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CASTERA-WARD RESIDENCE
The Conservancy has been working to ensure that the Castera-Ward Residence in Bel-Air does not become the latest casualty of the teardown trend. Designed by architect Paul Revere Williams in 1936, this Bel-Air residence is a rare and remarkably intact example of his residential work in concrete, as well as an important local example of French Provincial architecture. It was also the longtime home of actress Jane Wyatt, who donated the home to the California Community Foundation before her death in October 2006.
The house was placed on the market in April 2007 for just under $6 million. The Conservancy subsequently was alerted to the pending sale of the home to a buyer with plans to demolish the house for construction of a new, much larger residence on the property. A landmark nomination was quickly prepared, and the Cultural Heritage Commission voted to take the property under consideration, effectively placing a temporary hold on demolition. During its August 2007 meeting, the commission voted unanimously to recommend landmark designation of the residence. Fortunately, the new owner did not oppose the commission’s decision and now plans to rehabilitate the home. |
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Wilshire May Company This Streamline Moderne department store with its prominent cylindrical gold tower signals the western entrance of Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile district. The Conservancy swung into action when the May Co. building was threatened with demolition for office towers and a hotel during the early 1990s. After successfully nominating the building for City Historic-Cultural Monument status, the Conservancy worked with County officials to ensure the building's reuse by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Now LACMA West, the May Co. had a splashy reopening in 1999 when it played host to a blockbuster Van Gogh exhibit. Photo courtesy of Julius Shulman |
