A Secret Garden in Hollywood

Hollywood, the world-famous movie capital of the world, evokes images of glamorous movie stars living lavish lifestyles, motion picture studios on large lots, and starry-eyed dreamers. It is also a densely populated and restless city with decades of history, development and expansion.

But perched solemnly on a hillside, just a few blocks north of Hollywood Boulevard, the Wattles Mansion & Garden Park is a reminder that Hollywood was once a small country town filled with fruit orchards, citrus groves, farmhouses and romantic folk stories, such as this one....

The Wattles Mansion was built in 1907 by Gurdon Wattles, a wealthy banker from Nebraska who wanted to build a summer home in sunny California. He purchased 49 acres in Hollywood to build "Jualita", a beautiful Mission Revival mansion surrounded by floral gardens and orchards. The Wattles Family eventually moved to California and lived in the mansion until it was sold to the City of Los Angeles in 1965.

Recognizing that the Wattles Mansion was one of the few remaining examples of Hollywood estates from a period of time preceding the film industry, the City of Los Angeles declared the Wattles Mansion & Garden Park a cultural monument in 1983. Preservation of the Wattles Estate has been supported and funded by the City of Los Angeles, the Hollywood Heritage, and the J. Paul Getty Trust. And since 1975, a portion of the gardens has served as the Wattles Farm Community Gardens for local residents to grow gardens.

Today the Wattles Mansion & Garden Park is a treasured haven for the public to enjoy and continues to be lovingly preserved in a dynamically growing city. It is a connection to the past and serves as a beautiful cultural and historic monument for current and future generations. And one can walk through the lavish gardens, or admire the city views from the terracotta terraces, or sit under the tall shady trees on the grassy lawns and briefly escape to a distant and romantic time when Hollywood was just a twinkle in the sky.