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BIG CHANGES IN STORE FOR PRESERVATION IN LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles City Hall, home to the Office of Historic Resources. Photo by Mel Weinstein.

A major obstacle to historic preservation in Los Angeles has been the city’s notoriously weak preservation law – until now. In the first major overhaul of the city’s 1962 preservation ordinance, the city’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) and Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) are proposing important changes that would finally bring Los Angeles up to par with preservation laws around the nation.

Public Hearing This Thursday

The OHR and CHC want to know what you think about the proposed changes. You can comment in writing or in person at a public hearing this week.

Public Hearing on Proposed Ordinance Changes
Thursday, April 17, after 10 a.m. 
Cultural Heritage Commission
Los Angeles City Hall
200 N. Spring St., Room 1010 (10th floor)
Valid photo ID required for entry to City Hall  

If you can't attend the hearing, you can submit written comments to:

Office of Historic Resources
Department of City Planning
200 N. Spring Street, Room 620
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Fax: (213) 978-0017

We've summarized the major proposed changes below, and you can read more on the Office of Historic Resources website.

The City of Los Angeles’ Cultural Heritage Ordinance spells out the process for designating and protecting significant resources as Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCMs). It serves as one of our strongest tools for preservation in L.A., though certain aspects of it can actually undermine the process. The proposed changes to the ordinance would dramatically enhance preservation in L.A. by clarifying critical yet often unclear procedures, strengthening the city’s ability to protect historic properties, and ensuring fairness for everyone involved. 

The most significant changes would:

Allow for the denial, not merely the delay, of a local landmark’s demolition.
Unlike most big-city preservation ordinances, L.A.’s current ordinance allows the Cultural Heritage Commission to delay – but not deny – the demolition of a designated landmark (HCM). The proposed changes would rectify this extraordinary shortcoming in Los Angeles’ preservation law. The updated ordinance would also include demolition review earlier in the development process, benefiting everyone involved.

Protect potential landmarks from demolition while their nominations are pending.
If the owner of a historic property opposes its landmark designation, s/he currently has a window of opportunity to demolish the structure before it can be considered for landmark status. This preemptive demolition has happened on several occasions -- most recently for one of the first homes built in Van Nuys. The proposed ordinance changes would correct the flawed process that can lead to preemptive demolition, while ensuring fairness for property owners by notifying them earlier of the nomination.

Enforce and penalize violations such as illegal demolition and alteration.

The 1887 Giese Residence, the last remaining Victorian home on Bunker Hill, demolished illegally in 2003 by developer G. H. Palmer Associates.

Although the city does have a five-year building moratorium under its “scorched-earth” ordinance to punish owners who illegally demolish historic landmarks, the current preservation ordinance makes no mention of it. The update would clearly reference this punishment, as well as add significant new financial penalties for illegal demolition or alteration. It would also clarify an owner’s duty to keep a historic resource in good repair by referencing existing law regarding the neglect and vandalism of HCMs.

Clarify designation criteria for Historic-Cultural Monuments.

The Glen Lukens Home and Studio (1939), designed by Raphael Soriano, gained HCM designation despite its poor condition. Photo by Larry Underhill.

The new ordinance would more clearly spell out existing criteria for designating a resource as an HCM. Similar to most preservation ordinances throughout the U.S., the new Los Angeles ordinance would also require designated HCMs to retain their historic integrity. “Integrity” refers to a property’s ability to convey its significance, not its current condition – historic resources can keep their integrity despite physical deterioration. The notion of integrity needs further discussion and definition, but its inclusion in the criteria would give the Cultural Heritage Commission guidance in this area that they’ve lacked in the past.

The Office of Historic Resources announced these and other proposed changes in early February, and they are now seeking public input to help refine their recommendations. The final recommendations must be approved by the Los Angeles City Council. Depending on any number of factors, this decision could happen in as little as a year.

The Conservancy applauds the city’s leadership and vision in proposing these important updates to the preservation ordinance, and we look forward to participating in the process. We encourage you to participate, too. For more information, please visit the Office of Historic Resources website.

Updated April 2008