LA’s raging wildfires have destroyed prestigious architectural gems across city

The wildfires that have been ravaging Los Angeles for almost a week have destroyed the city’s prestigious architectural gems.

The city is devastated by several fires, the largest of which, the Palisades Fire, is only 13% contained. The second largest fire, the Easton fire, is only 27% contained.

These fires, which have so far burned 37,830 hectares of land, an area more than two and a half times the size of Manhattan, have destroyed 32 structures that conservationists consider historically important.

Experts fear this could be the worst loss of such properties the region has ever suffered.

Historic buildings destroyed include the former home of actor Will Rogers, who built a 31-room, 11-bathroom home in the Palisades, a guest house, a golf course, stables and a corral.

Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, the actor’s great-granddaughter, said in a statement: “The Rogers family is devastated by the loss of the California ranch and the overwhelming loss of the community. Our thoughts go out to all those neighbors who have lost their homes.’

Also destroyed was the Altadena Rabbit Museum, an esoteric collection of nearly irreplaceable depictions of rabbits in the form of porcelain figures, clothing, works of art, and more. The museum, located on Lake Avenue in LA, is believed to have lost 46,000 objects.

Experts told the LA times that the loss of these monuments was doubly frustrating, as many served as beloved community spaces.

“It’s mind-boggling and heartbreaking — I don’t know any other way to put it,” said Ken Bernstein, chief urban planner at Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources.

“This is widespread destruction of important architecture and places cherished in our communities,” he added.

“It’s a massive destruction of heritage,” said Adrian Scott Fine, executive director of the Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation. “We haven’t seen anything like this before.”

“We’re losing these touchstones—physical places in the world that mark our intellectual history,” says Richard Schave, a conservation advocate and co-founder of Esotouric, an LA-based tour company.

Other destroyed buildings include the Zane Gray Estate in Altadena, built by architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Gray in 1907 for Arthur Herbert Woodward, a Chicago business machinery manufacturer.

Author Zane Gray, who wrote Riders of the Purple Sage, purchased the property in 1920 before he and his wife built a 3,500-square-foot addition.

The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was put on the market in 2020 for $4 million, where it was listed as having eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, a commercial kitchen with a 15-foot ceiling , as well as a main kitchen, wine cellar and huge cellar.

Another notable loss was the Andrew McNally house, built by publishing company founder Rand McNally.

It was built in 1887 in the Queen Anne style and was registered on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

It was also home to the world-famous Turkish Room, a richly decorated octagonal room described as ‘one of the most beautiful spaces in the world’.

The Keeler House, built in 1990 by Ray Kappe for jazz singer Anne Keeler, was also destroyed.

The 4,142-square-foot home went on the market last April for $12 million and was designed by the founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Janes Village, a cluster of historic English-style cottages built between 1924 and 1926 by EP Janes, went up in flames.

Janes built at least 270 English- and Spanish-style cottages in the Palisades area, each with six rooms and originally priced to be affordable to the average middle-class income.

The planned homes in Gregory Ain’s Park, a series of 28 mid-century modern homes built as part of a social experiment designed to improve the lives of working families, were also destroyed by the fire.

The area is designed to look like a park without front gardens and continuous green areas.

And the Bridges House on the iconic Sunset Boulevard was also destroyed.

The brutalist house, designed by Robert Bridges, stood on a site on the iconic road.

Bridges is a professor of real estate finance at the USC Marshall School of Business, where he is professor emeritus.

Conservationists said they expected more and more of these types of challenges in the near future, with the inexorable march toward climate disaster.

Bernstein said, “The essential threat to historic preservation of the 20th century was symbolized by the bulldozer that demolished individual historic structures or communities for urban renewal. Nowadays it is the extreme climate event.

“Wildfires, sea level rise and extreme winds do not pose an increasing threat, but a constant threat of widespread destruction of our most cherished historical and architectural landmarks.”

Last night the death toll rose to 24 and locals were warned to brace for ‘life-threatening’ winds that could fan the fires.

“The overall duration of this doesn’t look good,” meteorologist Rose Schoenfield warned.

The weather is expected to contribute to another period of dangerous and potentially extreme fire conditions, which could worsen already burning fires and cause more new ones to emerge.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said, “It’s very important that the community understands that these wind events are coming.”

These conditions have prompted a red flag warning until 6pm on Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said authorities will not consider allowing displaced residents to return home until the warning is lifted.

Authorities have yet to confirm what caused the fire but have vowed to conduct a thorough investigation and warn the public.