Duplex Delux

Duplex Delux
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

It does not get any better than this. This duplex on Elysian Park Avenue between Sunset Boulevard and Stadium Way (it's the street that leads into the main gate of Dodger Stadium) received a top notch preservation that retained and restored the original doors and windows and finished it off with an appealing paint scheme and great landscaping. The great work here stands in contrast to the duplex right next door that was covered with stucco and stripped of its wood windows and other original features. If only these restoration wizards could work their magic on the property next door. This would be a great looking block.

Do you De-Stucco?

Do you De-Stucco?
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

Yeah! The members of the EPHS have waged a long, and often losing,battle against the "stuccoing" of wood sided houses. This unfortunate remodeling ruins the appearance of many of our oldest, homes by smothering their wood siding and shingles under a coat of stucco. This effort to "modernize" a home also leads the homeowner, prodded by a contractor trying to make a buck, to rip out wood windows and replace them with cheap aluminum sliders. But, as in the case of this house on Effie between Lakeshore and Lemoyne, a few homeowners have reversed the process by removing the stucco and restoring the wood underneath. It's a relatively simple process. Check out the "de-stucco" primer in the Preservation section of www.HistoricEchoPark.org Very few people de-stucco, and the owners of this place are certainly deserving of an Echo Park Preservation Award for taking such action.

Also on Lakeshore

Also on Lakeshore
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

This one-story cottage is located on Lakeshore Avenue near the entrance to Gateways Hospital. It's a few houses up from the farm-house like property with the big windows noted in a previous blog posting. The owners here did a great job restoring the wood windows and other wood siding. They finished everything off with a nice paint color and trim. It's a sweet place and, as you notice, for sale. This project along with the one down the street have certainly been welcome on a block where several houses have been stuccoed over without any regard to their historic character.

Lake Shore Rehab

Lake Shore Rehab
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

This house has always stood out on on Lakeshore Avenue between Berkley and Gateways hospital because of some enormous double hung windows (they slide up and down) and a farm-house feel. The property is currently undergoing a major renovation and expansion. The good news is that they have restored the wood siding and ENORMOUS wood windows (they look at least six feet tall in the dormers). The bad news is that addition in the back (not seen in the pictures) looks like pretty much tacked on. Overall, though, this renovation we hope triggers some other thoughtful remodeling on this stretch of Lakeshore.

Promise on Portia?

Portia Street runs north of Sunset Boulevard. It's a mixed bagged in terms of renovation. The bungalow with the blue trim looks like it is being restored in a sensitive manner, with a new but compatible front door. Across the street, however, there are signs of trouble. A nearly intact two-story, wood framed house is undergoing a strange re-do. Notice the fake, terra cotta-colored brick on the porch columns. Half way up Portia, the owners of a Colonial-style, clapboard bungalow are repainting and restoring the wood--but they removed the wood windows and replaced them with aluminum sliders. The old wood windows gave the place more depth and "texture." At least they didn't stucco!

Stucco Box on Sunset

Stucco Box on Sunset
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

This project at Sunset Blvd. and Elysian Park Ave. lacks any connection

to the neighborhood's historic scale or character--unless you count a

few panels of fake siding and the sliding windows that are not fooling

anyone by pretending to look "olde" with divided lights (those small

squares in the windows). It's a pretty depressing project.

A Worst Case Scenario

A Worst Case Scenario
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

This condo complex is rising at the corner of Sunset Blvd. and

Quintero. Talk about a box. No friendly frontage (just a view of the

parking garage) on either street and, from what we hear, a pretty dull

design. What a wasted opportunity on an important corner on a prominent street.

Walgreens Development Plan

Walgreens Development Plan
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

Owners of Walgreens, which owns the entire block where the Pioneer market used to be on Sunset Boulevard and Echo Park Avenue, unveiled plans to build new structures at the northeast corner of Echo Park and Montana. They said this is an early concept and were looking for feedback from the community at a neighborhood planning meeting. On first glance, it was a typical strip mall development that could be in Diamond Bar. At least they put it up against the sidewalk. It would be better if the new construction was placed on Sunset to restore the old storefronts that were destroyed to make way for the Pioneer parking lot. Many people voiced support for that and opposed the drive-thru Walgreens wants. Stay tuned.

Fire Damages Leo Politi house

Fire Damages Leo Politi house
Originally uploaded by Historic Echo Park.

Just before 3:00 PM Thursday, May 4 a fire broke out in the former home of the award winning and highly respected artist and illustrator Leo Politi on W. Kensington Road near Douglas in Angeleno Heights. The extent of the damage to the interior of the residence is unclear at this time, but the roof was severely damaged. Flames could be seen shooting up into the air. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded with several companies and at least a dozen fire trucks. They did a superb and quick job of putting the fire out. The front of the house appeared not to be harmed, but the house is not easily seen from the street. Many residents of the neighborhood showed up to watch the activities and some were visibly shaken.

Leo Politi was a long time resident of Los Angeles. He was particularly famous for his illustrations of dozens of children's books, but he also painted portraits on Olvera Street beginning in the 1930's. He lived on Bunker Hill until it was destroyed in the urban renewal frenzy of the 1960's. His paintings of the Victorian houses of Bunker Hill are among his finest. He then moved to Angeleno Heights until his death in the 1990's. He, and his wife Helen, were well loved members of this historic neighborhood

This information was provided by Bruce Lash.



<>

Win on Academy Road

WIN
This simple duplex on Academy Road near Morton Avenue was renovated in the last five years. The owners kept the original layout and size but updated interiors in keeping with the home's simple style.