Bungalow Court at 1516 N. Serrano Ave
Why it's listed
Eleven small homes face one another across a narrow central courtyard at 1516-1528 1/2 N. Serrano Avenue in Hollywood. Built in 1921, the court has two identical rows of five attached one-story bungalows and a single-unit residence at the rear, with a small laundry building that is not counted as historic. The buildings show Spanish Colonial Revival features, including flat roofs with stepped parapets, stucco walls, wood casement windows, tile-roofed entry porches and scored concrete walkways. Inside, units kept hardwood floors, plaster walls, built-in cabinetry and original tile. The court represents a housing type that spread across Southern California from about 1910, and Hollywood's growth with the film industry drove demand for such housing. In 2009 it was one of four Hollywood bungalow courts rehabilitated by a community housing corporation to provide low-income units, in response to concerns about courts being demolished for condominiums. Stucco was replaced to match the original after mold was found.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the property as a well-preserved example of the bungalow court building type, which flourished in Southern California from about 1910 through the 1930s. It retains many original exterior and interior features. It also reflects Hollywood's residential growth tied to the film industry and was rehabilitated in 2009 as low-income housing.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10000761, listed September 16, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1516-1528 1/2 N. Serrano Ave, Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | September 16, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000761 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Late 19th/20th Century Revivals: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated in 2009 and in current use as multiple dwelling (low-income housing, including units reserved for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families). |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 34.09894, -118.30666 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10000761.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133277508
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.