Monthly Archives: February 2011

Wallace Neff Did Not Design This House!

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Steve

He designed this one. Curbed L.A. is always on the money when it comes to L.A. real estate and yesterday they pointed out the embarrasment of riches in Wallace Neff homes currently on the market including the Judy Garland/David Rose … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Beverly Hills, Paradise For Sale or Lease | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Our Own Easter Island? The Mysterious Stone Towers of Early Hollywood

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Steve

But of course we tore ours down… This photograph was originally published in the April 1907 issue of The Architect and Engineer of California and claims to show one of eighteen towers erected throughout Hollywood by T.A. Mc Murtrie using … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Hollywood, Lost Hollywood | Tagged | 3 Comments

The President Comes to Hollywood…For a Minute

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Steve

In honor of President’s Day, I thought it would be fun to take a look back to the very first visit by a chief executive to Hollywood. For more than a century, Hollywood has not only been a memorable stopping off place for … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Hollywood, West Adams | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Lottie Builds Her Dream House

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Steve

But where she built it is anybody’s guess… Last year I ran across a set of photos from the 1920’s showing the progress of a house being built. Maddeningly, there was nothing with or on the photos to determine where … Continue reading →

Posted in Interesting People | 2 Comments

Whatever Became of the “Honeymoon” Cottage?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Steve

How better to celebrate Valentine’s Day from a historic Hollywood architectural standpoint than a remembrance of Wallace Neff’s noble failure, the “Honeymoon Cottage?” Although architects and city planners had wrestled with it from time immemorial, the quest to provide affordable … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Mid City | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Beautiful Magazine Art – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architectural Forum

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Steve

By 1938, Frank Lloyd Wright had achieved a level of renown to such a degree that The Architectural Forum devoted an entire issue just to him. But being Frank Lloyd Wright, he insisted on designing the whole issue himself, an … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Magazine Art, Paradise For Sale or Lease | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“Blowin’ the Bazoo” in Bel-Air with Bob “Bazooka” Burns

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Steve

Renowned for his homespun philosophy and amusing anecdotes about a cadre of fictional relatives from his home town of Van Buren, Arkansas, Bob Burns was a popular  presence on both radio and in films throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s. his … Continue reading →

Posted in Bel-Air | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

I’m Just Wild About Harry…Great Westways Covers by Harry O. Diamond

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Steve

I don’t know how you can look at an illustration by Harry O. Diamond (1913-2003) and not smile.  There is something so engaging about them in their almost primitive simplicity that make you feel as if you are viewing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Magazine Art | Tagged , | 8 Comments