The wildfires that continued to burn through Southern California on Wednesday have gutted a number of local landmarks in some of the most affluent areas of Los Angeles.
On Wednesday morning, fire officials estimated that more than 1,000 structures had already been destroyed. The fires carved a destructive path through Pacific Palisades and Malibu, communities that have long lured people who want to live near the coast, away from the city’s hustle and bustle. Pacific Palisades is so closely associated with California’s sun and surf lifestyle that the Beach Boys name-check it in “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
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Palisades Charter High School: Flames overwhelmed the campus at the independent charter school in Pacific Palisades, according to Nick Melvoin, a trustee at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The school has frequently been featured onscreen, including in the film “Freaky Friday” and in the television series “Teen Wolf.” Among its alumni are a number of well-known figures in the worlds of show business, sports and the arts, including the musician will.i.am, the director J.J. Abrams and the actor Forest Whitaker, according to the school’s website.
Mr. Melvoin said the school was still closed for winter break, so there was no need to evacuate. He said that classrooms, bungalows, tennis courts and the baseball field had burned.
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Will Rogers’s ranch house: The ranch house that the popular entertainer and movie star Will Rogers owned until his death in 1935 has been destroyed, according to officials with the California state park system.
Rogers, who got his start doing rope tricks in vaudeville and became a hugely popular movie star, columnist, a so-called “cowboy philosopher” and a philanthropist, bought more than 300 acres of land in what is now known as Pacific Palisades and built the 31-room ranch house before dying in a plane crash. His widow, Betty, later donated the ranch to the state parks system. Officials said the fire destroyed a number of structures, including the ranch house, in what it is now Will Rogers State Historic Park.
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Topanga Ranch Motel: A bungalow-style beachside motel that was built in 1929 by William Randolph Hearst and was used as a location in a number of films over the decades was destroyed in the fire, California state park officials said.
The motel, which had grown decrepit over the years, was acquired by the state park system in 2001. Officials with the state park system said that they had been planning to restore about 20 of its cabins for public use.
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The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center: The synagogue in Pasadena, which traces its roots back to the early 20th Century, was engulfed by the Eaton fire, said Melissa Levy, its executive director, though the extent of the damage was unclear.
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Reel Inn: A well-known seafood restaurant in Malibu, Reel Inn, posted a link on social media to a report in The Malibu Times, which said the restaurant had been destroyed in the Palisades fire. “We are so grateful for the 36 years we have been part of the community,” the restaurant’s owners said in the post, adding: “We are heartbroken and unsure what will be left.”
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Malibu Feed Bin: A local institution that has sold pet supplies and gifts since 1966 was destroyed in the Palisades fire, according to a post on social media. “With a heavy heart, I am writing this. We lost the Feed Bin today,” the post said.
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Theater Palisades, Pierson Playhouse: Officials said on their website that “all operations” had been suspended until further notice “owing to the serious damage sustained in the Palisades Fire.” Local news coverage showed the community theater, founded by three television writers in the 1960s, fully engulfed by flames.
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The Getty Villa: Although trees and vegetation at the Getty Villa have burned, the museum’s structures and its priceless antiquities collection are still unaffected, officials said Wednesday. They said that the museum, which has water stored on-site, had taken steps to irrigate its grounds on Tuesday morning. The museum’s galleries and library archives were sealed off from smoke damage through special handling systems, and officials said that the double-walled construction of the galleries protects the artwork.
Although the museum remains “safe and intact,” it will remain closed “at least through early next week” Katherine E. Fleming, the chief executive of the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement. Out of caution and to help alleviate traffic in the area, officials said the Getty Center in Brentwood will be closed at least through Sunday.
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The Eames House: Officials said Wednesday morning that they had removed items from the Eames House, a landmark of mid-20th century modern architecture, as the fires neared. They said the house, designed and built in 1949 by Charles and Ray Eames, was unaffected so far, but that they were closely monitoring the situation and had taken precautions before they were forced to evacuate.
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The Thomas Mann House and Villa Aurora: The Thomas Mann House, the California Modernist home in Pacific Palisades where the Nobel-prize winning novelist lived in the 1940s, and the Villa Aurora, a former home that now serves as an artists’ residence, are in areas threatened by the fires. Officials there said in a statement Wednesday that while “the impact of the fires on our two houses will only become fully visible in the coming days,” the situation in the immediate vicinity of Villa Aurora “is especially dire and we must expect the worst.”
Shawn Hubler in Sacramento, Soumya Karlamangla in San Francisco, Corina Knoll in Los Angeles and Matthew Mpoke Bigg in London contributed reporting.
