When Alyce McFadden covered the devastating Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles, she wasn’t just reporting on the destruction—she was searching for a piece of her family’s history. Her father, Dennis McFadden, an architect, had designed a condo complex at 822 Haverford Avenue in 1980. It was his first-ever built project, a milestone that marked the start of his career.

Alyce grew up admiring her dad’s work. From sketches in notebooks to towering finished structures, she’d seen his buildings at every stage of life—except one. She had never witnessed one in ruins.

The condo complex at Haverford Avenue was special to Dennis. He was just 28 when it was completed, fresh out of grad school and eager to prove himself. “Building a building, for architects anyway, is leaving a permanent mark on the world,” he once told his daughter.

But that mark may now be gone. The Palisades fire tore through the area, leaving behind ash and wreckage. Alyce and her father were certain the complex had been lost. Still, she felt compelled to see for herself, to retrace the steps of her dad’s legacy and pay tribute to a piece of their shared history.

The experience was bittersweet. While the physical structure may have been destroyed, the memories and stories behind it remain intact. For Alyce, it’s a reminder of the impermanence of life—and the lasting impact of the people and places we hold dear.