Bungalow Courts: LA's Best Housing No One Builds Anymore 

Coyote casually struts down the sidewalk.

We always joke about having a "family compound" but something like this would be perfect. Everyone can have their space, but still be able to hang out it common areas.

I’m a delivery driver in Hollywood… There are so many of these in 90029 and 90038. Each one is landscaped differently in its own unique way and it is so cool.

I lived in a bungalow court in Tucson, though we called them casitas. It was one bedroom, probably no more than 500 sq ft. the perfect size, with a fireplace. My neighbor's cat used to come by all the time and hang out with all the neighbors.

This is where Dave lived with Alvin and the Chipmunks

I’m lucky enough to live in a bungalo court in Pasadena. Not one of the historic ones, but I’m sure it’s eligible. I love it here and never want to move. I really appreciated this history lesson!

not just bungalow courts, but just the concept of a "bungalow" house has disappeared as well. Very few houses are built anymore with 2 or fewer bedrooms and most are larger 3 and 4 bedroom houses as newer codes and zoning requirement (circa around the 1980s that were never updated till very recently) have pushed housing sizes much larger. If you see a small 2 bedroom single family house, you can bet good money that that house was built at least 40 years or longer ago.

I used to live in a 1920s Spanish Revival bungalow court in Echo Park. I was there almost ten years, it was rent controlled and I loved its vintage charm. Then a big LLC bought it and evicted all of us! A year later after slapping on a coat of paint they sold each unit for $3 -4 million each.

I lived in one during college in Pasadena late 1990s for $400 a month. I felt safe because even though the neighbors were different ages we all looked out for each other, I even drove a few of the Senior citizens on errands and baby sat another neighbors toddler. .. Tried to buy one unit in 2010 in Silver Lake for $520K. In 2024 that exact same 1/2 bedroom bungalow sold for $850K

Pre freeway LA architecture was something else. What used to exist is fascinating and almost rivals SF, and what could have been is even more interesting. LA needs density. It strangely still has a relatively high level of density for a car centric city based on old development before it veered off that path into car centricity, the relics are still there and are very fascinating.

I have always loved bungalow courts and it seems like a good way to foster a community. I think it's an especially good idea for older people, especially single older peeps who can still live independently but may be isolated in other kinds of housing.

Yeah I think this is actually a huge opportunity for Southern California. I think most people find bungalow courts kinda charming and this could be a good way to get more housing without riling the NIMBYs.

I used to live in Gartz Court in Pasadena. It was slated for demolition so the City and Pasadena Heritage stepped in and moved them to a city owned lot, where they were all given a 2 car garage and a small backyard, as well as the common space. They were then sold (originally planned as moderate income housing, that failed because interest rates were so high, no one would be able qualify for a mortgage without a cosigner and that would disqualify anyone of moderate income) I loved it and it was a great way to start in home ownership. After marriage and kids I outgrew it, so my mom and I swapped houses, and she lived in it and loved it until she died.

I didn't know the term for this type of housing - so thank you! I used to live in one of these in Sacramento and I loved it. The houses were like little cottages and the design made it more inviting to be outside in the yard area and meet your neighbors. I wish they would build more of these.

My family lived next door to a Mission style bungalow court in Highland Park, which was built in 1923. I have always found this design so charming and practical. So glad to hear that Pasadena is taking a proactive role in preserving these gems.

I was excited to see the Crapi apartment on Overland featured. Always loved that play on the Capri and the owners sense of humor.

I was about to be a hater about the density of these compared to a regular apartment building, but these remind me alot of the Pitman Grove and are definitely an improvement for the majority of LA burbs. But in the end California should probably be focusing on more dense solutions

I saw a bungalow court in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) of all places. It's where one of the characters, Dave, lives. I always wondered what it was called because it looked so nice.

I feel like this the almost perfect balance between the density, convenience, and affordability of apartments and the independence and quiet of suburbs.

This brings back memories/nostalgia i grew up and used to live in a bungalow court in on a hillside in Westlake, Los Angeles, with my grandmother, parent, and aunts. I remember in the summers, and on the weekend, i would play with the neighboring kids. We would play until dusk and watch the sunset. Such fond memories.

