Wilton Place Just Can't Catch a Break

(Image courtesy of Citizen)

Regular readers know about 1816 North Wilton Place, which was held empty for 17 years by LAHD before burning down in 2024.

Regular readers may also recall that the 1700 block of North Wilton Place saw two abandoned houses invaded by destructive and disruptive squatters. One of those houses had to be demolished due to damage from multiple fires.

But let’s venture outside of Hollywood and address another block of Wilton Place.

1504 South Wilton Place, which is in Arlington Heights and formerly housed the California Hope Presbyterian Church, burned down very late last night/very early this morning. The LAFD Alert mistakenly says it’s 1510, but Citizen videos match 1504, which is (or was) a multifamily Craftsman house on a corner lot, and ZIMAS lists an updated code enforcement issue of “BUILDING OR WALL THAT COULD FALL DOWN”, which seems to be standard practice after fire damage.

ZIMAS complaints from just last week also state “BUILDING OR WALL THAT COULD FALL DOWN” and ‘CONSTRUCTION DONE WITHOUT PERMITS OR INSPECTIONS”.

Dear reader, would any of you like to guess what I saw when I opened the tab for permit information?

You probably already know, don’t you?

The house was already marked with an X last summer. While I don’t inherently take issue with the affordable housing complex planned for the lot, I DO take issue with neglecting existing buildings, holding needed housing empty, and the prevalence of fires in those buildings.

This house could have been moved. Somebody in Altadena would probably have been thrilled and grateful to be its next steward.

Instead, it caught on fire, waking up the neighbors, putting other homes at risk, and releasing even more smoke into LA’s already dirty air.

While I am not especially religious, there’s something blasphemous about a house of God (former or current) going up in flames. Funny how it’s been exactly one month since I last blogged about a fire at a different former church.

Well, at least the replacement complex will have parking.

1504 South Wilton Place, Arlington Heights.