Gentle reader,
We gripe a lot about City Hall corruption and enormous real estate schemes that leave Angelenos in the dust, but we’re also willing to try to make the best out of a bad deal. Saving something is better than saving nothing, even when it hurts.
That’s why we’re sharing this video, shot last week inside a courtyard of one of three rent stabilized 1930s Hollywood Regency apartment buildings that are presently vacant and threatened with demolition for the massive Crossroads Hollywood project.
Although an attempt to landmark the charming complex and protect 84 units of naturally occurring affordable housing were opposed by City Council’s PLUM Committee, in one of the final votes before chair—and now confessed racketeer—Jose Huizar was raided by the FBI, six years later the buildings at 1535-1555 North Las Palmas Avenue and 6700-6718 West Selma Avenue are still standing.
The last of the tenants have finally moved out, amidst multiple lawsuits and questions about right of return to occupy an affordable unit in the new development—eventually. They join a large cohort of displaced Hollywood renters. Many of the empty units have been vandalized with graffiti, and others show signs of having provided temporary shelter to unhoused people. And yet, despite neglect and decay, they are still very beautiful garden court homes in the heart of the city, and would only need a little work to again provide dignified shelter for Angelenos.
We recently toured the properties with a representative of Harridge Development Group, which initially advertised that the buildings were available to anyone who wished to move them to another location. There were no takers. They then offered salvage opportunities for anyone who would like to repurpose historic metal windows, doors, built ins, mirrors, bricks, old growth wood, etc.
In the courtyard of the middle building there are many mature plants and shrubs, including a spectacularly beautiful and very old Magnolia soulangeana, or tulip tree.
We don’t have the heart, or the resources, to repurpose elements of a rent controlled apartment that provided a home to Angelenos for close to a century, but maybe we can help find a new home for this wonderful tree. With so many plants damaged or destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires, it’s especially urgent that we do all we can to protect mature Los Angeles trees.
And while we hate to see good housing taken off the market and demolished, we are strong supporters of the green policy of reusing historic building materials, and have advocated with elected officials to consider implementing a deconstruction ordinance like San Antonio’s. We appreciate that Harridge has extend this unusual salvage offer to interested parties, and we hope that if the apartments are demolished, their materials are put to good use and stay out of the landfill.
As for us, we’re considering the aromatic saucer shaped blooms our Valentine’s Day bouquet, and taking them along in spirit down to the Clara Shortridge Foltz criminal courthouse at 8:30 tomorrow morning, to attend the latest criminal proceeding for councilmember Curren Price in Department 32 on the 3rd floor. (Should you wish to attend, be aware that there are major street closures around the Civic Center for this weekend’s Skyline Festival rave impacting Hill and Broadway between Temple and First.)
Price has been charged by the District Attorney with theft by embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest in a case that directly involves the Las Palmas apartments (as well as the recently demolished Yucca Argyle apartments): his wife Del Richardson set up shop to displace the longtime tenants, a business relationship which Price did not disclose when he cast his vote against landmarking on 8/29/2018.
With the landmark designation halted, the path was clear to approve a zone change and redevelopment plans, and to remove 84 affordable units from a city that desperately needs them. Perhaps we’ll learn more about it in court tomorrow. Watch this space for future updates, and if you would like to save the magnolia tree, please reach out with your thoughts on where it can go and we can put you in touch with the Harridge team.
Update February 14, 2025: Judge Amy Ashvanian’s Department 32, where Curren Price’s preliminary trial setting date was to be scheduled, was unexpectedly dark this morning, so the case moved next door to Judge Victoria B. Wilson’s Department 37. Judge Wilson was briefed on the state of the case, and set a new date, with the understanding that the preliminary hearing, which is estimated to last nine court days, would not be heard in her busy courtroom. Curren Price’s attorney stipulated that as subpoena duces tecum (SDTs) came in, the prosecution could make copies of the documents. Next court date: March 20.
The rain should let up before Saturday, when we’ll lead a Downtown walking tour exploring Film Noir… and real noir. Join us, do!
