City Council opens process to consider Chase Knowles Apartments as historic-cultural monument

The Los Angeles City Council voted to initiate a review to consider designating the Chase Knowles Apartments in Hollywood as a Historic-Cultural Monument, council members said during a packed public hearing and after hearing residents, preservationists and the property owner.

The action opens the city's formal review process for historic-cultural monument status; it does not itself designate the property or prohibit alterations or demolition. Councilman Eric Feuer introduced the motion and the council approved the item on a recorded vote.

Preservation advocates, led by Ken Bernstein of the Los Angeles Conservancy, urged the council to begin the designation process. Bernstein said an independent architectural historian, Teresa Grimes, prepared a detailed nomination and asked council members to tour the complex. He told the council, "This is an exceptional place," and argued the complex exemplifies mid-century garden-city planning.

Representing the property owner, attorney Ben Resnick of Jeffrey Mangels Butler & Marmaro said the ownership does not believe the property merits designation and called the timing "very suspect" because the owner planned demolition and relocation of tenants. Resnick told the council that Legacy Partners has offered affected senior tenants up to $15,000 to relocate ("three times the amount required by state law"), that $10,000 had been offered to families, and that a full-time relocation coordinator is available.

Resident speakers and local community development leaders urged preservation or at least a thorough review. Ellen Michael, speaking for Chase Knowles residents, said there are funding options for historic projects and "there is a possibility, a very real probability, that this project can be preserved."

Council discussion emphasized that the council action begins a process: it sets benchmarks for evaluating future changes and would make incentives and review mechanisms available but does not itself determine the final outcome. The council took the roll and the item was approved (recorded vote noted in the meeting transcript as approved on the roll call). Council members repeatedly noted the motion is only to "initiate the process" and that designation, incentives, and any city acquisitions or restrictions would follow the established review and hearing process.

Next steps identified by staff and members include a Cultural Heritage Commission review and site tours for council members; the formal designation process will include additional public hearings before any final determination.

Clarifying details captured in the hearing include that Chase Knowles is a mid-century complex built in 1949, described in the hearing as a 260-unit project sprawling across about 13 acres; the owner said relocation offers include up to $15,000 to some seniors and $10,000 to families and persons with disabilities, plus a relocation coordinator. The council explicitly recorded that the vote "initiates a process" and does not itself prevent demolition or guarantee preservation.

The council did not reach any final preservation decision at this meeting; the item was referred into the historic-cultural monument process for further review and public hearings.