Local News in Brief : Home Used for Neglected Children Proposed as Historic Monument

The Los Angeles city Cultural Heritage Commission recommended Wednesday that an 83-year-old Craftsman-style home in Highland Park be declared a historic-cultural monument, alleviating concern over its future.

The concern arose when a program for abused children that operated out of the home closed last year after 40 years.

The home, built with river-bed boulders, was designed by Los Angeles architect Robert Edmund Williams. It includes a stained-glass window by the Judson Studios of Highland Park.

Since 1948, the estate had been operated by the Hathaway Home for Children, a program for abused and neglected children run by Hathaway Children’s Services, a private, nonprofit child welfare agency that also owns the property. In September, the agency closed the home and transferred the remaining youths, ages 6 to 13, to its headquarters in Little Tujunga Canyon.

The commission recommended that only the house be designated a historic-cultural monument, excluding 2 acres of grounds and dorms.

Brian Cahill, Hathaway Children’s Services president, said the agency intends to keep the home for use as a community service center. He said the agency’s board is considering selling the balance of the 2.8-acre site for development of single-family homes.

The commission’s recommendation requires approval of the City Council. If the council grants the historic-cultural status, any proposed changes to the site would require approval by the commission.