Bungalow Courts: LA's Best Housing No One Builds Anymore
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- čas přidán 29. 02. 2024
- And how they might return.
My Twitter: / metamodernismyt
My Instagram: / metamodernismyt
Alfred Twu's Twitter thread on Bungalow Courts: x.com/alfred_twu/status/11977...
"Bungalow Court Housing in Los Angeles, 1900-1930: Top-down Innovation? Or Bottom-up Reform?" by Todd Gish: www.jstor.org/stable/41172493
Pasadena's Bungalow Court History: www.cityofpasadena.net/planni...
Intro Music by Needs Improvement: / jaskkro
Coyote casually struts down the sidewalk.
timestamp?
1:38 is the time stamp for the coyote, i had to replay a few times lol
@@gabrielherrera5503 thank you bigly!!
It's more common in the Los Angeles area than people think. I remember taking a bus and seeing a coyote just going along between the bushes of a bike path near the Warner Center area of the San Fernando Valley.
😂😂 I saw that too!
I’m a delivery driver in Hollywood… There are so many of these in 90029 and 90038. Each one is landscaped differently in its own unique way and it is so cool.
I used to live on Hyperion Ave. off of Sunset Blvd. many years ago and 90029 was my old zip code. You're right about those old bungalows.
do you happen to meet alvin and the chipmunks in one of those neighborhoods, im genuinely curious
How lovely!
I lived in the 90038 area, and there were Craftsman style bungalows just up the street from me. They tore them down to put up some now shabby looking condos
Love bungalow housing❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
We always joke about having a "family compound" but something like this would be perfect. Everyone can have their space, but still be able to hang out it common areas.
My relatives have one in southern LA. An old estate was torn down and the developer didn’t get their condo proposal through. Their houses are more like McMansions rather than bungalow, but it has a communal feel of a family compound🙂
My friends live in a bungalow court in Hollywood. Very pleasant little neighborhood that I'd love to move to for that community feel. Unfortunately, the surrounding neighborhood is not well taken care of and my fiance doesn't feel safe there. Hope that can be turned around sooner rather than later.
la has serious issues with crime and drugs, these homes will just be filled with crime. Fix the main issue of degeneracy first and then we can talk about homes
@@sew_gal7340 the inability to build generation wealthy, which often starts at the ability to afford a home is one of the many driving factors for crime and drug use. So building more homes is in many ways part of the solution
Huh
I lived in a bungalow court in Tucson, though we called them casitas. It was one bedroom, probably no more than 500 sq ft. the perfect size, with a fireplace. My neighbor's cat used to come by all the time and hang out with all the neighbors.
Sounds perfect to me, especially the shared cat
@@jennifertarin4707 And the rent was $595, I don't think there are any 1 bedrooms left that low
It would be cool if they just called it 'Casitas' instead of 'Bungalow Courts'
What about neighbour's pets using the front of your bungalow for a toilet. It happens.
This is where Dave lived with Alvin and the Chipmunks
Also The Dude
that’s the first thing that came to my mind!
I directly had this similar thought :)
Dude......
You mean Alvin, Simon, and Theodore?
Do do
Dew do dew do
Do do
Dew do dew do
I’m lucky enough to live in a bungalo court in Pasadena. Not one of the historic ones, but I’m sure it’s eligible. I love it here and never want to move. I really appreciated this history lesson!
I grew up in Pasadena! I love bungalow courts so much! Back in the day, there was one near Castle Green! It had the most beautiful Bird of Paradise flowers I've ever seen. My roommate and I would take clippings for our home😊
not just bungalow courts, but just the concept of a "bungalow" house has disappeared as well. Very few houses are built anymore with 2 or fewer bedrooms and most are larger 3 and 4 bedroom houses as newer codes and zoning requirement (circa around the 1980s that were never updated till very recently) have pushed housing sizes much larger. If you see a small 2 bedroom single family house, you can bet good money that that house was built at least 40 years or longer ago.
When I tell my parents I want an old house, they look at me in horror when I really mean the houses built when they were kids- because they were the last ones to be detached homes with less than 3 bedrooms.
@@ducky_vt3982 and ONE bathroom. that was it.
Its very sad. Theres almost no starter homes anymore and this could be partly chalked up to zoning not even allowing them.
Builders will only build the most profitable thing they are allowed to on the lot. They aren't going to build a modest home with a yard. They will build a giant box extending to the very edges of the property line, get rich, and move on to the next one.
In part that’s because bedrooms are the cheapest room to build in a house, especially if you build a 2 story house. It costs very little to add a 2nd or 3rd bedroom during initial construction, so much so it doesn’t make sense not to build it.
Pre freeway LA architecture was something else. What used to exist is fascinating and almost rivals SF, and what could have been is even more interesting. LA needs density. It strangely still has a relatively high level of density for a car centric city based on old development before it veered off that path into car centricity, the relics are still there and are very fascinating.
Yes, there are many of the older neighborhoods that still have these.
LA also has a huge variety of architectural styles for both residential and commercial structures.
