Pasadena Magazine is the bi-monthly magazine of Pasadena and its surrounding areas – the diverse, historically rich and culturally vibrant region that includes Glendale, the Eastside of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley all the way to Claremont.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/880808
Burke (Glenda 'the Good Witch of the West" in the Wizard of Oz) and Marilyn Monroe's mother, Gladys Pearl Eley Baker, who as leg- end has it, months after her famous daughter died, famously tried to make a break for it one night by shimming out a fi rst story window with some tied up bed sheets, an act that made the headlines at the time. Instead of shutting away its patients like pariahs, Rockhaven's unique approach was to openly welcome their families to numerous events held on the grounds, thereby further lifting the social stigma against women and mental health conditions. Rockhaven was fully operational until 2006 when the 3.4- acre property was purchased by the City of Glendale two years later, originally intending it to be a place of community use like a park or library. However, ideas for what to do with it exactly, stalled due to a lack of cohesion from the community and a slow economic recovery. The space remained all but empty except for caretakers who tended the gardens and of course, the Friends of Rockhaven. Lifetime Crescenta Valley resident, Joanna Linkchorst, is a founding member and cur- rent president of the Friends of Rockhaven coalition. When speaking about Rockhaven, Linkchorst lets out a contemplative sigh. "It just takes your heart. We call it the oasis. When things are really rough—just getting inside there, it is transforming," says Linkchorst. Started in 2013, the Friends of Rockhaven (FoR) have made certain that Rockhaven remains in the public eye thanks in part to community outreach like their monthly-guided public tours and with events such as a Mother's Day tea that generates donations and renewed interest in the site. They are also responsible for submitting Rockhaven for nomination on National Register of Historic Places list. In AHEAD OF ITS TIME. Atypical of its time, Rockhaven was an open facility that encouraged family visitation and held numerous events on grounds. 152 SEPTEMBER 2017 L I V I N G B Y D E S I G N REAL ESTATE