Out With the Old and In With the Ewwww!
- Details
- Category: Community News
- Published on Friday, 17 October 2014 16:32
- Written by Renee Montgomery
Horton, which calls itself “America’s Largest Homebuilder,” the 60-unit housing complex resembles . . . well . . . Anywhere USA. “1990s Fontana sub-division, ” “Hello Irvine,” “lowest common denominator” are a few of the public comments appearing on such websites as Curbed Los Angeles to describe the proposed two-story single-family homes. Angelenos, it seems, were looking for something more architecturally noteworthy for this urban locale.
With an architectural rendering posted on the Faircrest Heights Neighborhood Association site, the non-descript 3-4 bedroom homes go by the model names “Monterrey,” “Spanish Colonial,” and “Spanish Revival.”
News of the quasi-Spanish style architecture is made even worse by the fact that the tract is located on the former ten acre site of the historic KJH radio station, established in 1922. During the 1960s and ‘70s, the “Top-40” KHJ (or “Boss Radio” as it was called) ruled the rock-and-roll airways, with deejays, The Real Don Steele, Charlie Tuna and Robert W. Morgan. From the 1920s to the ‘70s, KHJ was one of the “Big-4” radio stations, known for appearances by Bing Crosby, George Burns and Gracie Allen and Steve Allen. The two prominent 300’ radio towers on the Fairfax KHJ property were pulled down, sawed up into pieces and hauled away in February 2013.
According to the architectural rendering, the D.R. Horton complex will be accessed at two points off Sawyer, just north of the Fairfax/Venice intersection. Currently the land, zoned for R-1 housing, has been leveled with parcels marked off by surveyors. Local Faircrest Heights residents report that a sign announcing the development was posted briefly. The “Building Los Angeles” blog notes that the 2590-2900 square foot homes will start at $1.2M. The tract has not yet been listed on the developer’s website.