ft. peeling woodframe house, scraped it, primered it, and otherwise restored its beige-green shine. It was the Rotary committee’s first official project of the year.

They were assisted by volunteers Jim Boyd, Roger Brossmer, Rich Strayer, and Willie Medina (who was joined by his wife). All American Home Center’s Ray Brown provided the materials, Self supplied the hand tools and the ladders, etc., Nick Adams brought the lunch, while Ingrid Martin documented the effort with before-and-after photos.

The project was welcomed by an appreciative John Vincent, DHS president, who gave the green light a month ago. Total project time: thirteen hours. Project impact: priceless.

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Published: July 24, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 14