Resource Description

Resource Summary

Names
Perlita Avenue Apartment Historic District (Primary)
Resource Types
District
Important Dates
No dates recorded
Keywords (Subjects)
American Colonial Revival
Minimal Traditional
Gladding McBean and Company
1940s

Location Information

Addresses
Location Description
No descriptions recorded
Administrative Areas
Northeast Los Angeles Community Plan Area (Community Plan Area)
Los Angeles City Council District 13 (Council District)
ATWATER VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (Neighborhood Council)
ATWATER VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD (Neighborhood)

Classification

Classification
No classifications recorded
Related Features
No features recorded

Resource Descriptions

General Description
The district is located in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles. It is located on the east side of Perlita Avenue north of Los Feliz Boulevard and terminates on its northern end at Rigali Avenue. It is a relatively small district and contains 12 parcels, with 18 properties in the district. There are 14 contributors, 2 non-contributors, and 2 properties that are considered uncertain due to limited visibility from the street. The overall topography is flat. The district is characterized by uniformly large lots with uniform setbacks. It is comprised of two-story multi-family residences constructed in the Minimal Traditional style, some with American Colonial Revival stylistic influences. Common features include detached multi-car garages to the rear of the lots, and street features include concrete sidewalks and mature trees, which are somewhat randomly placed.

Summary of Significance
The Perlita Avenue Apartment Historic District is significant as a highly intact grouping of post-World War II multi-family residences. The period of significance is 1947 to 1948, when the buildings in the district were constructed. Approximately 80% of the buildings are contributing to the significance of the district. The district was developed by Gladding McBean and Company, who purchased the land in 1945. Gladding McBean and Company was founded in 1875 in the Sacramento area and specialized in the production of architectural terra cotta. By the early 1890s, the company expanded its line to include roof tiles, chimney pipes, and ornamental garden pottery. In 1927, Gladding, McBean and Company merged with Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company, solidifying the primacy of the company as the largest terra cotta manufacturer west of the Mississippi. During the Great Depression, the company saw its revenue decrease due to a decline in new construction and the need for its products. To offset the loss in sales from building materials, the company began to manufacture dinnerware in 1933 in the former Tropico Potteries factory. Tropico Potteries was acquired by Gladding, McBean and Company in 1923. The 40-acre plant was located on Los Feliz Boulevard, adjacent to the Perlita Avenue Apartment Historic District. It was sometimes called the Glendale Plant to differentiate it from the company's other plant in Los Angeles. It was also referred to as the Franciscan Pottery Company, which was the dinnerware division of Gladding, McBean and Company. The plant was closed in 1983. Five years later the empty buildings were razed. The property was subsequently redeveloped as a commercial shopping center anchored by big box retail stores. The apartment buildings on Perlita Avenue were constructed in 1947 and 1948. Although they were constructed by Gladding McBean and Company, there is no indication that they were occupied by employees of the company. In most cases, two identical L-shaped buildings face each other. Units are accessed from a garden between the two buildings. The buildings are designed in the Minimal Traditional style, with some having American Colonial Revival stylistic influences. All of the buildings are two-stories in height, covered by hipped roofs, and sheathed in stucco. The majority of buildings have a high level of integrity. Detached garages are located at the rear of the lots, with the exception of the northernmost building where the garage is to the side.

External System References

SurveyLA ID: 8119dad8-ab48-40d1-888a-acabc06a6e49

Resource Significance

Evaluation Details

Date Evaluated
2012-05-29
Context/Theme
Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1850-1980
Multi-Family Residential Development, 1910-1980
Multi-Family Residential, 1910-1980
Multi-Family Residential District, 1910-1980
Residential-Multi Family
Multi-Family District
Eligibility Standards
  • May be composed of a single multiple-family residential property type or a variety of types
  • Retains most of the essential character-defining features of the type from the period of significance
  • Retains original planning features including street patterns, building setbacks, landscape or street features
  • Unified entity composed of a substantial number of properties originally constructed as multiple-family residences during the period of significance
  • Contains a substantial number of buildings constructed during the period of significance
  • Is a definable geographic area composed of related properties
  • Possesses a significant concentration, linkage or continuity of buildings united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development
  • Is a good representation of multiple-family residential development from a specified time period
  • Conveys a strong visual sense of the overall historic environment from its period of significance
  • As a whole, should retain integrity of Location, Design, Setting (the relationship between the buildings and landscapes), and Feeling
  • Contributors to a district may have a greater degree of alteration than individually significant properties
  • May include some buildings constructed outside the period of significance
  • Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance of the district as a whole
  • Contains a substantial number of properties that are good examples of architectural styles of the period
    • Integrity Aspects
    Feeling
    Location
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Workmanship
    Materials
    Association
    Setting
    Design
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    5S3
    3CS
    3S
    Significance Statement
    This grouping of multi-family residences represents an excellent example of apartment buildings from the late 1940s and conveys a strong sense of time and place through a high percentage of intact contributing buildings.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1947-01-01
    To: 1948-12-31
    Date Evaluated
    2012-05-29
    Context/Theme
    Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1850-1980
    Post-War Suburbanization, 1938-1975
    Suburban Planning and Development, 1938-1975
    Post-War Suburb
    Multi-Family District
    Eligibility Standards
  • As a whole, is an early and/or important example of Post WWII suburban design
  • Was developed during the period of significance
  • Exemplifies Post WWII modern community planning concepts
  • A single subdisivion or group of subdivisons developed exclusively with multi-family buildings
  • Exhibits character-defining features of Post War multi-family types as described in the Multi-Family Residential theme
  • Strongly reflects the principals of Post WWII modern community planning
  • Overall retains cohesiveness as a planned multi-family development
  • Conveys a strong visual sense of the overall historic environment from its period of significance
  • Buildings 1-3 stories in height with a limited number of units
  • Repaving of streets and sidewalks and some loss of street trees acceptable
  • Overall subdivision layout remains intact including street patterns, setbacks, massing, scale and streetscape
  • District as a whole should retain integrity of Design, Feeling, Setting and Association
  • Retains original planning features including street patterns, buildings setbacks, landscape or street features
    • Integrity Aspects
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Workmanship
    Location
    Design
    Materials
    Feeling
    Association
    Setting
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    3S
    3CS
    5S3
    Significance Statement
    This grouping of apartment buildings represents an excellent example a post-war multi-family district. The contributing buildings are very intact, are the district as a whole has a strong sense of time and place.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1947-01-01
    To: 1948-12-31

    Related Resources

    Related Historic Resources

    4053 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4107 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4047 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4065 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4149 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4071 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4115 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4113 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4167 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Potential Contributor, is a potential contributor to / has as a possible contributor)
    4173 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Potential Contributor, is a potential contributor to / has as a possible contributor)
    4161 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    4101 W PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4159 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    4131 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4125 N PERLITA AVE (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4143 N PERLITA AVE (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

    GPA Consulting, Inc. (Surveying Firm, was surveyed by / surveyed)

    Related Information Resources

    Images
    Documents
    None

    SurveyLA

    SurveyLA is the first comprehensive program to identify significant historic resources throughout the City of Los Angeles, and is scheduled to be completed in 2017. HistoricPlacesLA includes SurveyLA data published to date. Find out more about SurveyLA at: http://www.preservation.lacity.org/survey

    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
    HistoricPlacesLA is powered by Arches (v3.1), an open-source, web-based, geospatial information system for cultural heritage inventory and management.