Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in our January 2026 print Special Edition on the Eaton Fire.
A detail from the front cover of “Altadena: Between Wilderness and City” by Michele Zack (Photo courtesy of Michele Zack)
What if you were given a fresh start? A chance to begin again. The opportunity to build something lasting, an edifice that would stand for generations. What if you had a blank slate, with the sky as the limit for what you could achieve? What if you were chosen as the founding fathers and mothers of a blessed community so remarkable that your great, great, great-grandchildren would look back and say, “Wow, what they accomplished after the devastating Eaton Fire is truly amazing!”
By Brian Biery
Life is typically structured so that we are constant gardeners—trimming a hedge here, pulling weeds there, watering the lawn—but rarely do we get to be the original planters of the nourishment and sustenance that fuel us. Perry Bennett, the founder and owner of the beloved Perry’s Joint on Lincoln Ave., sees this moment as one full of opportunity. This is not to ignore the vast suffering and loss that has gripped Altadena over the past year, but rather to recognize the potential to create an even more extraordinary place to live—where everyone is valued and appreciated.
…is to be like
Jackie and Mack
(Robinson).
Whenever there
was a need, they’d
roll up their
sleeves and help.”
~Rose Robinson
From Bennett’s perspective, this is a time when we can all contribute to the renaissance of Altadena. “In the future,” he says, “people will read and study about the Altadena Fire of 2025. They’ll read about how it destroyed the town, but they’ll also read about how we responded. How we rebuilt, and how we honored the lives lost in this tragedy.”
How does a community rise from the ashes of an inferno that reduced it to burnt rubble and rows of chimneys with no homes to warm? A starting point, suggests Rose Robinson, “…is to be like Jackie and Mack (Robinson). Whenever there was a need, they’d roll up their sleeves and help.” She recalls a time when the brothers coordinated a collection drive in response to a natural disaster in Africa, sending over 13,000 pounds of clothing to families devastated by the storm.
We just
need spaces
to reconnect
and hold each
other close as
we continue
rebuilding.”
~Victoria Knapp
What Altadena sorely lacks right now, according to former Town Council Chair Victoria Knapp, are community spaces that allow people to come together and restore the relational bonds weakened by distance and instability. “Over 3,000 people attended the one-year commemoration of the fire at Grocery Outlet, so our commitment to Altadena is still strong. We just need spaces to reconnect and hold each other close as we continue rebuilding.”
One way to create the space needed to reconnect is by using the streets for events. “As people return to their homes, we should organize a rotating series of block parties,” suggests Brandon Lamar, president of the Pasadena Branch of the NAACP. With the sale of lots on every block, new neighbors will need to be introduced, so hosting fun and festive events will help build trusting relationships.
Another method for improving neighborhood cohesion was employed by Elliot Gold, co-founder of the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA). He would deliver a freshly baked pie to every new neighbor on his block. Along with the pie, he’d include a ‘welcome wagon’ kit filled with information about the community, including resource guides and educational materials about Altadena.
Man, we get
to do something
special right now.”
~Perry Bennett
Nearly a decade ago, the Altadena Library District embarked on a year-long endeavor of “community conversations,” designed to listen to residents’ thoughts and concerns about not only the library’s role but also the essence of what makes a community livable and caring. The concepts raised back then, such as preserving Altadena’s unique “funky” character, supporting its business districts, creating social hubs, and forming strong, trusting relationships with neighbors, are still relevant today.
As Bennett observes, the blank canvas left by the fire’s scar is waiting for splashes of multicolored paint to be layered onto its surface. “We get to be the architects of Altadena for the next 20 to 30 generations. They’ll look back and see us. The universe has blessed us with this opportunity. Man, we get to do something special right now. They’ll be living in the homes, the buildings, the spaces we designed. All of us today will be long gone, but our efforts, our energy, and our conscious intentions will live on.”
May the renaissance begin.
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