Preservationist of the Year Award

Bonnie Poppe

Ms. Poppe is a lifelong preservationist. She undertakes restoration projects which would make most of us weary just to look at. She has restored several of her own homes in South Park, as well as donated uncounted hours in lending a hand to other old house owners' projects. Her current home is a great example of bringing a modest bungalow back to life. She removed layers of paint from some of the interior woodwork, asbestos shingles from the exterior – even restored the original living room wall finish and stenciling. The bathroom and kitchen, which are typically modernized, were returned to period décor right down to the cabinets which were removed from the sister house next door and reinstalled in her kitchen. Essentially, if she is not working on her own home, she is working on someone else's historic property, or the vintage trailers she has recently taken a shine to. Her involvement in the community is legendary. She sits on the Golden Hill Planning Group board as a prominent voice for historic and environmental preservation of the community, and is actively involved with saving urban canyons and native habitats. And after all that, she somehow finds time to host workshops and conduct tours, like her already famous Bungalow Court Tour, which she conducts for SOHO during the Craftsman & Spanish Revival Weekends.