Resource Description

Resource Summary

Names
Rampart Boulevard Residential Historic District (Primary)
Upper Rampart Heights (Alternative)
Resource Types
District
Important Dates
No dates recorded
Keywords (Subjects)
1910s
American Colonial Revival
1900s
Craftsman
Huntington Land & Improvement Company
German American Savings Bank
1920s
American Foursquare
Title Guarantee & Trust Company

Location Information

Addresses
Location Description
No descriptions recorded
Administrative Areas
Westlake Community Plan Area (Community Plan Area)
Los Angeles City Council District 13 (Council District)
GREATER ECHO PARK ELYSIAN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (Neighborhood Council)
TEMPLE-BEAUDRY NEIGHBORHOOD (Neighborhood)

Classification

Classification
Type: Residential District
Related Features
No features recorded

Resource Descriptions

General Description
The Rampart Boulevard Residential Historic District is composed of a single residential block located in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The district contains 14 residential parcels situated along both sides of the 200 block of North Rampart Boulevard, between Temple Street on the north and Council Street on the south. The district occupies flat terrain with a rectilinear street pattern. Lots are rectangular and modestly-sized; all measure less than two-tenths of an acre. Development in the district is exclusively residential and contains primarily two-story single-family residences with detached garages. Original residences were constructed between 1907 and 1915; three additional residences were constructed in 1922. Homes constructed during the initial period of development were designed primarily in the Craftsman style, although the district also includes examples of the American Colonial Revival and American Foursquare styles. Character-defining features include wide gabled roofs with deep eaves and exposed brackets and rafter tails, wood clapboard or shingle cladding, full- or partial-width porches, and wooden casement windows with divided lights. The majority of the properties in the district exhibit some degree of alteration; common alterations include the replacement of windows, cladding, and doors. Several properties feature more recent construction, including a 29-unit apartment building constructed in 1931, as well as later additions to existing structures. District features include uniform setbacks, concrete curbs and sidewalks, period streetlights, and mature street trees. Of the 14 properties, 9 are contributors to the district, or approximately 64 percent; 5 are non-contributors due to extensive alterations or construction outside the period of significance.

Summary of Significance
The Rampart Boulevard Residential Historic District is significant as a cohesive collection of Arts & Crafts residential architecture in Westlake, and as an excellent example of early residential suburban development from the streetcar era. The district's period of significance is 1907 to 1922, during which time most of the residences were constructed. The area comprising the district was subdivided in 1906 as a part of the Upper Rampart Heights tract, which comprised eight blocks bounded by Temple Street on the north, present-day Beverly Boulevard on the south, present-day North Park View on the east, and North Benton Streets on the west. Improvements had previously been made by the Wilshire brothers further south; their development of Westlake Park included the construction of Wilshire Boulevard and several accompanying north-south streets, including Rampart Boulevard as far north as 3rd Street. As the Westlake Park area grew in status and prestige, it spurred further development in the surrounding area. Upper Rampart Heights was developed by a syndicate of title companies including the Title Guarantee & Trust Company, the German American Savings Bank, and the Huntington Land & Improvement Company. Although tract maps from the time of subdivision indicate that Rampart Boulevard was held as a right-of-way for the Los Angeles Railway Company, it appears that a streetcar line was never developed through the district. However, several key stops were located nearby on Temple Street to the north and at the intersection of Second Street and Rampart Boulevard to the south. Temple Street was serviced by the Temple Street line, and Rampart Boulevard was serviced by the Boyle Heights and West Seventh line (later known as the Heliotrope and Maple Avenue line). Advertised as "the most reasonable good property in the city," the Upper Rampart Heights tract was composed of modest rectangular lots, typically measuring 50 feet wide at the street, and between 125 and 150 feet deep, with prices starting around $750. While lots were comparatively small in size, real estate agents were able to command a higher premium due to their desirable location. Properties in the tract were marketed as more prestigious "Higher Priced Lots" for "Mr. Investor, or you who want more pretentious homes in the beauty spots of Los Angeles." The tract's proximity to popular streetcar lines offering easy access to downtown Los Angeles was also an attractive feature to potential residents and was heavily promoted; newspaper ads for the tract touted the "two good car lines" which placed residents "15 minutes from [the] business center." Between 1907 and 1915, ten residences were constructed within the district, with costs ranging from $3,000 to over $6,000. Early homes were designed in the Craftsman style, the prevailing style of the period, and featured seven to ten rooms with accompanying detached garages. In 1922, three of the remaining four parcels were developed with single-family residences exhibiting a variety of styles, including Craftsman, American Colonial Revival, and American Foursquare. The growing diversity of the neighborhood's aesthetic reflected the increasing popularity of Period Revival styles throughout the 1920s. Today, the Rampart Boulevard Residential Historic District stands out from surrounding development as a uniquely cohesive collection of residences within a larger Arts and Crafts neighborhood in Westlake, and as an excellent example of residential suburban development from the streetcar era. Its continued residential use, intact architectural elements, and shared planning features contribute to the district's distinctive feel and help to convey a strong sense of time and place.

