LA's Underrated Neighborhood Full Of Old-World Glamour Sits Quietly Between Downtown And The West Side
West Adams has made an intentional effort to preserve its collection of historic homes, showcasing architectural styles from 20th-century Craftsmans and Victorian cottages to Queen Gothic Revival mansions, creating an eclectic aesthetic. This preservation is guided by several Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, or HPOZs, which, along with support from the West Adams Heritage Association, establish plans to help protect historic buildings and safeguard cultural resources.
Many historic homes are privately owned or repurposed by organizations, but visitors can enjoy the exteriors on a self-guided drive. Highlights include the Gordon L. McDonough House at 2532 5th Avenue, a pristine, 1908 Craftsman, and the Lucy E. Wheeler House at 2175 Cambridge Street, the only remaining Greene & Greene-designed residence in Los Angeles. You can also see Hattie McDaniel's former home at 2203 S. Harvard Boulevard. This Period Revival house became a symbol of resistance when, in 1949, white residents took their Black neighbors (including McDaniel) to court, trying to remove them from the neighborhood. A judge ruled in McDaniel's favor, setting a precedent in housing rights.
One historic home now open to the public is the Guasti Mansion at 3500 W. Adams Boulevard, now known as Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens. It's an Italian Renaissance Revival palace built in the 1910s by Italian winery owner Secundo Guasti and features marble pillars and a lavish interior reportedly even visited by Mussolini. In the 1970s, the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness purchased and restored the property for public tours. You might also recognize some area homes from film and T.V.: The Fisher & Sons funeral home from H.B.O.'s "Six Feet Under" is currently the Filipino Federation of America, located at 2302 W. 25th Street.