The Los Angeles register of Historic-Cultural Monuments may look like a fairly complete document, but don't let those 18th century missions, 19th century mansions and early 20th century movie houses fool you. The list lacks trailer parks, and the city's Cultural Heritage Commission thinks it's time to change that.
In a move that state and federal experts say could be the first of its kind, the commissioners are asking City Council members to give monument status to the Monterey Trailer Park, a 1.7-acre site at Highland Park's eastern edge that dates to the early 1920s, a pivotal era when Americans were taking their first long-haul road trips with Model Ts--and without motels.
The property's owner, who acquired it in April, has written city officials to say he's not just opposed to the idea but "flabbergasted" by it. "For eight years, it was sitting there with nothing done to it," Peter Young said. "And now that I'm trying to restore it, they're calling it historical. You should have seen the amount of trash that was hauled."
Young said he has no plans for major changes to the property, and bought it for its "interesting character." But he said he fears a monument designation--which requires property owners to get city approval before making substantial changes--would leave him too few options. City staffers said a vote is probably weeks away.
Preservationists say few such sites remain and note that the city's Historic-Cultural Monuments list, begun in 1962 and now 715 sites long, is already a diverse document. Entries include a row of avocado trees in Los Feliz that may date to the 19th century; the 1939 Coca-Cola building downtown (which was designed to resemble a cruise ship); and the Catalina, an actual ship that shuttled passengers between San Pedro and Catalina Island from the 1920s to the 1970s. (At last report, the vessel was moored in Ensenada, which would make it the only city landmark now in foreign waters.)
In the vast majority of cases, says city Historic Preservation Officer Jay Oren, the council follows the Cultural Heritage Commission's advice on monument designations.
Meanwhile, in the quirky community at the tree-shaded trailer park site, just south of the Pasadena Freeway and just west of the South Pasadena city line, the property's history and the future are topics A and B. About 30 tenants dwell there full time or part time in trailers and mobile homes on pads where 10 original "auto camp" cabins once stood.
