Category Archives: Architecture

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Vice Raid and Early TV in Hollywood’s Biggest Storehouse

Posted on October 14, 2024 by lmharnisch

The Hollywood Storage Building as seen in Google Earth. Note: This is an encore post from 2021. Originally Los Angeles’ tallest building when opened in 1926, the Hollywood Storage Building at the southwest corner of Highland Avenue and Santa Monica … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hotel Brevoort, Bohemians’ Outpost on Lexington

Posted on August 27, 2024 by lmharnisch

Long an entertaining trope for many a movie and stage play, the boarding house for theatrical performers offered an opportunity to gather together a colorful band of characters while at the same time providing them a supportive haven and family … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — The Three Lives Of Villa Aurora

Posted on July 23, 2024 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Cats have nine lives. People often experience second or third acts in their lives or careers. Some homes have multiple lives as well, like Villa Aurora, which has experienced three diverse lives, … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Frank S. Hoover, Portrait Photographer and Apartment Developer

Posted on June 3, 2024 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Early Hollywood portrait photography developed from the need of stars for portraits to send out looking for roles, and from studios realizing the value of selling their product through stars. Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, African Americans, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sam ‘FU’ Zell’s Tacky, Trashy Memorabilia Up for Sale (Updated)

Posted on May 5, 2024 by lmharnisch

Sam “FU” Zell portrait in an automaton titled Zell 2012. Bidding starts at $500. Sam “FU” Zell was man of unusual tastes. That is, if he had any taste, which he didn’t, based on my experience during the debacle of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2007, Architecture, Coming Attractions | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Clara Bow’s 1920s Home for Sale, a Cozy Cottage for Star of Silent Films

Posted on April 23, 2024 by lmharnisch

Clara Bow’s former rental at 7576 Hollywood Blvd. is on the market for $1.3 million. Hollywood homes can show a star’s character just as much as any candid portrait. Ostentatious or understated, hip or homey, residences serve as a snapshot … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Highbourne Gardens, Bungalows to Apartments

Posted on January 22, 2024 by lmharnisch

Architect’s rendering of Highbourne Gardens from Architect and Engineer. Real estate development is all about money, expanding and “improving” on property to obtain high financial rewards. HIghbourne Gardens shows the evolution of what is called multi-famlly housing in Los Angeles, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 2178 High Tower Drive, L.A.’s First Community Elevator

Posted on January 8, 2024 by lmharnisch

The Tower appeared in the March 24, 1939, installment of Nuestro Pueblo by Joseph Seewerker and Charles Owens of the Los Angeles Times. Note: This is an encore post from 2020. Both marketing gimmick and necessity, the elevator shaft that … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Sign Built and Illuminated November-December 1923

Posted on December 8, 2023 by lmharnisch

The Hollywoodland Sign, in a photo published in the Los Angeles Evening Herald, Dec. 8, 1923. Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Originally constructed as a publicity gimmick and branding symbol to help generate sales for a real … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Spooky, Ooky Witch’s House Haunts Beverly Hills

Posted on October 16, 2023 by lmharnisch

A sketch of the “The Witch’s House” by Charles Owens from “Nuestro Pueblo,” courtesy of Mary Mallory Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Once upon a time, home design and architecture saluted fantasy and make-believe, and not just … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Landmark Vista Theatre Turns 100

Posted on October 9, 2023 by lmharnisch

The Vista Theatre in 1951, via Water and Power Associates. The Vista Theatre opened October 9, 1923. Built as an upscale house for smaller studio releases, it remains viable even today, as director Quentin Tarantino restores it. One of the … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Casa La Golondrina Cafe, L.A.’s Oldest Brick Building

Posted on October 2, 2023 by lmharnisch

La Golondrina in Screenland magazine, 1930. News came this week that current owners of historic La Golondrina Cafe could soon be foreclosed on by the city of Los Angeles. La Golondrina is the oldest brick building in Los Angeles, possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Clarence Brown Provides Quick Shave to King Gillette Ranch

Posted on August 28, 2023 by lmharnisch

King Camp Gillette dies at the age of 77 in 1932. He gave architect Wallace Neff free rein to built an expansive ranch in Calabasas, but only lived there for a few years before his death. Tennessean Clarence Brown reigned … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, 1932, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Brand Library

Posted on July 10, 2023 by lmharnisch

“Aerodrome Replacing Country-House Garage,” Illustrated London News, Oct. 29, 1921, Courtesy of Mary Mallory   Note: This is an encore post from 2012 Unique thematic architectural homes stand out all around the Los Angeles area, like Yamashiro and Frank Lloyd … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Two Chinese Restaurants in Studio City

Posted on May 8, 2023 by lmharnisch

A matchbook cover for Rickshaw Boy, Courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2016. Graphics, films, advertisements, music – all demonstrate values and cultures of the time and place in which they were created. Words, phrases, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Two Chinese Restaurants in Studio City

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: 2178 High Tower Drive, L.A.’s First Community Elevator

Posted on March 20, 2023 by lmharnisch

The Tower appeared in the March 24, 1939, installment of Nuestro Pueblo by Joseph Seewerker and Charles Owens of the Los Angeles Times. Note: This is an encore post from 2020. Both marketing gimmick and necessity, the elevator shaft that … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Magic Castle

Posted on January 30, 2023 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Sitting gracefully below Yamashiro restaurant just above Franklin Avenue, the Magic Castle stands as a glorious reminder of the beauty and elegance of old Hollywood.  Almost like magic it appeared on the … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Clock Tower Enters Its Second Century

Posted on January 2, 2023 by lmharnisch

A landmark both as one of the first buildings in the original Cahuenga Valley area known as Colegrove and for its dramatic appearance looming over the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Cahuenga Avenue, what is now the L.A. Security … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Christmas House Offers Simple Family Joys of Holiday Season

Posted on November 28, 2022 by lmharnisch

The Christmas House in Boyle Heights, courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library. Note: This is an encore post from 2019. Long before the inauguration of Instagram and trying to win social media by posting the most elaborate or flashy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Architecture, Film, Fire Department, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Christmas House Offers Simple Family Joys of Holiday Season

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Studio Club Provides Home For Movie-Struck Girls

Posted on November 7, 2022 by lmharnisch

The Studio Club in Photoplay, 1917. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. T he advent of the 20th century offered the possibility of more freedom and opportunity for women. For decades, women had advocated for the right to … Continue reading →

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