External System References

SurveyLA ID: 0111d7ec-0054-4fd6-9265-2a09a44a5ee5

Resource Significance

Evaluation Details

Date Evaluated
2014-04-02
Context/Theme
Architecture and Engineering, 1850-1980
Housing the Masses, 1880-1975
Arts and Crafts Neighborhoods, 1890-1930
Residential Suburb
Subdivision
Eligibility Standards
  • An accumulation of minor alterations may render a residence non-contributing
  • District as a whole should retain integrity of Location, Setting, Design, Workmanship, Feeling, and Materials
  • May contain some buildings from outside the period of significance
  • Physical infrastructure such as curbing, street lights, street trees, and other amenities will ideally be present if they existed originally
  • Replacement of some windows and doors may be acceptable if the openings have not been resized and original fenestration patterns have not been disrupted
  • Residences that have been stuccoed may be considered contributing as long as it is the only exterior alteration
  • Detached garages located at the rear of lots, if present
  • Must retain the majority of the original planning features including street patterns, buildings setbacks, landscape or street features
  • May include one or a full range of Arts & Crafts styles
  • Conveys a strong visual sense of overall historic environment from the period of significance
  • May include residences designed in Late Nineteenth Century and/or Period Revival styles; may combine the themes to best represent the neighborhood and overall period of significance
  • Within districts, the threshold of integrity for contributing properties is defined as the ability of a particular residence to reflect the architectural style and form that it would have possessed at the time of construction
  • The enclosure of front entry porches is an acceptable alteration if original features have not been removed
  • Unified entity with a significant concentration of residences designed in Arts and Crafts styles including Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Prairie, American Foursquare, and American Colonial Revival
  • Was developed during the period of significance
  • Mostly one- and/or two-story single-family residences
    • Integrity Aspects
    Feeling
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Location
    Design
    Setting
    Materials
    Workmanship
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    5S3
    3CS
    Significance Statement
    Cohesive collection of Arts and Crafts residential architecture in Westlake. Due to alterations to individual residences, including replacement of wall cladding and windows, the district does not retain sufficient integrity to be eligible for listing in the National Register.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1907-01-01
    To: 1922-12-31
    Date Evaluated
    2014-04-02
    Context/Theme
    Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1850-1980
    Streetcar Suburbanization, 1888-1933
    Suburban Planning and Development, 1888-1933
    Streetcar Suburb
    Subdivision
    Eligibility Standards
  • There should not be wholesale paving of front yards or installation of intrusive fencing
  • Some contributors may have been moved into the area
  • Some contributors may have been adapted for commercial or institutional use; such adaptations should not compromise the overall setting and feeling of the district
  • Original streetscape features, such as street trees and lights, may be missing in limited amounts
  • Infill development allowed if it does not disrupt the residential character
  • District as a whole should retain integrity of Design (site plan, full width street frontage, relationship between buildings and street), Feeling, Setting and Association
  • Alterations to streetscape to accommodate increased automobile use are common; may include driveways and garages added after the period of significance
  • Retains a sense of place that evokes an early 20th century suburb
  • Uniform blocks of rectangular-shaped parcels laid out in square or rectilinear grid of streets
  • Uniform front-yard setbacks, typically landscaped with lawns and shrubbery
  • A single residential tract or subdivision, or part thereof, recorded by a subdivider
  • Conveys a strong visual sense of overall historic environment from the period of significance
  • Developed as a direct result of the proximity to a streetcar line
  • Retains most of the essential physical and character-defining features from the period of significance
  • Is also significant under themes within the Architecture context for the high quality of architecture
  • Includes intact single-family and multi-family residences that represent a collection of early 20th century housing types and styles
  • Includes lots developed almost entirely with single-family residences dating from the period of significance
  • As a whole, retains the essential physical and character-defining features from the period of significance
  • Street improvements such as curb and gutter, historic streetlights, sidewalks, parkways and street trees common
    • Integrity Aspects
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Location
    Design
    Setting
    Workmanship
    Feeling
    Association
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    3CS
    5S3
    Significance Statement
    Excellent example of early residential suburban development from the streetcar era in Westlake. Due to alterations to individual residences, including replacement of wall cladding and windows, the district does not retain sufficient integrity to be eligible for listing in the National Register.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1907-01-01
    To: 1922-12-31

    Related Resources

    Related Historic Resources

    227 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    215 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    220 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    203 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    226 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    211 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    210 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    221 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    233 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    232 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    236 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    214 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    237 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    243 N RAMPART BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)

    Related Historic Districts

    None

    Related Activities

    None

    Related Historic Events

    None

    Related People/Organizations

    Historic Resources Group (Surveying Firm, was surveyed by / surveyed)

    Related Information Resources

    Images
    Documents
    SurveyLA: Westlake Historic Resources Survey Report (Document/Text, is referred to in / refers to)

    SurveyLA

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    Office of Historic Resources

    Office of Historic Resources
    Department of City Planning
    221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 1350
    Los Angeles, CA 90012
    (213) 847-3676 phone
    Email: planning.historicplacesla@lacity.org
    http://www.preservation.lacity.org
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