Thursday

Is it normal for your heart to sink when you see something like this happen in your neighborhood?  On my routine morning walk with Oliver and Benson we pass by this original Spanish Duplex.  I remember peering in the lush courtyard on Monday to see a bright red bougainvillea plant that must have been 40 years old.

This is what the building looks like now.  At this rate, there will nothing left by the weekend.  I regret not taking a picture of the building while it was still standing.

When I first moved to Los Angeles from Baton Rouge I fell in love with the Spanish Style Duplexes built in the 1930’s.  They held a piece of history that I had not been exposed to before.  These duplex and triplex apartments were originally built as an experiment by developers to create a premiere living environment for the growing middle class in a depression-era Los Angeles. 

Today, many of my friends live in these duplexes and each time I visit, I am impressed at the attention to detail they have.  Ceilings are adorned with beautiful moldings, hand plastered walls, original iron sconces, beautiful original tile and my favorite, original stained glass windows.  It is nice to see people living today the way they did generations ago.

I understand that cities grow and the need for more housing increases.  However, is it necessary to tear down a piece of history to build stucco boxes with no respect to history or any attention to architectural detail?

While some developers decide to go this route, I want to thank the other developers who are respecting history and working within the confines of an older building to create housing.  For example, take a look at Palisades Development Groups recent project www.theloftsathollywoodandvine.com I was lucky enough to be enlisted to design units in the building to reflect the individuals that will make this building their home.

The building’s gothic-deco design includes exterior artwork, hand carved gargoyles, floral designs and twisting rope trim, some of which had been covered over and is now revealed, maintaining the architectural integrity of the building’s original design.

Originally completed in 1930, a bank occupied the ground floor and Hollywood agent Myron Selznick, in the upper floors.  Selznick’s agency represented a “who’s who” of Hollywood stars including Vivien Leigh, Gary Cooper, Laurence Olivier and Henry Fonda. Avi Brosh, founder of Palisades says “there’s something inspiring about being in an iconic building --you feel a connection to the past, like you’re part of history.” He clearly gets the importance of respecting the past and has a firm grasp on urban reuse projects.  Thank you Avi.

This Palisades building is located across the street from my future new home, which is also an older building being converted into residential units

As soon as I start designing my place, expect to see many journal entries with photos.