During my second week at Occidental, I had to get my medication from the CVS on York Boulevard. As I was heading home, I passed a building that I had seen a few times before — the Sparkletts bottling plant. Initially, I was critical of its design and the apparent state of disrepair it had been left in. The thought of how the bottling plant fell into this state and why it remains this way stayed in the back of my mind for a while.
The bottling plant’s design is Moorish, with domed tops and a white brickwork exterior. To think that this was once a factory of sorts surprises me. However, it being a cultural icon doesn’t, as it definitely stands out from its surroundings. What worries me is the state of disrepair it may fall into without the proper care from the city. In fact, a part of the site was taken down June 2025 — its iconic sign. The sign will be relocated to the Arrowhead bottling plant in Downtown LA. This leaves me with one question: is relocation or destruction the true fate of the plant, or can we preserve it and make it into something greater?
In my home neighborhood of Los Feliz, I’ve seen many homes and buildings be torn down or go out of business due to high rent, only for the lots to be abandoned. The mini-mall two streets away from my house has vacancy because of the cost of having a space there. These issues severely limit third spaces and contribute to the affordability crisis plaguing LA. Redevelopment has become a fear of mine for places that I enjoy being around. In the case of Norms Coffee Shop, a developer purchased the land with the goal of replacing it with generic storefronts. It is essential to preserve these spaces before they can be demolished. Who wants to see a space they frequent be torn down?
Though the site was dedicated as a historic monument, the title only delays the prospect of demolition for 360 days. The Sparkletts bottling plant needs to be retrofitted to make sure it is preserved in the neighborhood. It is possible that greedy developers want to take the land for themselves, making it essential that we work to prevent this and turn the space into a usable fixture of the Highland Park and Eagle Rock area.
While I’m not an urban planning professional, I do know that there can be at least a few things done to make sure this part of LA history stays in place. For one, more must be done to retrofit the building for potential disasters such as fires or earthquakes. After all, what would be the point of preserving such a building if it were to collapse during a natural disaster? Another thing to consider is the building’s future purpose. Integration into the local neighborhood, while a more abstract concept than simply reinforcing the facility against disasters, is essential if we want to keep it a fixture of the local community.
In an interview with the LA Times, Anthony Carmona, a local resident, brought up the idea of making the Sparkletts building a gathering place where people could trade services, items and even ideas. Frank Parello, the Landmarks and Advocacy Chair for the Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society, proposed the idea of turning the plant into a community housing complex. These are both examples of how the space could be repurposed for good.
Different landmarks around the city have undergone similar transformations. One such place is the Helms Bakery District in Culver City. The bakery district has similar origins as the bottling plant, both originally being factories. When the bakery was shut down, Walter N. Marks Inc purchased the land the building was on and began a reconstruction and renovation project to turn the area into a beautiful, walkable and usable space. The company that purchased the land did not touch the physical structure of the former factory, preserving its Art Deco style image. The restoration of the bakery shows us that we can do the same for the plant, and that turning it into something usable would benefit us all.
Restoration has benefits beyond just looking pretty. Take Heritage Square for example, a well-known landmark in LA. Its Victorian-style architecture stands out among the usual LA buildings. The restorers’ work to make sure that these buildings were not torn down or damaged is commendable. Additionally, constructing a museum with guided tours is a great way to celebrate the history of these spaces.
In the case of Sparkletts, while I wouldn’t say that tours need to happen often, the least we can do to respect this place’s history is to set up a small museum area detailing its life as a bottling plant. This would be similar to how Helms Bakery District does it, with showrooms containing pictures of the old factory and workers. Its secondary purpose should absolutely be to showcase the building’s extensive history. In order to prevent demolition, the neighborhood needs to come together to ensure a better future for the plant.
Contact Theodore Fierman at fierman@oxy.edu
