The effort to save the Norton Avenue Bungalow Court ended this week with the demolition of all the structures at 412-420 and 424-430 N. Norton Avenue.
The developer, Wiseman Residential, is planning to build a 52-unit building to replace the historic bungalow court. Wiseman is currently working on several other projects in the neighborhood, according to people familiar with the developer, who had been trying to save the Norton bungalows.
Below are photos of a recent project by Wiseman Residential in the Mid City West area, for which a pair of small French Normandy buildings were demolished and replaced with new apartments…which may give some indication of what is likely to replace the bungalow court.
Preservationists say a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) would likely have protected the Norton Bungalows or at least required the replacement project to be designed to appear more similar to the historic architecture in the neighborhood. Residents in the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association are working on securing an HPOZ for the neighborhood.
These developers are deplorable, continuing to replace historic buildings that have architectural
distinction with cheap, ugly boxes just to make a buck.
Correction: the Hayworth properties mentioned are in Mid City West, not West Hollywood
Thanks, Scott – we made the correction!
I agree with Mike. I purchase a condo and lived in it for 7 years in one of Wiseman buildings. They hire terrible contractors who use cheap materials. For example, in our building they use cheap pipes from China that had fine pinholes resulting in a plumbing leaks WEEKLY! They also did not waterproof the front planters correctly and water seeped into the garages, again, resulting in extremely costly repairs to the owners. I have a friend who lived in another one of their buildings and had similar problems. Beware! DO NOT BUY INTO A WISEMAN BUILDING!!!!
The lack of appreciation for what little history L.A. has left is heartbreaking. How is this happening?
The zoning changes are devastating what we know of LA. and the developers have to be paying someone off. Is there a plan here that has not been shared with us? Gentrification and restoration is not an option and there’s no saving these whole neighborhoods once someone builds a monstrosity like that in the middle of the block.