The dangerous fire situation unfolding on the ground across Los Angeles has captured the attention of Archinect as we try to keep on top of potential damage to homes, businesses, and historic structures in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena, which is also our home.
What appears on track to be the greatest single natural disaster in terms of residential structures burned (at this hour the minimum number is being reported at around 1,000 by the LA Times) is, of course, going to affect much of the historic architecture that has granted the city its cultural identity in ways that are almost impossible to recount or recover.
In the Palisades Fire’s crosshair are many Richard Neutra designs, including his Case Study House #20 and Hees House from 1950. Several important Cliff May designs, the Eames House, and the beloved Getty Villa exist there as well. In Altadena/Pasadena, many quintessential Greene & Greene buildings—including the Gamble House—and the Huntington Library are currently under threat as the Eaton Fire moves south along the 210 Freeway.
A tremendous gratitude is owed to the courageous men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department who have been fighting bravely to protect lives and property throughout the night and into this afternoon.
We will continue to update this post with critical information as soon as it can be verified by social media, city officials, or other sources.
Until then, here’s a note from the Los Angeles Conservancy’s President & CEO Adrian Scott Fine:
"We don’t have a lot of details so far, though it appears iconic historic places and landmarks such as the Eames House are still standing but are still very much at risk as the fires are unpredictable with the heavy winds still. We know we’ve already lost historic legacy businesses and inevitably other architecturally significant places also but don’t have many details yet. As you know, this is changing minute to minute and we’re working to gather information. It’s all so devastating for Los Angeles and all Angelenos, our historic built heritage, and those directly impacted."
UPDATES:
Updated 12:28 pm PST on January 14: The iconic Will Rogers ranch house, among other structures at the Will Rogers State Historic Park, has been lost.
Update 4:17 pm PST on January 10: The Eames House appears to be declared safe as of late this morning according to the Eames Foundation.
Update 12:30 pm PST on January 10: Ray Kappe's 1991 Keeler House in the Pacific Palisades, a historic structure we covered the listing of in 2023, appears to have been lost due to fire though reports are unconfirmed.
Update 10:20 am PST on January 10: The Episcopal Parish of St. Matthew in Pacific Palisades reports that its Moore Ruble Yudell-designed church complex has remained "intact with minimal damage."
Update 3:00 pm PST on January 9: The Pacific Palisades-based artist residence Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann House have released a statement that the historic building complex appears to have withstood the fires.
Update 7:00 pm PST on January 8: Gladstones Restaurant, which Frank Gehry had been attached to design a Wolfgang Puck-led makeover for, appears to be completely engulfed by flames.
Update 4:25 pm PST on January 8: Hyperallergic is reporting the loss of the historic Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, an 84-year-old Mission Revival style building and home of the only Jewish day and pre-schools in the San Gabriel Valley according to other sources.
Update 2:19 pm PST on January 8: Charles Moore's Palisades Branch Library is a complete loss.
Update 9:50 am PST on January 8: The Getty Center in Brentwood will remain closed through the weekend.
Update 9:50 am PST on January 8: The Getty Museum is reporting that the Getty Villa has not suffered significant damage after experiencing a brush fire on Tuesday.
Update 11:20 am PST on January 8: The Eames Foundation is monitoring the situation at the Case Study House 8 but reports no losses at this time.
This is a developing story.
33 Comments
This is an absolutely horrific situation from what I’m seeing in news and online. I feel as stressed about this disaster as I did about hurricane Katrina, and I’m so fearful for everyone.
Yes, very devastating. We personally know 3 who've lost their homes in the Eaton fire, and about 10-12 more, through friends.
I can’t even count how many friends and colleagues whose homes and businesses are burning. This is the last thing that the city needed and even those who don’t lose property will feel the impact from the many lost natural areas and cultural institutions.
I hope you're OK someolddoctor.
This is scarry.
Thanks Odd, yeah this is scary and numbing
We still don't know the extent of the damage. Although the winds have subsided, entire hillsides of Los Angeles County act like natural chimneys. We have been living in full alert, with our bags ready to bolt out in a minute's evacuation notice, as we live between two major fires only a single-digit miles away. Some guy was crazy enough to videotape this..
