The rise and fall of Pillarhenge
- Ellie Cole-Calderon
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
Our town’s mysteries continue as the neighborhood landmark, coined “Pillarhenge,” continues to confuse.
If you haven’t read the previous story on Pillarhenge, here’s some background. This site has been abandoned for decades, appearing as nothing but 27 gated-off poles in an arch. The origin of the pillars is unclear, but they’ve been around for a very long time and have had some notable events go down, including a murder in 1978. Clearly, this lot has had its share of tragedy and history, and even more controversy is about to begin.
Over the past few years, the lot next to the 134 highway has undergone the first stages of building. For reference, construction was planned to start in 2008, but there was a delay due to the housing crisis. The area was abandoned until around 2017, when deals started to get passed around. Eventually, the lot was sold in 2022 to Imad Boukai, head of General Procurement Inc., and plans for the complex were sold a year later to American Tire Depot. The building was supposed to take two years to complete, and lately, there’s been some progress.
“The Love Boat”
Probably the most disputed issue of this matter comes from the design of the new complex itself. The plan is to build a four-story building with a nautical-looking exterior. People in the community, such as those on the Facebook group Goodbye Pillarhenge Park, have named it “The Loveboat,” after its resemblance to a 70s show.
The building’s main problem is simply its appearance. The style, as community members of the group have noted, looks out of place amongst the other complexes in Eagle Rock.
Housing Crisis
A report titled “Affordable Housing Needs” in 2024 found that “494,446 low-income renter households in Los Angeles County do not have access to an affordable home” (California Housing Partnership). Los Angeles has had a major problem with housing for years, and this isn’t the first affordable development that they’ve implemented. There are a couple of apartments in progress around Eagle Rock, and all of them are more modern-looking compared to the rest of the town. Then again, this may just be what Los Angeles needs to combat the housing situation. All change comes with its ups and downs, and maybe the neighborhood will begin a new chapter of architecture and community. But this begs the question: are these developments helping? And how many more will it take to start to lower the homeless population?
While some are strongly against this new development, it has its benefits. Los Angeles needs affordable housing, and a building like this is a step in the right direction. The LA Times points out that it is being built near transportation, possibly as a push to get folks to opt for buses and trains. The bus stops along Colorado Blvd make it convenient for residents to catch a bus, only a few blocks away.
The Bird
Pinky is the famous papier-mache bird that has rested atop the pillars since around 2014. After becoming a home for real birds in 2023, Pinky mysteriously disappeared, but a nearly-identical version was put in place of the original a year later. Now, the town’s unofficial mascot could once again be removed from the pillars.
The LA Times says that the pillars will remain, but will be obscured from view behind the apartment building. This would keep a piece of the historic site intact, and could ease people’s uncertainty about the destruction of a familiar property. But what will happen to the bird that represents our town? It survived once after being destroyed, so there’s hope that it can survive again. Maybe Pinky will be preserved somewhere else, or maybe the famous bird will become another relic of our town's history.
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