As anyone who has lived in one will tell you, garden apartments are extraordinary places. They are designed around people’s and families’ needs, offer a healthy quality of life for the average apartment dweller, and prioritize nature and community.

Throughout Greater Los Angeles and the nation, garden apartments tell an important story about how housing and landscape site planning came together in the early twentieth century to create an entirely new and innovative approach to multi-family living.

Responding to overcrowded, unsanitary, and dilapidated housing conditions for the working poor in urban centers, proponents of the Garden City Movement imagined planned, self-contained communities on the edge of cities, with extensive greenbelts and close to industry to support employment for residents.

Says architectural historian Katie Horak:

“This ‘expression of humanness’ and the extraordinary care taken by their designers to create healthy, safe, and beautiful places to live still resonates, some seventy years later.”

Sadly, one of the qualities that makes them so special – vast open space – also imperils them today. As the demands for higher-density planning accelerate, garden apartment communities are increasingly at risk for demolition and redevelopment.

Wander through this microsite to learn more about the Los Angeles garden apartments and the Conservancy’s and others’ efforts to save these historic built environments.

Garden apartments epitomize Southern California’s indoor/outdoor living ideal. 

In the early twentieth century, architects and renowned urban planners Clarence S. Stein and Henry Wright brought a new, modern form of housing to the United States: the Garden City Movement. Based on urban planning principles of British urban planner Ebenezer Howard, Stein and Wright envisioned an orchestrated environment that included low-density buildings, human scale, and acres of shared open space.

While garden apartment communities sprung up around the country, this design philosophy truly flourished in Los Angeles.

The region’s climate was well-suited to the emphasis of nature and open space. The carefully planned complexes provided an attractive and affordable alternative to the substandard housing of the Great Depression. They also provided quality housing for defense workers during World War II and returning veterans and their families after the war.

Following proposed projects at Chase Knolls, Lincoln Place, and Wyvernwood between 2000-2015, the Conservancy embarked on a campaign to raise awareness of the significance of garden apartments and the threats they face. Many garden apartments remain at risk of development pressures; however, the Conservancy’s campaign successfully broadened awareness and guided rehabilitation projects at some of the City’s most significant garden apartment complexes.

Greater Los Angeles has what is believed to be the second-largest collection of garden apartments in the nation (behind Arlington County, Virginia), with nearly forty built from the late 1930s through the mid-1950s.

Though varied in their execution, these complexes were characterized by a high ratio of open space to buildings, the placement of residential units for maximum sunlight and fresh air, and the separation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

The intent and design of these places put people first, prioritizing a high standard of living and opportunities for social interaction. Decades after construction, they continue fostering a community spirit for their residents.

Nevertheless, the Los Angeles area has increasingly vulnerable garden apartments. Their large sites, open spaces, moderate-to-low density, and valuable real estate put them at risk for demolition and redevelopment.

Following Stein and Wright, a group of visionaries and designers introduced garden apartment ideals nationwide. The idea caught on particularly since the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) favored this new form of housing for a time and backed such projects with loan guarantees.

While Stein directly influenced places such as Village Green in Los Angeles (originally Baldwin Hills Village) and Carmelitos in North Long Beach, his and Wright’s indirect influence can be readily seen at other garden apartments in Los Angeles.

In Toward New Towns for America, Stein himself states, “I have told the story of new communities at…Baldwin Hills Village primarily to see what could be found to help us in successfully conceiving, planning, constructing and operating New Towns.” Stein was hopeful that his concepts would be repeated throughout the United States.

In addition to Los Angeles, places such as New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia have built a rich legacy and