Redline Hollywood

In 1933, as part of the New Deal, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation was established under the leadership of FDR to refinance home mortgages in default and to expand home-buying opportunities for (some) Americans. Local realtors were tasked with rating neighborhoods for the financial strength or risk they posed. The rating, mostly based on the racial make-up of the area, was achieved by color-coding, with red being the highest risk––the least likely to obtain affordable loans.

Hollywood, home of the American dream, has not been spared from this so-called redlining across the country, negatively affecting generational wealth and contributing to segregation and the current housing crisis in Los Angeles. In addition to race, this area was judged on proximity to Paramount Studios and The Hollywood Cemetery.

The international idea of the glamour of Hollywood is just that––an idea. Hollywood, the place, does have its glamour but not in the redlined neighborhoods very near my home in a historic neighborhood and original home of the founding families of L.A.

The owners or renters of the homes photographed in my series, Redline Hollywood, have not benefited from the community development and subsequent property value increases enjoyed by homeowners just blocks away. There is no concern about gentrification here.

The original HOLC report states in part, “Japanese and Filipinos are scattered throughout the area with a concentration of them on streets north of Hollywood Cemetery, which is also an unfavorable influence. Mexicans are located in the blocks adjoining the cemetery…”  

With the stroke of a red pen, Hollywood dreams were dashed and the course of lives was changed. Unable to secure loans, many residents were forced to rent homes or apartments from price-gouging landlords, sending them in the opposite life trajectory from those who were deemed worthy of lifelong investment.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been documenting these humble homes that I have passed in my daily routine for many years. Unlike other neighborhoods in L.A. with few zoning laws, there is no mansionization here. The increasing appearance of empty lots and the occasional new apartment construction signals the efforts of developers to take advantage of affordable housing incentives, further stressing the housing challenges in this red-lined neighborhood.