Harbor View House, formerly the Army and Navy Y.M.C.A., is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...

 (HCM #252) located in the San Pedro

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California

San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...

 section of Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, near the Port of Los Angeles

Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...

. It is a five-story Spanish Colonial Revival style structure located on a bluff overlooking the harbor.

History

The Army and Navy Y.M.C.A. was dedicated in 1926 as a recreation center for servicemen at Fort MacArthur

Fort MacArthur

Fort MacArthur is a former United States Army installation in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California . The fort is named in honor of Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur...

, offering 300 dormitory rooms, a gymnasium, running track, banquet room, patio, pool, boxing and wrestling rooms and a coffee shop. It provided recreation and temporary quarters for over four million men during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and was visited by celebrities, including Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

 and Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball

Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...

.

The facility was converted to civilian use in 1947, offering accommodations to young travelers and senior citizens. Since 1967, it has been known as Harbor View House, offering housing for the mentally ill.

Present day

Since September 1967 Harbor View House has been operated as a residence serving the mentally ill. It is licensed a 204 bed Adult Residential Facility, Mentally Ill by the California Department of Social Services and an 83 bed Intermediate Care Nursing Facility by the California Department of Public Health Services. It is owned and operated by HealthView, Inc. a non-profit organization. It also contains HealthView Behavioral Services an outpatient mental health clinic operated under contract from the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health. In 1994 the building underwent seismic retrofit renovation after the receiving damage from the Northridge earthquake. The swimming pool was filled in and offices were created in the space above the pool during this renovation this time. Many features still remain like the coffee shop, gymnasium and running track. Harbor View House continues to be the largest licensed unlocked facility offering a variety of services for the mentally ill in the state of California.