Twentieth Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Ten houses line the south side of the 900 block of West 20th Street in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, close to downtown. Businessman and builder W. Wayman Watts constructed them between about 1902 and 1908, working in a partnership with George Steckel. Most are two-story frame homes clad in wood shingle and clapboard, with similar setbacks and roof heights. Several follow a Chalet-Craftsman pattern, while others include a rare Prairie Style bungalow and two Transitional Victorian designs. Each house differs subtly in plan and decoration, yet the block reads as a cohesive streetscape. The homes were developed for upper-middle-class families during the peak of West Adams' fashionability, and the block was the last major subdivision in the area north of Adams Boulevard and east of Hoover Street. It is the only known residential subdivision by Watts. Much of the surrounding neighborhood has seen demolition and alteration, which makes this intact row stand out.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant under criterion C for architecture. It holds one of the finest and most intact groupings of Late Shingle/Craftsman style homes in West Adams. It is the only known residential subdivision by builder W. Wayman Watts, and it shows an unusually unified streetscape with subtle variation in plans and details.
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 91000915, listed July 22, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 912--950 20th St. (even numbers), Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | July 22, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000915 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1903-1908 |
| Architect / builder | W.W. Watts, Builder (W. Wayman Watts) |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman (Craftsman/Late Shingle Style, including Chalet-Craftsman, Prairie Style and Transitional Victorian examples) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current function is single-family dwellings; all ten resources are contributing. The surrounding neighborhood has lost many buildings, including most of the north side of the street. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 34.03583, -118.27970 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 91000915.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7857710
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.