A little bungalow this community is renewing a big debate about historic preservation across the San Fernando Valley.
Brought to the area in 1904, the bungalow was home to Wilson C. Weddington, a member of one of the Valley’s first families, the area’s first postmaster and a key figure in the region’s early development.
But while the house has been designated a cultural monument, booming development means it faces demolition unless owner JSM Construction finds a new site for it in 180 days.
Some say the fate of the Weddington house is symbolic of what has happened in the Valley for decades as a string of historic sites have been lost or are threatened amid the growing pressures of urbanization.
“In an attempt to revitalize an area, the history and quality of life suffer from overdevelopment,” said Richard Hilton, a Valley historian.
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Hilton cites the Josef von Sternberg House in Northridge.
Designed in 1935, it was regarded as one of the finest pieces of work from modernist architect Richard Neutra. But it was torn down in 1972.
There was also the Valley Music Theater, the area’s first performing arts center, which hosted Bob Hope, Jim Morrison and others. It was demolished to make room for condominiums in 2004.
And then there was one of the original homes sold by William Paul Whitsett when the Valley pioneer laid out the blueprint for suburbanization of the region in 1923.
A developer razed that home last year just days before it could be designated a historic landmark.
Grassroots efforts, however, have been successful in preserving some sites. In Van Nuys, community members helped save City Hall, Baird House and Woman’s Center with historic designations.
But it remains an uphill battle.
“Part of the challenge in the Valley is that it’s younger, and by and large its built environment is newer than what’s found in the rest of L.A.,” said Ken Bernstein, manager of the city’s Office of Historic Resources.
Bernstein said the Valley has not been scrutinized enough for their historic potential and that of 912 cultural monuments in the city, only 50 are in the Valley.
“It’s a giant undertaking to try and comprehensively identify historic sites, and the funding and priority for the Valley had not been there,” he said.
But a citywide survey on historic sites, sponsored by a $2.5million grant from the Getty Museum and set to start this summer, should help.
It was launched after a Getty assessment of Los Angeles’ preservation efforts found that 85 percent of the city’s geography, including the Valley, had been overlooked.
“One thing the [new] survey might do is shine a long overdue spotlight on sites that are worthy of historic designation,” Bernstein said.
“It will be an important planning tool as Valley communities struggle with balancing growth pressure with the need to protect those qualities they most cherish, including significant historic building and cohesive historic neighborhoods.”
For now, the Weddington house has become a rallying point.
Officials with Heritage Square Museum, an outdoor collection of homes that include predominantly Victorian residences and 19th Century structures in Highland Park, have said they would gladly take the Weddington House.
Mitzi Mogul, vice president of Heritage Square, said JSM Construction has agreed to move the house to the site and restore it at the company’s cost.
“The Weddington House would be our first bungalow, and our first home from the San Fernando Valley, and it would help tell that region’s history,” Mogul said.
But Valley history buffs said that plan won’t do.
“This house should stay in North Hollywood. It’s here where it has historical and political meaning,” said Guy Weddington McCreary, a Valley historian and a descendant of the original family.
City Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the house, said he is making it a priority to preserve the Valley’s iconic structures — though money and land remain a challenge.
Among his ideas is widening Chandler Boulevard to create an outdoor architectural museum for the Valley’s historic homes.
And while preservationists also worry about the Lankershim Train Depot and historic dining car Phil’s Diner, designated cultural monuments that have seen little attention, LaBonge said their restoration should start soon, particularly if more community members get involved.
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“It’s more than just a government designation that makes a historic neighborhood successful,” LaBonge said. “It’s the devotion and love of the people in the area.”
Victoria Brinn Feinberg, an urban-planning expert teaching housing issues at California State University, Northridge, adds that preservation is key to a community’s identity.