Santa Monica Property Blog

LEGACY ASSETS

LOS ANGELES SHOULD SELL OFF BLIGHTED LEGACY ASSETS

By Jodi Summers

Welcome to the Breed St. Shul in Boyle Heights. From 1915 to 1951 it was the largest Jewish Orthodox synagogue in the western United States, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000, the City of Los Angeles quitclaimed the property to Breed Street Shul Project, Inc., a subsidiary of the Jewish Historical Society of Southern California. The Shul, like so many other National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) properties currently lies in neglect.

It is one of many NRHP properties caged behind fencing decaying around Los Angeles.

Engine House #18

Bravo to the Governor for the bold suggestion that the state sell off high maintenance legacy assets such as the Del Mar fairgrounds, the Los Angeles Coliseum and Alcatraz.

Perhaps Los Angeles County should consider selling off NRHP properties that have become legacy liabilities.

Washington Irving Branch Library

FYI - The City of LA currently has 195 properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Los Angeles County boasts another 148 properties.

Garfield Building

Too many of these noteworthy historic properties are sequestered behind chain link fences, decomposing from neglect.

Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital

Wikipedia counts 2,414 National Register properties in the state of California. Do the math.

Angelus Funeral Home

Let us suggest that Los Angeles County sell off properties that have become, to paraphrase the governor, legacy liabilities. This would give them the opportunity truly become assets to our city and our community. In addition, to reclaiming these local treasures from the scrap heaps of history, freeing local government of the rehabilitation and maintenance responsibilities of these properties would ease the budget crunch.

This would give be giving the city / state short term assets in terms of sales, and long term assets in terms of taxes and community improvement.