Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 3, 2011

17

HOMES AND PROPERTY

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 3, 2011 

One Of A Kind: Featuring unique homes and gardens and the people whoe create them. Story and Photos by Chris Bertrand

Refurbished Masonic Lodge Opens for Business as “The Lodge at Sierra Madre”

Meeting & Event Space Downstairs… Dental Practice Upstairs


Refurbished Masonic 
Lodge Opens for Business 
as “The Lodge at Sierra 
Madre”

Meeting & Event Space 
Downstairs… Dental 
Practice Upstairs

The first time many in 
Sierra Madre laid eyes on 
Dr. Roger Joe was as he, his family and staffers 
walked the yearly Independence Day parade this 
summer. 

Dr. Joe, a USC trained dentist, practiced the 
last sixteen years in the 301 W. Huntington Drive 
Building across from Methodist Hospital. Just six 
months ago, he closed escrow on the former Masonic 
Lodge building at 33 E. Sierra Madre Boulevard, 
with intentions to upgrade the meeting/
event space on the main level, and turn what was 
the Mason’s meeting hall into his offices.

He started on the remodel immediately. “My 
family, staff and I have been greatly blessed to 
be welcomed into this beautiful, quaint foothill 
community. We are excited to continue serving 
people with a friendly, hometown atmosphere 
coupled with the most comprehensive level of 
dental care available.” 

Joe moved his dental practice and his staff of 
nine to the second floor of the Lodge building 
mid-August. After just a week to get mostly settled 
and functional, he proudly took me on a tour 
of the refurbished space. Prior to Joe’s ownership, 
I had been inside the building several times to 
attend Kiwanis luncheon meetings on Tuesdays, 
but I had no idea what to expect upstairs. 

After I hiked the beautiful and original, but 
rather steep, curving staircase somewhat reminiscent 
of the grand Alverno villa stairs, my first 
surprise is that the building has an elevator, one 
of the few in Sierra Madre.

The newly crafted office space left the high 
ceilings, intricate and ornate ceiling molding 
and original pendant lighting fixtures visible and 
intact, after having them refreshed. Stunning 
peaked doors, definitely appropriate for a castle, 
were also preserved and refinished. 

At floor level, the walls rise only part way to 
the very high ceiling, leaving the office space very 
airy and filled with natural light. At the top of the 
second floor, Joe preserved a small balcony with 
intricate wrought iron railings.

Several of the six patient stations offer the mesmerizing 
distraction of unobstructed San Gabriel 
Mountain Views from each chair. At eye level, 
Joe has installed movable monitors, from which 
patients can view x-rays, educational materials 
or live video of problem areas or dental work in 
progress. Though Joe brought some equipment 
from the previous office, he pointed out that the 
office is truly state of the art.

A large central office area is open to both the 
generous waiting room and the patient rooms. 
The sterilization room functions with foot control 
pedals, not requiring touching hands to open 
and close the autoclave trays and other instrument 
processing doors. In one corner, a family 
area allows waiting children to do homework or 
watch a video. A small niche is set up for patients 
to update their contact and insurance information 
directly onto the computer.

On the main level, the sad state of disrepair and 
stained window coverings is long gone. The last to 
be done is hanging draperies and refinishing the 
floors. The main meeting/event space currently 
holds regular meetings for Sierra Madre Kiwanis, 
Shriners, California Dance Co-op and Crosslife 
Church. Ballet barres surround the perimeter of 
the room, for use of the Le Petite Dance Studio on 
the afternoons. 

Saturdays and Sundays are currently available 
to rent for events. Round tables and chairs are 
stored onsite, for approximately 125 seated attendees, 
plus a stage and piano are located at the 
front. 

A system was installed to show presentations 
on the front screen, as well as a sound and speaker 
system, a new HVAC system, and new bathrooms 
on both levels. The kitchen offers a commercial 
stove, refrigeration space, plus generous staging 
for catered meals. 

An important piece of Sierra Madre history has 
been carefully preserved, while a new business 
and beautiful event space adds to the milieu of 
opportunities in this small foothill town.

For information about the meeting or event 
space, call The Lodge at Sierra Madre Meeting 
and Banquet Hall at 818-321-0821. To find out 
more about Dr. Roger Joe, DDS, and his dental 
practice, visit www.RogerJoeDDS.com or call 
626-447-8158. 

Know of an interesting home, garden, building 
or person who helps create them? Send the contact 
information to C.Bertrand@MtnViewsNews.
com 

The newly refurbished meeting room is available for public events.

Use Color To Revamp The Look Of Your Home

(NAPS)—Choosing a new look 
for your home can be a liberating, 
rejuvenatinag change that will pay 
off in the future. By choosing the 
right color, you can express yourself, 
freshen up an old look and increase 
the value of your home. According 
to a recent Cost vs. Value Report 
conducted by Hanley Wood, LLC, 
an exterior makeover —such as 
installing fiber cement siding—can 
be a great investment, returning 
more than 83 percent of the project 
cost upon resale. 

