Los Angeles officials have approved a plan to demolish the Barry Building, a landmarked modernist structure in Brentwood that has stood since 1951. The decision comes after years of debate, appeals, and public outcry over the future of the site, which has remained vacant and deteriorating for more than a decade.
The city's Board of Building and Safety Commissioners granted a demolition permit for the Barry Building without requiring a new project proposal—a rare move for a designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The permit followed claims by property owners that retrofitting the building would be too expensive and that leaving it standing would be unsafe.
The decision was challenged by neighborhood group Angelenos for Historic Preservation, which filed an appeal with the city’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee. On Tuesday (February 24), the PLUM Committee rejected the appeal, paving the way for demolition despite objections from preservationists and local residents.
The Barry Building, designed by architect Milton Caughey, is known for its courtyard layout and was home to the beloved Dutton’s Bookstore for over twenty years. As described by the Los Angeles Conservancy, the building is a rare example of modern commercial architecture that integrates indoor and outdoor space. The Conservancy and other advocates argued that demolition should not occur without a plan to reuse the site, warning that the decision could set a precedent for other landmarked buildings across the city to be left vacant and ultimately demolished.
Critics of the demolition claim the building's decline is the result of “demolition by neglect,” where owners intentionally allowed the property to deteriorate after evicting tenants in 2016, as detailed in CityWatchLA. The surrounding parcels, also owned by entities connected to William H. Borthwick, have been cleared, leaving the Barry Building as the last structure on a block of empty lots. Preservationists warn that this approach could become more common if the city continues to allow demolition of historic sites without replacement projects.
The city’s own Cultural Heritage Commission had recommended against allowing demolition, but the Department of Building and Safety certified an environmental report and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations, clearing the way for the building’s removal. With the PLUM Committee denying the appeal, demolition is now set to proceed.