Staff members at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga are getting ready to blow out the birthday candles and celebrate three-quarters of a century worth of dedication to the arts with a giant celebration on Oct. 15. The free event, which is open to the public, will include activities for all ages and interests, says Katy Rees, Montalvo's public relations manager, with everything from musical performances by student groups and open studios at the artist residency to hands-on workshops, ranger-led hikes, a presentation by environmental artist Steven Siegel and docent tours of the historic Villa.

A brief history of Montalvo

Villa Montalvo is a historic landmark built in 1912 by James Duval Phelan, California's first popularly elected U.S. senator. Phelan's father, James Phelan Sr., earned the Phelan family fortune by running a hardware store in San Francisco during the height of the Gold Rush, selling supplies to miners.

Villa Montalvo was the senator's home, and was a buzzing center of artistic, political and social life for Northern California. Phelan loved to invite leading writers and artists to the Villa to work on artistic projects in a welcoming, comfortable environment. Jack London, Ethel Barrymore, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Edwin Markham were among his many frequent guests.

Upon his death, Phelan decided to donate Villa Montalvo as a public park.

"I would like the property at Saratoga, Calif., known as Villa Montalvo, to be maintained as a public park under reasonable restrictions, the buildings and grounds immediately surrounding the same to be used as far as possible for the development of art, literature, music and architecture by promising students," Phelan wrote in his will.

The San Francisco Art Association assumed trusteeship of Villa Montalvo in 1930. The arts center languished and, following World War II, the Phelan family sued in an attempt to regain ownership. A group of local citizens, upset at the idea of the Phelan family regaining control, feared they might develop the land. It fought the Phelan family, arguing to the judge that the loss of such a valuable arts resource would be devastating to the community. It won, then formed the Montalvo Association. In October of 1953, trusteeship was turned over to the organization, where it remains to this day.

Today, Montalvo welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors each year.

According to Montalvo's official website, Montalvo was named for the popular 16th-century Spanish writer Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo, who coined the name "California." In one of his fables, Montalvo spoke of an island rich with gold and jewels, inhabited by Amazons. In his story, the Amazons rode griffins, "the winged guardians of precious treasure." To this day, griffin statues can still be found throughout Montalvo's grounds, standing guard over "one of California's true, precious treasures."

Montalvo stars in a film

John Wainwright and Valerie Archer, who own and operate Lyric Media out of their Los Gatos home, have a deep love of local history.

Archer is a former CNN unit manager who covered lifestyles and fashion. She majored in history and minored in media at Yale University. Wainwright has an extensive background in computer graphics and multimedia. Their combination of skills makes them a powerhouse team when it comes to producing historic films.

The husband-and-wife team just debuted its highly-anticipated documentary film, Los Gatos: Then and Now , to a sold-out crowd at the Los Gatos Opera House on Sept. 29.

Currently, Wainwright and Archer are hard at work on their latest project, a documentary that tells the history of Villa Montalvo, called The Evolution of an Arts Center .

The couple says they had originally set out to put together a series on various artist residency programs, with the hopes of airing it on cable TV. When they began to research the new artist residency facilities and program being developed at Montalvo, they stumbled upon something much richer than they had anticipated.

"Valerie decided there was such a rich history [in Villa Montalvo]," Wainwright says. "It just became obvious we should tell the [entire] history as well."

"We became really enchanted with the place," Archer recalls.

Wainwright and Archer say the film will begin with the history of the Phelan family, telling how Phelan Sr. emigrated to San Francisco from Ireland during the Gold Rush in 1849. The film will follow the building of Villa Montalvo in the early 1900s, who Sen. Phelan was as a person, the activities and functions he hosted at the Villa and how he turned Montalvo over to the community in the 1930s. Then the film will follow what happened to Montalvo after Phelan's death.

A side story will follow the development of the Artist Residency Program, and will end with the grand opening in 2004 and the program's current status.

"The general theme for the documentary is that Montalvo inspires a love that is proprietary," Archer says, describing how they have found that the people involved with the arts center have such a strong love for it. "I absolutely credit Phelan with instilling that love, which is still there."

"Montalvo is always evolving," Wainwright says, touching upon the inspiration for the film's title. "With the passing of every five to 10 years, you can see big changes," he says, explaining how the comings and goings of staff members cause shifts to happen. "But the place sort of abides. It has a life of its own."

Currently, the couple says, about 30 to 40 minutes of various, edited segments have been completed for the film, and they will be presenting these initial segments at the open house on Oct. 15.

A celebratory affair

Staff members expect the 75th birthday celebration at the open house to be a grand affair, and a way for all to look back on everything Montalvo has given to the community over the years.

"The open house is a chance for all members of the community to participate in fun, enriching activities while celebrating the legacy of the arts center," says Elisbeth Challener, Montalvo's executive director. "So many local residents have fond memories tied to Montalvo--from weddings to picnics, school activities, concerts and more. The open house allows guests to return and create new memories, while even more come for the first time and discover all that Montalvo has
to offer."

Whether it's a first trip to Saratoga's picturesque arts center or a return visit, Montalvo's open house should be one incredible birthday party. After all, you only turn 75 once.

The Montalvo Open House takes place on Oct. 15, 10-5 p.m. The preview of "Evolution of an Arts Center" will screen at 10:30 a.m. For more information and a list of the day's activities by the hour, visit www.montalvoarts.org/openhouse.html.