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1930 Edith Mortensen Northman project threatened

Liberace's Legoland

1930 Edith Mortensen Northman project threatened

This post is part of our years-long running Eavesdrop series (think page 6 for the architectural field). It’s your best source for gossip, insider stories, and more. Have an eavesdrop of your own? Send it to: eavesdrop[at]archpaper.com.

A pair of 1930 Monterey Revival-style apartments designed by Edith Mortensen Northman, Southern California’s first female licensed architect, are being threatened by the wrecking ball to make way for a 26-unit condominium complex. Sources describe the proposed structure as “Liberace and Wayne Newton meets Legoland.” How can such an important set of buildings fall through the cracks? Portions of the structures straddle the political boundary between the cities of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles and, it seems, L.A. City has taken the lead in approving the project. Beverly Hills, ever-eager to engage L.A. in turf battles, has begun approving the project on its own and has instructed the developers to solicit public comment before final approval.


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