In my previous post…Gone Up in Smoke, I mentioned how L.A. was a very different place in the 1970’s. I thought I’d share with you something that is on the verge of extinction…the textured roof.
This style of roofing is also known as: 3-D Roof, Hansel and Gretel Roof, Fairy Tale Roof, Sculpted Roof, Gingerbread Roof and Built Up Roof. The roofs were done in asphalt shingles as well as the wood shake. This is my effort to archive what may be one of the last of its kind.
When I was growing up in Los Angeles, this style of roofing was fairly common. You could drive down any of the residential streets in the Miracle Mile area and find 2 or 3 houses on every block that had textured roofs on them.
Over the last 15 years whenever I visited L.A. I vaguely noticed these roofs were harder to find. But I had not given it any thought until the past 2 years. On my last trip to L.A. I spent 45 minutes cruising up and down the side streets of the Miracle Mile and this was the one and only textured roof I could find.
I talked with a realtor that knew something about this property. He told me the owners are looking to replace the roof due to leaks. Unfortunately, no roofer seems to be able to recreate this style of textured roof. All the roofers that knew how to create these works of art are all in the graveyard.
Tons of things disappearing that future generations wont know a thing about unless there is a record. Another fixture of L.A. many people don’t know about was the concrete incinerator.
Burning trash was popular until the 1950’s when the practice was outlawed.
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. 