What makes it Spanish
In Los Angeles, "Spanish" usually means Spanish Colonial Revival, the style that defined the city's housing in the 1920s. The signatures are easy to spot: smooth white or cream plaster walls, red clay tile roofs, arched doorways and windows, wrought iron, and heavy wood doors. Inside, look for thick walls, deep window openings, beamed or coved ceilings, arched passages between rooms, decorative tile on stairs and fireplaces, and floors of oak or terracotta.
The best ones are built around outdoor space. A courtyard, a loggia or a fountain off the living room turns the house inward, toward shade and green, which suits a dry climate with long summers. The style borrows from Spain, Mexico, North Africa and Italy, so you will also hear "Mediterranean" used for the larger, more Italian-leaning versions.
How LA got so many
The spark is usually traced to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego's Balboa Park, whose ornate Spanish-style buildings gave Southern California a new picture of itself. The look fit the climate and the region's mission history, and through the 1920s it spread across Los Angeles as the city grew at enormous speed. Whole neighborhoods were built in it, from small bungalows to hillside estates.
A few architects set the standard:
- Wallace Neff, based in Pasadena, designed romantic Spanish and Mediterranean houses across Pasadena, San Marino, Beverly Hills and beyond.
- George Washington Smith worked mostly in Santa Barbara and Montecito, but his restrained, white-walled houses became a model for the style throughout Southern California.
- Paul R. Williams, one of LA's most prolific residential architects, designed Spanish houses alongside Tudor, Regency and later modern work, much of it in Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas.
- Arthur and Nina Zwebell built courtyard apartments in Hollywood and West Hollywood in the 1920s, including the Andalusia and Villa Primavera. Their buildings, with units arranged around a garden courtyard, became a template for one of LA's most distinctive housing types.
Two related styles show up in the same neighborhoods. Mission Revival, popular earlier, from about the 1890s into the 1910s, has curved parapets, bell-tower shapes and big arches inspired by the California missions. Monterey Colonial blends Spanish plaster or adobe with a two-story form and a long second-floor balcony, often with wood railings, and was revived in the 1920s and 30s.
Where to find them
- Beverly Hills. The Beverly Hills Flats and South Beverly Hills have many 1920s and 30s Spanish homes on regular, tree-lined blocks. See the full Beverly Hills guide for more.
- Hancock Park. Hancock Park mixes Spanish with Tudor, English and Colonial revival homes on large lots.
- The Eastside. Los Feliz has Spanish homes from bungalows to hillside estates, with more in Silver Lake and Eagle Rock.
- The Westside. Santa Monica North of Montana, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades all have Spanish and Mediterranean houses among their prewar homes.
- The Valley. Studio City has Spanish bungalows and hillside houses from the same era.
Beyond the guides, look at Whitley Heights in Hollywood, Carthay Circle, Pasadena, San Marino and Palos Verdes Estates.
Buying one: what to look for
Original, restored or remodeled. Many Spanish homes have been opened up, re-plastered or updated with new windows. Some remodels are sensitive, and some strip out what made the house special. Look for original tile, ironwork, wood windows or steel casements, and plaster details. Decorative tile from makers like Malibu Potteries can be irreplaceable.
Inspection points specific to the style:
- Clay tile roofs. The tiles themselves can last a very long time, but the underlayment beneath them wears out. Broken or slipped tiles let water in. A roofer who knows tile is worth bringing in.
- Plaster and stucco. Hairline cracks are normal in a house this age. Wider, stair-step or growing cracks can point to foundation movement or water and deserve a closer look.
- Plumbing. Homes from the 1920s and 30s may still have galvanized steel supply lines and cast iron or clay drain lines, which corrode or crack over time. A sewer camera inspection is a good idea.
- Electrical. The oldest houses may still have some knob-and-tube wiring, which can affect insurance and usually needs updating.
- Foundations and earthquakes. Many homes of this era were not originally bolted to their foundations. Ask whether seismic bolting or cripple wall bracing has been done, and check masonry chimneys.
Preservation rules. Several Spanish-heavy neighborhoods are Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs), including Hancock Park, Whitley Heights and Carthay Circle, and individual homes can be designated Historic-Cultural Monuments. Exterior work in these areas generally goes through design review. City Planning lists the city's historic districts. Beverly Hills, Pasadena and other cities run their own landmark programs.
The Mills Act. Owners of some qualifying historic homes may be able to enter a Mills Act contract with their city, which can reduce property taxes in exchange for a commitment to restore and maintain the house. Rules, application windows and limits vary, so treat this as general information. Start with the City of LA's preservation incentives page and verify the details with the city and a tax professional.