Bungalow Courts in Los Feliz: A Little Piece of Los Angeles History
- Aug 11
- 6 min read
Los Angeles has a funny way of hiding its history in plain sight.
You can turn down a residential street expecting to see another row of houses, and suddenly you're looking into a quiet courtyard surrounded by small, beautifully detailed bungalows.
That's exactly what happened while I was exploring Los Feliz.
I spotted a historic 1920s bungalow court, and it immediately caught my attention—not just because of how charming it was, but because it tells a larger story about how Los Angeles was built.
Before today's parking requirements, sprawling apartment buildings, and car-oriented development patterns transformed the city, bungalow courts offered a different way of living.
They were intimate, relatively affordable, and designed around the idea of a shared residential environment. And there are still about 350 of them tucked throughout Los Angeles today.
What Is a Bungalow Court?
A bungalow court is a small residential development made up of individual bungalow-style homes arranged around a shared courtyard.
Instead of one large apartment building, residents had their own small dwelling.
That could mean a private entrance, a small garden or yard, and many of the qualities people associated with a single-family home. At the same time, residents shared the larger piece of land and common outdoor space.
Think of it as a middle ground between a traditional single-family neighborhood and an apartment community.
You had your own little house.
But you weren't completely living alone.
The courtyard created a shared environment where residents could interact, children could play, and the architecture created a sense of community.
Why Bungalow Courts Became Popular
Bungalow courts became particularly important in Southern California during the early 20th century as Los Angeles grew rapidly.
The city was attracting new residents, and there was increasing demand for housing that offered more privacy and space than traditional apartments without the expense of a detached single-family property.
The bungalow was perfectly suited to this moment.
It was relatively small, approachable, and could offer many of the comforts people associated with a house.
Arrange several of them around a shared courtyard, and developers could create a higher-density residential environment without completely giving up the feeling of individual homes.
That made the bungalow court an especially interesting piece of Los Angeles housing history.
A Different Idea of Density
One of the things I find most interesting about bungalow courts is that they challenge the idea that density has to mean large apartment buildings.
A bungalow court could accommodate multiple households while maintaining a human-scale environment.
Instead of looking at a large building from the street, you might encounter a collection of small homes surrounded by landscaping and connected by a shared outdoor space.
The result could feel surprisingly private.
And that's part of why the concept remains relevant today.
Los Angeles continues to face questions about how to create more housing while maintaining neighborhood character. Bungalow courts offer an example from the city's own history of how multiple households could share land while still having access to individual living spaces and outdoor areas.
Life Before the Parking Lot
One of the biggest differences between historic bungalow courts and many modern residential developments is what wasn't designed into them:
the automobile.
As Los Angeles became increasingly dependent on cars, residential development changed.
Parking requirements became a much larger consideration in the design of housing.
Driveways, garages, parking lots, and access for vehicles increasingly influenced how land was used. That transformation had a profound impact on Los Angeles architecture.
The bungalow court represents an earlier moment—one where the pedestrian experience and shared courtyard could take up valuable space that might otherwise be dedicated to cars.
And when you encounter one today, you get a glimpse of what residential Los Angeles looked like before the automobile became such a dominant force in neighborhood design.
Why the Architecture Is So Charming
There's also something inherently appealing about the scale of bungalow courts.
The individual homes often have details that make them feel distinctly residential:
Front porches
Small gardens
Individual entrances
Decorative architectural details
Low-scale buildings
Shared landscaped courtyards
Rather than presenting a large facade to the street, the architecture creates a sequence of smaller spaces. You enter the courtyard and discover the homes from the inside of the community rather than simply seeing them from the sidewalk.
That sense of discovery is part of the charm.
Bungalow Courts and Los Angeles Neighborhoods
Although bungalow courts can be found in different parts of Southern California, they are particularly valuable to the character of older Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Los Feliz is a perfect example.
The neighborhood contains layers of architectural history—from Craftsman homes and Spanish Colonial Revival properties to mid-century residences, apartment buildings, and smaller historic residential developments.
