Untapped Journal revisits the bungalow Court with West of West in mind

Bungalow Courts Could Give California the Boost It Needs

How discontinued multifamily housing types could be reimagined as a solution for densifying Los Angeles.

"Despite its poor upkeep, outdated appliances, and an exposed water heater that took up half the kitchen floor area, my former East Hollywood rental was a charmer. Designed in the Mission Revival style in 1923, it was one of the street-facing units of a typical bungalow court: Two rows of tightly-packed modules face one another to pack 12 single-story homes within less than a quarter of an acre, leaving just enough room for a decorated walking path along its center and secondary paths along its perimeter, for trash removal. My neighbors and I kept our windows open to let in the songs of birds that nested in the trees of our tiny front yards. Thanks to the several other bungalow courts that are still standing, East Hollywood remains one of the few walkable neighborhoods in a city of far too few."


BY SHANE REINER-ROTH