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<\/p>\nFor nearly a century, Sparkletts bottled its water in a vast building on Lincoln Avenue designed to look like a Moorish palace, or maybe an industrial oasis. <\/p>\n
Now Sparkletts has moved out, the owners aren\u2019t talking and L.A. city officials, hoping to save the building, have named the site a historic-cultural monument.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve always had an eye on the building because it\u2019s such an icon in the community,\u201d said Frank Parrello, Landmarks and Advocacy chair for the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society. \u201cWe want to make sure that whatever happens in the future, the building is considered.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plant, which drew water from subterranean springs and bottled it for distribution through Southern California, went up in 1929 on E. Lincoln Avenue along the Eagle Rock-Highland Park border, filling the block between N. Avenue 45 and N. Avenue 46. Designed by architect Richard D. King, its main building features arches, towers and domes, a white-washed brick exterior and wrought-iron lanterns. <\/p>\n
The L.A. Conservancy calls it a bold example of Moorish Revival industrial style and a prime illustration of \u201cthe industrialization of drinking water in Los Angeles.\u201d <\/p>\n
Neighbors call it \u201cthe Taj Mahal,\u201d resident Anthony Carmona says. <\/p>\n
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The Sparkletts building, built in 1929, was designed in a Moorish Revival style. The building, idle since 2025, has been added to the L.A. City Historical-Cultural Monument list. <\/p>\n
(Christopher Reynolds \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
Questions about the building\u2019s future began to multiply in 2025, when Sparkletts ceased operations on the site. A 4.4-acre portion of the property was listed for sale<\/a>, then for lease<\/a>. The L.A. Conservancy<\/a> warned that the building was \u201cat risk of redevelopment.\u201d <\/p>\n The Instagram site Save Iconic Architecture<\/a> also sounded an alarm, saying the Sparkletts building \u201ctells the story of Los Angeles\u2019 innovation, design, and relationship with its most precious resource: water.\u201d <\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society nominated the building as a historic-cultural monument, which led to a site visit and votes by the city of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission and City Council.<\/p>\n On June 24, the council voted to protect the building as a monument. The designation \u201cdoes not guarantee that the building cannot be demolished,\u201d but it does allow city officials to delay demolition for up to 360 days \u201cto allow for time to preserve the monument.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n The city Planning Department staff report<\/a> on the historic monument nomination lists the owners as Sparkletts Drinking Water Corporation and Foremost Water Corporation. Neither commented to the city on the monument nomination and Primo Brands (Sparkletts\u2019 parent company) did not respond to requests for information Monday.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s staff report on the site says the architect may have been influenced by a Moorish design trend in the 1920s that included the film \u201cThe Thief of Bagdad\u201d (1924). The El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and Shrine Auditorium near USC, both completed in 1926, are also known for their Moorish features.<\/p>\n Architectural historians David Gebhard and Robert Winter included the Sparkletts building in their \u201cArchitectural Guidebook to Los Angeles,\u201d noting its mosque-like presence and saying \u201cthe best remaining element\u201d is the tiled mosaic oasis scene over the entrance.<\/p>\n The building has seen some changes. As the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society nomination notes, the building\u2019s largest Sparkletts sign was removed in July 2025. City records show that decades ago, in the course of repairs after the 1971 San Fernando earthquake<\/a>, at least one minaret was removed.<\/p>\n The entrance, however, remains largely intact, featuring three arches and a set of steps framed by a pair of tall palm trees. Just above the front door and beneath a surviving Sparkletts sign hangs the tilework that Gebhard and Winter enjoyed. <\/p>\n Moreover, \u201cit\u2019s very impressive inside,\u201d Parrello said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big open industrial floor plan, which could be used for a lot of things.\u201d <\/p>\n The Sparkletts building, idle since 2025, has been added to the L.A. City Historical-Cultural Monument list.<\/p>\n (Christopher Reynolds \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n If public agency or nonprofit is able to play a role in the property\u2019s future, Parrello added, \u201cit could become a housing complex, or a community center for a housing complex.\u201d<\/p>\n A similar answer came from Carmona, 51, a restaurant worker who lives in an RV about a block away from the Sparkletts building. Carmona said he\u2019d love to see it become a gathering place where neighbors can trade products, services, ideas, \u201clemons, oranges, whatever.\u201d In a perfect world, Carmona said, \u201cthere should be free water for everyone, but of course that\u2019s not going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n The city of L.A. began designated historic-cultural landmarks in 1962 and has given that status to more than 1,000 buildings and other structures. <\/p>\n The closure of the Eagle Rock Sparkletts operation followed a 2024 merger between Sparkletts\u2019 parent company, Primo Water, and another bottled water company, BlueTriton, to from Primo Brands. <\/p>\n ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782837619_49_.jpeg\")
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