@@mrxman581
One of my favorite instances of historical architecture in America, is the obsession Los Angeles and San Diego had, from the late 1890s to the early 1930s, of Egyptian and Moorish revival architecture; aside from the Egyptian Quarter in Hillcrest, San Diego, the city also has random Egyptian style architecture from those eras randomly strewn about; the City Heights neighborhood has an old gas station and car garage that has pharaonic ornamentation and busts of Egyptian gods all over it, and has been around since the 1930s.
@@sergpie wow!! Super interesting! 😊
What's up with people blaming cars for immigration on youtube
@@16m49x3 Huh? Back in the 1950s and 60s in Canada and the USA, many cities were torn down and rebuilt with car traffic as a central design focus. Check out channels on here like NotJustBikes
I lived in one during college in Pasadena late 1990s for $400 a month. I felt safe because even though the neighbors were different ages we all looked out for each other, I even drove a few of the Senior citizens on errands and baby sat another neighbors toddler. .. Tried to buy one unit in 2010 in Silver Lake for $520K. In 2024 that exact same 1/2 bedroom bungalow sold for $850K
Holy amazeballs
The mixed generational housing is one of the reasons these are so appealing. Allows for much more flexibility among people that want to age in place and can create more natural childcare communities that make it easier for single parents or even just new parents to be supported if they don't live near their families.
Me too. I lived in one on Atlantic Blvd Alhambra. It was a large 1 bed w/fp & private patio. $400 a mo. Rent only raised once to $450 in 8 yrs.
I'm shocked it gained so little in 14 years.
Whoa so it means it was worth $740,037.05 when adjusted for inflation. That's a lot for back in 2010. Still insane for 2024. Might as well buy a condo for cheaper price at that point
I used to live in a 1920s Spanish Revival bungalow court in Echo Park. I was there almost ten years, it was rent controlled and I loved its vintage charm. Then a big LLC bought it and evicted all of us! A year later after slapping on a coat of paint they sold each unit for $3 -4 million each.
what location was this? want to see how they looked before on google maps
It’s exactly the same now. They just painted it.
@@misteradamadamlopezlocation?
Developers ruined LA. In the 80s and 90s they built poorly made apartments in west Hollywood. Just looking at them you could tell they weren't well made.
That's everywhere. I truly hope that the next couple of administrations and Congresses find a way to prevent LLCs (both foreign and domestic) from buying up houses and apartment buildings. We are slowly turning into a Third World country where families are giving a majority of their income to absentee corporate landlords, and will never be able to save enough to buy a home of their own, much less for retirement, sending kids to college, for emergencies, etc. They don't invest in or connect with their communities because they don't know how long they'll be living there. This is a slow-growing and alienating societal cancer that is not being addressed. If we continue on this trajectory, in another decade or two, the U.S. will look like Pottersville. czcams.com/video/LgKg_yPT3z0/video.html
I have always loved bungalow courts and it seems like a good way to foster a community. I think it's an especially good idea for older people, especially single older peeps who can still live independently but may be isolated in other kinds of housing.
except for one bad neighbor ...
@@direwolf6234that also applies to literally every other form of housing. There’s always a chance of a bad neighbor.
At least in standard housing, there would be fences and privacy from creepy neighbors
Yeah I think this is actually a huge opportunity for Southern California. I think most people find bungalow courts kinda charming and this could be a good way to get more housing without riling the NIMBYs.
They will require parking minimum wavers in most cases to pencil out financially, so the NIMBYs will get their vocal chords exercised!
No, NIMBYs are not so easily fooled, the point of NIMBYISM is to keep out the "wrong sort of people" and keep boomers' primary investment (their house) expensive, so BCs will not work.
I assure you most of us don’t find them “charming”
Yeah because McMansions and commie blocks are so much better @@StillJustD
@@Nope_handlesaretrash idk what a McMansion is, but "Plattenbauten" or "Novostroiki" can be very nice affordable housing. Under the condition that they are well maintained and well build, any unmaintained or badly build house would be shitty to live in. Also the surroundings make a huge difference in livability, a house in the middle of nowhere in an endless suburban area full of the same copy and paste house is gonna be less inviting than a Block with good public-transport and nice shops, parks and things to do within walking distance. :) The Building-type itself has little to do with how nice it is, you can have horrible single-family houses and great 5-Story mixed use buildings.
I was excited to see the Crapi apartment on Overland featured. Always loved that play on the Capri and the owners sense of humor.
Whereabouts on Overland?
So glad to have found your comment because i really wanted to know where the Crapi apartments were!
@@americakaraJust north of Woodbine St
the very first time i saw that building i HAD to make a u and drive past again to make sure i read it correctly
I used to live in Gartz Court in Pasadena. It was slated for demolition so the City and Pasadena Heritage stepped in and moved them to a city owned lot, where they were all given a 2 car garage and a small backyard, as well as the common space. They were then sold (originally planned as moderate income housing, that failed because interest rates were so high, no one would be able qualify for a mortgage without a cosigner and that would disqualify anyone of moderate income) I loved it and it was a great way to start in home ownership. After marriage and kids I outgrew it, so my mom and I swapped houses, and she lived in it and loved it until she died.