A similar concept to this is actually very common in Spain. Here we call them “urbanizaciones” (or “urbas” for short) aka “urbanizations”. The most common type is 2 or more lines of row houses with a park and playground in the middle and a swimming pool. There’s also some with buildings, which are more common the closer you get to city centers and usually have bigger common spaces because there’s more people living in apartments. I actually grew up in one and it’s really nice, especially for kids. There’s a safe space for them to play and if there’s a fence around the pool the parents don’t really have to worry much about supervising them (they obviously always keep an eye on them tho). It’s a great way to meet other kids and you can just go up to their houses and knock on they’re door so they come out to play. Sometimes people even make “urba” parties where many of the residents get together

I lived in a bungalow court in Fresno's Tower District. It was built in 1937 and was owned, and scrupulously cared for by the son of the original owners. It was a group of duplexes with a central courtyard and a small parking lot at back. There was a gazebo in the courtyard, though the landscaping wasn't much. Each unit still had the original lime green or hot pink tile in the bathroom, as well as the original period kitchen with a curved bottom drawer for flour storage, along with a faucet mounted on the wall. My unit even had an old stove from the '40s. We also had laundry rooms with washer/dryer hookups, though I did have to rewire mine for an electric dryer. There were hardwood floors under the carpets, and the owner was in the process of removing the carpet and restoring the floors when I lived there. The walls were lath & plaster and rounded into the ceilings. The tub/shower occupied an arched alcove in the bathroom. The front of the apartment had a big picture window with panes that opened out onto the covered front porch. The panes were so big you could step through them easily. It was the difficult details like that that reminded you constantly that you were living in a home built by craftsmen. It was a home designed to be lived in by real people, not some artificial warehouse filled with awkward details designed to maximize profit. I don't know what "amenities" people are looking for from modern apartments, but I would trade them all for a space as peaceful and dignified as that one.

We’ve got a lot of these in San Diego, both adjacent to old rail car lines, and near roads chat were slated to have them but never got them; I lived in one in the South Park neighborhood, and they were really beautiful and well made, despite standing since the late 1910s. Mine had a pantry with a pull-out ironing board and a phone-cubby with wooden doors, and the front yard had a common area that used to be a storefront. Also, at 1:36, was that a coyote??

I've seen something similar to this in Alabama of all places, this is the way that huge textile mills built employee housing. Someone I know rents one of these old "mill houses" in Huntsville, Alabama near Lincoln Mill, they are duplexes and single family Arts+Crafts bungalows built in courts facing each other with a small one way road meandering through the center of the houses facing each other.

My grandmother owned one as an investment in West L.A. Yes, sadly it was sold in the 70’s, torn down and replaced with a modern SoCal two story with a pool in the middle apartment building. This too has now been succeeded by a 4 story bougie apartment building.

i lived in a bungalow court for 9 years and loved it

This is so cool. I grew up in Bungalow court in the Pasadena area. Spanish style, of course. It really did create a feeling of community with the other families in the court.

I had a friend that lived in a bungalow court in Laguna Beach back in the 90s. It was a modified one, three single story buildings in a U shape courtyard, each being two units. I'm happy that by some miracle, and strong NIMBY movement inspired local regulations, it hasn't been torn down and replaced with a mcmantion. Having said that poor students can nolonger afford to live there.

There are a few traditional bungalow courts in Portland too and I've always called them garden apartments and dreamed of living in one

Didn’t know the term for the pull up parking spaces were a dingbat. Grew up in one those buildings in Hollywood. I like the way you articulate and report out. You’ve gained a follower today. Looking forward to more from you.

These would be a great point for first home ownership, too. Our bungalow courts always have a motor court and are just motels...

fascinating! as a chicagoan i had no idea about this housing type. some of these, especially the ones with lots of landscaping and nice paths, look SO dreamy and ideal to live in 🤩

Grew up in these in the 50s in California when it was paradise on earth. These were wonderful. Met our best friends for life there, back when people had consideration for each other. This video made me smile with good memories.

These are brilliant, and so adorable. It looks like a really relaxed way to live.

I used to live in Harnetiaux Court in Pasadena!! It was soooo lovely to have windows on all sides of the house, the sense of community with neighbors, and the court had many trees, with residents landscaping their own bungalow porches. While living there, two of my neighbors had kids and they built a kids play area to share between their two houses. It was a really cute place to live! My landlord was an old hippie guy who tried to pick creative people as his residents, so there was definitely a sense of community.

While not exactly bungalow courts, I've seen Tiny House villages where each resident buys a small parcel and builds or get their tiny house delivered. There are shared spaces and sometimes a shared building for activities and shared meals. Also co-housing is another similar approach for this type of density.

