QUEEN OF ELYSIAN HEIGHTS
On November 9, 2022 the full City Council voted in favor of our nomination of the stately Queen Anne Victorian known as the Queen of Elysian Heights.
This Historic Cultural Monument is an essential contributor to our community, sitting at the corner of Echo Park and Ewing Street for at least 127 years - clearly the oldest structure in this historic Echo Park neighborhood. As the cornerstone of this neighborhood, it is not only an important architectural resource but is tied as a cultural testament to the powerful lessons of Chavez Ravine.
SLHT FILES AN APPEAL TO THE PROJECT SEEKING TO DEMOLISH ALL TEN RSO UNITS AT THE STIRES STAIRCASE BUNGALOW COURT
TAIX
Emails between the City Attorney’s office and the Department of City Planning show expert reports being tampered with and edited by the City.
SLHT sponsors Tokio Florist/LA Conservancy event:
The Silver Lake Heritage Trust has just been invited as a community sponsor for an L.A. Conservancy event which will discuss the historic Tokio Florist in Silver Lake. This discussion will highlight the extraordinary history of the Tokio Florist, the landmarking process, and plans for the future with Kristen Hayashi, Catherine Gudis and Michael Breland, moderated by Rosalind Sagara of the Conservancy. A New Future Blooms for Historic Tokio Florist will be held on May 27 at 12-1pm, and is part of a FREE virtual public series called People + Places. Mark your calendars and join us for this enriching conversation!
TAIX HCM NOMINATION
Our application for Historic Cultural Monument status for Taix French Restaurant was APPROVED by the Cultural Heritage Commission on December 17, 2020. This was the first of 3 levels of approval we need before Taix is officially protected, and the next steps will not be easy as they require the full City Council to weigh in, it will go next to the PLUM Committee. We feel confident that the groundswell of support for this iconic LA Legacy Business will bring a good outcome for our community.
Please visit our GoFundMe page to help us save Taix!
Update on STIRES:
Although our nomination (which was approved by the Cultural Heritage Commission) was voted down at PLUM and the City Council, we are not giving up on the Stires Staircase Bungalow Court! The PLUM and City Council meetings were highly irregular and we have submitted a Cure and Correct letter to the City Attorney, an action which was supported by the Echo Park Neighborhood Council and other neighborhood groups. We are now strategizing about alternative routes to preservation. We are looking into the environmental impacts of the proposed development, especially with regard to the geology of the site. The developer has expressed an openness to selling the property to a preservation-minded developer, and we have at least one investor who is interested.
Please consider a donation to help save these bungalows,
We will keep you posted!
Atwater Bungalows
taken under consideration
At its January 21st meeting, the Cultural Heritage Commission voted to consider the amazing Atwater Bungalows for Historic-Cultural Monument status. The nomination from the Echo Park Historical Society was prepared by local preservationist John Wingler and supported by the Silver Lake Heritage Trust.
The Bungalows were designed by Robert Stacy-Judd, who designed many notable buildings in the Mayan motif, including the Aztec Motel in Monrovia, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. This unique Echo Park courtyard reflects the Pueblo Revival Style in the form of a Hopi Village, and has been featured in American Bungalow Magazine as the architect's "purest, quirkiest expression" of all-American architecture drawn from Pre-Columbian sources. The bungalows are still owned and beautifully maintained by the Atwater family.
For more information about Atwater Bungalows, please visit the Echo Park Historical Society page here.