Here are several tips to help you increase the 
value of your home while boosting curb appeal:

• Go Green. Color choice can affect the energy 
efficiency of your home. Darker colors absorb 
the sun and therefore warm the home, while 
lighter colors reflect the sun’s rays, keeping the 
home cooler. This is an important consideration 
depending on the amount of sunlight your home is 
exposed to on an average day.

• Get Back to Nature. Look to your natural 
surroundings for inspiration. For example, in a 
wooded area, vivid greens and browns can help 
blend the style of a home with its environment. In 
an urban setting, bright, eye-catching colors can 
help to offset the sometimes drab hues associated 
with city living.

• Go Back in History. If your home is from a 
certain historical period, play off that history. Find 
old pictures of your house or neighborhood to use a 
historically accurate color scheme. 
Try to select shades that were used 
at the time your home was built. 
This will add character and a 
certain amount of authenticity to 
your own little historical treasure.

• Visualize the Finished 
Product. The ColorView free 
online tool at www.certainteed.
com lets homeowners picture their 
home complete with new color. You 
can even mix and match colors of 
roofing, siding, trim, rail and deck 
to choose the perfect style and look.

• Make a Lasting Impression. The darker the hue, 
the more likely it is to fade over time, especially with 
homes exposed to direct sunlight. CertainTeed’s 
Monogram vinyl siding offers consistent quality 
and variety with over 40 colors and wood-tone 
blends. 

• Look Up. The roof accounts for roughly 40 
percent of the exterior appearance of the home, 
so it’s important to consider roofing shingles. 
CertainTeed’s Presidential Shake Shingles deliver 
the charm and character of hand-split wood shakes 
with the durability and strength that preside over 
wood in virtually every surrounding. From aged 
bark and charcoal black to weathered wood and 
chestnut, the shingles are available in a wide array 
of dynamic color options and textures to match 
your home’s unique style.

You can have a new home at the old address with 
paint and perhaps some shingles.


Old world charm and craftsmanship 
exquisitely fuse with modern design. The 
perfect blend of a classic Craftsman home 
nestled into the quaint enclave of Esperanza 
Court. This home welcomes you into a 
formal entry featuring solid oak hardwood 
floors that lead to first level where an elegant 
living room with its focal point a stately, 
oversized mission style fireplace greets you. 
The dining area offers French doors that 
open onto the garden terrace, while the 
kitchen has beautiful granite countertops 
accented by a sparkling antique crackled 
white subway tile backsplash, and boasts 
a Rohl hand-crafted single basin sink, Alder 
wood cabinetry and stainless appliances. 
Completing the first level is a breakfast area 
with beautiful French doors that open onto a 
lovely veranda, and a guest powder room. 
The upper level includes two bedrooms, 
a full bath, and a master suite with walk-in 
closet, a beautifully designed master bath 
with spa tub, tumbled marble floor and stall 
shower with seamless glass door. 
Finishing the home is the ground level 
which offers a private guest suite with full 
bath, and French doors that lead onto a 
private patio. Dual zoned air conditioning 
system, two-car attached garage 
with direct access, and laundry room. 
102 ESPERANZA AVENUE | SIERRA MADREEXPERIENCE ESPERANZAExclusively Represented by 
Dick Davis(626) 294-2901 Direct(626) 233-8377 Cellularwww.richarddavis.comDRE License #00675908Offered at $749,000 
DON’T GIVE IT AWAY

While indicators show that 
housing is making a comeback, 
the glut of negative reporting 
is still making people skittish 
about buying a home. This 
has created a hot rental market, 
with few places available 
to lease and rising rent rates. 
Consider some reasons why it’s 
always better to own than to 
rent.

First, as owner, you are your 
own landlord. You won’t be 
kicked out for any reason other 
than not making your mortgage 
payments. You control 
every other aspect of how you 
choose to live in your home.

Even more important, those 
monthly payments are a kind 
of forced savings, helping you 
to build equity. Although it's 
possible that home values could 
fall further, the same could happen 
to your 401(k). But over 
the long term, both types of investment 
are more likely to see 
gains.

Right now, interest rates are 
still very low, which means 
that if you choose a fixed-rate 
mortgage, that rate will never 
change, and you will build equity 
at an even quicker pace.

Another reason to opt for the 
ownership route is that you'll 
find - particularly now with 
so few leases available - that 
the nicest homes in the safest 
neighborhoods with the best 
schools will be offered for sale 
and not for rent. Consult with 
an agent and turn that rent payment 
into savings and security 
instead.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com