Los Angeles wildfires destroy local landmarks, beloved oddities and hidden gems

The devastating wildfires that continue to rage in the Los Angeles area have destroyed thousands of structures. In Altadena and Pacific Palisades, authorities are still working to tally the full scope of what has been lost so far.

With destruction this extensive, individual stories of what was lost can get drowned out. It’s easy for our attention to be drawn to the wider view or to only zoom in when the damage strikes someone we’re familiar with — like a celebrity.

But every community has things that make it special, the small idiosyncratic businesses or historic locales that exist nowhere else. These are some of the unique, quirky and cherished places that were lost in the fires.

The Bunny Museum

The self-proclaimed “Hoppiest Place on Earth” held the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of rabbit-related items anywhere in the world. The small museum in Altadena boasted that it housed more than 60,000 bunny items, including some that were more than 2,000 years old. Only around 20 of those items were saved — the rest were destroyed, according to a GoFundMe page created by the museum’s founders.

Funky Junk Farms

This sprawling lot in Altadena housed vintage cars, trailers, props and movie locations that the owners — who describe themselves as “long-time collectors and preservationists of vintage America ” — frequently rented out for use in movies and TV shows.

Pierson Playhouse

A beloved community theater that had hosted performances for Theatre Palisades in Pacific Palisades for more than 35 years is gone. According to the group’s Facebook page, the fire struck just three days before the theater was scheduled to open its latest show.

Schönberg archive

An estimated 100,000 scores from the groundbreaking composer Arnold Schönberg were destroyed when the headquarters of the publishing company that was storing them in Pacific Palisades burned to the ground. The catalog had been an "indispensable resource” for performing musicians, the director of the American Symphony Orchestra told the BBC.

Zorthian Ranch

Described as a “haven for artists & intellectuals,” the ranch was founded more than 70 years ago in the hills above Altadena by late Armenian-American artist Jirayr Zorthian. Over the decades, Zorthian Ranch became known for its bohemian bacchanals and the parade of legendary artists who stayed there. About 80% of the property was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, including some of Zorthian’s most notable artworks, according to his son Alan, who now owns the property.

Theosophical Library Center

This old-Spanish-style garage in Altadena was home to a massive catalog of “sacred texts and commentaries” on world religions. These works included what was believed to be the world’s largest collection of materials on Theosophy, a modern spiritual movement centered on the “perennial wisdom underlying the world's religions, sciences, and philosophies.”

Reel Inn

This popular roadside seafood shack was instantly recognizable to anyone who made the picturesque drive up the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu. With chalkboard menus and surf boards slung in the rafters, the Reel Inn was designed as an homage to the New England fish shacks the owners frequented in their youth.

Will Rogers’s ranch house

Built in the 1920s, the house was the centerpiece of the sprawling ranch near Pacific Palisades owned by famed early-Hollywood star Will Rogers. After his death in 1935, the ranch was donated to the state and turned into a public park. Along with the house, several other historic structures on the property were destroyed.

Topanga Ranch Motel

This rustic beachside bungalow motel was built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in 1929 as lodging for construction workers building the Pacific Coast Highway. The motel was nearly demolished to make room for a massive condominium project in the 1980s, but popular opposition blocked development. The state eventually took ownership of the motel, and a plan to restore it was announced just a few months ago.

Andrew McNally House

A quintessential example of the Queen Anne style of architecture, the McNally House was built in Altadena by mapmaking tycoon Andrew McNally in 1887. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Keeler House

This striking modernist home in Pacific Palisades was designed by local architect Ray Kappe for jazz singer Anne Keeler in the early 1990s. With large offset balconies and a tiered interior floor plan, the Keeler House was described as the “apotheosis of the California Modern House.”

Fox’s Restaurant

This unassuming diner had served its famous Noah’s Ark breakfast on Lake Avenue in Altadena for nearly 70 years. “It’s employed people that are now eating there as grandparents,” co-owner Monique King told SF Gate.