Is El Sereno the Next Highland Park, CA? Six Huntington Drive Properties Put Neighborhood Change in Focus

El Sereno real estate includes Spanish homes, traditional bungalows, Mid-Century residences, hillside properties, postwar homes and larger lots across one of Northeast Los Angeles’ most varied neighborhoods. Jason Bergman of The Agency represents buyers and sellers in El Sereno, combining neighborhood-level valuation, architecture, property history, market analysis and negotiation strategy to help clients understand what makes one property fundamentally different from another.

For buyers, that means looking beyond the asking price to understand what a particular home is actually worth, how it compares with recent sales and competing properties, and how to structure an offer around the individual opportunity. For sellers, it means identifying what makes a home different, understanding which buyers are most likely to value those characteristics, and positioning the property around its architecture, setting, improvements and place within the El Sereno market.

And right now, something significant is happening along Huntington Drive in El Sereno, CA.

Beverly Hills-based real estate investment firm Langdon Street Capital has acquired six properties along Huntington Drive, bringing new attention to a commercial corridor that has long served as one of El Sereno’s main neighborhood arteries.

The acquisitions have also sparked a much larger conversation about new businesses, housing, neighborhood change and the future of Huntington Drive.

As new businesses arrive and ownership changes along the corridor, longtime residents are asking what the next chapter of the community should look like.

For anyone following El Sereno real estate, the story is about more than six properties. It is about how neighborhoods change—and how quickly perceptions of a neighborhood can change with them.

Jason Bergman’s experience representing both buyers and sellers in El Sereno, including transactions on Lowell Avenue and Collis Avenue, has also shown how property-specific the neighborhood can be. Architecture, street, lot configuration, condition and location within El Sereno can create very different real estate considerations from one property to the next.

For a deeper look at its neighborhoods, homes, architecture, schools and local market, visit the El Sereno Real Estate and Homes for Sale guide.

Jason Bergman, El Sereno Berkshire, Los Angeles.

Six Huntington Drive Properties Acquired by One Investor

The story gained attention after reporting revealed that Langdon Street Capital acquired six parcels along Huntington Drive in El Sereno.

Langdon Street Capital is also known for its 2017 acquisition of Downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market.

The El Sereno properties include the site formerly occupied by El Taquito Restaurant, a neighborhood institution that closed in December 2025 after 53 years when its owners retired. According to reporting by LA Public Press, renovated apartment rentals have subsequently been marketed at the property.

The commercial changes are becoming visible as well.

Canyon Coffee is preparing to open along Huntington Drive in a building that previously housed Mecca Cafe and later other neighborhood businesses. Highland Cafe has also leased a Langdon-owned storefront that formerly housed Phở Eastern.

Together, the changes raise a question Los Angeles has seen before:

What happens when a neighborhood that has historically received less outside investment suddenly begins attracting substantially more attention?

Why Huntington Drive Matters to El Sereno

Huntington Drive is not simply another commercial street.

It connects El Sereno with South Pasadena, Alhambra and the broader Northeast Los Angeles area while running directly through the center of the community. Its restaurants, storefronts, apartment buildings and small businesses are part of the everyday experience of living here.

That geographic relationship is important to understanding El Sereno real estate as well. Parts of El Sereno sit remarkably close to South Pasadena, while other sections connect naturally with Alhambra, University Hills, Montecito Heights and Highland Park. Yet the housing stock, lot sizes and values can change considerably as you move between them.

That makes the concentration of six properties under a single owner noteworthy.

One transaction might represent a change of ownership.

Six properties along the same corridor can potentially influence the character of a larger stretch of the neighborhood over time, depending on what ultimately happens with those properties.

That does not automatically make the investment positive or negative. It does, however, make it worth watching.

The El Sereno Gentrification Conversation

The response within El Sereno has not been uniform.

LA Public Press reported that residents and activists have been gathering at the Coyotl + Macehualli Lending Library for Land Defense Circles discussing development, displacement and neighborhood change.

Some residents quoted in the reporting expressed concern that rising property values, new investment and changing businesses could eventually displace longtime renters or alter El Sereno's working-class character.

Others welcomed new businesses and investment while hoping Huntington Drive develops into a commercial corridor that continues serving a broad cross-section of the community.

That distinction matters.

Neighborhood change is rarely as simple as being either “for” or “against” development.

Residents can want thriving businesses, cleaner commercial corridors, housing investment and improved properties while simultaneously wanting longtime residents and neighborhood businesses to remain part of the community.

Those ideas do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Is El Sereno Becoming the Next Highland Park?

The comparison to Highland Park is understandable.

Highland Park experienced a dramatic transformation over the past two decades as new restaurants, retailers, investors and homebuyers arrived. Figueroa Street and York Boulevard became destination commercial corridors, while demand for the neighborhood's Craftsman, Spanish and Mid-Century homes increased significantly.

But saying El Sereno is simply “the next Highland Park” misses what makes El Sereno different.

El Sereno has its own geography, housing stock, commercial corridors and community history.

