Harbor View House, formerly the Army and Navy Y.M.C.A., is a

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cult ...

(HCM #252) located in the San Pedro section of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, near the Port of Los Angeles. It is a five-story

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

structure located on a bluff overlooking the harbor.

History

The Army and Navy Y.M.C.A. was dedicated in 1926 as a recreation center for servicemen at

Fort MacArthur Fort MacArthur is a former United States Army installation in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California (now the port community of Los Angeles). A small section remains in military use by the United States Air Force as a housing and administrative annex ...

, offering 300 dormitory rooms, a gymnasium, running track, banquet room, patio, pool, boxing and wrestling rooms and a coffee shop. It provided recreation and temporary quarters for over four million men during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and was visited by celebrities, including

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

. The facility was converted to civilian use in 1947, offering accommodations to young travelers and senior citizens. Since 1967, it has been known as Harbor View House, offering housing for the mentally ill. From September 1967 to November 2018 Harbor View House operated as a residence serving the mentally ill. It was licensed as a 204-bed Adult Residential Facility, Mentally Ill by the California Department of Social Services and an 83-bed Intermediate Care Nursing Facility by the California Department of Public Health Services. It was owned and operated by HealthView, Inc. a non-profit organization. It also housed HealthView Behavioral Services an outpatient mental health clinic operated under contract from the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health. In 1994 the building underwent seismic retrofit renovation after receiving damage from the

Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximatel ...

. The swimming pool was filled in and offices were created in the space above the pool during this renovation this time. Many features still remain like the coffee shop, gymnasium and running track. Harbor View House continues to be the largest licensed unlocked facility offering a variety of services for the mentally ill in the state of California.

Present day

Harbor View House was sold in April 2018 to a developer planning to convert the historic building into a combined residential-commercial property. The terms of the sale allowed HealthView, Inc. to rent the space until July 2019. However, after the elevator broke down in November 2018 all residents of Harbor View House were moved out. The building currently sits empty awaiting renovation.

References

{{authority control Houses completed in 1926 Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in California YMCA buildings in the United States Psychiatric hospitals in California Clubhouses in California San Pedro, Los Angeles

History

Present day

See also

References