We are delighted to kick off the new year with congratulations to Oaks Association board member Alexander von Wechmar. In a ceremony at the site on December 14th, Councilmember Nithya Raman unveiled a plaque for the newly named Alexanderplatz and honored von Wechmar who dedicated nearly twenty years’ effort to the task of guiding the City to construct a traffic circle at the intersection of Bronson Avenue and Canyon Drive. The beautifully landscaped Circle, complete with a replica of a Hollywood streetlight of the 1920s, was completed in 2022 (finally!) and the entire neighborhood has been enjoying not only a safer intersection, but the wonderful aesthetics of the new Circle. The Oaks neighborhood will always be grateful to Alexander who single-handedly negotiated the City’s frustrating and circular bureaucracy to see the project to completion. He had many stops and starts, worked with three successive District 4 councilmembers (Tom LaBonge, David Ryu, and Nithya Raman), and never gave up. The newly named Alexanderplatz is a fitting tribute to his hard work, and it is especially appropriate as Alexander has German roots and, as he pointed out in his dedication speech, there is actually an Alexanderplatz in Berlin, and that Berlin and Los Angeles are Sister Cities. No expression of gratitude would be complete without also extending a huge Thank You to Conny Malter, who supported Alexander and his efforts through the many years it took to complete the project. The Oaks’ Alexanderplatz will stand as a tribute to Alexander and Conny forevermore.
