Preservation Los Angeles

Preservation Los Angeles
Name	Preservation Los Angeles
Type	Nonprofit
Founded	1979
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Region served	Los Angeles County
Focus	Historic preservation, cultural heritage
Leader title	Executive Director

Preservation Los Angeles is a Los Angeles–based nonprofit devoted to identifying, documenting, protecting, and promoting historic resources across Los Angeles County, including neighborhoods such as Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Echo Park. The organization works with municipal agencies like the Los Angeles City Council, the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission, and the Los Angeles Conservancy to nominate landmarks, safeguard architectural heritage such as Art Deco and Mid-century Modern sites, and respond to development pressures from projects like LA Metro expansions and private real estate ventures.

History

Founded in 1979 amid preservation movements inspired by campaigns for the Bradbury Building, the organization emerged during debates over redevelopment in Bunker Hill and proposals affecting the Million Dollar Theater and Los Angeles Plaza Historic District. Early interactions involved landmark nominations related to the Olvera Street area, coordination with the California Office of Historic Preservation, and legal matters invoking the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the California Environmental Quality Act. Over decades the group engaged with cases concerning properties linked to figures such as Walt Disney, Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, and sites proximate to the Los Angeles Union Station and Chinatown.

Mission and Programs

The nonprofit articulates a mission to identify and protect historic resources from threats posed by large-scale developments and transportation projects like Interstate 5 and California High-Speed Rail. Programs emphasize survey work, designation efforts with the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument system, and collaboration with agencies including the National Park Service, the California Historical Society, and the Getty Conservation Institute. Partnerships extend to foundations and institutions such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Annenberg Foundation, and local entities including the Getty Museum, the Los Angeles Public Library, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Preservation Activities and Projects

Activities include compiling survey reports for neighborhoods like Silver Lake, West Adams, Pico-Union, and Venice, Los Angeles; preparing nominations for the National Register of Historic Places; and intervening in redevelopment proposals for landmarks such as the Bradbury Building, the Eastern Columbia Building, the Vasquez Rocks, and the Cinerama Dome. The group has documented buildings by architects including Paul Williams (architect), John Parkinson, Julia Morgan, Edwin Bergstrom, and firms connected to the Southern Pacific Railroad. Fieldwork often references inventories maintained by the California Historical Resources Information System and engages consultants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Preservation Leadership Forum.

Advocacy and Policy Influence

The organization has advocated ordinances before the Los Angeles City Council and engaged in rulemaking with the Los Angeles Department of City Planning and the California State Historic Preservation Officer. It has submitted comment letters relating to CEQA reviews for projects near Griffith Park, MacArthur Park, and Exposition Park and has litigated or supported litigation alongside groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the ACLU in cases affecting cultural resources. Policy work connects to preservation elements in citywide initiatives such as the Los Angeles 2035 General Plan and transit-oriented development policies tied to Metro Rail corridor planning.

Education and Public Outreach

Outreach includes walking tours of Olvera Street, lecture series featuring scholars from UCLA, USC, Caltech, and Occidental College, and collaborations with institutions like the LA Conservancy and the California Preservation Foundation. Programs target students from Los Angeles Unified School District and community groups in Watts, Boyle Heights, and South Los Angeles, and have produced exhibits referencing collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Publications and events highlight neighborhood histories tied to cultural figures such as Dolores Huerta, Hubert Howe Bancroft, Tom Bradley, and artistic movements associated with the Chicano Movement.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The nonprofit is governed by a board that has included preservation professionals, architects from firms like Michael Maltzan Architecture and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, historians affiliated with USC School of Architecture and UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, and community leaders from organizations including East LA Community Corporation and the Hollywood Heritage, Inc.. Funding sources comprise grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, philanthropic support from the Wells Fargo Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and membership contributions. The group contracts preservation planners, architectural historians, and legal counsel experienced with the National Historic Preservation Act and state-level preservation statutes.

Notable Preservation Successes and Controversies

Successes include efforts contributing to protections for landmarks such as the Bradbury Building, the Eastern Columbia Building, the Bradley Terminal Market (Grand Central Market), and recognition of historic districts like Angelino Heights and Film Row. Controversies have arisen over positions taken during debates involving the Hollywood Sign environs, redevelopment of the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall, and disputes about adaptive reuse projects in Downtown Los Angeles where tensions involved developers such as those behind The Bloc and public entities like the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. The organization has sometimes clashed with preservation peers including the Los Angeles Conservancy and municipal officials over priorities for preservation versus housing initiatives promoted by advocates like Skid Row Housing Trust and the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Category:Historic preservation in California Category:Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles