Mar 07, 2022
Woodland West
The Woodland West neighborhood in Woodland Hills is a distinctive collection of Contemporary Ranch style houses in a planned mid-century subdivision. Charles Du Bois designed some 1,300 residences for developer Don-Ja-Ran Construction Co. in collaboration with Peerless Building Co. After more than seven phases of construction, Woodland West was completed in 1964. Its houses are one and two-story, single-family residences set on wide lots that accommodate the rambling, horizontally oriented Contemporary Ranch buildings. The streets are curvilinear, and many of them end in cul-de-sacs to enhance the rural, quiet feel of the location. The buildings were designed and built-in repeated models and share similar scales and Modern design elements that give the whole district a harmonious feel: low-pitched gabled roofs that cover two-car garages, dramatic doorways, overhanging eaves, and cladding including board and batten, beadboard, stucco, and natural stone. Du Bois is best known for his Mid-Century Modern designs in other tract developments, including the Vista Las Palmas development in Palm Springs. He is responsible for the Palm Springs neighborhood’s dramatic A-shaped entry volumes that were inspired by Polynesian "Tiki"-style structures. The Woodland West development contains houses with similar design inspiration. It is a wonderfully intact neighborhood that effortlessly conveys its postwar suburban feel into the present day. Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group
Woodland West
The Woodland West neighborhood in Woodland Hills is a distinctive collection of Contemporary Ranch style houses in a planned mid-century subdivision. Charles Du Bois designed some 1,300 residences for developer Don-Ja-Ran Construction Co. in collaboration with Peerless Building Co. After more than seven phases of construction, Woodland West was completed in 1964. Its houses are one and two-story, single-family residences set on wide lots that accommodate the rambling, horizontally oriented Contemporary Ranch buildings. The streets are curvilinear, and many of them end in cul-de-sacs to enhance the rural, quiet feel of the location. The buildings were designed and built-in repeated models and share similar scales and Modern design elements that give the whole district a harmonious feel: low-pitched gabled roofs that cover two-car garages, dramatic doorways, overhanging eaves, and cladding including board and batten, beadboard, stucco, and natural stone. Du Bois is best known for his Mid-Century Modern designs in other tract developments, including the Vista Las Palmas development in Palm Springs. He is responsible for the Palm Springs neighborhood’s dramatic A-shaped entry volumes that were inspired by Polynesian "Tiki"-style structures. The Woodland West development contains houses with similar design inspiration. It is a wonderfully intact neighborhood that effortlessly conveys its postwar suburban feel into the present day. Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group
Mar 07, 2022
Posted Date
Mar 07, 2022
Historical Record Date
Mar 07, 2022
Source Name
Los Angeles Conservancy
