It's a shame old houses like this are being demolished. built in 1902 in Los Angeles. (see pictures)

[IcyPeas]

looks like it was sold for $1,045,000 on Feb 25, 2021. The inside looks pretty new. see pictures in the Redfin link.

The Google Street view still shows the house that used to be next door where the new white box now stands (see picture below).

Steps from Alvarado Terrace, the eclectic 1902 mansion at 1500 Arapahoe will be demolished for a duplex and four car garage. A city that fails to call out something this lovely as worthy of protection is a joke.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Angeles/1500-Arapahoe-St-90006/home/6896700

Link to tweet

[MLAA]

1. A crying shame it is not protected.

[Deuxcents]

2. They do that here, too. Tear down the charm for some sterile building

[msongs]

3. a house like that can be moved to a new location owned by someone who loves it nt

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

4. spent time in a similar Los Angeles house - beautiful large home bookended by apartment bldg

home was being used as a non profit center. beautiful home. Problem, surrounding apartment windows looked down on every square inch of backyard, front yard and windows. Owner allowed non profit to use it for free. I'm sure if they sold it, it would be knocked down to build an apartment building. I can't imagine it would be coveted as a single home.

[Emile]

5. Looks like a fairy tale house.

[SCantiGOP]

6. It really surprises me that this was allowed

I had a niece who got married a few years ago in Loveland, CO, which is about an hour north of Denver. The venue originally had been a very rich family's home, and it was on the National Historic Register because it was built in the early 1900's.

[Sanity Claws]

7. Nice old Victorian style house

Wood exterior. Usually they don't have large windows to let in lots of sun. Maybe that is good in a sunny climate. It is probably not well-insulated but that may not be important in LA.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. I'm guessing that's what direction Second Empire took in CA at the time

Amazing movie studios wouldn't want it. It looks in good shape, but who knows. The cost of maintenance and repair of old structures is through the roof.

[FakeNoose]

9. People who buy these places have no intention of living there

Investing in the location only, not the building. Doesn't care about the neighborhood or the local municipality. It's too late to set up zoning against apartments and multi-family housing because they're already there on the same street.

I agree it is a shame to lose these architectural jewels.

[walkingman]

10. Old buildings are our national heritage. I think the reason so many old and unique

buildings are torn down is because of the lack of pride in our past history.

[enid602]

11. Densely populated

This house is in Koreatown, the most densely populated neighborhood in the nation’s most densely populated urban area. I suspect the Los Ángeles Conservancy would move it to one of the historic areas, if it were deemed of significant historical interest. You have to take the condition of the house into account as well.

[Raine]

12. Awful 💔 it makes me literally sick. 😪 nt

[JI7]

13. It looks nice from outside but I would want all the modern things

when it comes to actually living inside.

I'm guessing it's not in very good condition.

[Bev54]

25. You should click on the link to look at the pictures of the interior

All very modern and quite nice.

[JI7]

35. ok, looks to be in ok condition. I would want to change some things

but yes, I don't think it is so bad that it requires tearing down the building .

The only way to deal with this would be to pass a law which prevents people from tearing it down.

[LakeArenal]

14. Reminds me of ISIS. Tear it all down.

[slightlv]

15. Someone above says it looks like a Fairy Tale house...

I just said the same thing to my husband! You "exist" in the house to the house on the left of it. You LIVE in this house. One has no soul, no character. This house has it all. Such a shame, and that doesn't come close to how I feel.

[sinkingfeeling]

16. I had a covenant put on the deed of the 162 year old house I sold in 2020. According to the

appraisers, that cost me around $250,000, but the house and its 1.7 acres is safe for a while. I spent a small fortune and 25 years restoring it.

[chowder66]

17. A beautiful craftsman was demolished across the street from me and a condo type modern

block style building was put up with a communal kitchen. It was a very nice well kept home. Couldn't believe it when it happened.

[Mosby]

18. It sold a while ago.

How does he know it's being torn down?

This is the parcel:

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Angeles/1500-Arapahoe-St-90006/home/6896700

[PlanetBev]

21. I took a virtual tour on Zillow

The site features 42 photos. It’s been totally updated and modernized inside. That said, I don’t know about the structural integrity. Still, it’s a beautiful example of the architecture of that era.
Inl wish it could be saved.

[TNNurse]

22. A town with no soul, just like the GOP.

Yes, I know there is a Dem as mayor, but she is too late for this one.

[not fooled]

23. That's what legalized (and other) bribery is for

Campaign contributions, other considerations buy developers the right to do this.

