2656 S Magnolia

The 2600 block of South Magnolia has some of the most magnificent houses in town. A festival of two-story Edwardians, each house better than the next:

2656 S Magnolia

Look ma, no stucco!

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 2

Ok, yes, there is one that’s taller than two stories. If you count a tower; that house looks, you know, like this:

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 3

Soooo, you can totally understand why the YIMBYs would justifiably scream “this is the worst place on earth! It is an affront to God-King Wiener!” and need to demolish this house smack-dab in the middle of the block—

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 4

—which, when sold in 1905, was noted for its flemish finish and artistic fixtures—

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 5

—and replace it with something twice as tall as anything else in the neighborhood:

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 6

2656 Magnolia will be demolished by beloved Orion Housing. They’ve built about a dozen (and counting) bland boxes in favor of Old LA, so in this case, expect something similar:

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 7

Reminds me of what Orion Housing did a couple blocks away on similarly bucolic 25th Street—

2656 S Magnolia — photograph 8

—along with too many nearby neighborhood examples to speak of…though, speaking of, many of the best houses along Magnolia, specifically, are going or gone; I wrote a bit about that here a couple years ago.

So long, West Adams! You sure had something, once!