I believe in Australia this happens/happened a lot. Large singly family plots are split up into multiple smaller ones, but still maintain a very suburban feel.

I grew up in Pasadena and always loved these!

Sacramento also has these, specifically in the midtown area. You can probably also find them in East Sacramento, Land Park, and older neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area. As far as I'm aware, all of them are rentals and are not much more expensive than the apartments around them. It gives someone the flexibility of living in a single family home, but at a more reasonable price point and the downtown lifestyle.

I love these things. We have one in Puyallup, WA and I point it out every time I drive by.

Used to live in one of these when I was 5. The courtyard is the only part of it I can even remember. Absolutely no memory of any room in the house.

I have lived is several bungalow court apartments over the years. I loved having some garden space around my home and a sense of community. I wish they would keep them.

I used to live next to one and it was torn down. Number of units went from 10 units to 74 units when the site was redeveloped. Living near the subway it was inevitable. Address is 4075 Oakwood Ave

THIS IS MIDDLE HOUSING.. all these place I’ve seen IN PERSON and they’re all charming at worst. We need these

They are a historic gem

The cohousing movement often uses the bungalow court topology as it organically increases interaction between neighbors. Good for community

No shared walls are absolutely pricless

I say this as an American who’s spent over 20 years in Europe: the US needs to get rid of SFH-only zoning. It’s not sustainable, and I think many Americans don’t realize the advantages of semidense, mixed-use neighborhoods because they’ve never experienced them. I love not having to commute by car. I love literally being able to walk across the street to get groceries or go to the pharmacy, and half a block away there’s the tram that will connect me to anywhere else in town (or outside, since the airport is just 20 mins away by transit). And yet right now, I hear the birds chirping in the trees outside my window.

those are nice. the lawns can be easily converted into gardens too. you could have one edge of the court be a taller apartment building too to add density while preserving their charm. if we can loosen housing restrictions a flurry of creativity could happen and it would be delightful

Bungalow Courts are in some movies . I can't remember the titles but Joan Crawford was in one and Humphrey Bogart in another are two examples.

Safe place for children to play & cats to roam without worry of getting hit by a car.

The bungalows in Pasadena are honestly my dream home.

A really terrific story and video. But I think what killed the 'bungalow court' was the automobile and planners desire to demand that residents park their cars off the street or at least garaged.

Smart takes as always! You were right on the money when you showed Lakewood. Long Beach has some pretty great bungalow courts/apartments steps from the beach between Ocean Blvd and 4th, including the Rose Towers which was Emma Stone's apartment in La La Land. Where would you rather spend 600k, for a place there or a copy paste in suburbia?

I was thinking of a similar concept as an alternative to gated communities. Basically loop of townhouses, 3 floors with ground being garage, sharing walls around a common courtyard/park. You give each house a little bit of backyard, but most of it common space where all the houses are the walls to separate it from non-residents.

having apartments directly facing each other so you can't even open your blinds without people watching you all day is HORRIBLE LACK OF THOUGHT.

There's something like this in my city by Dallas, Texas. They look new too. They also have a pathway walking to the river/park going up to the public library. They're pretty much houses, with just a small side yard.

Irving Gill, any one? Horatio West Court in Sants Monica, Sierra Vista Terrace (also known as Lewis Courts) in Sierra Madre, and the less well-known Ronada Court in Piedmont (Oakland) stand out as works of architecture in the typology of bungalow courts.

A friend of mine in Vegas lives in something similar. I really like it but hadn't put much thought into the reason why I like it so much until now. Her neighborhood is all 2 story homes of small cul-de-sacs with narrow entrances. The 6 to 10 homes basically share a circular driveway with a small park in the center. The homes don't have much of a front yard or driveway of their own but for Vegas standards they have decent size back yard. You can't park in front of your own house because it's a narrow one way street. It's very cozy in her neighborhood and common to see people outside.

We have quiet a few of these as castia neighborhoods here in Tucson. They run the gambit from low cost efficiency units to expensive "luxury" ones. I've always liked the idea of these.

Firsthand footage? Great narration? Subscribed.

