Hale House (Los Angeles, California) facts for kids
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Hale House
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Hale House, 2008
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | Heritage Sq., 3800 N. Homer St., Highland Park, Los Angeles, California |
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| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | Joseph Cather Newsom |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne-Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000230 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 22, 1972 |
The Hale House is a beautiful old mansion built in 1887 in Los Angeles, California. It's famous for its fancy Victorian style, especially the Queen Anne look. People often say it's the most photographed and decorated house in the city!
In 1966, it became a special Historic-Cultural Monument. Later, in 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The house was moved in 1970 to the Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights. You can visit it there today.
The House's Early Days
The Hale House was designed by Joseph Cather Newsom. He was a very important architect back then. A real estate developer named George W. Morgan built the house in 1887. It was first built near Mount Washington.
Building the house cost less than $4,000. Its first address was 4501 North Pasadena Avenue. This street is now called Figueroa Street. The house was moved once before James G. Hale bought it. It might have been connected to the old Page School for Girls. That school used to be right across the street.
James G. Hale and his wife, Beret “Bessie” Hovelsrud, bought the house in 1901. James met Bessie when she was working as a waitress. They fell in love, got married, and made Hale House their home. A few years later, they separated. James Hale passed away in 1921. Bessie kept the house and ran it as a boarding house. She lived there until she died in 1966 at 97 years old.
Moving to Heritage Square Museum
After Bessie died, her niece, Odena Johnson, inherited the house. She wanted to sell it quickly. There were plans to tear down the house. A new gas station was going to be built there. But the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission stepped in. They stopped the demolition in 1966. They made the house a Historic-Cultural Monument.
A famous writer, Jack Smith, wrote about the house in the Los Angeles Times. His articles helped save it. Smith called the house a rare example from an "age of exuberance." He said the house was special because it mixed many different styles. It showed off lots of architectural ideas from the late 1800s.
Hale's niece agreed to sell the house for just $1. But only if someone could move it from the spot. In July 1970, the house was lifted off its foundation. It was moved to the nearby Heritage Square Museum. The move cost $10,300. It also cost $3,000 to lift power lines so the house could pass.
Jack Smith watched the house move at midnight. He wrote that a "motley and festive" crowd gathered. People cheered when the chimneys made it safely. Soon after the move, the house was used in a movie. It was made to look like a house bombed in a war. Later, the house was carefully restored. This restoration cost over $300,000.
Hale House Architecture
The Hale House has many different architectural styles. People have called it Queen Anne, Eastlake, and Carpenter Gothic. Some even called it "a capricious old gingerbread." Jack Smith heard a neighbor call it "a mishmuch." He agreed, but said it was "a wonderful old mishmuch."
No matter the exact style, the house is a great example of Victorian design. It has fancy brick chimneys and beautiful stained-glass windows. You can also see detailed wood carvings. A special "corner turret" is topped with giant copper fleur-de-lis.
In 1966, Raymond Girvigian wrote a report about the house. He was from the American Institute of Architects. He said the house had wooden siding with fish scale shingles. It also had plaster decorations around the main windows. Other cool features included a porch with turned wooden posts. The house also has brick chimneys with cool patterns. There's a second-floor turret window too.
Girvigian noted the house's "exuberance in ornamentation." This means it had lots of decorations. These decorations were mixed in creative ways. They showed great craftsmanship. The Cultural Heritage Commission said the house was special. They said it was a top example of the late Victorian period in Los Angeles. It shows off the fancy wood carving that is now rare. The chimneys are like those on grand houses from that time.
During the house's restoration, workers found chips of the original paint. The outside of the house is mostly pink and teal. These colors were matched exactly to the old paint chips. The inside of the house looks like it did in 1899. