This structure, located on East Bethune, between Woodward and John R, is all that remains of the then-Hamlin Avenue Police Station, designed by Louis Kamper. Built in 1898, it served as headquarters of the 9th Precinct - this building housed the Mounted Division. Unfortunately, when the 9th Precinct closed in 1954, the main building was subsequently demolished. The Mounted Division stayed behind. The old stables have been on the market for several years. #Detroit #NorthEndDetroit #Chateau #FrenchRenaissanceRevival #VictorianArchitecture #LouisKamper #archi_ologie #deserve2preserve #BrickStory #RawDetroit #PureMichigan #PureMittigan #MotorCityShooters #PureDetroit313 #DepictTheD #VisitDetroit #Michiganders #ThisPlaceMatters #ThisPlaceMattersDetroit #MichiganPlacesMatter #SavingPlaces (at North End) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqnc660OlgZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
The West L.A. Civic Center and L.A.’s Historic Preservation Problem
Think you know what’s up with the proposed redevelopment of the West L.A. Civic Center? The November 9th, 2021 West L.A. Commons community meeting shed some light and details on the project but few on preservation, much like the project itself.
Here’s the scoop:
Built between 1957-1965 to meet growing demand for government services, the West L.A. Civic Center is significant for its Modernist architecture and role in expanded government services following WWII. More recently, it’s become hallowed ground for L.A.’s skateboarding scene, attracting skaters worldwide with its stairs and ledges. In January 2021, the County and City selected Abode Communities and AvalonBay Communities to redevelop the site.
As currently planned, the 1960 Courthouse, 1961 branch City Hall, 1962 Community Center (Senior Center), and 1965 Amphitheatre are to be demolished.
(Only the 1956 library will stay--for now--and is not a part of this project scope.)
This means an eligible historic district marking an important part of West L.A.’s growth will be erased.
Two facades of the branch City Hall were planned to be kept (which is not preservation) yet that is now being reconsidered, citing soil conditions. The same goes for the now-doomed Googie style Amphitheatre, despite being marked for preservation in the proposal that was selected by the City and County.
As a public-private venture between the City, County and the developer (AvalonBay and Abode Communities), preservation was supposed to be a priority, at least it was in the official Request for Proposals (RFP) process, stated as one of ten key aspects to be addressed.
So … what is happening here?
Preservation through adaptive reuse is readily achievable in this project, and can complement the proposed new mixed income housing. New buildings of the same footprint are to replace the branch City Hall and Courthouse. The existing Amphitheatre can be repurposed and kept.
It is easier to demolish everything and build subterranean parking over the entire site than build around the historic buildings. Yet easy does not equal better. Until someone in leadership steps forward and presses for an alternative that successfully marries the old with the new, this development team will continue to seek the easy way out. As a familiar pattern that keeps repeating itself across this city, L.A. can do and deserves better.
Please join the L.A. Conservancy in pressing City Councilmember Mike Bonin and County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl for another alternative! Email them at: [email protected] and [email protected]. Be sure to cc [email protected] so that we can track!
It's already the end of May, which means that Preservation Month is coming to a close. Here are just a few ways to continue exploring cultural landscape preservation in the National Park Service:
Timeline of Cultural Landscape Preservation, 1850-Present
Guidance Documents and Cultural Landscape Report Collections:
You can also find access to the Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) Portal there, an NPS-wide repository for documents, publications, and data sets related to natural and cultural resources of the National Park Service. The cultural landscape documents in this growing collection contain history, analysis, and treatment recommendations to support the management of cultural landscapes.
Cultural landscape video collection from the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation
These videos highlight preservation projects in various park cultural landscapes, revealing how management documents (like Cultural Landscape Reports) guide preservation treatment that can impact the experience of historic places.
Did you know that out of the forty planned Donald Wexler steel houses, less than a quarter of which were actually made? #starchitect The accordion roof may look quite thick at first glance, but if you zoom in on the scupper {or the drainage outlet on the bottom angles of the roof}, you can see that it is at the very bottom of what appears to be the assembly, which indicates that the roof is actually wafer thin. #steel #architecture #architecturalhistory #ontheroadwithLucindervention #savingplaces #palmsprings #visitpalmsprings #modernarchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturymodernhotel #midcenturymodernarchitecture #thisplacematters #heritagetourism #historicpreservation @visitcalifornia @savingplaces @visitpalmsprings @docomomous @psmodcom @modernism_week (at Palm Springs, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByGPWv_gqzu/?igshid=gbb77e383l6q
Let’s save the HOLIDAY MOTEL sign in Las Vegas, Nevada! It is currently in jeopardy. Check out, share, and add your name to the petition. Thank you! • Link is also on my profile bio! • www.thepetitionsite.com/442/752/388/its-only-original-once • #savethesigns #thisplacematters #neon #neonsign #holidaymotel #lasvegas #nevada #historic #vintage #preservation #petition (at Las Vegas, Nevada)
