El Cabrillo

Last updated
El Cabrillo
El Cabrillo Courtyard.png
El Cabrillo in Hollywood, California
USA Los Angeles Metropolitan Area location map.svg
Red pog.svg
USA California location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location1832-1850 N. Grace Ave., Hollywood, California, U.S.
Coordinates 34°6′18.3″N118°19′54.7″W / 34.105083°N 118.331861°W / 34.105083; -118.331861 Coordinates: 34°6′18.3″N118°19′54.7″W / 34.105083°N 118.331861°W / 34.105083; -118.331861
Built1928
Architect Arthur and Nina Zwebell
Architectural style Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No. 05000211 [1]
LAHCM No.773
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 30, 2005
Designated LAHCMDecember 16, 2003

El Cabrillo is a two-story, ten-unit Spanish-style courtyard condominium building located at the southeast corner of Franklin Avenue and Grace Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The Spanish Colonial Revival style building was designed by architects Arthur and Nina Zwebell and built in 1928 by movie mogul Cecil B. DeMille.

Contents

El Cabrillo is the only building designed by the Zwebells using brick, a superior construction material as compared to their other courtyard buildings constructed using stucco and wood. It became one of the most fashionable addresses in Hollywood in the late 1920s and 1930s and has continued its stylish reputation, according to the Los Angeles Times . [2] A sought-after film and television location, it has most recently appeared in HBO's remake of "Perry Mason", Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood", Fox's summer hit show "911" and as the home of the main character in the television series Chuck. It has been designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Ties to Hollywood film business

El Cabrillo has a long association with the movie business. In 2007, The Hollywood Reporter described El Cabrillo as a building "steeped in old Hollywood lore," [3] and in 2004, The New York Times called El Cabrillo "a two-story complex that has more fabled than factual stories attached to it, the mark of a true Hollywood star." [4]

The building was built by Cecil B. DeMille in 1928. David Wallace, the author of Lost Hollywood (St. Martin's Press, 2001), believes DeMille built El Cabrillo to house New York stage actors whom he brought to Los Angeles when talking pictures arrived. [4] Others claim that DeMille intended it as a gift for his daughter Frances. [5] Whichever version is correct, DeMille was responsible for a building that became one of the most fashionable addresses in Hollywood. The building's notable features include its Spanish-style courtyard and fountain, hand-made tiles, large fireplaces, and high-beamed ceilings. [5] According to The New York Times, DeMille used set craftsmen to construct "the phantasmagorial sense of architectural detail at El Cabrillo, which includes a central outdoor Moorish fountain, timbered ceilings, Catalina tile work, swashbuckling wrought-iron hardware and scaled-down versions of Citizen Kane-like carved concrete fireplaces in each apartment." [4] David Wallace, who once managed the property, said: "It's like walking into a movie." [4]

Actress Ann Harding leased one of the front apartments in 1928 for $500 per month—a very high rental rate at the time. [5] Other notable residents have included director Lowell Sherman, Perc Westmore, and writer John Willard. [5] Also, the building's Spanish revival courtyard is alleged to have been used as a set in a Rudolph Valentino movie. [3] [6] Located close to DeMille's motion picture studio, El Cabrillo is at the foot of Whitley Heights, where Charles Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino lived in the 1920s.

More recently, the drag performer Divine lived in the complex in the 1960s, as did Kent Warner, a costumer and noted collector of clothing and props from Hollywood films. After Warner died in 1984, the building's owner cleaned out the basement and inadvertently threw out some of Warner's possessions, including James Dean's boots from Rebel Without a Cause and Marlon Brando's leather jacket from The Wild One . [4]

Architecture

El Cabrillo, Hollywood, CA 1836 Courtyard Sitting Area 2012.jpg
El Cabrillo, Hollywood, CA

El Cabrillo was designed by the husband and wife architect team of Arthur and Nina Zwebell. The Zwebells specialized in Spanish or Hollywood mission courtyard architecture. The building was featured in the 1992 book, "Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles", published by Princeton Architectural Press. [6] The book touts the Zwebells as important designers in the courtyard housing movement and describes El Cabrillo as an attempt to duplicate their earlier courtyard work with new materials:

"El Cabrillo is not built in wood and stucco, as are virtually all the other Zwebell courts. Instead, a concrete block, nonstandard in size, is used in an apparent attempt to create an adobe block effect. The ten units follow the Zwebell pattern of incorporating two-story living rooms, mezzanines and graceful staircases." [6]

