Etan Does LA 214-219: Whole Bunch o’ Bungalow Courts, pt. 3 (Pasadena) | Los Angeles history

National Register visits 214-219: Whole Bunch o’ Bungalow Courts, pt. 3 📍Pasadena

The bungalow court is a type of multi-family housing that flourished in LA between 1910-1930, especially in Pasadena. For this third batch in my exploration of all 30 Pasadena courts on the National Register of Historic Places, I joined up with Andrew Salimian, former Preservation Director at @pasadenaheritage (he recently joined @laconservancy as their Director of Advocacy).

We investigated the six courts clustered around historic S. Marengo Avenue. It’s a unique area, in that a stretch of it was rezoned in the ‘80s to allow old homes to be converted into businesses. You can still see the impact of this change today, in the many law firms and CPAs housed in well-kept craftsman houses up and down the street. And also at Bryan Court, where seven small residential units are now small offices for therapists, estheticians and holistic medicine practitioners.

Bryan Court 📍427 S. Marengo Avenue
Cottage Court 📍642-654 S. Marengo Avenue
Court at 744-756 1/2 S. Marengo Avenue
Don Carlos Court 📍374-386 S. Marengo Avenue
Marengo Gardens 📍982, 986, 990 S. Marengo Avenue & 221-241 Ohio Street
Sara-Thel Court 📍618-630 S. Marengo Avenue

I'm visiting all 600+ LA landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. Read more about this one and many more at EtanDoesLA.com: https://etandoesla.com/214-219-whole-...

PS: Could the bungalow court make a comeback??? In March 2024, the LA City Planning department released its Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) ordinance, which includes incentives for developers of “low scale/low rise” housing along “certain major street corridors.” The idea is to address the gap between single-family homes and apartment complexes, as one tactic for easing the affordable housing crisis. Bungalow courts fit right in that middle ground. More news as it comes…

#pasadena #architecture #bungalowcourt #craftsman #spanishcolonial #historicpreservation #oldbuildings #losangeles #lahistory