Group Honored for Restoring Bungalows

A nonprofit housing organization that transformed a decrepit group of vandalized Hollywood bungalows into low-income housing for people with HIV has been honored by the state Office of Historic Preservation for its work in saving the landmark buildings.

When the Hollywood Community Housing Corp. bought St. Andrew’s Bungalow Court in 1992, the vacant buildings were hotbeds of drug deals and prostitution and scheduled to be demolished, said Christina Duncan, the corporation’s executive director.

The $2.9-million project--financed through a combination of Community Redevelopment Agency money, federal grants, tax credits and loans--restored the original American colonial revival architecture of the 1919 bungalows, which used to be found throughout Hollywood. The property has been nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

“What was most unique about this courtyard is there aren’t that many left,” Duncan said. “Because they were historic . . . we worked with a local historic restoration group and the state office to make sure the renovation was sensitive to the historical characteristics.”

The housing corporation was one of nine agencies that received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award for outstanding commitment to preservation at an awards ceremony in Sacramento last month.

Eighteen people with HIV who were previously homeless currently live in the 16 units at St. Andrew’s, and pay between $80 and $200 a month in rent. The housing project is one of five run by the corporation designed to help low-income people find affordable housing.

“I think [the renovation] has been really beneficial,” Duncan said. “It’s been very nice sort of sprucing up the whole block. I really feel it’s helped the neighborhood overall.”