Los Angeles’s remarkable architectural and cultural heritage boasts examples of styles from the Arts and Crafts movement to mid-century modern. Historic places throughout the region contribute to the City’s rich social and cultural life.
Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) works to protect, enhance, and revitalize the City’s historic places through its comprehensive, state-of-the-art, and balanced historic preservation program.
The OHR:
- Serves as the professional staff for the City’s historic preservation commission, the Cultural Heritage Commission
- Oversees the City’s 35 historic districts (Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, or HPOZs), encompassing over 21,000 properties
- Manages the City’s major financial incentive for owners of historic properties, the Mills Act Historical Property Contract program
- Integrates historic preservation into Los Angeles’s long-range planning and development project reviews
- Manages the City’s historic resource inventory, HistoricPlacesLA, which includes the findings from SurveyLA, Los Angeles's first-ever citywide survey of its historic resources
- Serves as an expert resource on preservation within City Planning and for other City departments
- Provides responsive customer service in conducting historic preservation reviews
Office of Historic Resources Updates
Historic Context Underway to Honor and Recognize the First Peoples of Los Angeles
The Office of Historic Resources (OHR) has received two consecutive Certified Local Government (CLG) grants to develop a historic context statement focused on the First Peoples of Los Angeles. The project is informed and guided by an Advisory Council made up of tribal authors, representatives, and community members. It forms part of Los Angeles City Planning’s broader effort to strengthen its relationship with local tribal communities, and builds upon the publication PAST DUE: Report and Recommendations of the Los Angeles Mayor's Office Civic Memory Working Group released in 2021. The First Peoples Historic Context Statement aims to acknowledge the City’s First Peoples presence, history, and sensitive cultural resources, while supporting the broadening understanding of the city's tribal heritage.
The First Peoples Historic Context will not only recognize the rich historical and cultural contributions of the people that originated from the land that now constitutes the City of Los Angeles but will also provide a framework for identifying and evaluating places of great significance to the First Peoples of Los Angeles. The completed context will include key themes in First Peoples social and cultural practices and beliefs, as well as significant figures and organizations. This effort aligns with the City’s commitment to advance historical accuracy and inclusivity, ultimately fostering a more informed and respectful narrative of the City's diverse heritage.
OHR and Getty Launch New Los Angeles African American Heritage Initiative
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OHR staff
To find the appropriate member of the OHR staff to contact, click here.
