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Conservancy Nominates Landmark and Historic District for Designation
The Conservancy has nominated a residence and a group of cottages for landmark and historic district designation respectively.
Woodacres Estate
The Parkinson house. Photo: Stephen Gee
The historic residence is that of famed architect John Parkinson, one of the most prolific, masterful, and influential architects of Los Angeles. He designed the 1896 Homer Laughlin Building (Grand Central Market), the city’s first high-rise at 4th and Spring Streets (Braly Block) in 1904, as well as many commercial office buildings downtown in Beaux-Arts and Art Deco styles. Highlights of his career include the Alexandria Hotel, the Los Angeles Coliseum, the USC campus, L.A. City Hall (in collaboration with others), Bullocks Wilshire and Union Station (his last work).
Parkinson, a native of England, traveled to the U.S. with only a toolbox and five dollars and settled in Napa where he worked as a stair builder, taking on architectural commissions in his spare time. In 1889, he moved to Seattle but when his real estate investments soured and construction slowed during a severe national depression, Parkinson moved to Los Angeles and opened his architecture office in 1894.
Parkinson purchased 22 acres north of San Vicente Boulevard from the Santa Monica Land and Water Company. In 1920, he built Woodacres, his two-story Italian Renaissance-style home where he lived until his death in 1935.
4th Street Corner Historic District
On five parcels at the corner of 4th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, development was triggered when Ocean Park Boulevard opened as a thoroughfare to Los Angeles in December 1917. The proposed district includes intact examples of the final build-out of the Ocean Park neighborhood representing late Victorian Cottage, Craftsman, and Mission Revival styles.
Thanks to the Advocacy Committee for its work on these nominations. David Kaplan brought the Parkinson house to our attention and Ruthann Lehrer and Roberta O’Donnell prepared the application. Nina Fresco prepared the historic district application.