CLICK ON THE BELOW IMAGE TO READ OUR PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDATE AGAINST THE CITY’S ILLEGAL APPROVAL OF DEMOLISHING TEN RSO UNITS AT THE HISTORIC STIRES STAIRCASE BUNGALOW COURT
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CLICK HERE to read the Appeal filed to the Department of City Planning’s approval of the destruction of Stires, with NO Environmental Review!
CLICK HERE to read the August 26, 2021 Letter of Determination from the Department of City Planning, approving the demolition of the Stires Bungalows.
Stires Staircase Bungalow Court
These ten iconic, freestanding Mission Revival style bungalows were built on this hillside near Dodger Stadium in 1922.
A developer wants to demolish them to build a new apartment complex, which has been soundly opposed by the Echo Park community.
When we first went before the Cultural Heritage Commission on March 5, 2020, we asked for three criteria: the bungalow court architecture, the cultural ties to the Echo Park Local streetcar line along Sunset Boulevard, and the connection to Lilly Bennett Baldwin Howard, one of the first women banking executives in Southern California, who obtained and held the bungalows during her rise in the financial sector in the 1930s.
Lilly Bennett Baldwin Howard
This was a lot to ask. It’s possible to win on just one or two of the three, but we truly believe each of these aspects combine to make this place extra special, even in its dilapidated state. Then, what a disappointment when the Office of Historic Resources (OHR) issued us a Negative Staff Review just days before the hearing. This meant the OHR recommended the Commissioners should vote against our application, a heavy blow to our efforts.
But we knew that the final decision was with the Commissioners, and that sometimes, if everything goes right, it’s possible to overcome that nasty staff report. Our job was to convince the majority of Commissioners to see things our way and vote YES.
INCREDIBLY, at our final CHC hearing on August 6, 2020, the majority of Commissioners supported ALL THREE of our criteria, an amazing victory!
Our application was approved, but it’s still not over.
We now must win approval from the PLUM (Planning and Land Use Management) Committee and then from the full City Council. The PLUM hearing is tentatively scheduled for February, 2021. We hope to update you soon with news of the Stires Staircase Bungalow Court as LA’s next Historic Cultural Monument!
Echo Park landmark nomination moves forward | The Eastsider 8/24/20
Echo Park bungalow court moves closer to becoming a historic landmark | The Eastsider 8/19/20
Echo Park historic landmark nomination moves ahead | The Eastsider 3/9/20
Will an Echo Park bungalow court become a landmark? | The Eastsider 3/2/20