That Vintage Girl

A serene lake surrounded by mountains covered with pine trees and chaparral is the least likely image conjured when one thinks of Hollywood, California.  But some of Hollywood's most famous neighborhoods, such as Beechwood Canyon and Laurel Canyon, are located in the Hollywood Hills, which are part of the Santa Monica mountain ridge that spans forty miles from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County.  The Hollywood Hills are steep canyons with curvy roads, mature trees and lush foliage, which served as a perfect location to build a lake in the 1920s.  To meet the water needs of a rapidly growing city, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built a dam in Weid Canyon to serve as a water reservoir for the Los Angeles aqueduct system.  The dam was built during the United States City Beautification movement which advocated for public infrastructure to embody civic pride, beauty and monumental grandeur.  The curved dam features decor...

If you dream in cinematic monochrome, long for the whispered secrets of Hollywood's early days, and appreciate the architectural charm of 1920s Los Angeles, you will enjoy reading The Castle on Sunset by Shawn Levy.  The book is a biographical novel about one of Hollywood's most famous haunts, the elegant and romantic Chateau Marmont.  Built in 1929, in the style of a French Gothic castle, the Chateau Marmont has stood majestically on one of California's most famous streets, Sunset Boulevard. It has silently witnessed and adapted to the changing scene on the Sunset Strip from a quiet urban neighborhood outside the city limits of Los Angeles to the glamorous playground of Tinseltown's movie stars.  Due to its proximity to the major Hollywood studios, it became a sanctuary for Hollywood legends who sought refuge and privacy, but was also a place where the lines between art, love and tragedy often intertwined. The author unveils decades of tales from passionate rom...

Built in 1926, the 260-foot Franklin Avenue Bridge in Los Angeles, California is a very unique and charming storybook-style bridge with arches, turrets and towers that is more reminisce of Elizabethan London than Southern California. Because of its romantic and old-world style architecture, it has become know as the Shakespeare Bridge. It was designed by civil engineer J.C. Wright to provide a vital roadway across a deep ravine and to complement the aesthetic style of homes being built in the Franklin Hills neighborhood of Los Feliz during the 1920s.  The Shakespeare Bridge also provided access to the early Hollywood production companies, like Vitagraph and Disney Studio, that were located just a few blocks east of the bridge.  It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1974 and it is a unique example of early 20th century Los Angeles historic architecture that continues to charm both locals and visitors.  Shakespeare Bridge Source: Los Angeles Public L...

The Neutra Reunion House is a unique Mid-Century Modern home that is located in the "Neutra Colony" of homes within the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Richard Neutra designed the Reunion House in 1950 as a concept home for grandparents that could accommodate family reunions while ensuring privacy for different generations.  The residence features signature Neutra designs such as extensive use of glass, stucco, projecting "spider leg" beams, and an emphasis on indoor-outdoor living through walls of glass and private gardens. Richard Neutra was an Austrian-American architect who was one of the most influential modernist architects in the twentieth century that helped define "California Modernism". His architectural style blended modernism with the biorealism design philosophy that aimed to harmonize nature and the environment, human physiology and psychology, and functionality and culture. His designs used industrial materials like steel and expan...

The Art Deco style emerged in France and was formally introduced to the world a century ago at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris.  The exposition included pavilions showcasing Art Deco style in architecture, furniture, jewelry, textiles, and glass. Art Deco reflected modernity, glamour, and technology.  It combined opulent craftsmanship with industrial aesthetics using geometric forms, luxurious materials, and stylized motifs such as zigzags, chevrons, and sunbursts.  The Art Deco style quickly influenced architecture, fashion, industrial design and decorative arts worldwide.  Art Deco design had a significant impact on the architectural landscape of America that shaped many of the most iconic and beautiful structures built during the 1920s and 1930s.  Despite their historic and architectural significance, some Art Deco buildings have been lost to make way for modern developments and urban renewal projects....

October is the perfect month to curl up on a cozy couch with a warm cup of coffee and a mystery book. This month, I am traveling back in time to the Silent Age of Hollywood with A Cast of Killers.  The book is a true crime mystery about the unsolved 1922 murder of William Desmond Taylor, a famous Hollywood film director.   The murder became a national scandal and it ended the careers of two prominent silent-film actresses whose association with the director made them prime suspects. In 1967, King Vidor, who began his career in Hollywood as a silent-film actor and then became a successful film director, set out to solve the murder mystery. He began a years-long pursuit of research and interviews, but when he thought he had finally identified the killer, he chose to keep his research a secret for fear that the revelation may destroy the lives of people connected to the case who were still alive.   William Desmond Taylor  Photograph from the Los Angeles Public...

The Castle Green is a magnificent residential building in Pasadena, California that draws the attention of any passerby.  Built in 1898, the grand building, which is surrounded by lavish gardens, has a unique blend of many architectural styles that include Mediterranean Revival, Moorish Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Victorian.  It was built with all the turn-of-the-century charms: a grand lobby and ornate wrought-iron staircase, a ballroom, sun room, and multiple salons with tiled and hand carved fireplace mantels, a man-operated wrought-iron elevator, plaster and wood moldings, and decorative wood detailing.  However, it was originally bult to be a luxury hotel, a product of the Victoria-era luxury  resorts movement that catered to the growing trend of vacationers and health-seekers who searched for warmer climates, cleaner air, and leisure lifestyles.  The mastermind behind the planning of the hotel was Edward C. Webster who built Hotel Green in 1887, which ...