The Palms Farmhouse, also known as the Tabor House, was a residence in Palms located at 3563 Motor Avenue. It served as the long-term home of the Tabor family. Irving Tabor was a close associate of Venice founder Abbott Kinney.

It was a transitional Victorian farmhouse was built circa 1904, just as interest in Victorian architectural styles was fading and the emerging Craftsman style was gaining popularity. The relatively slim dimensions of the windows and the narrow width of the wood siding on the first floor were mainstays from the Victorian era, while the decorative knee braces and exposed rafter tails of the front-gabled roof showed the house’s Craftsman influence. Even the shallow roof over the bay window featured its own exposed rafter tails. This turn-of-the-twentieth-century farmhouse was a rare, surviving link to Los Angeles’ agricultural past when small farms represented one of the earliest development patterns. It was also one of the oldest surviving residences in Palms, which is itself the oldest community on Los Angeles’ Westside, and pre-dates the annexation of Palms to the City of Los Angeles in 1915. The house was identified as eligible for listing in the National Register.

Demolition

October 23, 2018, the property owner applied for a demolition permit. Notice of a demolition permit requested by the current owner triggered public outcry and prompted the office of Councilmember Paul Koretz, in whose district the house is located, to introduce a motion to initiate local landmark designation of the property. Once the motion was adopted by City Council, a temporary stay on demolition would have gone into effect while landmark designation was under consideration. On November 9, the permit was issued, and a mere three days later, demolition work on Monday, November 12 resulted in the removal of the façade of the Palms Farmhouse. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) issued a stop work order following outcry from concerned neighbors, who had notified the Los Angeles Police Department.

Following an investigation, the City concluded that the demolition permit was legitimately issued (the motion to initiate designation of the Palms Farmhouse had not yet been adopted by City Council and there was no hold on permit activity). LADBS subsequently lifted the stop work order, and the Palms Farmhouse was razed in its 115th year.

No replacement project has been submitted for this site.