LOS ANGELES – Another piece of Los Angeles history has been lost after a second fire in just three months destroyed a century-old landmark in the heart of Hollywood.
Fire crews responded Sunday night to flames engulfing the former Hollywood Center Motel on Sunset Boulevard, a building preservationists say dated back to at least 1905. The blaze left the long-vacant structure in ruins. Investigators have not yet determined the official cause.
Preservation advocates expressed frustration and grief, calling the fire a preventable loss.
“This is just such a pointless loss. We call it demolition by neglect,” said Kim Cooper, a preservationist with Esotouric.
The motel, once a fixture along Sunset Boulevard, appeared in films including L.A. Confidential. In recent years, however, the building sat vacant, fenced off and deteriorating, according to preservation groups and neighbors.
“We had been getting on the city, the council office and the building department to make this secure,” said Brian Curran of Hollywood Heritage. “Time and time again, it didn’t happen.”
Neighbors said the property and surrounding block had become a magnet for trash and encampments.
“Of course, squatters move in, set up camp and stay as long as they want,” said Keith Johnson, who lives nearby.
People living on the street in the area said abandoned buildings are often used for shelter, especially during cold and rainy weather. One man who identified himself as “Midnight Love” said someone may have started a fire inside the building to stay warm, but it spread out of control.
“The fire just got carried away,” he said. “We don’t know who did it.”
Cooper said the focus should remain on accountability for property owners and the city’s enforcement efforts.
“I don’t blame homeless people for going to a place they can be safe for the night,” she said. “I blame the city for refusing to hold property owners accountable when they buy properties like this with no plan and don’t secure them.”
The fire is the latest in a series of blazes that have destroyed vacant historic properties across Los Angeles in recent months, preservationists said.
Prior to the destructive fire, the Cultural Heritage Commission had been scheduled to tour the Hollywood Center Motel this week. The tour is still scheduled to take place, officials said.
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