Enraged over Neutra Demo - Page 2

In recent years, "the recession greatly hindered the progress in preservation," observes a statement at LAConservancy.org. "While the [Los Angeles] Conservancy saw some improvement between 2003 and 2008, in [recent] years, progress in preservation programs had slowed throughout the county."

"There are a number of protective mechanisms in place that do help discourage teardowns: landmarking, establishing historic districts," says Biondo, a member of the Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone Board. The group is currently working to establish three such zones in the San Fernando Valley, including the Balboa Highlands tract of Eichlers in Granada Hills.

After the Chuey House was marketed in August as a "unique development opportunity," the L.A. Conservancy applied to have it listed as a Historic-Cultural Monument. The application was withdrawn in mid-January, says the organization website, explaining, "We decided that the possibility for a preservation solution was greater if we withdrew the nomination and worked with the owners to consider a win-win outcome."

Alas, such an outcome is no longer possible for the Largent House, the owners of which were issued a belated Notice of Abatement following a hearing Feb. 6. Information about possible fines was unavailable at press time, and although San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin fumed to the San Francisco Chronicle that its destruction belies an attitude that "nothing is sacred" to developers, his chief of staff told us recently that there is "nothing to report" about possible sanctions or solutions to the problem.

"I think Howard Hopwood's response/example is maybe the best: Require that it be rebuilt, but incorporating latest code requirements that can be done without affecting appearance," Dion Neutra declared on the Facebook string. "We should track the rebuilding of that pub!"

And we raise a pint to that.