Results tagged “restoration”

Once upon a time it was the beachfront estate of silent movie starlet Marion Davies, built for her by her lover, the infamous newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. It was definitely a "party house" where a who's who of Hollywood's golden era would frolic in the pool and on the shore. On the 5-acre site was a mansion designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, boasting 110 rooms.

In a bid to revive the Hollywood stars after years of abuse and being stepped on, Absolut Vodka became the first corporate contributor to a $4-million dollar restoration plan in advance of the Walk of Fame's 50th anniversary in 2010. To recognize Absolut's initiative (and creative marketing tactics?), Leron Gubler, CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented the company with an honorary star near the entrance to the Kodak Theatre. More on the "Friends of the Walk of Fame" project and the condition of the 2,365 stars at the LAT.

You say Angelino, I say Angeleno.

Last August in LAist's Neighborhood Project series we looked at the hidden jewel of Northeast Los Angeles (NELA, for those in the know) called Garvanza. In an area rich in history and craftsmanship sit several majestic old homes, grand dames in the Craftsman style dating back to the late 1800s.

How does the idea of hilltop vistas, the quiet charm of tree-lined streets, and a quick and easy one mile trip on public transit to Downtown grab you? Well, it certainly proved an effective lure for the fresh-off-the-train Midwesterners settling in Los Angeles who flocked to our city's first suburb in the late 1880s. A real estate boom in 1887 saw the construction of numerous majestic Victorian homes in the new neighborhood, but a...