Miracle Mile Historic District
Since 2001, architectural photographer John Bare has documented numerous historic residential districts throughout Southern California. Today SoCal Landmarks is presenting selections from in and around the Miracle Mile Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in Los Angeles. While some of the homes and buildings may be noteworthy on their own, the goal of John’s documentation, and our presentations, is to provide an overview of the districts and the variety of architectural styles that contribute to their notoriety.
The residential area south of the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire Boulevard, a Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, comprises 1,347 properties. Construction dates for properties within the district range from 1921 to approximately 2015, although the dominant period of development is the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. The architectural styles are generally Period Revival modes including Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Mediterranean Revival, French Revival, and American Colonial Revival. In the early 1920s, Wilshire Boulevard west of Western Avenue was an unpaved farm road. The success of A. W. Ross’s development of the commercial district along Wilshire Boulevard from La Brea Ave. to San Vincente Blvd., the Miracle Mile, made the residential areas adjacent to it some of most desirable in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County
Photographer: John Bare