I didn't know the term for this type of housing - so thank you! I used to live in one of these in Sacramento and I loved it. The houses were like little cottages and the design made it more inviting to be outside in the yard area and meet your neighbors. I wish they would build more of these.
@@RussOlson-nk3wc I believe it was on V Street. (It's been over 20 years since I lived there so my memory is a little fuzzy.) I don't remember the address but it was toward the end of V Street - the end that is the farthest from the State Capitol. The property was across the street from an old, large brick building that I believe used to be some kind of school - but (I think) had been converted to offices. The bungalows were a pale pink color. There were 3 on each side and in the back was a larger unit with a couple apartments (as I remember).
there is a bungalow court across from mckinley park. @RussOlson-nk3wc
I saw a bungalow court in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) of all places. It's where one of the characters, Dave, lives. I always wondered what it was called because it looked so nice.
The bungalow court is called St. Andrews Bungalow Court. Look it up. I've thought it was a really nice complex. BTW I grew up watching that movie and I even have it on DVD.
It’s more a village feel and not a downtown city area
Dave was lucky the landlord allowed 3 chipmunks. Usually 2 is the limit
@@kendallevans4079 Well that's funny because in the sequel or "squeakuel", Dave not only has the Chipmunks living with him, at the end of the movie, he also adopts the Chipettes. So now he as total of 6 chipmunks living with him.
@@dustinperger4155 OMG! What about the neighbors?
I've seen something similar to this in Alabama of all places, this is the way that huge textile mills built employee housing. Someone I know rents one of these old "mill houses" in Huntsville, Alabama near Lincoln Mill, they are duplexes and single family Arts+Crafts bungalows built in courts facing each other with a small one way road meandering through the center of the houses facing each other.
Sounds lovely! 🏡
I've seen a couple of setups like these in the Birmingham AL area also
I have a book about the Huntsville mill villages.
My family lived next door to a Mission style bungalow court in Highland Park, which was built in 1923. I have always found this design so charming and practical. So glad to hear that Pasadena is taking a proactive role in preserving these gems.
A similar concept to this is actually very common in Spain. Here we call them “urbanizaciones” (or “urbas” for short) aka “urbanizations”. The most common type is 2 or more lines of row houses with a park and playground in the middle and a swimming pool. There’s also some with buildings, which are more common the closer you get to city centers and usually have bigger common spaces because there’s more people living in apartments. I actually grew up in one and it’s really nice, especially for kids. There’s a safe space for them to play and if there’s a fence around the pool the parents don’t really have to worry much about supervising them (they obviously always keep an eye on them tho). It’s a great way to meet other kids and you can just go up to their houses and knock on they’re door so they come out to play. Sometimes people even make “urba” parties where many of the residents get together
My grandparents retired to Spain and lived in an urbanizacion (it had the word in the name), but the homes there were not exactly small bungalows. They lived in a modest villa but some of the places would qualify as a mansion. It did have communal spaces in it like a pool and a tennis court, and a couple of restaurants. It was a nice neighborhood, a mix of Spanish and expat people, people knew each other and regularly visited each other. I suppose it might work even better on a more compact scale with smaller homes.
Different concepts
Yuk!!
This brings back memories/nostalgia i grew up and used to live in a bungalow court in on a hillside in Westlake, Los Angeles, with my grandmother, parent, and aunts. I remember in the summers, and on the weekend, i would play with the neighboring kids. We would play until dusk and watch the sunset. Such fond memories.
My grandmother owned one as an investment in West L.A. Yes, sadly it was sold in the 70’s, torn down and replaced with a modern SoCal two story with a pool in the middle apartment building. This too has now been succeeded by a 4 story bougie apartment building.
I feel like this the almost perfect balance between the density, convenience, and affordability of apartments and the independence and quiet of suburbs.
Didn’t know the term for the pull up parking spaces were a dingbat. Grew up in one those buildings in Hollywood.
I like the way you articulate and report out. You’ve gained a follower today. Looking forward to more from you.
One of this channel's earliest videos is about dingbats, go check it out! :)
@@benflores7379 thanks! Will do.
We’ve got a lot of these in San Diego, both adjacent to old rail car lines, and near roads chat were slated to have them but never got them; I lived in one in the South Park neighborhood, and they were really beautiful and well made, despite standing since the late 1910s. Mine had a pantry with a pull-out ironing board and a phone-cubby with wooden doors, and the front yard had a common area that used to be a storefront.
Also, at 1:36, was that a coyote??
ah! definitely a coyote!
Agreed - and I love them. I once lived right off the corner of University and Alabama - 3925-35, in an old Mission style court, during the late 1970s-early 80s. At the time, there was a racquetball court in the building that fronts on University, which is now a car dealership, and deep into the night, when everything was mainly quiet, you'd hear the sound of the balls hitting the back wall of it, across from my bedroom - but it wasn't annoying. I loved living there - and the neighbors were friendly and cool, too. Good memories from a long, long, long time ago.