Later years

In 1932, the building became part of a scandal when it was revealed that Superior Court Judge Guerin's daughter and son-in-law were residing at El Cabrillo rent-free, allegedly as part of an arrangement with the receiver for American Mortgage Company; investigations were made by a grand jury and the bar association, but Judge Guerin denied any knowledge of the arrangement. [7] [8] [9] [10]

The building was sold in 1940 by Andrew O. Porter to Lillian Blumkin for $50,000. [11] By 1968, the building had been renamed the Patio Gardens. [5]

As Hollywood deteriorated in the 1970s and 1980s, the neighborhood around El Cabrillo became dangerous. In his book Lost Hollywood, David Wallace noted: "By the late 1980s, the problem had become so bad that those few residents who remained in once-celebrated buildings like El Cabrillo...would often have to lie on the floor to avoid being hit by bullets flying through their windows." [12]

More recently, as the Hollywood area improved, El Cabrillo was renovated and converted into condominiums under its original name. [3] [13] When the conversion was completed in 2006, units were listed at prices in the $800,000 range. [14]

Use in the television series Chuck

In 2007, the building was used as the shooting location for the home of the main character in the pilot of the NBC television series Chuck . The producers wanted to use "a courtyard apartment location that was reminiscent of old Hollywood/Echo Park," and selected El Cabrillo [3] because it "offered many interesting textures – concrete blocks, wood spindle balconies, private balconies, an impressive interior courtyard turret and a courtyard fountain, and provided an amazing background for our characters to interact [in]." [3]

After the series was picked up, the producers concluded it was not feasible to continue shooting on location at El Cabrillo, so the main character's apartment and El Cabrillo's courtyard were recreated, with some design modifications, on a Warner Bros. soundstage. [3]

Use in the television series Stalker

In 2014, Producer Kevin Williamson selected El Cabrillo for the CBS television series "Stalker". Stars Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q were filmed walking through the courtyard. Dylan McDermott, playing detective Jack Larsen, comments in episode 1 of the first season, "Beautiful place.. I wonder what it costs to live here."

Coincidentally, McDermott had previous history with the place, having starred in the 1997 film, "'Til There was You," which used El Cabrillo as the central location, and plot point.

Historic designation

The building was designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM #773) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 2003. Two years later, in 2005, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood and Vine</span> Street intersection in Los Angeles

Hollywood and Vine, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, a district of Los Angeles, became known in the 1920s for its concentration of radio and movie-related businesses. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is centered on the intersection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grauman's Egyptian Theatre</span> Movie theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theater located at 6706 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace and is noted as having been the site of the first-ever Hollywood film premiere. From 1998 until 2020, it was owned and operated by the American Cinematheque, a member-based cultural organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Heritage Museum</span>

The Hollywood Heritage Museum, also known as the "Hollywood Studio Museum," is located on Highland Ave. in Hollywood, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Derby</span> Chain of restaurants in Los Angeles

Brown Derby was a chain of restaurants in Los Angeles, California. The first and best known was shaped like a derby hat, an iconic image that became synonymous with the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was opened by Wilson Mizner in 1926. The chain was started by Robert H. Cobb and Herbert K. Somborn in the 1920s. The original Brown Derby restaurants had closed or had been converted to other uses by the 1980s, though a Disney-backed Brown Derby national franchising program revived the brand in the 21st century. It is often incorrectly thought that the Brown Derby was a single restaurant, and the Wilshire Boulevard and Hollywood branches are frequently confused.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovation Hollywood</span> Shopping mall

Ovation Hollywood is a shopping center and entertainment complex in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Capitan Theatre</span> Cinema in Hollywood

El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple is owned by The Walt Disney Company and serves as the venue for a majority of the Walt Disney Studios' film premieres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grove at Farmers Market</span> Shopping mall in Los Angeles, California

The Grove is a retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, located on parts of the historic Farmers Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Johnson</span> American actress (1904–1975)

Catherine Townsend Johnson was an American stage and film actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charmont Apartments</span> United States historic place

Charmont Apartments is an historic five-story apartment building in Santa Monica, California which was built in 1928. Designed by architect Max Maltzman with elements of both the Mission Revival-Spanish Colonial Revival style and the Art Deco style, the Charmont was a luxurious high-rise when it was built. The blending of Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco elements was popular style in the 1920s and is sometimes known as "Med-Deco." The main entrance is located in a walled courtyard that features a two-tiered fountain with an intricate Moorish-patterned backsplash in polychrome tile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Greco Apartments</span> United States historic place

