Investing in L.A. history
Bank executive Brad Chambers didn’t set out to be a preservationist, but his financial background, coupled with a love for small architectural structures, naturally led him down that path.
Over almost two decades, Chambers has purchased, restored and rented out nine historic homes within the Garvanza neighborhood — each around 1,500 square feet or less — and others outside the neighborhood.
“Those houses are the ones that are most at risk,” Chambers says. “It’s very easy to justify tearing them down because [they’re] too small for families and too expensive for investors, who could make more money building multifamily homes on the same land.”
The restoration of the Garvanza structures, including the home currently rented by Tamra Fago, is Chambers’ most ambitious project to date. (The first house built on the property, owned by Dr. John Lawrence Smith, one of the first doctors in the neighborhood and an activist for street improvements, was built in 1886.)
The property was in poor condition when Chambers purchased it in 2012 for about $350,000. The first task was landscaping, “so people can look at nice gardens instead of trash,” Chambers says.
After that, Chambers and his crew worked on restoring the buildings on the property — Fago’s free-standing home, the 1,800-square-foot main residence and a 720-square-foot adjoining structure. In each, Chambers redid the plumbing, electrical systems, and heating and air, as well as rejuvenated the Victorian detailing, using available public records and dipping into his extensive architectural salvage collection. He also re-oriented the main residence to its original direction, facing Avenue 63. “It’s a bit like putting together a puzzle,” says Chambers. And he’s not done yet.
Chambers is seeking city approval to build a replica of a barn from the Perry-Davis/Gandahl mansion in Boyle Heights, complete with an octagonal tower and battlements. The structure would sit at the back of the Garvanza property, accommodating additional tenants on the second floor and adding three covered garage spaces.