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COMMONWEALTH SAVINGS & LOAN BUILDING

Commonwealth Savings & Loan Building. Photo by John Eng.

Designed by architect Gerald Bense and completed in 1961, the six-story Commonwealth Savings & Loan office building at 5077 Lankershim Boulevard is one of the finest mid-twentieth century office buildings in the San Fernando Valley. The Conservancy has long recognized the significance of Commonwealth Savings & Loan, having featured the building on its first comprehensive tour of the San Fernando Valley, 2000’s “How Modern Was My Valley.” 

In 2006, current owner Chandler Partners announced plans to demolish the historic office building and replace it with a large, 136-unit condominium project. In early 2007, the Conservancy and its volunteer Modern Committee nominated the Commonwealth Savings & Loan Building in North Hollywood for listing as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. When the Cultural Heritage Commission voted against recommending designation, the Conservancy held a series of meetings with the developer to discuss options for evaluating alternatives to demolition.

In June 2007, the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a mitigated negative declaration for the Lankershim NoHo Mixed-Used Project in North Hollywood, based on revised plans that build around the Commonwealth Building. However, the historic bank building's future remains in doubt as Chandler Partners evaluates the costs and feasibility of adaptive reuse.