Resource Report

Historic Resource Summary

Names
Hospital of the Good Samaritan (Primary)
Hospital of the Good Samaritan (Historic)
Good Samaritan Hospital (Alternative)
1254 W 6TH ST (Alternative)
Important Dates
1926-01-01 (Built Date)
Images
Hospital of the Good Samaritan - PHOTO
Resource Types
Building
Architect
Reginald D. Johnson
Builder
Owner

Location Information

Addresses
1254 W 6TH ST Primary
1250 W 6TH ST Alternative
602 S WITMER ST Alternative
Location Description
No descriptions recorded
1225 W Wilshire Blvd; 637 S Lucas Ave
Administrative Areas
Westlake Community Plan Area (Community Plan Area)
Los Angeles City Council District 1 (Council District)
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (Neighborhood Council)
WESTLAKE NEIGHBORHOOD (Neighborhood)

Resource Description

Classification
Type: Institutional-Health, Hospital   Use: Historic     Style: Spanish Colonial Revival    
Type: California OHP Resource Attribute - HP41. Hospital          
Features
Component: Cladding Type: Stucco, smooth Material: none defined
Component: Construction Type: Concrete, poured/precast Material: none defined
Component: Details Type: Pierced screens; Buttresses; Grilles Material: none defined
Component: Façade Type: Asymmetrical Material: none defined
Component: Roof Type: Flat; Gable, front; Hipped; Parapet, flat; Tower Material: Clay tile
Component: Window Type: Double-hung; Transom; Grouped; Divided lights Material: Wood
Component: Window Type: Fixed; Paired; Arched opening, round Material: Wood
Component: Window Type: Awning; Divided lights; Fixed; Single Material: Steel
Component: Window Type: Sliding; Single; Paired Material: Metal
Architectural Description
Recessed open stairwells with round balconies and metal balustrades; chapel set in courtyard of original U-shaped building; round rose window on chapel facade
Alterations
Windows replaced - some

Resource Significance

Evaluation Details

Date Evaluated
2014-04-01
Context/Theme
Public and Private Institutional Development, 1850-1980
Public and Private Health and Medicine, 1850-1980
Medical Building Types, 1850-1980
Institutional - Health/Medicine
Hospital
Eligibility Standards
  • Was constructed during the period of significance
  • Retains association with a medical institution
  • Is an early, rare, or unusual example of a medical/healthcare building type in Los Angeles
  • Retains most of the essential character-defining features of its type
    • Integrity Aspects
    Feeling
    Workmanship
    Materials
    Setting
    Design
    Location
    Association
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    3S
    5S3
    3CS
    Significance Statement
    Excellent and rare example of a 1920s hospital building in Westlake; one of the earliest hospitals in the city of Los Angeles.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1927-01-01
    Date Evaluated
    2013-09-17
    Context/Theme
    Architecture and Engineering, 1850-1980
    Mediterranean and Indigenous Revival Architecture, 1887-1952
    Spanish Colonial Revival, 1915-1942
    Institutional - Health/Medicine
    Hospital
    Eligibility Standards
  • Towers and turrets
  • Stucco exterior walls (rarely, brick or cast stone)
  • Originally designed for institutional uses
  • Exemplifies the character-defining features of the Spanish Colonial Revival style
  • Retains most of the essential character-defining features from the period of significance
  • Is an excellent example of its type and/or the work of a significant architect or builder
  • Gable, hipped, and/or flat roof, typically with clay tile roof or roof trim
  • Borrowings from Churrigueresque, Italian Villa Revival, Gothic Revival, Moorish, or Art Deco styles
  • Arched openings, including arched focal windows
  • Incorporation of a patio, courtyard, and/or balcony
  • Asymmetrical or symmetrical façade design
    • Integrity Aspects
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Setting
    Feeling
    Materials
    Design
    Location
    Workmanship
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    5S3
    3CS
    3S
    Significance Statement
    Excellent example of Spanish Colonial Revival institutional architecture; work of master architect Reginald D. Johnson.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1927-01-01
    Date Evaluated
    2014-04-01
    Context/Theme
    Other Context, 1850-1980
    Event or Series of Events, 1850-1980
    Institutional
    Eligibility Standards
  • Is associated with an event or series of events important in Los Angeles history
  • Retains most of the essential physical features from the period of significance
    • Integrity Aspects
    Association
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Location
    Design
    Setting
    Materials
    Feeling
    Workmanship
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    3S
    3CS
    5S3
    Significance Statement
    Excellent and rare example of an early hospital in Westlake; one of the earliest hospitals in the city of Los Angeles. The institution was originally established by the Episcopal Church in 1885 as St. Paul's Hospital & Home for Invalids. In 1895, it was renamed Hospital of the Good Samaritan (GSH), and soon would outgrow its existing quarters on 7th St. in downtown. In 1912, the president of GSH, Bishop Joseph H. Johnson, arranged for the relocation of GSH into the recently completed Columbia Hospital (built 1910), located on this site, at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Witmer. By the mid-1920s, GSH had acquired the entire block of Wilshire Blvd between Witmer and Lucas, and was developing plans for a new hospital building to be located immediately to the east of their existing building. The new building was designed by noted architect and son of the Bishop, Reginald D. Johnson. Johnson developed a scheme for a 12-story, 600-bed hospital, to be constructed in two phases. The first phase, consisting of a U-shaped plan oriented around a central chapel, was completed in 1926, and opened the following year. Touted as state-of-the-art in hospital design, it included 287 beds, operating rooms, classrooms, administrative offices, solariums, and rooftop gardens. Each room had no more than two beds, with a private lavatory, and radio and telephone connections. The east wing was added in 1951, with Samuel E. Lunden as the project architect, and Reginald Johnson as consulting architect. Over the next several decades, GSH acquired additional property, expanding its campus northward to 6th Street. The original Columbia Hospital building was eventually demolished, and multiple more recent buildings have been added over time.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1926-01-01

    External References

    External System References

    SurveyLA ID: d660b20f-c80f-44c1-8551-ccb3002be3a4
    Property Identification Number: 132A207 237
    Property Identification Number: 132A207 237
    Property Identification Number: 132A207 237
    House ID: 629444

    Related Resources

    Related Historic Resources

    None

    Related Historic Districts

    None

    Related Activities

    SurveyLA - Westlake Survey (was assessed in / assessed)

    Related Historic Events

    None

    Related People/Organizations

    Reginald D. Johnson (Architect/Designer, was designed by /designed)
    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

    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.