UPDATE: Demolition work on Monday, November 12 resulted in the removal of the façade of the Palms Farmhouse; a demolition permit was issued for the property the previous Friday. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) issued a stop work order following outcry from concerned neighbors, who had notified the Los Angeles Police Department. The community had anticipated local landmark designation for the historic house, for which Council District 5 had recently introduced a motion to initiate.

Following an investigation, the City has concluded that the demolition permit was legitimately issued (the motion to initiate designation of the Palms Farmhouse had not yet been adopted by City Council and there was no hold on permit activity). LADBS has subsequently lifted the stop work order, which allows for demolition to resume at the site.

The Conservancy is deeply disappointed that the property owners have chosen to needlessly demolish this irreplaceable structure. There is no replacement project for the site.

Located on the 3500 block of Motor Avenue south of Palms Boulevard, this turn-of-the-twentieth-century farmhouse is a rare, surviving link to Los Angeles’ agricultural past when small farms represented one of the earliest development patterns. It is also one of the oldest surviving residences in Palms, which is itself the oldest community on Los Angeles’ Westside, and pre-dates the annexation of Palms to the City of Los Angeles in 1915. The house was identified as eligible for listing in the National Register in SurveyLA.

This transitional Victorian farmhouse was built circa 1904, just as interest in Victorian architectural styles was fading and the emerging Craftsman style was gaining popularity. The relatively slim dimensions of the windows and the narrow width of the wood siding on the first floor are mainstays from the Victorian era, while the decorative knee braces and exposed rafter tails of the front-gabled roof show the house’s Craftsman influence. Even the shallow roof over the bay window features its own exposed rafter tails.

Notice of a demolition permit requested by the current owner triggered public outcry and prompted the office of Councilmember Paul Koretz, in whose district the house is located, to introduce a motion to initiate local landmark designation of the property. Once the motion is adopted by City Council, a temporary stay on demolition will go into effect while landmark designation is under consideration. No replacement project has been submitted for this site. 

Show your support for the proposed landmark designation by emailing Councilmember Paul Koretz (paul.koretz@lacity.org) and the Cultural Heritage Commission (chc@lacity.org).