The Ravenswood

Ravenswood Apartments
Location	570 N. Rossmore Ave.
Coordinates	34°04′52″N118°19′37″W / 34.081069°N 118.326985°W / 34.081069; -118.326985
Built	1930
Architect	Max Maltzman
Architectural style(s)	Art Deco
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Designated	November 2003 [1]
Reference no.	768
Location of Ravenswood Apartments in the Los Angeles metropolitan area

The Ravenswood is a historic apartment building in Art Deco style at 570 North Rossmore Avenue in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was designed by Max Maltzman, and built by Paramount Pictures in 1930 just five blocks from the corner of Paramount's studios on Melrose Avenue. ^[2]

Mae West lived in the penthouse from its 1930 opening until her 1980 death. ^{[3] [4] [5]} West, who invested in property throughout the Los Angeles area, saved the building's owners from bankruptcy which changed their initial intention of barring her then-boyfriend, African-American boxer William "Gorilla" Jones, from entering the premises. ^[6] James Timony, West's long time manager, close friend, and one-time boyfriend (pre-1930s), lived in the building until his death in 1954. ^[7] Other residents have included Anna Faris, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner, at different times. ^{[3] [8] [9]}

The Ravenswood was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2003. ^[1]

See also

• List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Wilshire and Westlake areas

References

1. Office of Historic Resources. "Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) List" (PDF). Department of City Planning. City of Los Angeles . Retrieved 2017-04-18.
2. Cooper, Suzanne Tarbell; Hall, Amy Ronnenbeck; Cooper, Frank E. (2005). Los Angeles Art Deco. Arcadia Publishing. p. 50. ISBN   978-0738530277 . Retrieved 28 April 2019.
3. Hartmann, Lawrence (2014-09-20). "Mae West Lived in Hollywood's Ravenswood Apartments". ChicagoNow . Retrieved 2017-04-18.
4. "Mae West, Stage and Movie Star Who Burlesqued Sex, Dies at 87". The New York Times . November 23, 1980.
5. Lord, Rosemary (2003). Hollywood Then and Now. San Diego, CA: Thunder Bay Press. p. 77. ISBN   978-1592231041.
6. Watts, Jill (April 17, 2003). Mae West: An Icon in Black and White. Oxford University Press. p. 207. ISBN   978-0195347678 . Retrieved 28 April 2019.
7. Eels, George; Musgrove, Stanley (1982). Mae West: A Biography . William Morrow & Co. pp.  55–61, 39–146, 188–191, 241. ISBN   978-0860515807.
8. "The Ravenswood: Luxury Apartments". Commercial Property Management, Inc. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
9. Arnold, Shayna Rose (September 23, 2013). "Anna Faris – Los Angeles Magazine". Los Angeles Magazine. Lamag.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.