South Carthay, Los Angeles

South Carthay is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles, California. Located south of Carthay Circle,^[1] South Carthay was developed in the 1930s by Spyros George Ponty.

South Carthay
Neighborhood
South Carthay neighborhood sign located at 1025 S. Crescent Heights Boulevard (just south of Olympic Boulevard)
South Carthay Location within Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°03′41″N 118°22′11″W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Time zone	Pacific
Zip Code	90048
Area code	323

Geography

The neighborhood is bounded by Olympic Boulevard on the north, La Cienega Boulevard on the west, Pico Boulevard on the south, and Crescent Heights Boulevard on the east.^[2] The neighborhood of Carthay Circle is to the north.

History

The South Carthay area became a portion of the City of Los Angeles on February 28, 1922.^[3] Residential development in the area began during the early 1930s on land that previously grew produce for Ralphs markets.^[4] Greek developer Spyros George Ponty worked with architect Alan Ruoff^[5] to design 147 modest Mediterranean-style homes in the area.^[6] While the builder's influence is found in Westwood, Norwalk, Beverly Hills, South-Central Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, South Carthay's Spanish Colonial Revival homes represents one of his earliest legacies.^[7] All of the 147 homes designed by Ponty share red-tiled roofs and stucco exterior walls, wrought iron and glazed-tile detailing. Yet each home was built slightly differently from the next, with flipped floor plans and doors and windows in different places.^[7] South Carthay remains an architecturally cohesive community, with few intrusions from the succeeding decades.^[2]

Historic Preservation Overlay Zone

In 1984, South Carthay became the second neighborhood in the city to receive the designation of Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ).^[7] The South Carthay preservation plan was adopted by the City of Los Angeles on December 9, 2010. Objectives of the HPOZ include: Safeguarding the character of historic buildings and protecting the historic streetscape .^[8] The HPOZ boundaries exclude the commercial thoroughfares of Pico Boulevard and La Cienega Boulevard.^[9]

References

1. The Thomas Guide, 2008, page 633
2. Winkler, Robert (September 2009). An Arch Guidebook to Los Angeles. Gibbs Smith. p. 163. ISBN 9781423608936.
3. "South Carthay HPOZ Preservation Plan" (PDF). Los Angeles City Office of Historic Resources. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2017.
4. Stein, Jeannine (April 4, 2002). "The Quest for a Sense of Place". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024.
5. "The History of South Carthay". South Carthay Neighborhood Association. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017.
6. Heeger, Susan (July 16, 1995). "Style / Garden : Real Green Rooms". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024.
7. Mothner, Linda Beth. "City With Sense of History and Direction : South Carthay".
8. "South Carthay HPOZ Preservation Plan" (PDF). Los Angeles City Office of Historic Resources. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2017.
9. "South Carthay HPOZ Preservation Plan" (PDF). Los Angeles City Office of Historic Resources. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2017.