The Los Angeles Conservancy is working alongside local partners in Altadena to support recovery efforts that honor the community’s history, culture, and sense of place after the devastating Eaton Fire. 

The devastating Eaton Fire in January led to the losses of beloved homes, neighborhoods, legacy businesses, and many historic places. Existing and new community groups and coalitions are coming together in response to offer innovative ideas and potential tools to help with rebuilding, including a new historic mapping tool the Conservancy has been working on with Architectural Resources Group to chart the full impacts of the fire.

As rebuilding efforts gear up with a focus on retaining both Altadena’s people, sense of place, and special community culture, this unprecedented event and moment raises questions about how best to move forward. Can we be learning from other places that have recovered following a natural disaster? What does preservation and heritage conservation look like when some of the historic places are no longer standing? Can new approaches offer up solutions and strategies to strengthen the community as it rebuilds?

We’ll address these questions and more, and hear from some of the people doing this work throughout Altadena, and how preservation and heritage is a core aspect that is rooting them throughout these recovery and rebuilding efforts.