1 Year Fire Anniversary

House Museum's Chimney Yard – Pacific Palisades, CA

 

On January 7, 2026 House Museum and Pacific Palisades community leaders gathered to commemorate loss and celebrate progress at the Chimney Yard, where six salvaged chimneys are being temporarily stored.

The gathering included opening remarks and a panel discussion on the importance of memorialization and our collective role in the process of recovery. Together, we honor those affected by the fires while raising funds for the in-process Palisades Fire Memorial.

 

Sponsored by Pacific Clay and Tyler Family Fund

 

SPEAKERS
Kathrin Werner: Co-Chair of Miramar Homeowners Association
Sue Kohl: President of Pacific Palisades Community Council

Senator Ben Allen: California State Senate - 24th District 

Scot Sutherland, PhD: Board of Directors, House Museum

Ean Frank: President of Significant Structures

Kraig Hill: Chimney Donor and former Malibu Planning Commissioner

Evan Curtis Charles Hall: Artist and Founding Director of House Museum
Jack Hillbrand, AIA: President of Studio1323 Inc. and Santa Monica Landmarks Commission Architect
Lyra Kilston: Author of Sun Seekers: The Cure of California and Senior Editor at Getty Museum

 

Panelists Evan Curtis Charles Hall, Jack Hillbrand, and Lyra Kilston explored how memorials have evolved from heroic monuments to reflective spaces, and how the Palisades Fire Memorial pioneers a new era that transforms architectural ruins into teaching tools—preserving not just memory, but environmental knowledge.

 

Together, we experienced a glimpse of what a memorial is for.

 

 

Lyra Kilston is a Los Angeles writer, author of the book Sun Seekers: The Cure of California, and Senior Editor at the Getty Museum. Her graduate work focused on the World Trade Center Memorial design contest and global memorialization practices.