Quote:
Originally Posted by tovangar2
An update on Arthur and Nina Zwebell's "Charlie Chaplin" bungalow court, 1328 N Formosa, which has been covered extensively on the thread. LA Curbed reports that the new owners are going to restore the unlisted property, which is good news. It's apparently the oldest extant Zwebell complex (the others are listed here). Other properties nearby are slated for demolition to make way for new development. It was built, so it is reported, to house cast and crew for productions at Chaplin's nearby studio:
google maps
There's been some discussion for years about whether or not this was actually a Chaplin property. LA Curbed is having none of that though. They also quote Wehoville saying that this was one of three complexes Chaplin built. The others are Normandie Towers (a block from The Lot), 7219 Hampton Ave. and The Charlie Hotel (the hotel claims Ruth Gordon's family built it and Chaplin just stayed here), 819 N. Sweetzer Ave (charming pix & histories of each complex here).
Whoever put them up, I'm glad they're still with us.
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These properties are certainly unique, aside from any celebrity nexus. As you highlight, some of what is reported in connection with these properties may be unsubstantiated wishful thinking. Not that most of it could not be true, but like so many things that go undocumented, truth has a way of being blurred by myth.
In another post I mentioned recalling conversations with residents of the area who claimed all sorts of fascinating but difficult-to-corroborate tales about the neighborhood - especially during Prohibition and throughout the Depression and WWII. These included various film personalities who allegedly stayed not only in the Normandie Towers but in surrounding structures, that were allegedly
all built by Chaplin -
or at his direction - to house day players and confine them, their talent and their vices, during production or pending production. Since The Pickford-Fairbanks Studio was within walking distance, in addition to the Chaplin "Tudor Style" LaBrea Studio, without documentation, any of the structures could have been constructed by either Studio or in collaboration with either Studio or by individuals attempting to capitalize on the apparent need for local housing.
The
Normandie Towers, which has a "wishing" well in its courtyard, is currently listed at
7219 W. Hampton Ave. However, the 1925 and 1926 CD lists it at
1230 N. Poinsettia. I've had zed luck in tracking down a building permit for either address. The 1987 W.Hollywood Historic Resources Survey Form lists the property at Hampton Ave and
1234-1242 Poinsettia Place. Without explanation, the Form mentions that the "apparent" owner was
Blanche McKnee, "though it is commonly thought to have been constructed by Charlie Chaplin." "Commonly thought" by whom and when, is a mystery. The Bibliography suggests some of this information was culled from contemporaneous tax records although the value of building permits and a business directory starting from 1933 and 1932, respectively, for 1924 or 1925 events, is . . . unclear.
According to T2's article, a who's who of Hollywood celebs
allegedly stayed at this Harper/Poinsettia locale, including many famous names who presumably had available chauffeur driven transportation to whisk them to the comfort of their own, more luxurious and servant-staffed homes, just a few miles away. Although the allegations are certainly possible, listing names, by themselves, does not establish that these individuals stayed or visited, or even cast eyes on the location; anymore than my hoping George Washington and Cleopatra both reclined on my uncertain vintage hammock currently slung between two palms in Hawaii.
http://www.wehoville.com/2016/02/29/...est-hollywood/[/QUOTE]
Cursory review of CD listings for
819 N Sweetzer (and adjoining numbers) does not reveal as much of the property's history as one might hope. Having not seen the property since well before its rehab, I vaguely recall it as having a series of narrow garages, visible from the street, that ran perpendicular to Sweetzer. For reasons unknown, some local long-time residents called this "
The Chaplin Stables." (Perhaps horses or other livestock were on the property after it was constructed and occupied in the mid '20s, or the name could have been due to the condition of the property.) Google Street view has a 2007 image with a sign for the
Charlie Village, but I can't recall the exact layout of the structures fronting Sweetzer and wonder how much is relatively new construction versus the original mid-'20s configuration.
Unrelated, except for the Sweetzer connection. Several blocks north of 819.
Sunset and Sweetzer, 1950
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...680c60f5bc.jpg