A hidden gem of a neighborhood

Today I revisited Windsor Village, one of L.A.'s most charming neighborhoods. "Don't give us away on your blog!" came the request from one resident, so you're on your own to find this oasis.

Pristine streets, pristine buildings, neighborhood pride

It's residential-only and hence not a true village in the sense of Larchmont or Brentwood, but what it lacks in retail amenities it more than makes up for in style and livability, with a small community park at its center, tree-lined streets, a mix of multi-unit and single-family dwellings, and the almost time-frozen vibe of a much kinder, gentler Los Angeles.

A multi-unit building at the heart of Windsor Village

Single-family homes, mature trees, distinguished architecture

I discovered this area several years ago and try to make a detour through the neighborhood at least once a year to reassure myself that it still exists and flourishes. The many SAVE WINDSOR VILLAGE signs posted in front yards evidently refer to the neighborhood's effort to keep developers from invading with condo buildings; two projects were successfully squelched last year.

The 3-bedroom owner's unit in this apartment house is currently for rent for $2850.

Mumford on loft living

" . . . in throwing open our buildings to the daylight and the outdoors, we forget, at our peril, the co-ordinate need for quiet, for darkness, for inner privacy, for retreat."
Lewis Mumford, The Culture of Cities (1938)

Remarking on the influence of the medieval cloister on the origin of the city in Western civilization, pioneer urban theorist Mumford hit upon exactly the problem I have with contemporary loft design—which is to say, contemporary apartment design: the lack of privacy inherent in these plans.

Concerto in downtown Los Angeles

"Without formal opportunities for isolation and contemplation, opportunities that require enclosed space, free from the prying eyes and extraneous stimuli and secular interruptions, even the most externalized and extraverted [sic] life must eventually suffer. The home without such such cells is but a barracks: the city that does not possess them is but a camp."

Study the following loft floor plans, from three adaptive re-use buildings in Los Angeles reconfigured as living quarters. These spaces permit no opportunity for privacy, with living, dining, cooking, and sleeping areas being contiguous. No partitions, except the ones defining the bathrooms.

Broadway Lofts, Hollywood

Rowan Lofts, downtown L.A.Biscuit Company Lofts, downtown L.A.

Mumford has the last word:

"Today the degradation of the inner life is symbolized by the fact that the only place sacred from interruption is the private toilet."

L.A. from space

Los Angeles in a view from space, courtesy of NASA. The city may not quite be ready for its close-up, but from a hundred miles up it looks like somewhere on Earth worth visiting. And it is.

L.A. from space. For the high-resolution version (4.6 megabytes), click the image.

The secret of Patio del Moro

Nina and Arthur Zwebell's Patio del Moro apartment building, at 8225-8237 Fountain Avenue, holds a secret: Two of the units—a studio and a three-bedroom suite that was once home to Charlie Chaplin—are offered for short-term rental by the building's current owner, Kevin McConnell.

Patio del Moro, West Hollywood (photo courtesy Kevin McConnell)

The streetside façcade, with its pink and funky Moorish-fortress stance, gives little indication of what charm and sophistication lie inside the gates of this fabled 1925 West Hollywood building. Former residents include not only Chaplin and his then-mistress, Paulette Goddard (in adjoining apartments separated by a service door), but also the likes of Joan Fontaine, Humphrey Bogart, and, later, Suzanne Pleshette.

The living room of the Chaplin suite (photo courtesy Kevin McConnell)

The sensitive restoration that McConnell has engaged on is, in his word, "an ongoing effort." Effort well-spent, I'd say.

The third bedroom of the Chaplin suite (photo courtesy Kevin McConnell)

Check back here later for an exclusive inside tour and an interview with McConnell about his and his inerior designer wife's five-year project to bring this important building back to the glamor of its heyday.

Meanwhile, if you have friends visiting from out of town, this is the perfect pied-à-terre to recommend for an immersion in old Hollywood. See the Patio del Moro website for more information.

Crime of the Week

This current listing on the Coldwell Banker site speaks for itself.


If anyone is interested in "This Beautiful House" in East L.A., the complete listing can be found here.

Lovely to look at

Just three doors west of the horror on Holly Mont that I blogged about a few days ago, this 4-bedroom 1928 Mediterranean is the nicest house on the block by far. And it's for sale. The current asking price is $1.687 million and from what I can see from the street, it's worth every penny.

6235 Holly Mont Drive, Hollywood

If the owner of the blighted manse down the street wants a lesson in upkeep, let him unchain his front gate and take a short walk west to study how it's properly done.

Responsible upkeep in action

I don't know the present owners or the circumstances of the sale (the house last changed hands in February 2007 for $1.547 million), but kudos are due to them for maintaining this piece of old Hollywood with the love and care it deserves.