Yours for Los Angeles,
Kim & Richard
Esotouric
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Our work—leading tours and historic preservation and cultural landmark advocacy—is about building a bridge between Los Angeles' past and its future, and not allowing the corrupt, greedy, inept and misguided players who hold present power to destroy the city's soul and body. If you’d like to support our efforts to be the voice of places worth preserving, we have a tip jar, vintage Los Angeles webinars available to stream, in-person tours and a souvenir shop you can browse in. We’ve also got recommended reading bookshelves on Amazon and the Bookshop indie bookstore site. And did you know we offer private versions of our walking tours for groups big or small? Or just share this link with other people who care.
UPCOMING WALKING TOURS
• Film Noir / Real Noir (Sat. 2/15) • The Real Black Dahlia (Sat. 3/1) • Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice Downtown L.A. (Sat. 3/8) • Bunker Hill, Dead and Alive (Sat. 3/15) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (Sat. 3/22) • Franklin Village Old Hollywood (Sun. 3/30) • John Fante’s Downtown L.A. (Sat. 4/5) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (Sat. 4/12) • Elmer McCurdy’s Main Street Revival (4/15) • Leo Politi Loves Los Angeles (Sat. 4/19) • Downtown Los Angeles is for Book Lovers (Sat. 4/26) • Human Sacrifice: The Black Dahlia, Elisa Lam, Heidi Planck & Skid Row Slasher Cases (5/3) • Charles Bukowski’s Westlake (5/10) • Highland Park Arroyo Time Travel Trip (5/17) • The Run: Gay Downtown History (5/24) • Evergreen Cemetery, 1877 (5/31) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (6/7) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (6/14) • Miracle Mile Marvels & Madness (6/22) • Westlake Park Time Travel Trip (6/28) • Film Noir / Real Noir (7/12) • The Real Black Dahlia (7/19) • Broadway (7/26)
CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS
Preservation pal Chris Casady alerts us to a favorite architectural gem lost in the Palisades fire: Myrna Loy's sweet farmhouse compound at 919 Rivas Canyon Road.
The Prince Street Pizza pop up has come and gone, and the Arby's neon sign still stands on Sunset Boulevard. Raising Cane's seeks to remove it and rebrand the drive-thru for their product, while locals want to see the big hat (1969-now) remain aglow.
Look closer! A century old East Hollywood charmer, this mixed use commercial and residential block was built for Elizabeth Bailie confectioners. The floral relief lunette in the former beauty shop space is coated in battleship gray paint, but still delightful.
Clicking around on YouTube the other night, we stumbled on a late film noir that Bunker Hill historian Nathan Marsak never heard of... and it includes his holy grail never photographed location shot! Dig Nathan's deep dive into The Shadow on the Window.
As we reported in live coverage of the public hearing on February 4, the Glendale Garden Homes will get an EIR before any redevelopment is approved. Unfortunately, landlord BW Brody's crew responded by chopping down many of the ancient trees at Glendale Garden Homes, leading to a police call and stop work order. Still, it seems like a great time to let families rent the 26 units long held vacant!
Powerful video from Mark Mannschreck, who with neighbors and partner fought the Eaton Fire & saved their Altadena homes. On the way out he passed the Theosophical Library, whose spiritual texts were in the air as Dylan, John, Gary etc faced the fires of hell.
A charming survivor of the rail side manufacturing district, the Friedman Bag Co. addition (Barker and Ott, 1941) is currently being deconstructed in view of westbound freeway traffic into Downtown LA. We would miss this old friend. Inspector, hurry up!
Yes! Councilmember Tim McOsker moves to initiate a Historic Cultural Monument designation for the Tuna Street shops, neglected remnants of Terminal Island's Japanese American Fishing Village, threatened with demolition by the Port of LA for shipping container storage.
Our friend Rev. Dylan Littlefield has launched a donation center in Rampart Village, to keep help flowing to Eaton and Palisades fire refugees. If you've got some gently used clothes or other goods to share, get in touch. It's a cool historic building, too!
American Vaudeville was daffy, and attracted some terrific photographic tricksters! Who needs Photoshop when you've got a darkroom and a pen knife?
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