Stay safe, Orhan! I know you live just down the road from me, and it's still pretty scary.
you guys too Alex. You guys must have evacuated to a friend's.
Yes, we evacuated to a hotel last night to escape harm's way.
we are riding it here. tomorrow the inflatable bed for the car is arriving. a short road trip maybe...
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I can't imagine what you all must be going through. I hope we turn this disaster into a Marshall Plan were we work toward mitigating the worst of climate change. This is an all hands on deck moment regardless of political differences.
The LA fires are not a climate change issue. They are a catastrophe caused by incredibly irresponsible policy choices at the state and local levels.
That's a great definition of climate change though. Nice job.
are you saying no rain for 8 months is a political choice? pfffff.....parroting the orangeone already.
Not limiting ground water use for the Central Valley until a few years ago is a political choice, yes. Building the aqueduct beyond LA's water demands to spur development was a political choice. We've been choosing how to live here for a few hundred years. That's politics. The drought is a result of that. Just a few examples. I don't think DT would agree with this assessment though...
Ah, keep thinking of examples. My mom couldn't see the San Gabriel Mountains growing up on the west side because the smog was so heavy. These days, I see them every morning commute because of emissions regulations. Weather is politics, yes.
it's mostly corruption more than actual policy, reminds me of the chinatown movie.
I don’t understand why this can’t be both an issue of climate change and policy
gwharton this may not be climate change related per se (indeed, fires have been happening in this region since the Tongwas). However climate change has definitely exacerbated the effects.
LA is famously an ecology of fear (famously coined by Mike Davis) - Earthquakes, Fire, the LAPD - but everyone wants to live here (myself included). The strain on the environment is severe and its hard to see what kind of political will can reign back the promise of Hollywood (and the West).
Don't forget "The Case for Letting Malibu Burn" in Ecology of Fear.
Maybe the arsonist they've arrested for starting the Kenneth Fire's gang name is "Climate Change."
Janosh, I agree, kind of the point I was making. They're related.
gwharton I see your racist jibe.
Pointing out that the fires were intentionally set is racism now? Wow. Amazing. Is there anything racism can't do?
gwharton, I know your jab was at the "arsonist" they arrested, in your own words. If you want to be a racist, please be openly so. In other news, Mexico is also sending a whole troop of fire fighters to help.
All you guys take care.
There are many causes for these fires, but extreme weather conditions are the result of the earth being sick, much like one's body after ingesting toxins. Along with weening off of carbon emitting fuels, we should ween off of automobile oriented sprawl when the infrastructure required is not sustainable. Insurance companies are doing the math. I assume LA's ambitious public transit initiatives will take that into account as well.
https://www.theatlantic.com/id...
Zorthian Ranch is gone…
I saw this from a bunch of my artist friends, didn't know it was an architecture circle thing too. Tragic.
There is too many wake up calls on where to take action. When we are at the eve of destruction, personal accountability should be addressed.
What is your carbon footprint (energy/ travel/ product purchasing)? How much are we recycling that are being recycled? How much are you invested in your own community in promoting sustainable practices? How much is waste is created in your own household or workspace? All these things should be on our collective conscious minds.
When we are experiencing catastrophic events in just this decade, signs are not looking positive. The architectural community needs to reflect on where we are at and what to do in terms of creating self-sustaining buildings, communities (planning) and building connections with your neighbor and our humanity, no matter of political affiliations.
These events (fires, floods, landslides, hurricanes, unprecedented storms, etc.) are happening worldwide.
Sam Lubell wrote a summary of architectural icons lost to the fires for NY times - it was published yesterday I believe.
I heard today that the historic / iconic Deodor Cedars on Christmas Tree Lane have survived, along with the Bass House Case Study Home #20 by Buff Strain & Hensman (located in the same street) have survived. The source is an architect who knows the owner. So some happy news.
But the losses in Altadena are tremendous.
Another sad side of this is how much the local news is not giving air time to Altadena with its African American, Latino, working-class, artists, and lower to mid-middle-class populations whose homes, city block after city block burned to ashes.
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