Bungalow Court at 1554 N. Serrano Avenue
Also known as: Mission Gardens
Why it's listed
Built in 1921 on a flat parcel along Serrano Avenue in Hollywood, this bungalow court holds thirteen rental homes. Two matching rows of five attached one-story bungalows face each other across a narrow courtyard, and a rear building of three units, partly two stories, closes the end. The buildings have flat roofs with parapets, stucco walls, wood casement and double-hung windows, and front porches with shed roofs on decorative wood brackets. Inside, many original hardwood floors, plaster walls, built-in cabinets, and hexagonal bathroom tile survive. The court reflects the bungalow court type, which spread across Southern California from about 1910 as Hollywood's film industry drove rapid population growth and demand for rental housing. Each unit had its own entrance and porch, while the shared courtyard replaced a private front yard. In 2009 the property was rehabilitated as affordable housing in line with federal preservation standards, with new stucco matched to the original finish and many original features repaired and kept.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a well-preserved example of the bungalow court, a multi-family housing type that flourished in Southern California and Hollywood from about 1910 to the mid-1920s. It displays Spanish Colonial Revival elements and retains many original exterior and interior features. It was also rehabilitated in 2009 as affordable housing under the Secretary of the Interior's Standards.
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 10000762, listed September 16, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1554-1576 N. Serrano Ave, Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | September 16, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000762 |
| 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 still in use as multiple dwellings (low-income housing, including units reserved for people living with HIV/AIDS). |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 34.10038, -118.30668 (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 10000762.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133277542
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.