Old Funeral Home Becomes Homes for Seniors in Los Angeles

More than 146,000 Americans over 55 faced homelessness in 2024. Los Angeles found a creative way to help solve this problem by turning an old funeral home into apartments for seniors.

The Pierce Brothers Mortuary closed a few years ago after serving the community for decades. The building briefly became a church, but attendance dropped during the pandemic. Now it has new life as Washington View Apartments, providing 122 affordable homes for elderly residents.

The project cost $45 million total. Los Angeles city government provided $12 million, while a private bank gave a $33 million construction loan. Developers worked carefully to preserve the building's historic features, including its chapel, bell tower, and red tile roof. The chapel was already listed as a cultural landmark by the city.

Today, 100 seniors call this place home. The apartments cost 30-60% of the area median income, making them affordable for people on fixed incomes. The community set aside 91 units specifically for people who were previously homeless. Residents can access case management services, adult education classes, and three recreation rooms right in their building.

Louis Juarez, who lived in a homeless shelter for a year before moving in, says he loves waking up here every morning. The project won the city's 2023 Preservation Design Award, showing how we can honor our past while building solutions for today's housing challenges.