I lived in one in North Park and absolutely loved it. We had great neighbors and had so much fun hanging out on our porches in our little bungalow court
As a child, I lived in a little bungalow court in San Diego. Or maybe “cottage court” would be more accurate. On Normal St., across from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in the North Park area. It was very small and kind of shabby, but also a bit charming. None of the cottages matched, and a couple had two stories. I bet it’s not even there anymore.
@@ochervelvet9687
I know precisely where! I lived just down the street on Herbert! By the time I moved out of Hillcrest in 2014, all but two were gone. I think they might still stand, but the huge vacant lot surrounding them is now a big block of apartments, and I think St. John’s is being torn down, also for apartments. The DMV is under evaluation for a redevelopment plan
These would be a great point for first home ownership, too. Our bungalow courts always have a motor court and are just motels...
fascinating! as a chicagoan i had no idea about this housing type. some of these, especially the ones with lots of landscaping and nice paths, look SO dreamy and ideal to live in 🤩
I lived in a bungalow court in Fresno's Tower District. It was built in 1937 and was owned, and scrupulously cared for by the son of the original owners. It was a group of duplexes with a central courtyard and a small parking lot at back. There was a gazebo in the courtyard, though the landscaping wasn't much. Each unit still had the original lime green or hot pink tile in the bathroom, as well as the original period kitchen with a curved bottom drawer for flour storage, along with a faucet mounted on the wall. My unit even had an old stove from the '40s. We also had laundry rooms with washer/dryer hookups, though I did have to rewire mine for an electric dryer. There were hardwood floors under the carpets, and the owner was in the process of removing the carpet and restoring the floors when I lived there. The walls were lathe & plaster and rounded into the ceilings. The tub/shower occupied an arched alcove in the bathroom. The front of the apartment had a big picture window with panes that opened out onto the covered front porch. The panes were so big you could step through them easily. It was the difficult details like that that reminded you constantly that you were living in a home built by craftsmen. It was a home designed to be lived in by real people, not some artificial warehouse filled with awkward details designed to maximize profit. I don't know what "amenities" people are looking for from modern apartments, but I would trade them all for a space as peaceful and dignified as that one.
It's a shame homes aren't built with these small details that make them functional and esthetically pleasing.
Thanks for sharing. 👍 Sounds lovely!
I had a friend that lived in a bungalow court in Laguna Beach back in the 90s. It was a modified one, three single story buildings in a U shape courtyard, each being two units. I'm happy that by some miracle, and strong NIMBY movement inspired local regulations, it hasn't been torn down and replaced with a mcmantion. Having said that poor students can nolonger afford to live there.
I lived in Laguna Beach for over 20 years. The local government is very pro-historic, preservation oriented. They rule that city with an iron fist and I'm glad when you look at all the other beach cities and their strip malls.
Rest assured the bungalows you speak of will be there forever!
i lived in a bungalow court for 9 years and loved it
There are a few traditional bungalow courts in Portland too and I've always called them garden apartments and dreamed of living in one
I love these things. We have one in Puyallup, WA and I point it out every time I drive by.
Where in Puyallup?
@@jonw999999 by Bradley Park, behind the Walmart near the mall. It's kind of tucked out of the way. There is a similar community in Kirkland, but I don't go up there much.
There are a few in Seattle as well. I lived in a fourplex that was sorta of like the bungalow style with shared walkways and garden space. It was built in 1958.
@@Justb-ru7jl There is one near me in Capitol Hill that is more of the attached apartment types with interior garden... all front doors face each other. Not sure if it would be considered bungalow style, but when I first moved here and looked at it, it reminded me of many places from my days in Orange County and L.A.
@@EricaGamet There was a bungalow court in West Seattle on California Ave. (ironic, huh?) across from the where the the restaurant was. I also remember one or two around Kaiser (Group Health) Medical Ctr. Like LA they are marked for demo, 😥
Grew up in these in the 50s in California when it was paradise on earth. These were wonderful. Met our best friends for life there, back when people had consideration for each other. This video made me smile with good memories.
This is so cool. I grew up in Bungalow court in the Pasadena area. Spanish style, of course. It really did create a feeling of community with the other families in the court.
Sacramento also has these, specifically in the midtown area. You can probably also find them in East Sacramento, Land Park, and older neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area.
As far as I'm aware, all of them are rentals and are not much more expensive than the apartments around them. It gives someone the flexibility of living in a single family home, but at a more reasonable price point and the downtown lifestyle.
Always wanted to live in the ones by McKinley Park. They're so charming!!
There in the San Francisco Bay Area as well. They are scattered around places like Castro Valley, Hayward, Fremont and then out in Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. I think there are even a few out around the Manteca, Modesto, Oakdale too.
I believe in Australia this happens/happened a lot. Large singly family plots are split up into multiple smaller ones, but still maintain a very suburban feel.
While not exactly bungalow courts, I've seen Tiny House villages where each resident buys a small parcel and builds or get their tiny house delivered. There are shared spaces and sometimes a shared building for activities and shared meals.
Also co-housing is another similar approach for this type of density.
These are brilliant, and so adorable. It looks like a really relaxed way to live.
