BRENTWOOD-After the Planning and Land Use Committee held a meeting on May 13, the Sullivan
Canyon is now a historic location. A recommendation report released by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning stated a hearing was initially held on April 3, 2014, for the Sullivan Canyon Property Owners Association requesting the State of California Office of Historic Preservation on proposed listing of Sullivan Canyon to the California Register of Historical Resource.
Sullivan Canyon exhibits characteristics that embraced the 3 criterion of the California Register of Historical Resources, which states that areas must “embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values.”
According to the recommendation report, “Sullivan Canyon is eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources under the Criterion 3 for its architecture as one of the most unique examples of an intact postwar Ranch style single family housing tract designed by Cliff May, one of the most important originators and designers of the Ranch Style.
Cliff May’s contribution was not just the creation of the Ranch style house, but also to its proliferation across the United States as the most popular suburban house form. Although Cliff May constructed thousands of houses throughout California and the Western United States, Sullivan Canyon is where Cliff May was allowed to bring Ranch style to its most literal expression by incorporating communal stables, bridle trails, and horse barns in a rustic setting that reflected an actual ranch.”
The Sullivan Canyon Preservation Association describes Sullivan Canyon as a welcome place “for walking, hiking, dog walking (on leashes), bird watching, meditation and other equestrian – compatible activities. For safety reasons, equestrian activities are restricted to registered users and registered horses.”
