A Witch's House in California

It's almost Halloween and the witching season is upon us.  One of my favorite places to visit in October is the Witch's House in Beverly Hills, California.  No one would ever expect to find an old world cottage house, with a wooden bridge crossing a mystical moat, in a neighborhood surrounded by extravagant mansions.  But this very unique and fanciful house is a welcomed treasure and beloved by many,  especially the thousands of trick-or-treaters who visit the Witch's House every year on Halloween.   

The story of this house is a tale that could only happen in Hollywood ~ the city of make believe. It was built in 1921 for the Willat Studios in Culver City. To save film costs, the Willat brothers asked art director Harry Oliver to design a building that would function as offices, dressing rooms and studio sets.  The result was a whimsical and enchanting storybook style building with uneven roofs, cobblestones, and mismatched doors and windows, that truly looked like it was transported from an old world village. When Willat Studios closed in 1926,  the storybook building was turned into a residence for film producer Ward Lascelle, who purchased the house and moved it to Beverly Hills, where he lived with his family.  As time passed, it became known as the Witch's House for its charming storybook style architecture.  In 1997, a Beverly Hills realtor named Michael Libow purchased the house to save it from demolition and then meticulously restored and transformed it into the quintessential storybook home. It's a beautiful house and historic Los Angeles landmark treasure that could only have been created in the land of make believe. 

Happy Halloween!  

Willat Studios early 1920s.  Photo from the UCLA Digital Collection.