I grew up in Pasadena and always loved these!
I used to live in Harnetiaux Court in Pasadena!! It was soooo lovely to have windows on all sides of the house, the sense of community with neighbors, and the court had many trees, with residents landscaping their own bungalow porches. While living there, two of my neighbors had kids and they built a kids play area to share between their two houses. It was a really cute place to live! My landlord was an old hippie guy who tried to pick creative people as his residents, so there was definitely a sense of community.
I was about to be a hater about the density of these compared to a regular apartment building, but these remind me alot of the Pitman Grove and are definitely an improvement for the majority of LA burbs. But in the end California should probably be focusing on more dense solutions
I see where this is coming from, but if you pair the units, saving the bit of yard between every pair(which might allow you to add another pair to the row), and add walkups on top it starts getting pretty dense while remaining cheaper to build
To be fair, I seen lots of 2-3 story townhouses around LA that have similar or smaller square footages compared to these bungalows.
So for density, this might not be the best options. Maybe in suburbs like San Bernardino, bot not in midtown LA.
@@edwardbrown3721 This is veeeeeeeery theoretical. Yes, the construction cost are marginally lower, but the main cost of new construction is land not actual materials and labor. So if we want actual density in California, bungalow courts will still be more expensive to build that five-over-ones.
Plus, five-over-ones are an insanely optimized product. You can spec one out for cheap. All the techniques and materials are already well-known, widespread, and cheap. Even the local governments know what they are and how they work.
We just need to bite this bullet and just legalize at least 2-4 story multifamily everywhere. This is on the lower scale of Paris density, but would still have a monumental impact on walkability, density, amenities, transit viability, and economic growth.
Correct .
More cluster neighborhoods
@TohaBgood2 2-4 stories mean apartment buildings. LA went through that phase decades ago where they torn down beautiful old homes that had seen better days and replaced them with 4-6 story apartment building that were just huge shoe boxes and it destroyed neighborhoods because you had beautiful old homes that were well taken care of right next to apartment buildings that destroyed the quality of life of those homes because the apartment residents could easily look into the single home's back yards. They had no privacy anymore. It was a disaster. We don't want to do that again. There are many places to build apartments without tearing down SFR. However, building these courtyard cottages can add density to SFR neighborhoods without destroying the neighborhood quality of life. Much better solution than ADUs.
The cohousing movement often uses the bungalow court topology as it organically increases interaction between neighbors. Good for community
Depends on the neighbors and the neighborhood. LA has these in neighborhoods where crime is high and you want to avoid interacting with the neighbors.
Depends on the neighbors and the neighborhood. LA has these in neighborhoods where crime is high and you want to avoid interacting with the neighbors.
They are a historic gem
Used to live in one of these when I was 5. The courtyard is the only part of it I can even remember. Absolutely no memory of any room in the house.
That says a lot about the importance of that “negative” space’s (architectural term) impact on the livability of this design scheme.
@@tpolerex7282 does "negative space" refer to yards and such?
I have lived is several bungalow court apartments over the years. I loved having some garden space around my home and a sense of community. I wish they would keep them.
Bungalow Courts are in some movies . I can't remember the titles but Joan Crawford was in one and Humphrey Bogart in another are two examples.
I think The Dude in The Big Lebowski lives in a bungalow court type complex
Marilyn Monroe in Niagara!
Day of the Locust is another movie with a bungalow court.
Kaley Cuoco in THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT... cute show. Hollywood. Its at 1514 N St. Andrews Pl. JUST DOWN THE STREET IS AN AWESOME JETSON'S OFFICE COMPLEX. oops Must Google the map.
I think Joan Crawford was a typist and married a nutcase in the film. Bungalow courts are gorgeous places 💚💛🧡
I used to live next to one and it was torn down.
Number of units went from 10 units to 74 units when the site was redeveloped.
Living near the subway it was inevitable. Address is 4075 Oakwood Ave
The bungalows in Pasadena are honestly my dream home.
A really terrific story and video. But I think what killed the 'bungalow court' was the automobile and planners desire to demand that residents park their cars off the street or at least garaged.
Smart takes as always! You were right on the money when you showed Lakewood. Long Beach has some pretty great bungalow courts/apartments steps from the beach between Ocean Blvd and 4th, including the Rose Towers which was Emma Stone's apartment in La La Land. Where would you rather spend 600k, for a place there or a copy paste in suburbia?
No shared walls are absolutely pricless
Really well done with lots of great pics and info- thanks.
Great vid - really thoughtful and detailed- kudos for all the effort.. especially for all the incredible b-roll footage (could watch hours and hours of this type of content!).
THIS IS MIDDLE HOUSING.. all these place I’ve seen IN PERSON and they’re all charming at worst. We need these
There's something like this in my city by Dallas, Texas. They look new too. They also have a pathway walking to the river/park going up to the public library. They're pretty much houses, with just a small side yard.
What area in dallas? I've been around here and I haven't noticed one 🥺
I was thinking of a similar concept as an alternative to gated communities. Basically loop of townhouses, 3 floors with ground being garage, sharing walls around a common courtyard/park. You give each house a little bit of backyard, but most of it common space where all the houses are the walls to separate it from non-residents.
