Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument


Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.

History

The Historic-Cultural Monument process has its origin in the Historic Buildings Committee formed in 1958 by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects. As growth and development in Los Angeles threatened the city's historic landmarks, the committee sought to implement a formal preservation program in cooperation with local civic, cultural and business organizations and municipal leaders. On April 30, 1962, a historic preservation ordinance proposed by the AIA committee was passed.
The original Cultural Heritage Board was formed in the summer of 1962, consisting of William Woollett, FAIA, Bonnie H. Riedel, Carl S. Dentzel, Senaida Sullivan and Edith Gibbs Vaughan.
The board met for the first time in August 1962, at a time when the owner of the historic Leonis Adobe was attempting to demolish the structure and replace it with a supermarket. In its first day of official business, the board designated the Leonis Adobe and four other sites as Historic-Cultural Monuments.
In the commission's first decade of operation, it designated 101 properties as Historic-Cultural Monuments. By April 2018, there were over 1150 designated properties. As of 2025, that number rose to more than 1300.
Although women played a critical role in the archetectural landscape of Los Angeles as well as historic preservation efforts, fewer than 2% of the recognized properties recognize the contribution of women. In 2024, the L.A. Women's Landmarks Project was created as a partnership between the National Trust's Where Women Made History initiative and the Los Angeles Conservancy to recognize the forgotten women of LA historical preservation.

Process

The designation of a property as a Historic-Cultural Monument does not prevent demolition or alteration. However, the designation requires permits for demolition or substantial alteration to be presented to the commission. The commission has the power to delay the demolition of a designated property for up to one year.

Notable monuments

Designated LAHCM outside the City of Los Angeles

Lists of L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments