When people from around the globe think of Los Angeles, their first thoughts may conjure up visions of sunny beaches, surfing, a sprawling metropolis and of course, Hollywood and its famous (and often times infamous) movie stars. Of course, those of us who live here, especially those who grew up here, know just how much more Los Angeles has to offer and how rich in history and cultural diversity it really is.
When I moved here from the Midwest well over a decade ago, I admit the sun, surf and visions of Hollywood were on the forefront of my mind as well; however as a fan of historic homes and neighborhood preservation/revitalization, I was also curious about the architecture and the individual neighborhoods that remained in Los Angeles. I mean…every city has a history so it had to have something to peak my interest right? Prior to arriving in Southern California, I had been disappointed to hear so many people say, “Oh…that’s such a young state. Everything is relatively new, there’s probably nothing really historically significant.” Well…let me tell you how happy I was to discover just how misinformed those folks were!
After arriving in Los Angeles, I spent a lot of time researching the city. Whether on foot with my trusty Thomas Guide in hand, on the internet, or in the public libraries about town, I was determined to do some digging! Additionally, another great source of information were the patrons of a local restaurant at which I had taken part time employment. Some of these life-long San Fernando Valley residents shared with me stories of how they remembered the Valley being mostly agricultural land with large ranches scattered about. I found this fascinating, as the “Valley” I knew was anything but agricultural, and it only fueled my desire —I had to find out more!
It didn’t take long before I struck gold. I stumbled upon the Department of City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources’ website, and it was there that I learned a very special acronym: HPOZ. HPOZ stands for Historic Preservation Overlay Zones which are basically historic districts in Los Angeles. In 1979 the city realized the assets it had within these amazing neighborhoods and set out to establish a program that would protect and preserve them. The program’s first HPOZ neighborhood was Angelino Heights in 1983 and now there are nearly 30HPOZ neighborhoods and many more being reviewed for HPOZ status on the horizon.
HPOZ neighborhoods are mainly residential but there are those that also contain commercial and industrial properties as well. They range in size from under 100 properties to over 3000. Each neighborhood tells a story of Los Angeles and as I continue to explore each one I’m getting a history lesson that just cannot be taught in the classroom with text books. I whole-heartedly encourage everyone to go to the Department of City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources website (http://www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz) to learn about these incredible neighborhoods and experience for yourselves the living history of this great city. Perhaps you will find a new favorite restaurant or shop along the way or better yet, you may just find a great neighborhood that you will want to call “home”.
There are fantastic properties coming onto the market weekly in L.A.’s HPOZs, and often times for an unbeatable price. Many of the HPOZ neighborhoods have clubs or associations that hold regular meetings and social events focused on improving and preserving their area as well as building a sense of cohesiveness and community. When purchasing a property in an HPOZ you not only get the satisfaction and pride from being part of a community dedicated to preserving its history, but there are also economic incentives as well. The Mills Act provides tax abatement to qualified properties and there are Federal tax credit programs for rehabilitating historic homes as well. For more information on The Mills Act, please follow this link: http://www.preservation.lacity.org/node/464. For more information on Federal tax credit programs for historic home rehabilitation, I suggest starting here: http://www.preservation.lacity.org/node/56?phpMyAdmin=656bde215507386e6e1906d727c09691.
As both a fan of historic properties and neighborhoods and a licensed Realtor®, I’m excited to continue to explore and share with you my findings on each of these wonderful neighborhoods. Please join me here on the JohnHart Blog as I began a new online series, “Our Living History: A Tour of Los Angeles’ Historic Neighborhoods.”, which will be highlighting a different neighborhood with each new article. I will be walking the neighborhood, talking with local residents, offering inside tips on the best local deals and introducing (when available) a hot new property that’s waiting for you to add your own chapter to it already rich L.A. history.
Contributor, designer & admin for JohnHart Gazette.
Thanks for reminding people that there is a historic LA! And also for the preservation website info. Can’t wait to virtually go exploring!
What a very interesting & informative piece!!
Great article! Very helpful!
You really capture the spirit of historic preservation and how living in a HPOZ neighborhood can foster that sense of community! The main point here is how a homeowner can become a stakeholder in historic preservation for present and future generations and that’s a pretty special feeling!!
Great article to help think outside the box…and our “usual” neighborhoods!
Very well done Charity! I look forward to more of your articles on this blog.
Wow! Interesting! This will be really fun to follow! I’m excited to learn about all the cool areas and explore some of them myself!
Thank you for reminding folks that LA has a lovely history. Although younger than other states in the Union, it has historical homes and neighborhoods that are interesting, diverse, and worth preserving!
Great article Charity! Thank you for sharing. We look forward to seeing more of your work.
I’m looking forward to your series!
this helped me as a foreigner to understand some interesting eleemnto of Los Angeles. Veryy well written. Belissimo
SO WONDERFUL that someone is taking an interest in the history of as magical a city as Los Angeles! WELL WRITTEN, Charity!!
What a wonderful & informative article. Thanks, Charity!
Hello Charity,
Thanks for the inciteful article. I am a Keller Williams Realtor living in Toronto, Canada. My younger daughter, Chloé has recently married & relocated to LA to join her new husband. Architecture & historical properties greatly interest us both so when I return for a visit we will explore these areas.
Again, Many Thanks
Very informative article! I was captivated by your descriptions of the area and it draws me to want to visit and explore. Prior to reading your article, I thought of Los Angels of a “troubled” city with not a lot to really offer other than the Disneyland, etc.. attractions.
Thank you so much for the information. I look forward to reading more of your series!
Nice article, I’m looking forward to finding out more about LA’s history.
Wow…very interesting Charity! Huell Howser would be proud…LOL!! 🙂
I love the article Charity and I can’t wait to see which neighbourhoods you will explore. LA has so much cool stuff to discover!
great topic, Charity…can’t wait to see your next blog!
Great teaser! Can’t wait for the series!
Beautiful Article!!!!!
Great article! Looking forward to reading future articles.
As an LA native, I am amazed by the things I can still learn about this great city! Thank you for sharing and keep it coming!
Is there a way to subscribe to the “Our Living History: A Tour of Los Angeles’ Historic Neighborhoods” Blog? Plese let me know. Thank you, Kathy Corso … Its KathyC@aol.com
Thank you Kathy, that’s so kind of you to ask about a subscription. I’ll be sure to send you an email to let you know when the next article is up!
Thank you to everyone for the kind words! Your support means the world to me.
Thanks for the wonderful article. I’ve been visited some of them, but will more.
just can repeat:
Is there a way to subscribe to the “Our Living History: A Tour of Los Angeles’ Historic Neighborhoods” Blog? Plese let me know. Thank you, dkanizsay@gmail.com
Thank you Doris! I will make sure to email you when the next article is ready as well!