Local architects propose preserving historic facade for Palisades fire memorial in LA

California architects Finn Bradley and Robert Jernigan have proposed a memorial in the fire-devastated Pacific Palisades neighbourhood in Los Angeles that maintains a century-old facade and opens up a block for community use.

The proposal seeks to maintain what's left of the brick-and-stucco facade of the 1924 Business Block Building in the heart of the neighbourhood, which lost nearly 7,000 structures in one of the major fires that caused devastation in Los Angeles in early January 2025.

Bradley, who grew up in the neighbourhood and now works in New York, came up with the scheme after seeing that part of the facade of the iconic building remained standing after the fires.

"All these lost structures had embodied memories stored within their walls of my community," Bradley told Dezeen.

"When I saw the entire perimeter facade left standing on the town icon, I had to make sure it was saved, not only saved but rebirthed into a new life."

In a bid to gain more local buy-in to the initiative, Bradley has teamed up with local architect Robert Jernigan.

The scheme includes the stabilization of the Business Block Building's remains after the interior and roofs had completely given way.

If the proposal moves forward, the facade will maintain its shape and form and become a gateway for a park on the site that will include a covered area, a lawn, an amphitheatre and a sculpture garden.

Other structures built within the scheme will be constructed using – when necessary – concrete panels developed by materials company RSG-3D, with whom Bradley's studio GKV Architects has partnered for a general initiative to fire-proof reconstruction in the area using RSG-3D's Structural Concrete Insulated Panels.

"The Palisades want to make sure this project happens so we have people high up now working to make this become a reality for the community," said Bradely, who noted that he attended the nearby Corpus Christi school and Palisades Charter High School, both of which were lost in the fires.

"The proposal has become a sort of 'beacon of light' for an exciting future for the Palisades during these devastating times."

Bradley said the designs were inspired in part by adaptive reuse projects in New York that have retained historic brick facades, such as the Domino Sugar Refinery restoration in Brooklyn.

"Adaptive reuse projects create a beautiful blend of context, history, and modernity. The Palisades Business Block Building becoming a memorial park is a very poetic and beautiful solution for the new vernacular of the post-fire Palisades," said Bradley.

The fires that devasted multiple neighbourhoods across Greater Los Angeles caused the destruction of tens of thousands of homes and businesses, including iconic works of architecture such as Richard Neutra's Hees and Kesler houses.

Since the fire, local architects and designers have banded together to support the community and the state and local governments have lifted some laws to facilitate the rebuilding efforts.

The fires have also sparked debates amongst building professionals who said the fires were a sign that Los Angeles needs to "rethink" how areas near fire-prone areas are developed in the future.

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