Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.
History The Historic-Cultural Monument process has its origin in the Historic Buildings Committee formed in 1958 by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects. As growth and development in Los Angeles threatened the city's historic landmarks, the committee sought to implement a formal preservation program in cooperation with local civic, cultural and business organizations and municipal leaders. On April 30, 1962, a historic preservation ordinance proposed by the AIA committee was passed.
The original Cultural Heritage Board (later renamed a commission) was formed in the summer of 1962, consisting of William Woollett, FAIA, Bonnie H. Riedel, Carl S. Dentzel, Senaida Sullivan and Edith Gibbs Vaughan.
The board met for the first time in August 1962, at a time when the owner of the historic Leonis Adobe was attempting to demolish the structure and replace it with a supermarket. In its first day of official business, the board designated the Leonis Adobe and four other sites as Historic-Cultural Monuments.
In the commission's first decade of operation (August 1962–August 1972), it designated 101 properties as Historic-Cultural Monuments. By April 2018, there were over 1150 designated properties. As of 2025, that number rose to more than 1300.
Although women played a critical role in the architectural landscape of Los Angeles as well as historic preservation efforts, fewer than 2% of the recognized properties recognize the contribution of women. In 2024, the L.A. Women's Landmarks Project was created as a partnership between the National Trust's Where Women Made History initiative and the Los Angeles Conservancy to recognize the forgotten women of LA historical preservation.
Process The designation of a property as a Historic-Cultural Monument does not prevent demolition or alteration. However, the designation requires permits for demolition or substantial alteration to be presented to the commission. The commission has the power to delay the demolition of a designated property for up to one year.
Gallery
Designated LAHCM outside the City of Los Angeles HCM #Numbers are as designated by the L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments program. Blue colors represent higher designations as National Historic Landmarks and listing on the National Register of Historic Places; yellow represents sites that are L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments without a higher designation. No color represents delisted monuments.Landmark nameImageDate designatedLocalityAreaDescriptionVarious sources cited in articles, retrieved on various dates.160 Manzanar Highway 395 Inyo County, California Japanese American internment site, World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley. Land was owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power when the US Government leased it for the Manzanar concentration camp.
Lists of L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments Historic-Cultural Monuments in Downtown Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments on the East and Northeast Sides Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Harbor area Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood Historic-Cultural Monuments in the San Fernando Valley Historic-Cultural Monuments in Silver Lake, Angelino Heights, and Echo Park Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments on the Westside Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Wilshire and Westlake areas
See also City of Los Angeles' Historic Preservation Overlay Zones National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles List of California Historical Landmarks
References
External links
Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources: Designated L.A. Historic-Cultural Monuments (LAHCM) website — with 'ever-updated' LAHCM List via PDF link. official Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources website — Homepage Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission website Designated LAHCM Landmarks by Neighborhood — L.A. Department of City Planning website Big Orange Landmarks: "Exploring the Landmarks of Los Angeles, One Monument at a Time" — online photos and in-depth history of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments — Website curator: Floyd B. Bariscale. Big Orange Landmarks: Floyd B. Bariscale's Flickr Photostream — Big Orange Flickr Gallery of L.A.H.C.Monuments.