I've become convinced that developers actually run most jurisdictions, from small towns to big cities. And that they would score high on the sociopathy scale.

[Warpy]

24. It looks like 2 apartments, already

so I imagine the big "improvement" will be living space for cars.

That's what happens to delightfully quaint areas, yuppies move in, drive up the prices, drive out the quirky businesses that brought them there, and finally sell to a developer because the land is worth more than the lovely old house that sits on it. Ten years later, it's a slumscape because nobody human wants to live there any more. Cars will like it.

[Lonestarblue]

26. One of the things I love about so many places in Europe is that they preserve their heritage.

We too often tear down beautiful buildings like this for an ugly strip mall or a square box surrounded by concrete—buildings no one wants to see now, much less a hundred years from now.

[Rhiannon12866]

29. That struck me, too - in places like Ireland and England there are centuries-old-buildings

Still in use and people still live in them! Same with the former USSR where I've also been. The Kremlin was built by Italian artisans at about the time that Columbus was supposed to have "discovered America." Peter the Great's buildings from the early 1700s are still standing and preserved. When the Germans reduced one of them to rubble in the early '40s, they meticulously rebuilt it using the original plans. I even visited a 9th-century church, not in great shape, but no one suggested tearing it down. And then there's Italy...

[IcyPeas]

39. Yes, Venice, Italy

I went there once and we took a tour on the Grand Canal. It blew my mind to hear how old some of those gorgeous buildings are. I kept saying to myself the United States didn't even exist when these were built, almost couldn't get my head around that.

[Rhiannon12866]

27. They don't make them like that anymore. *sigh*

[Emile]

40. You might like this new house!

https://www.monsterhouseplans.com/house-plans/craftsman-style/1421-sq-ft-home-1-story-3-bedroom-2-bath-house-plans-plan61-111/

My wife is in love with this story book house!

[LuckyCharms]

28. This look like a wonderful home.

A few things I would do, and one thing that I noticed.

I would rip out every square inch of that ceramic floor tile and replace it with a pre-finished hardwood, except for the tiles in the bathrooms, which I would replace with luxury vinyl.

One thing I noticed is how the room sizes are distorted by a wide angle lens used in the interior shots.

Take a look at the inside shot of the front door...appears to be wayyyy over-width. Same with the staircase, same with the stove.

Lovely home. Good bones.

[Luciferous]

36. Yeah, those tile floors are awful

[PlanetBev]

30. That's what I like about Pasadena

You better have a damn good reason to tear down an old house. They respect and honor their history.

[Kennah]

31. Old concrete buildings often have to come down. Rehabbing is too expensive.

But wood framed homes can be modernized with new electric, plumbing, insulation, and retain the old charm.

[Xolodno]

32. Can't have it both ways.

High density housing is desperately needed. Some eggs need to be broken to make an omelet.

Top it off, they have been repurposing old warehouses, buildings, etc. for more housing, but that only goes so far.

There are historical places being preserved, but where do you draw the line? Affordable housing vs. preserving a unique old building.

[JI7]

34. Isn't this going to be the same thing though ?

And remain a single house ?

[Lancero]

33. Asbestos and lead paint. Looks pretty, if you're to chance the lung cancer.

New coat of paint and pretty flooring won't fix that, but it's a pretty cheap way to prep a house if you want to offload it to some sucker who can't see beyond the paint. Well, assuming someone else doesn't snap it up just for the land.

[LuckyCharms]

37. The walls look in excellent condition, so if

Last edited Sun Jan 8, 2023, 04:26 AM - Edit history (2)

the original paint is indeed lead based, it's not going to cause any problems unless it is disturbed via demolition, in which case, mitigation factors would have to be employed. Pretty much every home built before 1978 has lead paint unless remodeling occurred subsequent to 1978. There are many many homes built before 1978 that are sold and lived in safely.

The original walls have either been painted over completely or more likely, replaced with new sheetrock and new paint. I'm assuming this because it appears that extensive remodeling has already been done on the home considering the modern flooring and the overall apparent condition of the home. Those walls do not look like plaster and lath to me, which would have been typical for a home built in 1902. Instead, they look like modern sheetrock with fresh paint.

I doubt that there is any at all friable asbestos in the home that is unsafe or not self contained, considering that problem would have to have been mitigated before the previous sale of the home.

That home has been well cared for, has been extensively remodeled, and would have had to pass a safety inspection prior to the previous sale.

[UpInArms]

38. If you look through the pictures

You will see there are two kitchens … this house has already been divided and whatever historical significance it had is gone …