I love building upwards, as well, to maintain that smaller footprint, while increasing usable space. The common courtyard is what makes it a charming neighborhood.
A friend of mine in Vegas lives in something similar. I really like it but hadn't put much thought into the reason why I like it so much until now.
Her neighborhood is all 2 story homes of small cul-de-sacs with narrow entrances. The 6 to 10 homes basically share a circular driveway with a small park in the center.
The homes don't have much of a front yard or driveway of their own but for Vegas standards they have decent size back yard. You can't park in front of your own house because it's a narrow one way street.
It's very cozy in her neighborhood and common to see people outside.
Irving Gill, any one? Horatio West Court in Sants Monica, Sierra Vista Terrace (also known as Lewis Courts) in Sierra Madre, and the less well-known Ronada Court in Piedmont (Oakland) stand out as works of architecture in the typology of bungalow courts.
❤
Safe place for children to play & cats to roam without worry of getting hit by a car.
Unless they're taken by a coyote. 😬😆
The coyote at 1:36 is searching for spare cats and small dogs they can snack on.
@@readheath3860 That or any kid - czcams.com/video/8ty6xrPRaeI/video.html&ab_channel=KTLA5 - they've even attacked little ones by the beach.
@@readheath3860 And a child as dessert.
the safest place for your cat to be is indoors. :) protects the cat from pest-borne diseases, rodents, and cars; protects birds and other wildlife from the cat. the species of cat humans domesticated is not native to the americas and causes immense ecological harm.
Great video! I think you'd get a kick out of the Bungalows in Culver City called Jacksons Place/ Jacksons Market. They surround a converted market/deli (that was also a bungalow) and the residential area and market share the same outdoor seating and backyard! It's really lovely.
Great video! We don't exactly have these where I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, but we do have plenty of older, smaller townhouse complexes that are laid out in a similar manner with a central communal courtyard. It was a popular layout here for townhouses built prior to the 1980s. They're perfect for families with younger kids as there is a safe place for them to play, it's easy for the neighbours to keep an eye on things, and there were often several such developments built in the same area centred around easy walking access to an elementary school. More modern townhouse developments unfortunately moved to larger complexes with a more car-oriented layout with the central space taken up with surface parking.
I live in the San Fernando valley and can’t say I’ve seen any of these. Just big apartments and single family homes. I definitely wish we had these
That's probably because the SFV consists of newer neighborhoods. These were built between the 20s-50s.
You have a few, but only a few due to subdivisions happening later, when the bungalow court was out of fashion. The Hartsook bungalow court in NoHo has been in the news because the demented landlord tried to burn it down with tenants in it.
Firsthand footage? Great narration? Subscribed.
You'd subscribe to a channel about pole cats humping.
I just realized you also did the dingbat episode last year. I watched it before I went to LA, it was part of the reason why I picked LA for my trip. So cool to learn about them and see them IRL shortly after. This video has been very informative and while its sad to seem the go it makes me want to do something similar in my city, It may even be something I am able to replicate one day with some holes in the zoning law.
We have quiet a few of these as castia neighborhoods here in Tucson. They run the gambit from low cost efficiency units to expensive "luxury" ones. I've always liked the idea of these.
those are nice. the lawns can be easily converted into gardens too. you could have one edge of the court be a taller apartment building too to add density while preserving their charm. if we can loosen housing restrictions a flurry of creativity could happen and it would be delightful
A lot is more about parking requirements than housing regulations themselves, so that’s a bigger opportunity. Watch Colorado this year to see if we pass eliminating parking minimums in major metros!
@@ttoperoParking requirements have eased in California in a lot of places.
I say this as an American who’s spent over 20 years in Europe: the US needs to get rid of SFH-only zoning. It’s not sustainable, and I think many Americans don’t realize the advantages of semidense, mixed-use neighborhoods because they’ve never experienced them. I love not having to commute by car. I love literally being able to walk across the street to get groceries or go to the pharmacy, and half a block away there’s the tram that will connect me to anywhere else in town (or outside, since the airport is just 20 mins away by transit). And yet right now, I hear the birds chirping in the trees outside my window.
There's a few places pushing for better land use than single family suburbs. I think Colorado is pushing for similar laws as the new California ones mentioned in the video.
I got to study in Japan for a summer and I agree, having everything within walking distance is amazing. Even a "smaller" city like Akita had everything I needed within 15 minutes walking from the university and if I wanted to go to the forest the trains were WAY more timely than any traffic ridden car ride would be in the US
Multi family and higher density means higher crime. That also means lower property values for SFH owners. There's plenty of open space in America to build, outside of major metro areas. Unless the fentanyl and meth problems lessen, and until rap/thug culture is brought under control, keep your higher density for the ghetto wannabes and low rent trailer trash.
