Broken elevators at LA high-rise leave elderly tenants out of luck

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Thursday, October 27, 2016
Broken elevators at Westlake high-rise leave elderly tenants out of luck
For more than two weeks, broken elevators at an historic high-rise in the heart of Los Angeles have forced aging residents, some disabled or using canes, to climb up to 14 stories.

WESTLAKE DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- For more than two weeks, broken elevators at an historic high-rise in the heart of Los Angeles have forced aging residents, some disabled or using canes, to climb up to 14 stories.

The Town House, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue, is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is used for low-income housing tenants, primarily the elderly.

But for the last two to three weeks, the only three elevators in the building have been broken, forcing some of its frail residents to have to walk up multiple floors to get home.

"I have a parent that lives here. He's older. Many people that live here are older. There's a lot of people that I see that are disabled, walking with canes, having trouble going up and down the stairs, carrying groceries," said one woman, who has been helping her father with errands while the elevators are out. "If they live on the 14th floor or the 10th floor it's a struggle for them."

She added that the elevators have been broken in the past and repairs were delayed.

Eyewitness News tried speaking with building employees, who had no comment, and reached out to property management which did not respond.