Sunday, April 20, 2025

An Easter Less Hoppy, at Altadena’s Bunny Museum

With its building destroyed and tens of thousands of bunny-related items burned into cinders, Easter is no longer the “hoppy” day of normal times at Altadena’s Bunny Museum.

What began as a charming tradition of daily bunny-themed gifts between Steve Lubanski and Candace Frazee blossomed ultimately into The Bunny Museum, an internationally recognized landmark that housed over 60,000 items before January’s Eaton Fire reduced it to ashes—yet their commitment to each other and their museum remains unshaken.

On this Easter Sunday, the museum site at 2605 Lake Avenue stands burned out and empty except for a surviving gray wall where Lubanski has carefully arranged salvaged items—silent testimony to a remarkable love story and its resilience in the face of catastrophe.

“It will still go on,” Lubanski told reporters following the January 8 fire that consumed nearly everything the couple had built over the decades.

The couple’s relationship and eventual museum grew from a tender tradition that began when Frazee affectionately called Lubanski “hunny bunny.” After Lubanski gifted Frazee a bunny on Valentine’s Day in 1998, they started exchanging bunny-themed gifts daily as “love tokens.”

These exchanges continued uninterrupted for either three decades or nearly 40 years, according to various sources, eventually amassing a collection surpassing 60,000 items that earned multiple Guinness World Records, most recently in 2023.

“We can’t forget about what happened,” Lubanski said, explaining plans to include a permanent “Eaton Fire Exhibit” in the rebuilt museum.

The Eaton Fire ignited in hills above Altadena around 6:30 p.m. on January 7, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds. As the blaze intensified and spread rapidly, the museum, which doubled as the couple’s home, lost power. Lubanski spent the entire night hosing down their property in a desperate but ultimately futile attempt to save it.

When flames overwhelmed the adjacent building, they spread rapidly to the museum, which reportedly was the last structure in the vicinity to burn. Lubanski and Frazee managed to rescue their live rabbits and cats along with approximately 20 cherished items, including their first bunny gifts exchanged, some antique pieces and three framed Guinness World Record certificates.

Lost in the fire was a collection showcasing everything from delicate ornaments and plush animals to cookie jars, plates, paintings and even parade floats. Tragically, deeply personal possessions including wedding albums and Frazee’s wedding dress also perished.

An outpouring of support followed the disaster. Donations and messages arrived from across the globe, with a GoFundMe campaign launched January 10 raising over $77,000 within a day. People began leaving toy bunnies at the fire-ravaged site, and a Northern California couple delivered a late aunt’s 11,000-piece bunny collection.

Harry Bunce, a British artist, created a special piece titled “Blue for You” for auction with all proceeds benefiting the rebuilding efforts. A community rally was held April 7 to support the couple’s recovery.

Despite living in their fourth different motel since the fire and having to find temporary homes for their rabbits, the couple remains determined to rebuild on the same Lake Avenue property. Their vision includes a fire-resistant steel building with cleared surrounding vegetation.

“Nothing that could burn, we’re over that,” said Lubanski.

The couple anticipates a three-year rebuilding process, with plans for a soft opening once the structure is complete. They hope to once again display their unique collection across galleries similar to the 16 that previously existed, including the Chamber of Hop Horrors which explored the historical mistreatment of rabbits.

Before the fire, The Bunny Museum had gained recognition from The Smithsonian and the Los Angeles Almanac and was featured on shows including “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” and Huell Howser’s “California Gold.” The Los Angeles Times once called it “the weirdest, wildest place you can visit in Los Angeles.”

This Easter, as visitors worldwide miss their annual pilgrimage to the whimsical landmark, the lone gray wall with its carefully placed mementos bears witness to a love story that refuses to be extinguished by flame—and promises future Easters will once again be “hoppy” at a rebuilt Bunny Museum.