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LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY Pre ser vation Report Card | 2008

the county. The Conservancy decided to update the report card for our
thirtieth anniversary in 2008. We were pleased to discover that over the
past five years, more than a dozen cities have taken steps to launch or
strengthen their preservation programs. Others fared less well, but we
hope that this new edition of the Preservation Re-
port Card will help to spur preservation efforts
and offer practical models from other cities.

While it may seem that this report is intended as
a comprehensive assessment of preservation
efforts in L.A. County, some caveats are in order.
This report is not meant to assess the general
state of physical preservation of the cultural re-
sources of Los Angeles County; the existence or
success of efforts to preserve publicly held cul-
tural or historic resources; or the commitment,
drive, and influence of local advocacy organiza-
tions. All of these factors are of great importance
to the general state of preservation in Los Angeles County today, and
we applaud the heroic efforts of the many groups and individuals across
the county who tirelessly advocate for, and carry out, the preservation
of our architectural heritage.This report is intended solely as a snapshot
assessment of local governments’ current efforts to ensure the preser-
vation of historic and cultural resources that are in private hands. Its
goal is to recognize those jurisdictions that actively foster preservation
and encourage them to keep up the good work, as well as to offer prac-
tical models and motivation to those jurisdictions that have fewer pro-
tections in place.

Top: World’s oldest remaining McDonald’s (1953), Downey
(Conservancy archives)

Bottom: Village Motel (1948), Santa Monica
(Conservancy staff)

Right: Many buildings built for industrial and utility uses
are architecturally significant, such as the Art Deco
Vernon Light & Power Building (1932) in Vernon.
Photo by Dean Cheng.

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