El Greco Apartments is a historic twelve-unit, Spanish Revival style apartment building located in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, California. The building was built in 1929 as one of the original buildings in the Westwood Village section of Los Angeles. Located in the heart of Westwood, the building was the home of film celebrities, including Erich von Stroheim, Michael Curtiz, and Joel McCrea. In the 1980s, the owner planned to demolish the building to erect a new condominium building. Met by tenant protests, the owner agreed to pay to have the building moved to another location. The building was ultimately moved to the Fairfax district where it was converted to low-income housing for senior citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Tower</span> United States historic place

Hollywood Tower, originally known as La Belle Tour, is a large apartment building in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The tower, built in 1929, was a popular residence for entertainment industry employees for many years and has often been cited as the inspiration for Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attractions. The real-life Hollywood Tower was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Andalusia (Los Angeles, California)</span> United States historic place

The Andalusia is an apartment building located at 1471-1475 Havenhurst Dr. in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, built in 1926 in Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Additionally, it is designated as Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument No. 435.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granada Shoppes and Studios</span> United States historic place

Granada Shoppes and Studios, also known as the Granada Buildings, is an imaginative, Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style block-long complex consisting of four courtyard-connected structures, in Central Los Angeles, California. It was built immediately to the southeast of Lafayette Park in the Westlake District, in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villa Bonita</span> United States historic place

Villa Bonita is an historic apartment building on Hillcrest Road in Hollywood, California. The building is located a short walk from the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, just north of Franklin Avenue and west of Highland. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 based on its architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur and Nina Zwebell</span>

Arthur B. Zwebell and Nina L. Zwebell, formerly Nina Jacobson, were a husband and wife architectural team known for their innovation in the design of courtyard apartments in Southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Jules Weyl</span> German art director

Carl Jules Weyl was a German art director. He won an Oscar in the category Best Art Direction for the film The Adventures of Robin Hood. He was also nominated in the same category for the film Mission to Moscow.

Meyer & Holler was an architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California, noted for its opulent commercial buildings and movie theatres, including Grauman’s Chinese and Egyptian theatres, built during the 1920s. Meyer & Holler was also known as The Milwaukee Building Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Heights, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

Hollywood Heights is a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, bounded by the Hollywood Bowl on the north, Highland Avenue on the east, Outpost Estates on the west, and Franklin Avenue on the south. It includes a number of notable historic homes and buildings and has been home to numerous people in the film and music industries, dating back to the silent film era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patio del Moro</span> Historic house in California, United States

Patio del Moro is a historic apartment complex in West Hollywood, California, U.S..

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Inside the incredibly shrinking Southern California starter home". Los Angeles Times . 23 September 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Borys Kit (2007-11-09). "NBC star "Chuck" lives it up in old Hollywood". Reuters/Hollywood Reporter.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 William L. Hamilton (2004-12-02). "At Home with Paul Jasmin: Portraitist of the Not-Yet Set". The New York Times.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "The DeMille Apartment Forty Years Later". Los Angeles Times. 1968-11-30.
  6. 1 2 3 Stefanos Polyzoides; Roger Sherwood; James Tice; Julius Shulman (1997). Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles: A Typological Analysis, pp. 91-93. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN   0-910413-53-3.
  7. ↑ "Allison Faces Fitts at Quiz: Guerin Kin Free-Rent Inquiry Ordered by Gates". Los Angeles Times. 1932-03-24.
  8. ↑ "Grand Jury Witnesses in Receiver Quiz". Los Angeles Times. 1932-03-25.
  9. ↑ "Guerin Offers to Face Jury: Statement Reveals Loan of $200 by Showalter; Version of Kin's Rental Also Given". Los Angeles Times. 1932-04-02.
  10. ↑ "Report Ready on Receivers: Bar Committee Expected to Submit Views Today; More Witnesses Subpoenaed by Grand Jury; Allison Removed from Post in Apartment-House". Los Angeles Times. 1932-04-14.
  11. ↑ "Active Market for Apartments: Two Structures Sold at Opening of Week for $120,000". Los Angeles Times. 1940-01-21.
  12. ↑ David Wallace (2001). Lost Hollywood, p. 184 . Macmillan. ISBN   0-312-26195-0.
  13. ↑ "El Cabrillo Condos". VacationRental.org.
  14. ↑ "Newly built, not sold ... now for rent". Los Angeles Times Blogs. 2007-08-25. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.