Retro Friday! The Dingbat Apartment.

Dingbat apartments got their name from the starbursts (dingbats) that were often plastered on the front of the building. They were cheap and easy to build, typically in 6 pack or 12 pack configurations. They offered landowners the best use of space and tenants the most affordable rents.

Dingbats are all over the sunbelt states. Thousands dot the Los Angeles landscape, and after five or six decades still offer the benefits to both owners and renters that they were originally designed for.