A hidden gem on the Hill

By Josh Kleinbaum, News-Press and Leader
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — They all say the same thing, the residents of Adams Hill.
Mike Schneider never heard of Adams Hill until he found a house there six months ago. Suzanne Marong discovered the neighborhood 11 years ago, when she saw a listing for a house. Patty Silversher stumbled upon the area 19 years ago when she saw a listing for a house in "The Recycler."
They had never heard of the neighborhood. Now, they all call Adams Hill home. So it seems just right to them that Los Angeles Magazine would rate the area one of "The 10 Best Neighborhoods (You've Never Heard Of)."
The magazine included Adams Hill in a feature in its December issue, which hit newsstands this week. Adams Hill is listed first, although the neighborhoods are listed in alphabetical order and are not ranked, said Mary Melton, the magazine's executive editor.
"The first time we looked at our house, my wife and I turned to each other and we were like, where are we?" Schneider said. "How come we never heard of this neighborhood?"
The magazine compares Adams Hill to Silver Lake and the Hollywood Hills with a slightly lower price tag. The article discusses the narrow windy roads and the homes with Spanish architecture, the revival of Adams Square, a small business district that serves the neighborhood, and a city project to build a mini-park in the area.
Melton said the magazine considered Adams Hill in 2002, the last time it released a similar list, but the editors felt the neighborhood was not quite ready. Kenneth Village, another Glendale neighborhood, made the cut that year.
"We felt [Adams Hill] was showing good signs, but they hadn't developed that downtown neighborhood, and they hadn't put a park there," Melton said. "When we did revisit it, we thought, this is great, this is terrific. We felt that there is a movement going on here."
Adams Hill residents said the movement is because of the neighborhood's community atmosphere.
"Everyone watches out for everyone else and everybody has a real conscience and wants to better their community," said Silversher, the president of the Adams Hill Homeowners Assn. "There's a lot of activism, on everything from historic districting to graffiti to Adams Square."
Some residents were mixed on how the publicity will affect the neighborhood. Marong, a member of the homeowner association's board of directors, said she likes the neighborhood's secluded feel, and doesn't want it to become overrun with home buyers looking for the next Los Feliz.