Persian palace

"Persian palace" is a derisive term used by Los Angeles residents for a large mansion that occupies a disproportionately small parcel of land. This style of house is similar to a McMansion, but draws from Mediterranean Revival and Middle Eastern influences instead of English and French ones. While wealthy Angelenos of all ethnicities have built such edifices (particularly Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants in the San Gabriel Valley), Persian palaces get their name from the wealthy ethnic Persians who build them, primarily those who immigrated to Los Angeles's West Side after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Characteristics

A Persian palace typically is a 2-story white or pink stucco-covered box incorporating architectural and decorative features from many traditions--most notably Spanish tile roofs, wrought-iron decoration, Romanesque columns and atria, bronze Middle Eastern statuary (typically of lions)--into a whole that is derided by many architects as less than the sum of its parts. (Many Persian palaces are designed by their occupants or by unlicensed architects.) As Persians have largely congregated in built-out areas such as Beverly Hills, construction of Persian palaces usually requires the demolition of the house that previously occupied the lot. The emphasis placed on the extended family by most Middle Eastern cultures, including that of Persia, means that Persians' houses are typically far larger than those built by Americans in the 1920s and 1930s. In most cases, the Persian palace is two or even three times larger, both in volume and in floor area, than the house it replaces. With more than two adults in the household, Persian palaces often have more than two cars. One common method of accommodating them is to replace the front yard with a concrete driveway that stretches the entire width of the property. A gate is also often built around the property. (In Iran, it is quite common for one's house to be gated, especially in the front.)

Community opposition

These characteristics have led to significant enmity toward Persian palaces and their owners. The demolition of well-maintained Spanish Colonial Revival homes to build Persian palaces tends to raise the ire of historic preservationists concerned with the impact of such homes on neighborhoods' character.

Neighbors of Persian palaces complain about blocked views and the deleterious effects on street parking. The houses' building processes are often highly disruptive to the order of neighborhoods that have not seen new construction since World War II or earlier.

In response to these objections, Los Angeles and West Hollywood have each put in place building code restrictions widely seen as targeting Persian palaces. Setback requirements and historic preservation zoning have made the construction of Persian palaces in Los Angeles virtually impossible, although some relatively small examples are built in areas such as Palms and Rancho Park.

In 2004, West Hollywood imposed building size regulations and other measures widely seen as targeting the Persian population. Persian palaces have proliferated most in Beverly Hills, which lacks a historic preservation ordinance.

This legal vacuum came to the forefront in 2005, when the "Los Angeles Times" reported that a Beverly Hills home, where composer George Gershwin and his lyricist brother Ira had lived during the 1920s, had been purchased by a Persian immigrant who planned to raze the structure to erect what is presumed to be a Persian palace.

In response to the criticism engendered by this report, as well as the longstanding complaints of the hulking palaces' neighbors, the city of Beverly Hills placed restrictions on the pillars and columns commonly adorning the front of these homes. Most of these homes are found on over 5,000 square foot lots, in areas of Beverly Hills that are south of Wilshire and north of Olympic, between Robertson Blvd. and South Beverly Drive.

Another concentration of Persian palaces can be found on the main streets of the highly desired Flats area of Beverly Hills. These houses are on 12,000 to 14,000 square foot lots, and are usually square in the front. Brentwood also contains a handful of Persian palaces, notably on Bundy Drive.

A particular street, N. Beverly Dr. is almost entirely covered with these houses. This has been attributed to some smaller neighborhoods, such as a hilly area between Olympic and Pico and another area full of Spanish colonial houses, preventing more of this style of house from being built.

References

*Alexander, Karen. "The Big-Box Battle of Beverly Hills." "Los Angeles Times", 13 June 2004.
*Groves, Martha. "No Rhapsody on Roxbury." "Los Angeles Times", 12 August 2005.
*Mitchell, John. "Wave of Wealthy Iranians No Ordinary Group of Immigrants." "Los Angeles Times", 4 January 1990.
*Moaveni, Azadeh. "Councilman Plays Role of Cultural Mediator." "Los Angeles Times", 19 April 2004.