ONE BIG THING: A SECOND ACT FOR HISTORIC HOMES
What Happened?
A new initiative is working to relocate historic houses slated for demolition to Altadena for families who lost their homes in the fires.
Here in CD13, a 1911 Craftsman on Taft Avenue in Hollywood was set to be torn down to make way for new affordable housing. Instead of sending it to a landfill, our office is working with an architecture firm, along with city and county agencies, to move the house to Altadena.
How Do You ‘Move’ A 114-Year-Old House?
It seems like it’s ripped straight from the movie Up – but moving houses has happened for centuries and was even common in Los Angeles up through the mid 1900’s.
Essentially, workers carefully cut the home into transportable sections, load them onto oversized trucks, and then reassemble the pieces like a puzzle at its new site in Altadena.
Why it Matters
This incredible project can make rebuilding possible for fire survivors. Relocating a historic home doesn’t just preserve a neighborhood’s character, it can cost less than half the price of building a new house from scratch.
Evan and Caitlin Chambers lost their Altadena bungalow in the fires, and now they’re living out of Evan’s art studio with their two young kids and dogs. They’re working with community members to move the house from Hollywood to Altadena because they expect it to cost around $550,000 total, compared to potentially millions to rebuild.
What’s Next?
As we work through these initial projects, we want to improve, expand, and streamline this process to allow many more historic homes to have a second life – saving money and helping families stay in their neighborhoods.
Stay tuned for updates on the Chambers family and the future of this program.
Read more from LAist’s Cato Hernandez
Three More Quick Hits!
- Delivering Essentials to Families Impacted by ICE Raids
Last weekend, we delivered groceries and essential goods to 115 families in the district impacted by Donald Trump’s ICE raids and family separations.
Dozens of volunteers from Thai CDC, Sueño, the Breese Foundation, and more came to pack and deliver goods. Plus, lawyers and students from @uclalawschool trained dozens of community members through 3 different Know-Your Rights Workshops throughout the day.
This is what community looks like. Neighbors helping neighbors to lead with love and overcome this administration’s terror.
- City Sues AirBnb for Wildfire Price-Gouging
This week, the City Attorney announced a lawsuit alleging that AirBnb illegally increased prices of at least 2,000 and potentially over 3,000 units in the aftermath of January’s devastating fires.
This comes after AirBnb’s widely-publicized “free housing” program was criticized in January by some fire victims who lost their homes as “useless” and “a PR stunt.”
- Metro D (Purple) Line Reopens!
The D (Purple) Line is reopening starting TODAY (Saturday, July 26). Trains will run every 12 mins 9am-8pm & every 20 mins at other times.
We’re grateful for the work @metrolosangeles and the patience of affected riders during the closure – we can’t wait to ride to the westside!
🚆In other Metro news, visit bit.ly/ACTivateVermont for ACT-LA’s complete green streets webinar Thursday 7/31 to re-imagine bus transit on Vermont Ave.
Save the Date – Community Events
Monday & Tuesday, July 28 & 29 – Latin Dancing at Seily Rodriguez Park (FREE Latin Dancing Classes every Saturday, Monday & Tuesday until August 16th)
Friday, August 1 – Atwater Village Summer Movie Night (FREE showing of Moana at Chevy Chase Recreation Center)
Saturday, August 16 – Rooted In Us Summer Series (FREE Community event offering youth-led activities, resource fair, and community dialogue)
CD13 Pet of the Week
Meet Pee-Wee, our Pet of the Week
Someone get this cutie a red tie!
Pee-Wee is a quirky, senior Cairn Terrier hoping to make use of his pension!
If you are looking to help this sweet little old man retire into a loving home, please email ani.foster@lacity.org!