The neighborhood stretches from areas near South Pasadena and Alhambra to hillside streets overlooking Northeast Los Angeles. Depending on where you are, you can find traditional bungalows, Spanish homes, Mid-Century residences, hillside properties, postwar houses and larger lots that feel very different from much of central Los Angeles.

Its location is also unusual.

El Sereno sits near South Pasadena, Alhambra, Highland Park, Montecito Heights and University Hills, with convenient access to Downtown Los Angeles and USC's Health Sciences campus.

Those characteristics have existed for years.

What appears to be changing is how many people outside the neighborhood are beginning to notice them.

What Could the Huntington Drive Changes Mean for El Sereno Real Estate?

It is too early to know what the Huntington Drive acquisitions will ultimately mean for the broader El Sereno real estate market.

Six commercial property acquisitions do not determine residential home values, and the activity of one property owner along Huntington Drive should not be treated as an indicator of where home prices are headed.

What it does provide is another reason to pay attention to how El Sereno is changing.

Commercial corridors are part of the experience of living in a neighborhood. Restaurants, coffee shops, longtime businesses, new businesses, pedestrian activity and the character of the streets connecting them can all influence how residents and prospective buyers experience a community.

For buyers considering El Sereno, that broader context is worth understanding alongside the characteristics of the individual home. A Spanish residence on a quiet street, a hillside property with views, a bungalow near Huntington Drive and a home on a larger lot may all exist within El Sereno, but they can offer very different experiences and attract different buyers.

For homeowners, the same principle applies. A property's value cannot be reduced to what is happening along one commercial corridor. Architecture, condition, lot, location, street, views, improvements and comparable sales remain central to understanding an individual home.

The Huntington Drive story is therefore worth following without assuming what the outcome will be.

The acquisitions, arrival of new businesses and concerns expressed by some longtime residents are all part of a larger conversation about the neighborhood. How that evolves—and what Huntington Drive looks and feels like several years from now—remains to be seen.

For El Sereno real estate, the important point is not to predict what comes next. It is to understand the neighborhood as it exists today while paying attention to the changes happening around it.

El Sereno Real Estate Has Already Been Changing

The commercial conversation along Huntington Drive is only one part of the story.

Residential real estate in El Sereno has also evolved.

Jason Bergman has seen that firsthand representing clients on both sides of transactions in the neighborhood.

At 4743 Collis Avenue, Jason represented the seller of a renovated home with a dedicated musician's studio. The property generated strong buyer interest and ultimately sold above asking.

At 3526 Lowell Avenue, Jason represented the buyer of a Spanish-style home, navigating the property and competitive dynamics from the other side of the transaction.

Those experiences reinforce an important point: there is no single El Sereno real estate market.

A renovated Spanish home, a hillside property with views, an original bungalow and a larger development-oriented parcel can attract completely different buyers and require completely different valuation strategies.

That is increasingly important as attention on the neighborhood grows.

Buying a Home in El Sereno

For buyers considering El Sereno, the increased attention does not mean every property should suddenly be valued the same way.

Quite the opposite.

Street, lot configuration, architecture, condition, hillside characteristics, proximity to commercial corridors and the surrounding housing stock can materially affect value.

Jason's approach when helping someone buy a home in El Sereno is to look beyond the asking price and understand what is actually driving the property's value, what comparable buyers have recently paid, what competing demand looks like and how the home fits within its specific pocket of the neighborhood.

That becomes even more important in a neighborhood undergoing change because perception can sometimes move faster than comparable sales.

Buyers can explore the different areas, architecture, schools and housing found throughout the community in the El Sereno Real Estate and Homes for Sale guide.

Selling a Home in El Sereno

For homeowners considering selling a home in El Sereno, increased awareness of the neighborhood can create opportunity—but simply being located in El Sereno does not determine the outcome.

Architecture, presentation, condition, lot size, outdoor space, views, improvements and pricing strategy all affect how buyers respond.

Jason's approach is to identify what makes a property specifically valuable, understand the buyers most likely to respond to it, and position the home accordingly.

The objective is not simply to put an El Sereno home on the market.

It is to understand where that particular property sits within the market and create a strategy around it.

What Happens Next on Huntington Drive?

That may be the most interesting part of this story.

Canyon Coffee's arrival will make one of the changes immediately visible, but the longer-term significance of Langdon Street Capital's six-property acquisition will depend on what happens with the broader portfolio.

Will Huntington Drive attract additional restaurants and independent businesses?

Will other investors begin assembling properties?

Will existing commercial buildings be renovated?

Will housing density increase?

And, perhaps most importantly, how will longtime residents and businesses participate in whatever comes next?

Those questions cannot be answered yet.

But the fact that they are being asked tells us something important about where El Sereno is today.

El Sereno Is Being Discovered—but It Isn't a Blank Canvas

There is a tendency in Los Angeles real estate to talk about neighborhoods as though they suddenly appear when outside investment arrives.

El Sereno did not suddenly become interesting.