That's one of the things I love about exploring Los Feliz.
The architecture doesn't tell just one story.
It tells several stories at once.
And sometimes you only notice them if you slow down.
Why I Love Finding Places Like This
This is really what Finding Places by Nicole is about.
Not just finding the famous places.
Not just finding the newest restaurant.
And not just looking at houses that are currently for sale.
It's about noticing the details that make a neighborhood what it is.
A historic courtyard.
An unusual building.
A pocket park.
A local bookstore.
A coffee shop that's been part of someone's morning routine for years.
These seemingly small things add up to something much larger.
They create neighborhood identity.
And neighborhood identity is one of the things I think you should understand before deciding where you want to live.
What Historic Architecture Can Tell You About a Neighborhood
When I'm exploring a neighborhood, architecture is one of the clues I pay attention to.
It can tell you:
How did people live here?
What did housing cost or look like at a particular point in the city's development?
How did transportation influence the neighborhood?
What kinds of lifestyles were developers designing for?
How has the community changed over time?
In Los Feliz, you can find answers to those questions simply by walking or driving through different streets.The neighborhood becomes almost like an open-air history lesson.
If You're Looking at Los Feliz as a Place to Live
For buyers and renters, historic architecture can be more than something beautiful to photograph.
It can be part of what makes a neighborhood feel distinct.
But historic properties also deserve a closer look.
If you're considering purchasing a historic home or a property within an older residential development, you'll want to understand the property's condition, alterations, maintenance history, potential historic-designation considerations, and any restrictions that could affect future improvements.
The character is part of the appeal.
But understanding the property behind that character is just as important.
A Little Piece of LA History Hiding in Plain Sight
The next time you're exploring Los Feliz, don't just look at the obvious landmarks.
Look down the residential streets.
Look behind the hedges.
Look through the gates.
Pay attention to the buildings that don't immediately announce themselves as historically significant. Because sometimes the most interesting pieces of Los Angeles history aren't behind museum doors.
They're where people live.
They're tucked into neighborhood corners.
And they're still part of the everyday life of the city.
That's what makes Los Angeles such a fascinating place to explore.
You can turn one corner and find a completely different chapter of the city's history.
Explore Los Feliz Through Its Architecture
This story is part of Finding Places by Nicole — Vol.01 Los Feliz, a neighborhood volume exploring the architecture, history, businesses, outdoor spaces, lifestyle, and real estate that make Los Angeles communities worth discovering.
If you're thinking about moving to Los Feliz, understanding the neighborhood's history can give you a much better sense of what makes each pocket different.
Sometimes finding your place starts with noticing what was already here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bungalow court?
A bungalow court is a residential development consisting of multiple small bungalow-style homes arranged around a shared courtyard or common outdoor space. Each household typically has its own individual dwelling while residents share portions of the surrounding property.
When were bungalow courts popular in Los Angeles?
Bungalow courts became especially popular in Southern California during the early 20th century, particularly as Los Angeles experienced rapid population growth and demand for relatively affordable housing increased.
Why were bungalow courts built?
Bungalow courts provided an alternative to both detached single-family homes and larger apartment buildings. They allowed multiple households to live on a shared property while maintaining individual homes and access to outdoor space.
Why are bungalow courts important to Los Angeles architecture?
Bungalow courts represent an important period in Los Angeles residential development. They demonstrate how housing could provide greater density while maintaining a relatively small-scale, residential environment.
Are there bungalow courts in Los Feliz?
Historic bungalow-style residential developments can be found throughout older Los Angeles neighborhoods, including areas of Los Feliz. Their presence contributes to the neighborhood's architectural diversity and historic character.
Are bungalow courts considered historic?
Some bungalow courts have historic significance, but the status of an individual property depends on its specific history, architecture, location, and any applicable local or governmental designation. A property's historic status should be verified independently before making decisions about purchase or renovation.
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