Esotouric

Tours Into The Secret Heart of Los Angeles

Save B’nai B’rith Lodge at 846 South Union Avenue

In 2018, Catholic Charities (a non-profit that is not part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles) purchased 846 South Union Avenue, the historic B’nai B’rith Lodge / Teamsters Hall (S. Tilden Norton, 1923), and applied for a demolition permit, announcing plans to build Union Avenue Village, a new structure to provide housing for at risk boys and foster youth.

The Los Angeles City Planning Department rejected the application, because B’nai B’rith is an historic resource located within the former CRA-LA Westlake redevelopment zone. The city also rejected a nomination to consider B’nai B’rith for landmark status, due to owner objection. Catholic Charities then filed a writ of mandate, asking the court to allow demolition—not to clear room for new housing, but simply permission to destroy the building and its priceless Batchelder tiles!

Our preservation pals Steven Luftman and Nathan Marsak joined us for a webinar about the situation through Summer 2022, which you can see below.

In court on 1/9/2024, Catholic Charities and the Los Angeles City Attorney had not yet come to a settlement agreement. Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant directed the City and Catholic Charities to bring him an approved deal at the next status hearing on 3/12/2024 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. If they fail to do so, he will order a bench trial to decide Catholic Charities’ petition for writ of mandate, and the decision will be taken out of the City’s hands entirely.

On Tuesday, 2/20/2024, the PLUM Committee of Los Angeles City Council was scheduled to hear about this confidential agreement in closed session, then vote on a matter that is of great interest to the public, but which no member of the public will be able to hear (Council File: 23-1407, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles).

Our preservation pals Father Dylan Littlefield and Steven Luftman joined us at PLUM asking that the committee table this matter until after the settlement is made public, and to hold their discussion of Catholic Charities’ request to demolish this landmark of Jewish, Labor and Integration history in open, public session.

Instead, PLUM Chair Marqueece Harris-Dawson made the matter even less transparent by placing the matter on the consent calendar. It was unanimously approved by Harris-Dawson, Heather Hutt, John Lee, Imelda Padilla and Katy Yaroslavsky with no discussion, and now goes to full City Council for a final vote on March 8, 2024 (agenda link). You can see video from the PLUM hearing, including our comments here.

On Friday, March 8, 2024, City Council met, refused to hear public comment, and voted to approve the secret demolition deal with no discussion. We made disappointed comment after the vote, and this was covered by the Los Angeles Times and City News Service for KFI. You can see video of our comments, and the strange behavior of Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, here.

The motion, when it hit the council file later that evening, included an unexpected clause: the deadly decision was not set in stone, but was subject to the Mayor’s veto! If she acts quickly, B’nai B’rith can be saved. You can still help save B’nai B’rith. Won’t you please take a moment to cal the Mayor with a simple, heartfelt message before the March 18 deadline? Telephone (213) 978-0600:

Below is a sample message (which you can customize with your own words):

Mayor Bass, I care about the historic B’nai B’rith Lodge at 846 South Union Avenue, a landmark for the Jewish and Labor communities where the Teamsters Union was integrated. Please veto the City Council motion (CF 23-1407), stop the demolition, and work with property owner Catholic Charities to find a preservation solution that truly serves the community and their mission. Thank you. (name, neighborhood or city)

You can also submit your email to the public record by clicking NEW and posting it to the Council File page here, and you can tag the Mayor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but the most important thing to do is to get your spoken message to the Mayor’s office.

On 3/12/2024, Judge Chalfant met with the parties and refused to accept the settlement until Mayor Bass has had the opportunity to invoke her veto power. The next court date is 5/16/2024.

Sadly, Mayor Karen Bass did not respond to any constituent messages about B’nai B’rith, and didn’t veto demolition. On 4/18/2024, the demolition permit was approved. Almost immediately, Catholic Charities had their contractor punch huge holes in the back walls of the 1923 building and the 1940s Teamsters Hall addition!

This destruction was apparently done with no public health remediation to control dust, with a machine rather than hand wreck method, without the required fence, canopy and sewer cap, and before Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant has signed off on the settlement deal with the City of Los Angeles. The video below was shot on 4/22/2024.

