Massive VA complex helping disabled and homeless military veterans since the late 19th century, including historic chapel & streetcar depot

In honor of Veterans Day, my family visited the West LA VA Historic District: a sprawling network of dorms, medical facilities, rehabilitation centers, admin buildings and open spaces that have aided and housed generations of military vets since the late 19th century. 

Most of the original buildings are gone, but there are two from the turn of the century (both designed by J. Lee Burton) that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in addition to the West LA VA Historic District itself.

#34: West LA Veterans Historic District

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 2014

The complex of buildings that is the current VA campus was constructed in multiple phases. The kernel was the Sawtelle Veterans Home, built in 1887 on lands donated by wealthy landowners (including a US Senator from NV). In 1890 a cemetery was built; by 1900, there were enough residents for a new hospital, which would be replaced by the facility now known as the West LA VA Medical Center. Many buildings were added after WWI; once the Veterans Administration was established in 1930, the campus expanded at a rapid pace, incorporating a theatre and “Building 209,” known as the Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing.

Recommended Reading

+West LA Veterans Collective website

+VA West Los Angeles Healthcare Center @ LA Conservancy website

+Everything You Need To Know About The Massive, Decaying West LA VA Campus — And The Plan To Fix It (LAist, 2018)

#35: Wadsworth Chapel

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 11, 1972

This 1900 carpenter gothic/Victorian edifice was actually two places of worship in one. Half is for the Catholics; the other side of the brick wall was for Protestants. It is the oldest building on Wilshire Blvd, and it certainly looks it. It’s been fenced off and barely touched since 1971, when the chapel was damaged in the Sylmar earthquake. While preservationists would love to restore the thing, there are legit arguments to be made that the estimated $11.5 million pricetag would be better spent on veterans. In January 2021, the VA announced it had executed a lease to a 501(c)3 called the Wadsworth Chapel Heritage Partners, to raise funds to finally restore the chapel.

Recommended Reading

+Wadsworth Chapel @ NRHP website

+Wadsworth Chapel history @ LA Conservancy website

#36: Streetcar Depot

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972

In the early 20th century, this was a stop on a couple of interurban streetcar lines. You could take the Balloon Route from downtown through the bean fields of Beverly Hills, stop by the VA for a selfie with a disabled veteran, then head out to the beach, all on the same trolley. It’s not much to look at now, but it’s one of the few vestiges of a public transportation mode that sadly doesn’t exist in LA anymore.

Final note: Both of my grandfathers served during WWII, one as a cantor for the Jewish American soldiers stationed in Japan, the other as a #military doctor in San Diego. While I am no fan of the military-industrial complex, I have a profound respect for those who serve, and those who dedicate themselves to supporting the military and their families. It’s in this spirit that I share my impressions of the VA’s historic buildings. The men and women housed at the VA have histories worth recounting. Investigating the stories of the spaces where vets live is a way into understanding and honoring them better.

Recommended Reading

+Streetcar Depot @ NRHP website

+History of the Balloon Route (KCET.org)