Firefighters continue progress in containing the wildfires impacting the Los Angeles area. Here is a summary of the fires in Southern California including the #PalisadesFire and #EatonFire #LAFires pic.twitter.com/q5gOwmiiRA
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) January 19, 2025
The recent wildfires in Los Angeles have left a trail of destruction, erasing parts of the city’s architectural identity and beloved landmarks. The flames consumed iconic filming locations, historic homes, and community spaces that were integral to the collective history and soul of the city. In the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, the fires claimed the Will Rogers Western Ranch in the state park, a favorite picnic spot for locals, and the celebrity-favored Moonshadows restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Sometimes there seems to be no rhyme or reason why a home survives a wildfire when all the others around it burned. Sometimes though, we know why a home survived – home hardening. Malibu residents Jim and Nancy Evans are living proof that modern approaches to architecture and…
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) January 18, 2025
Architectural benchmarks, such as the Keeler House and Richard Neutra’s Benedict and Nancy Freedman House, were also reduced to ashes. Altadena, a quieter town, suffered losses that may seem insignificant to outsiders but were deeply precious to the community. Gregory Ain’s Park Planned Homes, a radical post-war experiment in building affordable prefab homes, and the quirky Bunny Museum, known for its world-record collection of rabbit memorabilia, succumbed to the flames.
These places were more than just structures; they were memories and experiences. As Octavia Butler wrote in her 1993 novel “Parable of the Sower,” “All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you.” These spaces contained memories that profoundly affected the people who lived there.
FIRE UPDATE: on wildfires in the City of Los Angeles:
➡️Hurst Fire: 100% containment
➡️Kenneth Fire: 100% containment
➡️Sunset Fire 100% containment
➡️Palisades Fire: 43% containment🔗Information on resources and support is available at https://t.co/g3FQCeD5Ei.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) January 18, 2025
The scale of the loss is difficult to comprehend.
Landmarks lost to raging wildfires
The vastness of the region burned, equated to setting nearly 47 Central Parks on fire, encapsulates the magnitude of the conflagration.
For long-time residents, the fires have been overwhelming. Amanda Barnes, an amateur historian behind the popular Instagram account CahuengaPast, discusses Los Angeles’ cyclical destruction and reinvention. Her work underscores L.A.’s long-standing penchant for new beginnings and trendsetting, highlighting how both the new and the old form the city’s heartbeat.
Barnes’s dedication to preserving history emerged from personal loss. After losing her husband to leukemia, she found solace in documenting the architectural history of Los Angeles, uncovering connections between notable figures and landmarks. Her personal journey mirrors the collective effort to preserve Los Angeles’s memories, even as flames threaten to erase them.
This moment will define how Los Angeles moves forward and preserves its rich history. While the city has a remarkable capacity for reinvention, it’s essential to appreciate and memorialize what has been lost. Memories, after all, are a crucial part of the fabric of any city.
They remind us of the resilience, culture, and community that define a place even in the face of relentless fire.