We are asking concerned readers to contact the preservation nonprofit that is best situated to move quickly to get in front of a judge and get this demolition halted. That’s the Los Angeles Conservancy, and you can reach them at advocacy@laconservancy.org or (213) 623-2489.

Here’s our ask of the L.A. Conservancy: “Please file a Writ of Mandate! Ask a judge to halt demolition until historic Batchelder tiles and other artifacts can be removed from B’nai B’rith, inside and out.”

On 4/29/2024, The Los Angeles Conservancy posted to its social media accounts that it has appealed the demolition! We thank the Conservancy for joining the fight and taking it to the courts. [on 5/1/2024, Ken Bernstein of Office of Historic Resources told us: “Department of Building and Safety staff let us know that the Conservancy did file an appeal of the permit at their public counter. Just to clarify, the term ‘Administrative Appeal’ refers to a City appeal process, rather than litigation in the courts. I don’t yet have further information on where or when the appeal will be considered.”] We are grateful and hopeful that the City Attorney can be compelled to do the peoples’ work, and not just help a private nonprofit destroy our cultural and architectural legacy for nothing.

On 5/2/2024 we visited B’nai B’rith to see a yellow notice that a concerned community member told us had been posted on the building. In the video above, Richard and Rev. Dylan Littlefield talk about the closed out code violation for “building or wall that could fall down,” a different LADBS inspector who posted the LIMITED ENTRY notice a week later, the new supplemental demolition permit seeking additional historic clearance, the Los Angeles Conservancy’s appeal with the city, the ongoing legal case and concerns about if historic resources inside the damaged building can be located and preserved.

On 5/3/2024 we received an email from LADBS inspector A. Pulido, who we had called from the site to inquire about the notice he posted and its relationship to the prior, closed out code violation complaint. Mr. Pulido responded: “The LADBS closed ticket from April 22, 2024 and the yellow posting from April 29, 2024 are two separate incidents. I was not involved with the April 22nd code violation complaint but I expect someone submitted a code violation complaint on the LADBS website, a code enforcement Inspector investigated and closed the case….On April 29th at approximately 5:15 pm LADBS TEMD received a referral from LAFD on incident #1312 for a collapsed wall at a commercial structure. I arrived on scene at 6:13 PM, performed my assessment from a distance since security would not allow me to enter the gates and were unable to answer any questions. I identified myself, why I was there and what the yellow posting is for and attached the yellow limited entry posting to the building and the wrought iron drive thru gate. I did find a current LADBS demo permit for this address and referred the information including pictures to the LADBS Sr. Building Inspector for that District for their review.”

On 5/6/2024, Rev. Dylan Littlefield documented a crew on top of the Union Avenue awning, above the yellow tag notice and working flush against the Batchelder tile and terra cotta facade. This is very hard to look at!

On 5/20/2024 we documented a crew installing demolition scaffolding across the facade of the B’nai B’rith Lodge. Why won’t the city stand up for our cultural and architectural landmarks?!

On 6/16/2024 we published B’nai B’rith Demolition Surprise: Century-Old Jewish Symbols on View for the First Time in Decades, a video newsletter featuring a Dronescape by The Artery LA. In it, we announced the remarkable return to public view of the building’s original decorative elements,and called on Angelenos of conscience to imagine a better future for B’nai B’rith.

On 7/8/2024 we published City Planning Slow Walks L.A. Conservancy Appeal Just Long Enough for Catholic Charities to Start Demolishing B’nai B’rith Lodge, a video newsletter documenting work that continues even as the city accepts an effort to save the building.

On 12/10/2024 at 4:30pm, months after B’nai B’rith was demolished, ostensibly for no new project, the Central Los Angeles Area Planning Commission will finally hear the Los Angeles Conservancy’s appeal of the granting of demolition permits for an historic resource in a protected redevelopment zone. The public can tune in virtually and make public comment, or send comments via email. See agenda and instructions here.

LINKS ABOUT B’NAI B’RITH LODGE AND THE FIGHT TO SAVE IT