Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/71905
L astpage W a city of great neighborhoods. Just slightly off the beaten path, in communities throughout the city, are remarkably intact historic neighborhoods. Recognizing the need to identify and protect neighborhoodswith distinct architectural and cultural resources, the City developed a programofHistoric PreservationOverlay Zones (HPOZs).HPOZs, commonly known as historic districts, provide for review of proposed exterior alterations and additions to historic properties within designated districts. The City Council adopted the ordinance enabling the creation ofHPOZs in1979and today there are 29 such historic districts withmanymore under consideration. These areas range in size from neighborhoods of approximately 50 parcels to more than 3,000 properties. While most districts are primarily residential,many have amix of single-family andmulti-family housing, and some include com- mercial and industrial properties. Individual buildings in an HPOZ need not be of land- mark quality on their own: it is the collection of a cohesive, unique, and intact collection of historic resources that qualifies a neighbor- hood for HPOZ status. Themost recently Hollywood Grove is Los Angeles' newest designated Historic District (HPOZ). designated historic dis- trict (HPOZ) in Holly- wood is the Hollywood Grove, a small neighborhood of 139 craftsman, colonial and Mediterranean style homes dating from the early 1900's. It stands out as a strong indication of what a typical residential subdivision once looked like in the Hollywood community nearly 100 years ago. Wide front yards with lush landscaping, front porches that embrace the sun, and views of rollingmountains and the ubiquitousHollywood Signmake this an indelible part of Los Angeles' history. Originally planted with citrus and avocado groves,many of these homes were built for the grovemanagers and their families. And while change has come to many other neighborhoods of Hollywood, these historic homes bounded by Canyon Drive and Western, Franklin to Foothill remain re- markably intact to this day! One of the largest designated HPOZ's in the area Hancock Park is located in the eastern portion of the original Rancho La Brea area, was purchased by Major Henry Hancock in 1863. The residential subdivision of Hancock Park was developed by 62 DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD / SUMMER 2012 A beautifully restored Hollywood Grove interior. Discover Hollywood Special Commentary The Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs) hilemany outsidersmay viewLos Angeles as an imposingmegalopolis, it is truly Major Hancock's son, G. Allan Hancock, in the 1920s. The vastmajority of the residences are set back50feet fromthe street, as insisted upon byG. AllanHancock, and include side driveways generally leading though a porte cochere to a rear garage. Past prominentHancock Park residents have includedmillionaireHowardHughes, entertainersMaeWest andNat King Cole, Broadway Department Storemagnate Arthur Letts, Jr., and architectWilliamPereira. Melrose Hill HPOZ is a small gemof a neighborhood that illustrates why Los Angeles is known as "the bungalow capital of the world." The 45 modest single-family homes of this tree-shaded community were built between 1911 and 1926, at the height of the popularity of the California bungalow. Whitley Heights is located in Hollywood, east of the Hollywood Bowl, occupying an area of lush hilly terrain to the north of Franklin Avenue.H.W.Whitley,who also helped develop Reseda, Van Nuys, and Hollywood, consideredWhitley Heights his "crowning achievement." Themajority of the residences recreated the ambiance of aMediterranean village. The beauty and seclusion of Whitley Heights' architecture and terrain quickly made it the home of Holly- wood's elite: Rudolph Valentino, Tyrone Power,Gloria Swanson, Rosalind Russell, Judy Garland, and Marlene Dietrich all called it home. Whitley Heights Historic District is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Historic preservation is not just about regulations that prevent inappropriate change to historic resources. Successful historic preservation programs alsomake available positive incentives, pro- viding property owners financial and technical tools that help give newlife to historic properties. Economic incentives are available to historic preservation projects at the local, state and federal levels. TheHistorical Property Contract (Mills Act) Programprovides property tax abatement to qualified properties. The Federal government offers rehabilitation tax credits to qualified projects and properties. Residential homeowners also find that property values increase when historic preservation standards are used in rehabilitating their homes. Technical incentives are those that allow flexibility in restoring a historic building. These structures are often made of older materials that can be re- habilitated to increase their use- ful lifespan. Historic structures also require innovative solutions to improve energy efficiency. The California Historical Build- ing Code is a performance- based code that recognizes older buildings often have additional needs in meeting fire and life safety requirements.DH