"The estate is shaded by a forest of 66 trees and 44 tropical shrubs. Weisman described the place as 'a veritable jungle and bird oasis in a desert of apartment buildings that have superseded the lovely homes that once stood on this block.'"
"It was the city, after all, that slapped the 'historic' designation on Elsie Weisman's property in 1994 to prevent Weisman and her family from turning it into an apartment building back then."
"Critics complain that the project would wipe out the oasis that Weisman so loved by covering much of the only large estate to survive from West Hollywood's orchard era."
West Hollywood officials and development partners secured a federal HUD grant to construct a $4.2-million, 35-unit apartment building for low-income seniors on the Laurel Avenue estate, historically designated in 1994. The property, donated to the city by 101-year-old Elsie Weisman, features a colonial-style house surrounded by 66 trees and 44 tropical shrubs. The proposed three-story structure would wrap around Weisman's home, converting it into common areas and community space. Critics argue this violates Weisman's intent to preserve the estate as a cultural resource and destroys one of West Hollywood's last remaining estates from its orchard era. City officials counter that the project addresses severe affordable housing shortages for senior citizens.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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