About the Building
The Colonial House stands at 1416 North Havenhurst Drive, on the quiet block that drops south from Sunset Boulevard into West Hollywood's residential flats. Completed in 1930 to a design by Leland A. Bryant, the seven-storey building is a French Colonial Revival composition of brick, shuttered casement windows, and wrought-iron balconies, entered through a garden courtyard with a fountain. Long operated as apartments, it was later converted to condominiums; listing records today count roughly twenty-one residences, a small number for a building of this height, which is part of why individual homes here trade infrequently.
Its paper credentials are stronger than most Los Angeles-area condominiums can claim. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1982, under reference number 82002190, two years before West Hollywood incorporated as a city. It also appears on West Hollywood's inventory of individually designated cultural resources, the local layer of protection created after the city adopted its historic preservation ordinance in 1989. Havenhurst Drive itself holds a concentration of significant 1920s and 1930s apartment houses, including the National Register-listed Andalusia courtyard building a short walk up the same street.
Leland A. Bryant matters to the story. Through the late 1920s and early 1930s he specialized in ambitious apartment houses on and around the Sunset Strip, and two of his best-known works frame this one geographically: Sunset Tower, the Art Deco tower on Sunset Boulevard, and Granville Towers, the 1930 French Norman building one street west on Crescent Heights. The Colonial House shows the same instincts at a gentler scale, with arched openings, vaulted ceilings, and hand-finished wood moldings surviving in units, according to brokerage descriptions of recent resales.
Designation carries practical consequences. West Hollywood runs a Mills Act program, and the city's preservation FAQ states that all locally designated buildings qualify to apply; a contract, which trades a maintenance commitment for potential property-tax relief, is granted at the city's discretion rather than automatically, and buyers should ask staff how contracts are handled for individual condominium interests. Exterior alterations require a Certificate of Appropriateness before permits issue, which protects the architecture that supports value here but adds a review step homeowners associations and owners need to plan around.
A 1930 building asks for pre-war due diligence. West Hollywood's open-data permit portal shows roughly ten permits at 1416 Havenhurst between 2014 and 2020 — unit-level kitchen and bath remodels, plumbing replacements, electrical work including a new subpanel — evidence of steady modernization inside a protected shell, with most permits finaled and a few expired. The address does not appear on the city's published survey of buildings subject to its soft-story seismic retrofit ordinances; the building's construction type and any retrofit history are not well documented publicly, so put both questions to the association.
Amenities & Services
The Residences
Listing aggregators count about twenty-one residences, mostly two- and three-bedroom plans, with reported sizes running from roughly 780 to more than 2,200 square feet; figures vary by source, so confirm square footage against the appraisal.
Resale descriptions note arched openings, vaulted ceilings, carved wood moldings, and casement windows. Condition differs unit to unit after decades of separate ownership, so weigh each home on its own fabric rather than the building's reputation.
Entry runs through a planted courtyard with a fountain, ceramic urns, and wrought-iron balconies overlooking it — the features West Hollywood's survey highlights when it describes the property's French Colonial Revival character.
Aggregator listings describe a pool, controlled entry with round-the-clock security or concierge coverage, a meeting room, and storage. Service levels change with HOA budgets, so verify what is currently staffed and funded.
The city permit record from 2014 to 2020 shows individual owners remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, replacing plumbing fixtures, and upgrading electrical service, so interiors range from period-intact to fully contemporary.
At seven storeys, the building stands above the low apartment blocks around it, and brokerage material for upper-floor resales emphasizes outlook and light; verify sightlines in person, as they differ by stack and exposure.
Due Diligence
The building was listed in the National Register on April 15, 1982, reference 82002190, and is an individually designated West Hollywood cultural resource, so both federal recognition and binding local review apply to it.
West Hollywood states that all locally designated buildings qualify to apply for a Mills Act contract. Approval is discretionary, not automatic, and how a contract applies to individual condominium units should be confirmed with city staff.
Alterations to the exterior require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city before building permits issue. Budget time for this review in any project touching windows, railings, roofing, or the courtyard.
West Hollywood's open-data portal lists about ten permits here from 2014 to 2020, mostly unit remodels and plumbing or electrical work. Pull the specific unit's permit history before waiving investigation contingencies.
The address does not appear on the city's published survey of properties subject to its soft-story retrofit ordinances. Construction type and any strengthening history are not publicly documented; ask the association directly.
Expect pre-war realities: original risers, older electrical capacity in unrenovated units, and no uniform central cooling. The permit record shows piecemeal upgrades, so condition is genuinely unit-specific rather than building-wide.
With roughly twenty-one owners sharing a seven-storey historic structure, reserve adequacy matters more than usual. Review the reserve study, insurance program, and any discussion of facade, roof, or elevator work in board minutes.
West Hollywood administers its own rent stabilization rules, separate from Los Angeles. An owner planning to lease a unit in a 1930 building should confirm current coverage and registration duties with the city's Rent Stabilization Division.
Everything above is drawn from public records, city permit data and published sources. The association’s statutory disclosure package is the only authoritative answer on dues, rules, reserves, insurance and litigation — Ben will request it and read it with you before you remove contingencies.
Common Questions
Keep Exploring
More about the neighbourhood: West Hollywood
Off Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
Work With Ben
Units here often trade before they are ever listed. Tell Ben what you are looking for and hear first when something opens up, including off market.
Start the ConversationOff Market & Coming Soon
Residences here reach the open market rarely, and some never do. Ask Ben to tell you when one is coming, including quietly.
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