Check out New Urbanism 😊
Not everyone wants to live the way you do. You do you, boo
@@lkd06 not everyone wants to pay out the ass for a car, insurance, parking and gas nor do we want our tax dollars going to repairing crap roads that will disintegrate in a couple years either
Years ago when I lived in Santa Monica I lived in a couple of these courts. I loved him, still do, think they're great, a good combination of privacy and feeling like you have your own home and neighborhood
Thanks for the Pasadena info. I recognized many of my neighbors houses in this video
As others have noted, San Diego has many of these bungalow courts, cottages or smaller houses on the ends of blocks in the older neighborhoods. What I object to is single family homes in pre-WWII neighborhoods being torn down for six to eight unit apartments in the middle of the block. It changes the neighborhood, and while density is fine, it is often not what that homeowner signed up for. I live in what used to be a semi-rural area (where I moved to get away from density), but now am surrounded by multiple unit properties where no fewer than 17 dogs live within 100 feet of my house. Alternately, three old commercial properties (car sales lot from the 1940s, and auto upholstery store from the 1950s, and a U-Haul lot) have now been turned into a residential complex. This is an improvement, and makes sense as a bus route runs past it and the trolley line is three blocks away. I personally like the idea of the bungalow courts (vs. two-storey SFRs), or similar cottage rows added to the older neighborhoods, especially if they designs fit in with what is already there. But then there are plenty areas full of boring duplexes and cheap 3-bedroom tract houses that would be better off turned into something like this.
Similar to your dingbat video I'd argue bungalow courts are an excellent way to densify single family homes. But if I have unused land or recetly razed a building on a major corridor, midrise apartments are better.
One if the arguments fot the bungalow courts is the lack of parking. But theres no reason why a midrise can't be built withour parking. ED 1 has allowed 5-7 story affordable housing projects without parking to pencil out.
I don’t see why this houses couldn’t have parking… just not directly in-front of the house. Ideally there could be garage underneath, most aesthetic and if prices of land are high (which they probably are that is why u build those, generally) it might even not be much more expensive). You need about 20-25m2 (depends on layout and parking size ofc) per parking space which at 1k$ per square meter ends up 20-25k. 10 houses each with 2 cars and you are at 400-500k.. For that money or not much more you can probably build a underground garage for 20 cars. You certainly can where i live, altho land here is cheaper too at about 500$ per square meter.
Why mid rise? Most areas of the tokyo residentian area have only 2~3 stories height.
This has become possibly my favorite CZcams channel
Brilliant. This needs to be revisited, totally.❤
Rent control destroyed desirability of owners to own bungalow courts. These are gorgeous properties, but the problem is they are like mini homes and are much more maintenance intensive. Maintenance intensive + Rent Control don't make these a desirable place for landlords to own when they get older and need much more upkeep. Imagine changing all those roofs or painting a multi-home project like this. Bungalow courts as condo type communities may be feasible but if a developer wants to build for profit, they will always go with a building.
Parking,parking,parking. That’s the issue. I went back to my 1950’s childhood home. Cars, cars and boats-canal dr, Pittsburg, CA
I used to live in Pasadena, where this type of housing is, as you mentioned, fairly common. It was also common to see a larger arts-and-crafts style house out front with a smaller bungalow in the back or, sometimes, even a tiny "bungalow courtyard" of 2 or 3 little bungalows in the back or side yard. My friend lived in a "complex" like this and it was charming - but very, very small. He eventually moved into the first floor rental of the larger building and you would not believe the lovely period details that had been preserved! The apartment had intricate inlaid flooring, neat tiles in the bathroom, interesting trim and even a built-in bar. Honestly, the place was awesome.
My apartment was more mid-century, but still pretty nice. It was at the end of a long driveway that was dotted with low density apartment dwellings. My building only had 3 units. The doors of each unit opened to the outside. The bottom units had actual yards with real green space. My unit was up top, accessed via a covered, but open, staircase. The apartment had some nice built-in bookcases, hardwood floors, a cute balcony, and a mountain view. There was a detached carport shared by a couple of buildings - with an enclosed utility room for laundry. Even though that complex wasn't technically a bungalow court, it borrowed some of the ideas from bungalow courts: a central shared driveway, access to green space, and relatively low density apartments. It felt like a cute little community. Of course, when I visited my friends last summer and drove around Pasadena, the rents were insane. I doubt I could afford to live anywhere half as cute now.
GREAT VIDEO AND THANKS FOR SHARING!!!! I LEARNED A LOT!!!
All upzoning is wanted and needed these days... They look like a cute mid-density option between the wasteful single-family zoning and the now common 5 over 1 that is eating up most building lots these days...
wasteful single family zoning? you realize our country is a landmass the size of europe, right? the UK might be more your speed, much smaller, people crammed in together. no space, no freedom, you'd love it.
Check out the architect Sebastian Treese, he recently proposed a small community like this in a suburb of Paris. It looks amazing.
Very interesting and informative.
Thank you.
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I am from south l.a and see bungalows quite often didnt know the history behind them so this was a really interesting/informative vid. Crazy how zoning and having parking requirements kinda made l.a worse off, i think having your own house is the dream but thats hard to do when you can't even find a place to rent cheaply enough so you can save up for one.
