HCHC’s PRW Apartments Honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation 

HCHC is proud to announce that Paul R. Williams Apartments was selected by The National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of three projects in the country to receive a Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award. The prestigious Driehaus Awards are bestowed upon distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and corporations whose skill and determination have strengthened communities through the preservation of their architectural and cultural heritage. 

Paul R. Williams Apartments involves the adaptive reuse of the Angelus Funeral Home that was originally designed by the renowned and prolific architect Paul R. Williams. The Angelus Funeral Home was completed in 1934 and became one of the largest Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 which protected the building and made it eligible for Historic Tax Credits, a critical component of the financing used to restore the property to its original grandeur. 

Today, Paul R. Williams Apartments provides 41-units of critically needed affordable housing, a gracious community room in the former chapel, offices for resident services, and environmentally-conscious design elements. The property is steps away from Central Avenue, a vibrant thoroughfare and a historic center of arts, culture and commerce in the Black community.   

HCHC is grateful to stakeholders in the community as well as the long list of professionals who envisioned and implemented the adaptive reuse of this historic funeral home. HCHC’s mission is to transform communities by creating affordable housing that achieves design excellence and environmental sustainability, while at the same time respecting the history, culture and architecture of the communities we serve. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to preserve the former Angelus Funeral Home, while at the same time meeting the critical need for service-enriched affordable housing.

To read the full article featuring Paul R Williams Apartments and the winners of the Richard H. Driehaus awards: savingplaces.org/stories/the-2022-winners-of-the-richard-h-driehaus-foundation-national-preservation-awards

To watch HCHC’s section of the awards video go to slightly before the 33:35 minute mark here: youtu.be/VJgdEOXVx20