Preservation - Save the Flower Drive Historic District

Why designate a California Register Historic District if the City and a developer can ignore the designation and propose to virtually eliminate it? 

The Spectrum Group, an Irvine-based developer, is proposing to build a 21-story hotel, a 9-story parking structure, two 7-story apartment complexes, and 20,000 square feet of office space on a 4.4 acre site that requires 8 of the historic buildings be demolished in the Flower Drive Historic District. The developer could actually achieve most of what they desire by simply rethinking the site plan and incorporating historic Flower Drive.



Preservation - A Landmark Lost

By Roland Souza

Sometimes glorious historic jewels are wrapped in plain paper. Such is (was) the case with the former St. James Armenian Apostolic Church’s Sanctuary, located at 3200 West Adams Boulevard. Built in 1957, the unadorned and blocky modern exterior of the church – designed to evoke in its shapes centuries-old cathedrals in Armenia – hides from clear view what was a splendid historical interior space. The St. James Sanctuary featured extensive murals on the walls and dome, gold leaf enhancements, copper niches, wood trim, wainscoting, and a mezzanine loft.

About West Adams

West Adams is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Though much of its history is forgotten, it was once an area of grand homes and bustling development. The great land boom that turned Los Angeles from a Pueblo to a metropolis came during the period of 1887 through 1915.

Contractors were opening up choice lots between Figueroa and West Boulevard, moving south from Pico Blvd to Jefferson. This was the district that came to be known as "West Adams." The new Adams Boulevard Corridor became the magnet for new wealth in the city. Architects filled the area with classic examples of the elaborate styles of the times: Victorian, Queen Anne, Stick/Eastlake, Shingle, Mission, Transitional Arts and Crafts, Beaux Arts and the Revival Styles, and Craftsman.

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