Above, the Shorb home, torn down by Henry Huntington to make way for his mansion.

Lost L.A.

Today’s Home section introduces a new feature by Sam Watters. The first installment looks at the history of the Huntington estate in San Marino.

The Shorb home after extensive remodeling.

Watters writes: When the current mortgage crisis ends, someone is going to make big bucks. Probably developers. They’ll buy up houses at bargain prices, tear them down, put in a subdivision and start hawking mortgages. The L.A. investor’s rule: It’s never about the house; it’s about the land. Few knew this better than speculator Henry E. Huntington.

Daily Mirror readers will recall an earlier post on Huntington’s project.