As a young man growing up in Boston, David Raposa was always interested in architecture, checking out houses that were for sale or under construction, sketching the homes and floor plans he had seen and sometimes even creating his own designs.
Graduating from Harvard University in 1980 with a Masters in Business Administration, David became a CPA, working in New York City. He eventually found work with a large financial institution and soon found himself on a plane to Los Angeles to help manage their West Coast office.
With a mind for business and a love for beautiful things, David began buying property, a home on the edge of Palm Springs, a Spanish-style duplex in the Pico Robertson area and by 1986 he was devoting himself full time to real estate and historic architecture.His interest and his professional background merged when David purchased City Living Realty in the mid-1980’s.
It was an ad for vintage houses that brought David to the West Adams District.
Enchanted by the quality and diversity of design, he felt a connection to the community. David’s commitment to Historic Preservation has been more than mere rhetoric. Literally putting his money where his mouth is, David bought difficult homes and meticulously restored them to their original luster. The first property he purchased in West Adams was a house designed by noted architect FrankTyler, which had been chopped up into nine illegal units. David restored it to a glorious single-family residence. He rescued another neighborhood nuisance that had been used as a crack house. Another had been clad in aluminum siding, painted bright pink, and had serious foundation problems. Many of these are now listed as either City or National historic monuments.
David has served on the Board of Directors of West Adams Heritage Association (who recently awarded him the Martin Eli Weil Historic Preservation Award), the Los Angeles Conservancy and he currently serves on the Board of the North University Park Historic Preservation Overlay Zone. He and his partner, Ed, live in a beautifully restored Craftsman home designed by the Heinneman Brothers.
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This article is reprinted with permission from the World Tribune. For more information on that...
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