Tarzana : ‘Dirt Mulholland’ Nears Historic Status

With support from the likes of actor Jack Nicholson and musician Don Henley, a city commission voted to seek to place an unpaved stretch of Mulholland Drive known as “Dirt Mulholland” on the National Register of Historic Places.

If the nine-mile stretch of road, which snakes across the Santa Monicas east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard into Encino, is approved as a historic landmark by the National Park Service, the designation could give leverage to conservationists who have fought to preserve the chaparral and oak forests that fringe the dirt lane from developers.

The Mulholland Scenic Parkway Design Review Board voted unanimously Thursday to support the nomination, said John A. Diaz, the board’s chairman. Diaz works with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which also favored the nomination.

Nicholson and Henley both submitted letters to the board supporting the site’s nomination. “Mulholland Drive and the man after whom it was named, William Mulholland, are an integral part of the history of the Los Angeles area,” Henley wrote.

William Mulholland, the pioneering chief water engineer of Los Angeles, was instrumental in the importation of the city’s water supply via the Los Angeles aqueduct.

Placement on the register of national historic sites does not preclude the possibility of the road’s future development, Diaz said. “It’s not a regulatory classification. It’s historical,” he said. “But by designating it as a registry site, we might be able to raise funds to purchase the remaining private parcels” to protect the road, he added.

The City Council next week is scheduled to consider a developer’s plan to build 30 new homes on land east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Diaz said. If the development is approved, it could result in the paving of part of the dirt road, which has become popular with hikers, mountain bikers and sightseers.