Every neighborhood in Los Angeles is special, of course. How architecture, topography, and light change as you move between them is one of this city’s most endearing magic tracks. Hundreds of cities, sprawled across one.
And yet, Altadena and Pacific Palisades are especially unique. Their long histories have shaped L.A., from the thriving Black community that emerged in Altadena amidst racist redlining, to the Palisades’ early settlement in the rural Santa Monica Mountains, expanding the city’s horizons forever.
You could feel these histories, the generations and stories past, because you could see them. A walk through the streets of Pacific Palisades and Altadena yielded a century’s worth of architecture, including some of the most historic buildings and homes in the city.
It’s one of the innumerable tragedies of the Eaton and Palisades Fires, that most of them are now gone. By last count, the fires destroyed four entries on the National Historic Register, along with a litany of other landmarks. Here’s a running tally.
The Andrew McNally House
Altadena
This Queen Anne-style mansion was one of the largest and most beautiful homes in Altadena for nearly 150 years. Built in 1887 by Chicago publishing tycoon Andrew McNally, the 22-room residence featured Victorian elements with influences from across the world, including a famed Turkish Room. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The current owners told the Pasadena Star-News the home burnt down on the early morning of January 8, along with everything they owned.
Business Block Building
Pacific Palisades
Perhaps Pacific Palisades’ most defining architectural feature, this Spanish Colonial Revival building was the heart of the city’s downtown for more than 100 years. Built in 1924, the Business Block Building survived through years of natural disasters.
Even more impressive, it survived developers. In 1982, a proposal to replace the building with a modern shopping center was met with community outrage, with the City Council swiftly scuttling the plans. Soon afterwards, the City of Los Angeles classified it as a Historic Cultural Monument.
The mixed-use building has been home to numerous landmark Pacific Palisades businesses over the years, and included the Casa Nostra restaurant, a Starbucks and a bank, when it burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire.
Gregory Ain’s Park Planned Homes
Altadena
In 1948, architect Gregory Ain unveiled an exciting experiment in affordable housing, high up in the San Gabriel Mountains. Called the Park Planned Homes, Ain’s project comprised 28 design-forward homes that were prefabricated, making them significantly more cost-effective than traditional construction. The homes included luxurious mid-century design features like glass walls and interior courtyard, but were priced for working families.
The community had continued to thrive in the nearly 80 years since. However, reports indicate the Eaton fire destroyed 21 of the houses.
Zane Grey Estate
Altadena
This landmark property was the first fire-resistant home in Altadena when it was built in 1907. Constructed for manufacturer Arthur Herbert Woodward, whose wife Edith was a survivor of Chicago’s Iroquois Theatre Fire, the grand Mediterranean Revival style home was made entirely of reinforced concrete.
Nearly a century and a quarter later, the Eaton fire left the home in ashes. By that time it had taken the title of its longtime owner, author Zane Grey, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Topanga Ranch Motel
Malibu
This Malibu motel has one of the most storied pasts in Los Angeles. Built in 1924 as a budget motor court, the Topanga Ranch Motel would later house the construction workers who built Pacific Coast Highway. Later it was purchased by none other than newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who was fond of visiting with his mistress, Marion Davies. Hearst was the one who erected the motel’s trademark bungalows, freckling a flat patch of grass at the basin of the Santa Monica Mountains with the iconic guest houses.
Over time the motel changed hands, and became a hotbed of illegal activity – Charles Manson moved the Manson Family into the bungalows for most of 1968.
The bungalows had sat vacant since 2005, before they were destroyed when the Palisades Fire reached Topanga Canyon.
Keeler House
Pacific Palisades
This striking modernist home in the Pacific Palisades was built in 1990 by architect Ray Kappe, the founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Commissioned by jazz singer Anne Keeler, Kappe utilized innovative cantilever engineering to create a striking multilevel design, with views of the canyons down to the Pacific ocean.
The home is still owned by Keeler, who told the New York Times she was out of town at the time of the Palisades Fire. By the time she returned, it had been destroyed.
“It’s gone,” she said.
Scripps Hall
Altadena
Built in 1904 by William Armiger Scripps, this sprawling mansion was the jewel of Altadena’s “Millionaire’s Row” during the early 20th century. The home is a stunning example of the American Arts and Crafts design movement, designed by noted architect Charles W. Buchanan. In 1999, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Following the Scripps’ departure, the home went on to house the Pasadena Waldorf School, which maintained much of its original detail and exquisite woodworking. Early reports suggest the entire top floor of the school was destroyed in the Eaton Fire.
Will Rogers State Historic Ranch House
Pacific Palisades
Will Rogers started out as a vaudeville performer, and by the 1930s had become Hollywood’s highest-paid actors. With that money, Rogers bought 360 acres of rural land in the Santa Monica Mountains, in what is now Pacific Palisades.
After he died in a plane crash at 55, Rogers’ widow donated their ranch to the state, which opened it to the public a few years later as Will Rogers State Park.
Numerous structures were destroyed at the park during the fire, including its historic stables and the original 31-room ranch house Rogers and his family lived in throughout the 20s and 30s. Designated as a National Historic Landmark, the house had been used as a museum for decades.
Fox’s
Altadena
This old-school family diner was an Altadena icon, sitting on Lake Ave. for 70 years. Opened and run by prominent community members Paul and Edie Fox for decades, the eatery soon became a community hub. In 2018 the diner was bought by chef Paul Rosenbluh, a favorite of Jonathan Gold’s.
The Benedict and Nancy Freedman House
Pacific Palisades
This iconic home in the Pacific Palisades was designed by Richard Neutra, one of the most significant American architects of the last century. An important example of Southern California mid-century modern architecture, the home was built in 1949 for feminist author Nancy Freedman and her husband, the mathematician Benedict Freedman.
The L.A. Conservancy, which announced the destruction of the home in the Palisades Fire, called the Benedict and Nancy Freedman House innovative indoor-outdoor design an “enduring symbol of Neutra’s vision.”
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The destruction of these historic landmarks in Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and beyond is a profound loss, not just for Los Angeles but for the cultural and architectural heritage they represented. These buildings were living testaments to the stories, struggles, and triumphs of the generations who shaped this city. As we mourn their loss, we are reminded of the fragility of history and the importance of preserving what remains.