It's exactly how I imagined my friends would end up, with our own Melrose Place style enclave that shares a central courtyard, but maybe 2-story bungalows either as a single or duplex, with unofficial designations like one would host the family dinners because they cooked better, another would have invested in an ultra short throw projector and surround sound, one would be stocked with a bar, and we'd hop from on to the other but still lived separately with personal spaces.
Then I grew up and reality set in. Friends? Pfft.
These were around in my home city in New Zealand dating back to the 1930s etc ,usually with a deco or a latin sort of look. A lot were torn down or outcompeted with higher density flats in the late 20th century. The bungalow style was very popular coming directly from the US to Australia and NZ in the early 20th C.
What a lovely concept! That could be such a great solution for the elderly part of our population to have safe and affordable places to live. And maybe make them duplexes instead of a bungalow to add a bit more housing? I liked the idea of one of the units had a restaurant
Always thought we shouldn’t allow demolition of these remaining affordable, open-air units - instead, just upzone single family areas and densify commercial/parking lots instead!
Even when “replacement” affordable housing occurs for these demolitions, it takes many years for residents to relocate.
Most Bungalow Courts are a huge waste of vertical space. An optimal design would be for each building to be a two-story duplex with one bedroom downstairs and one bedroom upstairs in each unit. The large green space in some of the courts shown in this video is really nice. A basement inside each duplex unit would be a huge bonus for storage because storage rentals are an added cost that could instead be used to buy or rent a larger duplex unit.
Great video. Great history on it
A friend of mine used to live in a bungalow court in Pasadena. She had a studio with an arched alcove that led to the bathroom I think. Tiny kitchen but it did the trick. Lovely little place it was.
what is with this urge to live up each other's asses? Does person space not mean anything to anyone anymore?
So these are called buttholioes?
My great aunt lived in a bungalow court in the 1920’s in Pasadena ( Bellevue Court). Glad they are preserved there.
San Diego has a lot of these and I loved seeing them when walking around neighborhoods. It's absolutely crazy that these were zoned and regulated out of existence. They're the perfect way to add density to SFH neighborhoods and create a community where you actually know your neighbors.
Thank you so much for this video!!!
Come up to Monterey County. Up here we have something similar to bungalow courts where there are rows of identical or nearly identical homes on a long lot. The homes are built on either side of a wide driveway. Each home has parking in front of the home and there's parking at the end of the driveway, as well as a dumpster shared by all of the homes.
Now the problem in most cities is parking spaces, imagine a property with 6 of these homes and with an average of 2 cars per home. When these homes were built there was only 1 car per family and most people parked on the street, when the kids grew up they bought their own cars and the streets got crowded. Street cleaning and trash collection day has been a nightmare ever since.
This is one of those videos that you search for but can never find. Thanks for sharing this history.
I lived in a Mission Revival style court as a kid. There six one bedroom units in the front with a single two story unit that contained two, two bedroom apartments.
The unit I lived in was simple and efficient - But what set it apart is it had a backdoor in the kitchen that lead to a narrow alleyway for access to the waste cans.
In my 20's I lived around the corner from the 'Egyptian Courts' which looked more Mission Revival, however there was a pair of Sphinx which stood on either side of the entry.
Later I rented a lovely Craftsman style bungalow in an old neighborhood in San Diego which was perfect in every way. It had incredible charm, what might have been the original 1920's Wedgewood stove (still worked!) and a vintage refrigerator --- think it was a Crosley, which was great for cleaning as it sat on legs about half a foot above the floor. --- This was in the early 1970's so there's some truth to those who say we don't make things are well and long lasting as in the past!
What made those style of apartments / houses, so workable is they were often located in very 'walkable' neighborhoods.
Within about five blocks of the Craftsman bungalow I lived in was: A smaller market with great fresh produce and a live butcher, a branch library built around a tranquil courtyard with a fountain which made it a perfect place on summer afternoons for reading, a small movie theater, a couple of little cafes, a Ben Franklin 'five and dime', a couple of dress shops, a thrift/antique shop, a beer bar and a piano bar that no doubt had patron who had been going there since the day after Prohibition ended!
I first came across bungalow courts when I read Pocket Neighborhoods by Architect Ross Chaplin of Washington. He’s designed and built a dozen pocket neighborhood communities near Seattle. It is a fantastic concept. I was unaware that these were common in LA! Something to consider for sure!
I've seen what I would call Bungalow Court revival in the Playa Vista development below Loyola Marymount University and between Sepulveda and Lincoln Blvds. They have a little pedestrian only courtyard space between the homes behind their health club. The nearby roads are West Runway Rd., Dawn Creek, and Pacific Promenade Millennium. Of course these are million dollar plus homes. But that space sure is beautiful when lit up at night.
There are a bunch of these in Sacramento, too. They are so cool. Really a smart way to build.
My university has a couple dozen bungalow dorms with an outdoor volleyball, basketball court, and an indoor gym center less than a 6min walk from all of them. I am a commuter and I pass through them every time I walk to class. Bungalow's makes for a really nice scenery, especially seeing the kind of decor dormers hang up on their windows or outside of them