Historic Buildings

During the 1930s and '40s, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Rita Hayworth were just a few of the major Hollywood celebrities who stopped in for meals at Daniger's Tea Room, located on the second floor of the historic Santora Building in downtown Santa Ana.

Maybe it should come as no surprise that Beverly Hills — notorious for its outsized, sometimes gaudy homes — does not have an ordinance to protect architecturally significant structures. But that appears to be changing. Prompted by a public outcry over the expected demolition of the iconic Kronish House designed by Modernist architect Richard Neutra, the Beverly Hills City Council has ordered its planning commission to craft a preservation ordinance that would offer some protection for historically important buildings.

Dale Trader's heart sank when he looked across his shady Pasadena street one day and spotted workers wrapping a classic California bungalow in layers of chicken wire and thick, black tar paper. Another house was about to be stuccoed. Trader rushed across the street to dissuade his neighbors from covering their home's wood siding.

Attention, hedge funders, oligarchs, princes and billionaire kids who own private jets. Here's a deal only for you. The Kronish House at 9439 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, is now for sale for about $14 million. In the spirit of full disclosure, the bad news first. The Modernist villa is cramped for your taste, just under 7,000 square feet. Six bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths. No room for servants. And it's old and neglected, built in 1955 for a local developer, Herbert J. Kronish. Some call it understated and classic.

A fire that broke out in a bakery heavily damaged a block of historic buildings in Cheyenne. The fire erupted in the three- and four-story buildings late Monday and was brought under control Tuesday afternoon. Eight city blocks were closed off during the blaze but authorities were reopening all but two blocks, where it was uncertain whether the old facades were stable. No injuries were reported.

William C. Baer pontificates on how it is unimportant to preserve historic places. After tearing down City Hall, the L.A. Times building and other dated structures, perhaps Professor Baer would suggest setting up tents, which could be thrown away when they get dirty so the new tents might replace them. JIM WALKER Glendale

The Old Towne Preservation Assn. will present "Homes of Remembrance," a tour of historic buildings in the Old Towne district today and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Organizers expect 1,500 visitors to tour the three commercial buildings and five homes featured. Tickets for the tour, a fund-raiser for the association, are $10 and go on sale at 11:30 a.m. at Royer Mansion, 307 E. Chapman Ave. Participants are asked to wear soft-soled shoes to protect floors.

A public meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday at the mid-point of a study of the seismic upgrading of historic buildings in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy, which is conducting the study jointly with the Community Redevelopment Agency. The study, which began in October and will be completed in February, examines structural and architectural methods for upgrading selected historic buildings that are required by city ordinance to be demolished or structurally reinforced.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House, the 1924 hilltop mansion that is one of the master's most celebrated residential designs and one of Los Angeles' most revered architectural landmarks, has sold to billionaire Ron Burkle for about $4.5 million, 70% less than its original asking price. Ennis House Foundation Chairwoman Marla Felber confirmed on Saturday the exact price: $4,458,084.58, which represents the organization's balance on a construction loan taken out to repair L.A.'s most prestigious fixer.

The decaying former headquarters of aviation giant Howard Hughes will be turned into an office campus for creative tenants as part of a $50-million makeover of the famous operation at Playa Vista. The complex includes the enormous hangar where Hughes built his infamous Spruce Goose airplane but is now used mostly as a sound stage for movie and television production. The seven-story structure will be upgraded to contain five sound stages that could be used simultaneously, new owner Wayne Ratkovich said.

High-profile Los Angeles chef David Myers has purchased space at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street where he intends to open a new restaurant. David Myers Group paid $7.21 million for two retail condominium spaces on the ground floor of the historic Equitable building at 6253 Hollywood Blvd., real estate broker Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services said Wednesday. FOR THE RECORD: In an earlier version of this article, David Myers' last name was misspelled as Meyers.

After backing down from a contentious proposal to demolish the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel, the owner has unveiled plans to construct a high-rise real estate development next to the Space Age landmark that would transform the tenor of Century City's streets and dramatically alter the skyline. The $1.5-billion proposal calls for two 46-story skyscrapers holding hundreds of condominiums and offices to be built behind the renowned hotel on Avenue of the Stars. Nearly half of the guest rooms would be replaced by luxury condos as part of a top-to-bottom makeover.

A lavish hilltop estate boasting 165 rooms, an ocean view and a palatial pool fit for a publishing magnate would end up her most famous work. But Hearst Castle was just one of hundreds of buildings designed by Julia Morgan, believed to be the first female architect to practice independently in the United States. And although she had a flair for opulence, Morgan dedicated much of her time to projects intended for working-class women. It was Morgan who conceived the three-story YWCA building with the red-tile roof and arched windows on Marengo Avenue in Pasadena.

For more than a decade, Los Angeles architect Dion Neutra has waged a personal battle to save his family's controversial legacy on the Gettysburg battlefield. Half a century ago, he worked alongside his world-famous father, architect Richard Neutra, on the Cyclorama Center, designed to house a massive circular painting depicting Pickett's charge. In 1999, the National Park Service announced its intention to move the painting and tear down the building -- which sits in the middle of the battle line where Union troops defended Cemetery Ridge -- to restore the landscape to its 1863 appearance.

Talk about Civil War action in Southern California, and people might think you're arguing about the annual UCLA-USC football clash. But in Wilmington, not far from the Port of Los Angeles, stands a piece of the real war between the states. The white two-story Greek revival in the middle of a residential tract is the last remaining Civil War-era military facility in Southern California, a remnant of what was once a bustling 60-acre compound. Now home to the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, the building was Army headquarters for Southern California and the Arizona Territory from 1862 through 1871.

The decaying 1930s-style theater stands in a tired neighborhood of shuttered businesses, old shops and vacant lots. Its Art Deco spire is dusty with years of neglect, its marquee empty except for a few mismatched letters. Nothing has been shown at the movie house for years. For many Long Beach residents, though, the Atlantic Theater remains alive with history, a landmark of the city's past and the glory days of the cinema. Now, some are worried that the old theater's terrazzo tile and signature neon spire will be lost if the north Long Beach building is demolished as part of a redevelopment push in the neighborhood.