As others have noted, San Diego has many of these bungalow courts, cottages or smaller houses on the ends of blocks in the older neighborhoods. What I object to is single family homes in pre-WWII neighborhoods being torn down for six to eight unit apartments in the middle of the block. It changes the neighborhood, and while density is fine, it is often not what that homeowner signed up for. I live in what used to be a semi-rural area (where I moved to get away from density), but now am surrounded by multiple unit properties where no fewer than 17 dogs live within 100 feet of my house. Alternately, three old commercial properties (car sales lot from the 1940s, and auto upholstery store from the 1950s, and a U-Haul lot) have now been turned into a residential complex. This is an improvement, and makes sense as a bus route runs past it and the trolley line is three blocks away. I personally like the idea of the bungalow courts (vs. two-storey SFRs), or similar cottage rows added to the older neighborhoods, especially if they designs fit in with what is already there. But then there are plenty areas full of boring duplexes and cheap 3-bedroom tract houses that would be better off turned into something like this.

Years ago when I lived in Santa Monica I lived in a couple of these courts. I loved him, still do, think they're great, a good combination of privacy and feeling like you have your own home and neighborhood

These apts has been in quite alot of tv shows and movies..such as The Big Lebowski, Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakual, HBO The Flight Attendant

I live in the San Fernando valley and can’t say I’ve seen any of these. Just big apartments and single family homes. I definitely wish we had these

Similar to your dingbat video I'd argue bungalow courts are an excellent way to densify single family homes. But if I have unused land or recetly razed a building on a major corridor, midrise apartments are better. One if the arguments fot the bungalow courts is the lack of parking. But theres no reason why a midrise can't be built withour parking. ED 1 has allowed 5-7 story affordable housing projects without parking to pencil out.

Great vid - really thoughtful and detailed- kudos for all the effort.. especially for all the incredible b-roll footage (could watch hours and hours of this type of content!).

Really well done with lots of great pics and info- thanks.

Parking,parking,parking. That’s the issue. I went back to my 1950’s childhood home. Cars, cars and boats-canal dr, Pittsburg, CA

Rent control destroyed desirability of owners to own bungalow courts. These are gorgeous properties, but the problem is they are like mini homes and are much more maintenance intensive. Maintenance intensive + Rent Control don't make these a desirable place for landlords to own when they get older and need much more upkeep. Imagine changing all those roofs or painting a multi-home project like this. Bungalow courts as condo type communities may be feasible but if a developer wants to build for profit, they will always go with a building.

There are a bunch of these in Sacramento, too. They are so cool. Really a smart way to build.

Now the problem in most cities is parking spaces, imagine a property with 6 of these homes and with an average of 2 cars per home. When these homes were built there was only 1 car per family and most people parked on the street, when the kids grew up they bought their own cars and the streets got crowded. Street cleaning and trash collection day has been a nightmare ever since.

All upzoning is wanted and needed these days... They look like a cute mid-density option between the wasteful single-family zoning and the now common 5 over 1 that is eating up most building lots these days...

It's exactly how I imagined my friends would end up, with our own Melrose Place style enclave that shares a central courtyard, but maybe 2-story bungalows either as a single or duplex, with unofficial designations like one would host the family dinners because they cooked better, another would have invested in an ultra short throw projector and surround sound, one would be stocked with a bar, and we'd hop from on to the other but still lived separately with personal spaces. Then I grew up and reality set in. Friends? Pfft.

What a lovely concept! That could be such a great solution for the elderly part of our population to have safe and affordable places to live. And maybe make them duplexes instead of a bungalow to add a bit more housing? I liked the idea of one of the units had a restaurant

I lived in a Mission Revival style court as a kid. There six one bedroom units in the front with a single two story unit that contained two, two bedroom apartments. The unit I lived in was simple and efficient - But what set it apart is it had a backdoor in the kitchen that lead to a narrow alleyway for access to the waste cans. In my 20's I lived around the corner from the 'Egyptian Courts' which looked more Mission Revival, however there was a pair of Sphinx which stood on either side of the entry. Later I rented a lovely Craftsman style bungalow in an old neighborhood in San Diego which was perfect in every way. It had incredible charm, what might have been the original 1920's Wedgewood stove (still worked!) and a vintage refrigerator --- think it was a Crosley, which was great for cleaning as it sat on legs about half a foot above the floor. --- This was in the early 1970's so there's some truth to those who say we don't make things are well and long lasting as in the past! What made those style of apartments / houses, so workable is they were often located in very 'walkable' neighborhoods. Within about five blocks of the Craftsman bungalow I lived in was: A smaller market with great fresh produce and a live butcher, a branch library built around a tranquil courtyard with a fountain which made it a perfect place on summer afternoons for reading, a small movie theater, a couple of little cafes, a Ben Franklin 'five and dime', a couple of dress shops, a thrift/antique shop, a beer bar and a piano bar that no doubt had patron who had been going there since the day after Prohibition ended!

