Historic church damaged in fire
Fire gutted the Little Country Church at 1750 N. Argyle Ave. on Monday night.
The blaze began shortly before 6:30 p.m. and caused the two-story, New England-style sanctuary to partially collapse before L.A. city firefighters extinguished the flames.
The church was designated a city historic-cultural landmark in 1992. Religious ceremonies were halted there five years later because of a dwindling congregation.
Since then, the site has suffered damage from vandals and squatters, who are suspected of setting a fire that damaged the building in 2004.
Earlier this year, a developer announced plans to convert the building into a combination bar, restaurant and church.
Officials were investigating the cause of the fire.
-- Joel Rubin
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