Lincoln Place Eligible for the National Register
The California State Commission on Historic
Resources, Feb. 7, found Lincoln Place to be eligible for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places. The author of the nomination is Amanda
Seward, chair of the housing section of the Modern Committee of the Los Angeles
Conservancy, and resident of another historic neighborhood, the Gregory Ain
tract in Mar Vista.
Of course, the Lincoln Place Tenants
Association (LPTA) supported the nomination, which validated what the tenants
had always known: that Lincoln Place by its very design encourages community
among its residents, and provides at 24 units per acre the “elegant
density” and rich mix of residents that make Lincoln Place such a good
place to live.
Testimony at the hearing
in Sacramento included interviews with family members of the architects and
some people who were involved in the design of the complex. One such person was
fresh out of high school when he was employed as a draftsman by the firm of
Wharton and Vaughn, designers of Lincoln Place. That draftsman is now an
architect in his own right, and shared many memories and insights into the care
and thoughtfulness which make Lincoln Place one of the best-designed communities
of its era.
Eligibility for the
National Register will have an impact on the lawsuit being conducted by LPTA
against the City of LA. The lawsuit arises from the City Council's decision of
November 20, 2002, to grant the owner of Lincoln Place a subdivision to demolish
and redevelop the property. The landlord's plan for Lincoln Place is bad for
both the natural environment and the human environment for reasons involving
traffic and air quality, open space, and
toxics.
But with the decision in
Sacramento finding Lincoln Place eligible for listing in the National Register,
it is especially evident that the owner's plan endangers a historic resource
that is not adequately documented or discussed in the eight- year-old
environmental impact report (EIR) for the owner's plan, upon which the City
based its decision of November 20, 2002, granting the owner his
subdivision.
This is one reason the
tenants believe they will be successful in getting the City to set aside its
decision to grant the owner's subdivision, and make a new decision based upon a
supplemental EIR which adequately assesses the worth of Lincoln Place as a
historic resource.
Posted: Sat
- March 1, 2003 at 06:42 PM