Presenting the Los Angeles Bungalow Court Housing Map
Gentle reader,
Bungalow courts are a distinctive, desirable and unfortunately endangered early 20th century form of workforce housing. These modest double (or sometimes single) rows of small cottages with shared community green space are usually under rent control, and are much loved by their tenants.
It's not even April and 2023 is officially an annus horribilis. We've seen the unpermitted demolition of the Waring Avenue Bungalow Court near Paramount, discovered a cottage in Bukowski Court illegally listed on Airbnb, watched in horror as a tenant in the Sanborn Avenue Bungalow Court shared video of workers illegally gutting units, and gasped when Lourine Court's landlord was arrested on arson charges.
Obviously, Los Angeles bungalow courts need a lot of help.
And that’s why we've created a map (also embedded on our website) as a way for you to get to know the bungalow courts in your neighborhood so you can help protect them, and maybe even luck out and get to live in one! (If you see a skull and crossbones icon, the buildings could be in danger or already gone. We'd like to limit the number of scary symbols on this map, and that's where you come in.)
If you know of a local (City of Los Angeles only) bungalow court that's not on this map, please let us know. Also please send us an email if you see signs of neglect, evictions, heavy construction, demolition permits or other evidence that a bungalow court is at risk.
Together we can help preserve L.A.'s precious bungalow court housing!
yours for Los Angeles,
Kim & Richard
Esotouric
Psst… If you’d like to support our efforts to be the voice of places worth preserving, we have a tip jar and a subscriber edition of this newsletter, vintage Los Angeles webinars available to stream, in-person walking tours, gift certificates and a souvenir shop you can browse in. Or just share this link with other people who care.
UPCOMING WALKING TOURS & BUS TOUR SALE
Saturday, April 8 - John Fante’s Downtown • Saturday, April 15 - Raymond Chandler’s Downtown • Saturday, April 22 - Alvarado Terrace & South Bonnie Brae Tract • Saturday, April 29 - Human Sacrifice: The Black Dahlia, Elisa Lam, Heidi Planck & Skid Row Slasher Cases • Saturday, May 13 - All Around the Auto Club West Adams • Saturday, May 20 - Bunker Hill’s Modernist Marvels with Nathan Marsak • Saturday, May 27 - Evergreen Cemetery, 1877
There are two beautiful mirror-image courtyard apartments just below Sunset Blvd 1 block west of Fairfax. Bryan MacLean lived-in one and wrote "Alone Again Or" at 1410 1/2 Hayworth. It's across the street and a couple doors south from Sheila Graham's apartment where F. Scott died.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5648139459?multi_permalinks=10161144439249460
Is there a list that includes the number of units/bungalows in each court?