Palm Avenue Bungalows Are Link to Pre-Weho History

A pair of paradoxes are located at 927 and 931 Palm Ave. in West Hollywood.

The paradoxes are actually houses—two of the oldest in the city, in fact—and they are rich with history that is at odds with both the past and present.

The homes are cozy, and yet ornate in a way that suggests distinguished residents.

They're single family homes, towered on either side by Palm's condo complexes--tiny suburban alcoves locate in the midst of the big city. 

Built in 1902, the homes also represent the transition between the diametrically opposed Victorian and Craftsman styles.

And yet, the homes' greatest paradox has little to do with its architecture. Though they are some of West Hollywood's oldest and most enduring houses, they are currently two of the city's most vulnerable, as well.

Property owner David Vayner has publicly declared his plans to demolish two of the homes, as well as one at 923 Palm Ave, and replace them with two four-story, 12-unit condo complexes.

In November, Vayner told Patch that the property upon which the condos sat "was not supporting itself."

Since then, a community effort to protect the homes from demolition by having them designated as cultural resources was endorsed by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). 

Should the West Hollywood City Council heed the commission's advice, the houses located at 927 and 931 N. Palm Ave. would be added to the city's Old Sherman Thematic Grouping, a cluster of architecturally similar homes that date back to the pre-Weho settlement of Sherman.

The HPC's recommendation will be up for consideration by the West Hollywood City Council in May.

Until then, Palm Avenue residents and the homes' two greatest advocates, Kate Eggert and Krisy Gosney, are waiting and building their case.

Eggert and Gosney have been fighting to save the homes since they first learned of Vayner's plans to demolish them. Spending countless hours sifting through city and county records and arguing in favor of the homes' significance in front of local boards.

"There was a point where we barely slept for two weeks," Eggert said.

Sitting in the shade of a massive palm tree located behind 927 Palm Avenue—currently the residence of designer Ralf W. Knoll—the reason for all the lost sleep becomes clearer.

The peach colored bungalow located at 927 stands in contrast to its neighbors, with its bay windows and steep hipped roof. Eggert explained that those features were included by the architect to project wealth and prosperity.

Built in heart of Sherman, the old rail town that predates West Hollywood, the homes were used as showpieces by railroad magnate Moses H. Sherman, who wanted to convince his wealthy colleagues to invest in the area.

While the workers of the old Pacific Electric rail system were relegated to Sherman's shantytowns, switchmen and electricians resided in the Palm Avenue bungalows.

The homes no longer seem ostentatious; As Knoll puts it, "they're super cute."

A lot of that has to do with Knoll, who has invested in the property by repainting the interior and maintaining a vibrant front yard garden.

If the homes go, so does Knoll's contributions to Palm Avenue, Eggert said.

"We'd be losing some good people if the homes were demolished," she said.

Gosney noted that the destruction of the home would not only mean the loss of one of West Hollywood's oldest homes in situ, but a lost link to the city's past.

"There were 26 of these homes. If we destroy these, there will be 10," she said. "Eventually, people will feel like there's no point to having a Sherman Thematic Grouping"

Knoll expressed ambivalence about Vayner's plans to demolish the home. He was aware of those plans when he moved in and, as he put it, "didn't want to stand in the way of anybody's dreams."

And yet, he expressed dismay over the loss of not only the home and the stories it possessed, but also the prodigious palm that stood in the backyard.

"Look at this palm tree. This to me is amazing, you look at that and you think you could be somewhere else. How I feel about that is how we feel about everything in the world ... we don't do enough to take care of it."