TABLE OF CONTENTS :
A NEW URBANIST ANGELENO'S GOLDMINE:
General Observations About Building Permits Throughout Los Angeles History by Damian Gatto
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety's newly streamlined process for accessing historical building permits has proven to be a truly terrific tool for historians, urbanists, and developers alike. Preservationists and historians alike use the permit system to conduct historic preservation research, sociological research, or perhaps connect some dots in their family history. Developers and administrators can use the permit system to learn about previous land uses within their project area--being that this does have impact upon their project. For a number of years, though my historic preservation and sociological research, I have extracted, certainly, thousands of permits from the LADBS archives, and their new historical permit system has made it all that much easier.
These are some general patterns I have noticed among LA building permits from 1905 to present.
Below: A mostly-blank permit that I found on an LADBS microfiche in the Norwalk building back in the old days--before the online historical records system was launched. They sure looked elegant back then. (Source: LADBS)
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1) The early versions of building permits (circa 1905 to the mid-1940s) list many more specific details about the building--most interestingly, to the building materials and the quality of the land. Blank spaces were left in which the applicant would specify the dimensions of lumber to be used for the foundation, rafters, studs, girders, mudsills, and other components of the building’s frame. The applicant was also asked to list whether they would build an attic or cellar, and how far below ground the builder would dig to pour the foundation footings.
The applicant was also asked to describe the “Character of the soil,” of which their were about seven technical answers: sand, gravel, clay, granite, loam, infill, or stacks. Some people used more abstract language (“very good”) or left the space blank altogether.
Not to mention: the old permits were designed more lavishly, contrasting with the "Times-New-Roman-on-White-Printer-Paper" motif of post-1997 permits. Hey, I guess you have to be pragmatic after a certain point, right?
2) The farther back you look, structural relocations are far more commonplace. There are a few reasons for this, the first of which is economic. Prior to World War II, and especially from the period 1880 to 1930, houses in Los Angeles were often owner-built, even by the owner themselves. People coming to Los Angeles from all over the country and the globe took great pride in the homes they had built, or that they had built for them.
Plus, the lumber used to built these structures was all old-growth hardwood. It was good, strong, expensive stuff—sure to last you a thousand years if you take care of it. If the original owners lived long enough, they would have rather MOVED their houses, instead of just switching houses. Furthermore, homes retained their real value in the period pre-1940; the lavish homes of MacArthur Park, Bunker Hill, and West Adams only fell from favor after the post-War period, when many old-time Angelenos suburbanized and the housing they once occupied became considered "old housing stock." Sadly, countless numbers of these beautiful, often stately homes bit the dust during the CRA redevelopment era.
Above: Prior to the 1916 construction of the block-long buildings comprising the LA Union Terminal Buildings, the Central Avenue Market, and later, the American Apparel Building, ten homeowners in the 700 block of South Central Avenue, who were from all over the world, all opted to moved their buildings further south into the east side of South Central. Note the diverse surnames: Emery, Vitagliano, Wersenheiser, and Trestle. (Source: LADBS)
The second reason relocations were more common earlier on is because their were fewer economic interruptions associated with moving a house. For one thing, there was not as much traffic that would be held up due to the day- (or days-) long moving process. Also, the built environment was to a considerably less extent than it is now, which meant fewer obstructions and more possible routes that could be taken. Critically, more vacant (and relatively cheap) land was available, further making the relocation process more economically viable--and viable in general. The scarcity of empty land post-1970 is precisely the reason relocations became less common.
Finally, relocations have become much more expensive, due to a combination of the above-mentioned factors.
3) There is an influx of permits during the 1910s and 1920s because of the development boom that occurred during this period. To this day, 1923 remains the year in which more building permits were granted than any other year in the city's history.
There are also surges in permits during 1933, 1971, 1987, and 1994 because…anybody? Earthquakes. Similar surges occur throughout the mid-1960s and late-1980s because of the Parapet Correction Ordinance and the Division 88 Program, respectively, which were both safety regulations passed by the City. 1992 to 1995 saw a rise in demolition permits, following the LA Riots.
4.) In an era where owners and builders were concerned with creating more sanitary and humane housing, many residential areas in Los Angeles were planned with lot setbacks. Accordingly, construction permits pre-World War II made clear distinctions as to the front and rear of a lot. Question number 8 asked the applicant to specify the building’s orientation upon the lot. Many upscale American neighborhoods of the late 19th and early 20th century required particularly large front-lot setbacks. Later on, this practice enabled some landowners to build commercial space in front of their residential space or, alternately, move another building onto the front of the lot.
Above: Is anybody else amused at how that "e" word didnt mean the same thing back then as it does now? (Source: LADBS)
5) The year of the dragon, the year of the dog, the year of the horse. In Los Angeles, the Year of the Demolition was the period between 1955 and 1970. This was when the Community Redevelopment Agency wreaked most of its havoc.
7 Comments
Victor R
3/15/2019 08:03:40 pm
I remember as a kid in the sixties seeing houses being moved. I remember it being pretty common. I learned just in the last few years, thanks to LADBS, that the first family home I remember, a rental, had been moved in the mid fifties from Highland Park (Malta St.off Ave 50) to where we lived on Marmion Way between W Ave 42 and W Ave 43.
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4/22/2019 12:22:44 am
VICTOR!!
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Guy
6/15/2020 04:33:25 am
I took some architectural and code enforcement courses and must say your website is very interesting and provides a lot of information. I wish though you had a pdf for offline consumption.
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1/21/2023 02:21:48 pm
Hello, Guy!
Victor R
4/22/2019 03:22:49 pm
Hey man... I just did a brief scan of "Bunker Hill in the Rearview Mirror" and it appears both "The Castle" and "The Saltbox" were moved to Heritage Square and both were torched in that arson fire. I have a sub to newspapers.com and the day in infamy was Oct 9, 1969. Bunker Hill, RIP..
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3/19/2020 10:50:59 am
I have accepted now (following a number of conversations) that New Depot Street was probably not considered part of Bunker Hill back then. You might just consider it the northern part of Chinatown. Figueroa Terrace and College Street by that time were already home to Italian and Chinese immigrants. Still, the two turn-of-the-century cottages in the 800 block of New Depot Street are some of the oldest remaining homes in that immediate area.
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12/1/2023 08:39:30 am
A foreigner can obtain a short-term residence permit even if he owns the residence jointly or jointly. If the jointly owned owners are not family members of the foreigner applying for a residence permit, only one of the owners can apply for a residence permit by purchasing real estate. It is possible for other owners to apply for other types of residence permits if they are foreigners and want to reside in Turkey.
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