House Museum

 

Project Chimney

Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, CA

 

3 chimneys saved, 4 to go!

 

After the 2025 Palisades Fire, the architectural heritage of the Pacific Palisades was reduced to isolated fragments—scattering people, history, and communities. Among the rubble, over 55 historically significant chimneys survived, some designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., Richard Neutra, Ray Kappe, and Paul R. Williams. House Museum is working to preserve these structures through documentation and relocation. Our goal is to save 7 of the surviving chimneys that represent the development of Southern Californian architecture, legacies of homeowners, and the Pre-Fire Palisadian landscape.

 

 

House Museum creates an Artifact Catalogue that highlights the unique architectural heritage of the Pacific Palisades, from Mediterranean villas to Coastal New England homes dating back to the 1920s. We have collected oral histories, material data, photographs, and videos captured throughout the community engagement process, in collaboration with the Pacific Palisades Preservation Coalition. With the Army Corps debris clearance nearing completion, Project Chimney documentation represents a small window in history when the structures were free-standing.

 

Now, over 85% of the historic chimneys have been demolished.

 

Palisades Fire Memorial [Artifact Catalogue G–L], 2025.
 

 

House Museum's goal is to create the Palisades Fire Memorial—a public installation built of 7 freestanding heritage chimneys. Committed chimneys were designed by Eric Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, and Ray Kappe—among others with unique architectural characteristics. Working with local residents and public land stewards, the memorial will invite the community to gather, while recalling bygone structures as a critical architectural guide for future rebuild trajectories. In order to resist complete erasure, we are fundraising to relocate select structures. Salvaged freestanding chimneys will stand as beacons for future generations to remember the past.

 

"Etched in the minds of many Angelenos are the post-fire images of entire residential blocks razed, save for the chimneys, standing defiantly. The chimneys have quickly become symbols of the heart of lost homes and the endurance of the community."

 

Adrian Scott Fine, President and CEO of Los Angeles Conservancy

 

 

Palisades Fire Memorial, Concept Rendering © Milton Lau, AIA, Evan Hall, House Museum

 

"From a conservation perspective, the memorial stands as an invaluable addition to our cultural landscape alongside important Los Angeles landmarks like the Eames House, Schindler House, and other architectural icons."

 

Timothy P. Whalen, Director of Getty Conservation Institute

In partnership with the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and Mason Contractors Association of California (MCAC), a national and local task force has assembled to salvage the 7 heritage chimneys for the Palisades Fire Memorial. Construction teams led by preservationist Ean Frank, President of Significant Structures LLC, are collaborating to save the fire resilient chimneys and aid in heritage recovery.

 

TASK FORCE

 

 

"These seven chimneys aren't just brick and mortar; they are historically significant pieces of the area's past and a lasting testament to the term Masonry Strong"

 

Jeff Buczkiewicz, President and CEO of Mason Contractors Association of America