Click photo to view larger image and slide show.

Hawthorne Terrace, replenishment housing project. The Final Consent Decree provided for over 3700 replenishment units for the over 8000 that were destroyed. Most were built on time and within budget. Hawthorne Terrace, however, was besieged with problems from the start.

Initially, there were delays in getting city approval for construction and a federal court order had to be issued. After 95% of the construction had been completed the developer had to withdraw from the project due to legal problems in another matter. Non-payments to subcontractors led to sabotage of the site and further delays. When the units were finally ready, new renters were notified of when they could move in only to find out days before moving that the city of Hawthorne wanted to lease the units to the Los Angeles Air Force base.

The military wanted to use this complex to house officers and threatened to close the base if this didn’t happen. As this use fell far outside the stipulation of the Final Consent Decree, the court refused the request and renters were finally allowed to move in.