Article #1: Why Build in the Hills?
The Hills have long been the bastion to some of the most privileged and iconic communities in Los Angeles. This is the first of a series of 10 articles about improving a real estate asset in the hills, to the tune of a new construction or a major remodel that adds square footage to your existing home.
But first, why build in the Hills?
Let us turn a few pages back to history… in the 1920s, Los Angeles was still rural enough that Amelia Earhart could take a flying lesson at Rogers Field, today the intersection of Wilshire and Fairfax.
But a real estate boom was in the making thanks to an economic trifecta of oil, entertainment, and aviation. The engineering marvel of the Los Angeles Aqueduct made it all possible, as well as what was then one of the nation’s most modern railroad transportation systems.
The Hills laid just steps away from all of this bustle. With its pastoral canyons and glens shaded by trees and cooled by springs, it was the perfect place to flee the heat and clamor of the rapidly urbanizing floor of the Los Angeles Basin.
In 1923, the same year a skinny 21-year old named Walt Disney stepped off the train in Los Angeles famously with $40 in his pocket, two neighborhoods were established in the Hollywood Hills. On one side, above Beverly Hills, was the exclusive Bel Air. On the other side was Hollywoodland, a planned development of more cost effective homes intended to draw the creative types. This development introduced a neighborhood scale that led to a strong sense of community for the homeowners, and set a precedent for other developments throughout the Hills.
The middle of the 20th century saw a dwindling supply of cheap and available lots that drove the prices up in one of the other big real estate booms of Los Angeles’s history. The price of land in the Hills was still low enough to offset the additional construction cost to build on precarious slopes. The prospect of a perch atop the hill with a sweeping birds eye view persuaded many audacious dreamers to build homes even on the steepest terrain.
The entertainment mecca of the world at its feet, the Hollywood Hills in particular became home to many of those who found success in this industry. They built homes that showcased their strong, creative identities. The unique topography of the hills provided the perfect setting for this, as well as a sense of security in its separation from the masses.
With the rising real estate market over the last 15 years, and the advent in construction techniques, many lots that were overlooked in the last few real estate boom cycles are now being appropriated with vigor. Skilled architects, engineers, and contractors are realizing exciting projects. The high quality of design and construction found in the hills, as well as the average wealth of the homeowners, make these communities among the most stable and attractive real estate markets in Los Angeles.