Check out the architect Sebastian Treese, he recently proposed a small community like this in a suburb of Paris. It looks amazing.

I saw this design in Alvin and the Chipmunks as a kid and thought it was super cool!

There are a couple Bungalow Courts here in the Twin Cities and despite the lack of parking, they are VERY sought after when they go on the market.

Always thought we shouldn’t allow demolition of these remaining affordable, open-air units - instead, just upzone single family areas and densify commercial/parking lots instead! Even when “replacement” affordable housing occurs for these demolitions, it takes many years for residents to relocate.

Most Bungalow Courts are a huge waste of vertical space. An optimal design would be for each building to be a two-story duplex with one bedroom downstairs and one bedroom upstairs in each unit. The large green space in some of the courts shown in this video is really nice. A basement inside each duplex unit would be a huge bonus for storage because storage rentals are an added cost that could instead be used to buy or rent a larger duplex unit.

Brilliant. This needs to be revisited, totally.❤

The bungalow court typology reminds me a lot of the built fabric of some Kibbutzim in modern Israel. as well as "Belt settlements" that were common in the southern levant during the end of the second millennia and the beginning of the first millennia BC

what is with this urge to live up each other's asses? Does person space not mean anything to anyone anymore?

So these are called buttholioes?

This has become possibly my favorite RU-vid channel

I was thinking “this guy needs to come see Portland!”…. And just in the nick of time, there it was. I loooooove bungalow courts…..easily one of my favorite forms of architecture in SoCal. Wish I’d had the chance to live in one when I was there.

I see many small duplex-condo 'courts' being built near me (greater Portland, OR) that are reminiscent of these.

I just realized you also did the dingbat episode last year. I watched it before I went to LA, it was part of the reason why I picked LA for my trip. So cool to learn about them and see them IRL shortly after. This video has been very informative and while its sad to seem the go it makes me want to do something similar in my city, It may even be something I am able to replicate one day with some holes in the zoning law.

4:17 HEY I Lived there! Unit on the end for many years before we bought our house. I agree that these courts are a very good idea and would work well in already established single family neighborhoods by increasing density and affordable housing without requiring a massive multi floor apartment monster on a given residential street.

Great video! We don't exactly have these where I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, but we do have plenty of older, smaller townhouse complexes that are laid out in a similar manner with a central communal courtyard. It was a popular layout here for townhouses built prior to the 1980s. They're perfect for families with younger kids as there is a safe place for them to play, it's easy for the neighbours to keep an eye on things, and there were often several such developments built in the same area centred around easy walking access to an elementary school. More modern townhouse developments unfortunately moved to larger complexes with a more car-oriented layout with the central space taken up with surface parking.

I grew up in one! We had a long wide common driveway, and had neighborhood skate nights. All the neighbors watched each other's kids, and we were all safe. I own my own home now, but I miss that community life!

In the first sixty seconds you answered your own question; they replaced the bungalows with apartments because it allowed them to put more people in and charge more money.

GREAT VIDEO AND THANKS FOR SHARING!!!! I LEARNED A LOT!!!

Some cemeteries have a policy of allowing natural progression of decay. Congressional cemetery in DC is like that

The prefab housing industry has a number of small, modern styles that I think would make for a really interesting bungalow court development at a really low cost compared to traditional development costs. There was recently a large lot that went up for sale in my south bay neighborhood that I had envisioned doing something like this on but was only short the $2m it would have cost to do it. I would certainly rather see these spring up in my neighborhood than an oversized apartment complex.

We lived in a bungalow court when were first married. We called it The Compound and we had shared dinners every Sunday for whoever was around. It was fabulous.

I always loved these!

😩 Ugh I have for YEARS adored bungalow courts and wondered why they are never built anymore. I envy the people that live in them. They are everywhere here in San Diego urban areas. This is the kind of housing that more people need. And not just to rent- BUT TO BUY. Not everyone who wants to be a homeowner wants a condo, or can afford a 3,000 square foot detached single family home. I would love a tiny bungalow court as my forever home 😞

I think the series Melrose Place in the 90s was set in a bungalow court maybe? Or maybe those were just courtyard apartments. I think parts of the movie Mulholland drive as well. They're pretty foreign to me as a Canadian, anyway. But they look really cool!