We Spoke To Soon
Our previous post had expressed some hope that a small, wood-sided cottage on Lucretia (see photo below) was on the verge of getting a well-deserved renovation. Wrong.
The illegal demoltion at 1600 Lucretia Ave. was caught today by one of our EPHS board members while it was underway. He immediately took a photo, checked online to see if a demolition permit had been filed (it had not) and reported it to the building & safety department and police. The contractor and property owner will now have to file for the proper permits for public review and ensure public safety.
This demo is probably legal (with permits) but we cannot allow property owners and developers to knock down our old and historic homes and buildings on a whim and without proper approval. Our vigilance lets people know that they can't get away with this and perhaps make them think twice about "scraping" these structures and replacing them with what will probably be a big, boxy building.
If you think you are seeing an illegal demo in process, first check to see if the proper permits have been filed by going to the Building & Safety websiteand enter the street address. If no permits have been filed, call the department right away (use the city operator at 311) to register a complaint. If the demo is in process and no inspector can come out, call the police as well (use the non emergency number at 877-ask-lapd) to report the activity.
In addition to be vigilant, we need city laws that require special public hearings for any demo involving an old building to make sure it has no historic value in addition to ordinances that make it more difficult to build a "mc mansion" where a a small home used to stand.
The illegal demoltion at 1600 Lucretia Ave. was caught today by one of our EPHS board members while it was underway. He immediately took a photo, checked online to see if a demolition permit had been filed (it had not) and reported it to the building & safety department and police. The contractor and property owner will now have to file for the proper permits for public review and ensure public safety.
This demo is probably legal (with permits) but we cannot allow property owners and developers to knock down our old and historic homes and buildings on a whim and without proper approval. Our vigilance lets people know that they can't get away with this and perhaps make them think twice about "scraping" these structures and replacing them with what will probably be a big, boxy building.
If you think you are seeing an illegal demo in process, first check to see if the proper permits have been filed by going to the Building & Safety website
In addition to be vigilant, we need city laws that require special public hearings for any demo involving an old building to make sure it has no historic value in addition to ordinances that make it more difficult to build a "mc mansion" where a a small home used to stand.
posted by Echo Park Historical Society at 11:34 AM
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