City Council Preserves Morris Kight Home, Upholding LGBTQ+ History

In unanimous vote, councilmembers designate 4^th Street residence of grandfather of LGBTQ+ movement a City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument (HCM)

Currently, fewer than one percent of city’s HCM sites honor LGBTQ+ community

Advocates from AHF and its Housing Is A Human Right (HHR) division cheered and thanked the Los Angeles City Council for its unanimous vote today approving Historic Cultural Monument (HCM) status for the residence of Morris Kight, a 20^th century Los Angeles LGBTQ+ rights pioneer widely considered to be the grandfather of the LGBTQ+ movement.

The home, on 4^th Street in the Westlake neighborhood, is in Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez’s district (District #1) and is listed on the California Register of Historical Resources. The council vote today allows for construction of additional and much-needed housing units on the property; however, it stipulates Kight’s 1920s-era wood frame bungalow cannot be razed or moved from the site.

“The Council’s unanimous vote to save Morris Kight’s home is a great honor to his memory,” said Susie Shannon, Policy Director for Housing Is A Human Right. “We thank the Council for supporting the LGBTQ+ community and are especially grateful to see Kight’s contributions recognized and preserved.”

Councilmember Hernandez previously promoted the lesser “site of” designation, which meant a property owner could raze the property and redevelop the site, something advocates understood the current site owner intended to do. Since the item last came before council in June, Hernandez softened her views and crafted the compromise motion voted on and passed earlier today.

The Stonewall Democratic Club and The Los Angeles LGBT Center—both of which Kight played a key role in founding—and the Los Angeles Conservancy also backed HCM status for the property.

Following testimony before the Council and the Council’s subsequent vote, advocates joined members of Local SEIU 721 in solidarity outside City Hall at the union’s one-day strike also set for Tuesday.

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The Los Angeles City Council’s unanimous vote today to save Morris Kight’s home is a great honor to his memory. We thank the Council for supporting the LGBTQ+ community and are especially grateful to see Kight’s contributions recognized and preserved.