DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CREATES ADDITIONAL HOUSING FOR HOMELESS VETERANS
CASE STUDY
The West Los Angeles VAMC has been serving veterans since 1888 when it was the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS). It covers more than 400 acres along Wilshire Boulevard. The campus has evolved dramatically over the years alongside veteran medical care. Architect StanfordWhite designed the Pacific Branch featuring wood buildings in the Shingle style. Some original buildings exist today, but most were replaced throughout the 1920s-1940s when the campus underwent a tremendous transformation as part of the VA Second Generation building campaign.Triggered in response to the increased veteran populations, the campaign changed the Branch into a planned campus featuring Mission Revival style architecture with connecting landscapes and open spaces.The Mission Revival-style Building 209 was constructed of reinforced concrete finished in smooth stucco with a terra cotta tile roof.West Los Angeles VAMC was listed on the NRHP in 2014, with the historic district representing an excellent, intact example of a Second Generation veterans hospital built upon the campus of the first NHDVS branch on the west coast. In 2011, the VAMC proposed to rehabilitate Building 209, at the time vacant, to provide long-term supportive residential housing for homeless veterans.The project would include seismic upgrades and a major renovation of the existing building. Recognizing that Building 209 was a contributing resource to the historic district, the VAMC consulted with the California SHPO on the effects of the proposed project on the historic property.While the rehabilitation would retain most of the building’s contributing features by adhering to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, the original metal windows would be replaced, causing an adverse effect on the property.Through additional Section 106 consultation an approach was found that would preserve the steel frames and sashes while replacing the existing glass with a new laminated glass, thereby addressing the energy performance requirements.With this solution, the VAMC was able to preserve the building and its historic elements, avoiding adverse effects altogether.
Opened in 2015, Building 209 provides housing and healing space for homeless veterans. It is an award- winning rehabilitation project that supports VA’s mission of caring for the nation’s veterans.
44 | IN A SPIRIT OF STEWARDSHIP: A REPORT ON FEDERAL HISTORIC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 2018
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