Casa de Rosas
Also known as: Sunshine Mission
Why it's listed
Casa de Rosas is a group of four stucco buildings a few miles south of downtown Los Angeles, centered on a Main Building completed in 1893 to designs by Sumner Hunt. It was built around a courtyard for the Los Angeles Froebel Institute, an early kindergarten based on the teachings of Friedrich Froebel, and later housed the Girls' Collegiate School. Additional buildings followed: a gymnasium shown on a 1907 map, a dormitory and dining building called Rose Court in 1915, and a classroom building in 1920. The Main Building blends Mission Revival and late Victorian design, with arcades, a porte cochere and hipped roofs. It was among the first Los Angeles buildings to draw on mission architecture and to use courtyards in a way that foreshadowed Southern California living. Fires, a 1971 street widening and 1990 rehabilitation changed parts of it, yet much of the original character remains. Since 1951 it has served as the Sunshine Mission, a refuge for homeless women.
Significance in brief: The complex is significant in education for its link to the Los Angeles Froebel Institute and the Girls' Collegiate School, among the first kindergartens and private girls' schools in Los Angeles. The Main Building is also significant as an early Mission Revival work and the first documented building by architect Sumner Hunt. Its courtyard plan anticipated the indoor-outdoor lifestyle of Southern California architecture.
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 04000679, listed July 14, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2600 S. Hoover St., Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | July 14, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000679 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1893-1925 |
| Architect / builder | Hunt, Sumner P. (Main Building); Hunt & Burns (Building B); Kavanaugh & Barnes (Building D) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th Century & 20th Century Revival: Mission |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Since 1951 the complex has been known as the Sunshine Mission, a refuge for homeless women; rooms are used as offices, lounges, guest rooms and multipurpose space. Fire damage was repaired in 1990. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 34.02993, -118.28296 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 04000679.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5047925
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.