People have lived here, opened businesses here, raised families here and built a community here for generations.

The architecture was already here. The hills were already here. Huntington Drive was already here. The proximity to South Pasadena, Alhambra, Downtown Los Angeles and Northeast Los Angeles was already here.

What is changing is the amount of attention.

And the six Huntington Drive acquisitions are another indication that investors, businesses and homebuyers are looking more closely at a part of Los Angeles that many longtime residents have understood for decades.

The more useful question may not be whether El Sereno becomes “the next Highland Park.”

It is what El Sereno becomes while remaining El Sereno.

For more information about the neighborhood, including its residential pockets, architecture, schools, local businesses and homes for sale, visit the El Sereno Real Estate and Homes for Sale guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About El Sereno Real Estate and Huntington Drive

What is happening on Huntington Drive in El Sereno?

Langdon Street Capital has acquired six properties along Huntington Drive in El Sereno, bringing new attention to one of the neighborhood’s primary commercial corridors. The properties and new tenants, including Canyon Coffee and Highland Cafe, have also prompted broader conversations about investment, development, local businesses and neighborhood change.

Is El Sereno becoming the next Highland Park?

El Sereno and Highland Park are distinct Los Angeles neighborhoods with their own histories, architecture and commercial districts. The comparison is understandable because El Sereno is attracting increased attention from homebuyers, businesses and real estate investors, but its housing stock, geography and relationship with surrounding communities give it a different identity.

What types of homes are found in El Sereno?

One of the things that makes El Sereno real estate interesting is that there is no single architectural style that defines the neighborhood. El Sereno developed over different periods, and its hills, flatter residential streets and varied lot sizes produced a housing stock that can change considerably from one pocket to another.

Much of the neighborhood's character comes from 1920s and 1930s Spanish Revival homes and California bungalows, along with Craftsman-influenced residences from the area's earlier development. As El Sereno expanded, Traditional and Minimal Traditional homes became more common, followed by postwar residences, ranch-style homes and Mid-Century properties built into the neighborhood's hillsides.

The terrain is just as important as the architecture. On some streets, you'll find character homes on relatively traditional Los Angeles lots. Move into the hills and the properties can become completely different—elevated sites, terraced yards, views, irregular parcels and homes designed around the slope. Other parts of El Sereno have larger and deeper lots, which can create a very different residential feel and, depending on the individual property and applicable regulations, potential for ADUs or additional improvements.

The location within El Sereno matters too. Residential streets near South Pasadena and Alhambra can feel different from hillside pockets closer to Montecito Heights or areas surrounding Huntington Drive. That variety is one reason two homes with similar square footage can have very different values.

A restored Spanish home with original architectural details, an untouched postwar residence, a renovated hillside home with views and a house on a large usable lot may all be described as “El Sereno homes,” but they are not necessarily competing for the same buyer.

That is why understanding architecture, street, lot configuration, topography, condition and the specific pocket of El Sereno matters when evaluating a property here—not simply its square footage or a neighborhood-wide price per square foot.

For a deeper look at the different residential areas, architecture, schools, local businesses and homes for sale, visit the El Sereno Real Estate and Homes for Sale guide.

Is El Sereno close to South Pasadena?

Yes. El Sereno sits immediately adjacent to the South Pasadena area, with Huntington Drive providing an important connection between the communities. Buyers exploring this part of Los Angeles often look across several nearby neighborhoods, although housing, schools, architecture and pricing can differ considerably.

For more information about the neighboring market, visit the South Pasadena Real Estate and Homes for Sale guide.

What should buyers know about buying a home in El Sereno?

Buyers should evaluate El Sereno property by property rather than relying solely on neighborhood-wide pricing. Jason Bergman helps buyers analyze comparable sales, architecture, lot characteristics, condition, location and competing demand to understand value and develop an offer strategy around the individual home.

What should homeowners know about selling a home in El Sereno?

El Sereno homes can appeal to different buyer groups depending on architecture, condition, lot size, outdoor space, views, improvements and location within the neighborhood. Jason Bergman works with sellers to identify the characteristics that distinguish their property, determine how buyers are likely to value them and build the pricing and marketing strategy around those differences.

Who is a real estate agent serving El Sereno?

Jason Bergman is a real estate advisor with The Agency representing buyers and sellers in El Sereno and throughout Los Angeles. His experience in El Sereno includes representing the seller of 4743 Collis Avenue and the buyer of 3526 Lowell Avenue, providing perspective from both sides of the market.

Where can I find homes for sale and more information about El Sereno?

Visit Jason Bergman’s El Sereno Real Estate and Homes for Sale guide for more information about El Sereno neighborhoods, architecture, schools, local businesses, market information and homes for sale.

Sources & Further Reading

The LA Globe — Six Huntington Drive Lots, One Buyer: El Sereno Neighbors Push Back
Read the original reporting from The LA Globe

LA Public Press — Reporting on El Sereno, Langdon Street Capital, Canyon Coffee, neighborhood development and gentrification
Read the original reporting from LA Public Press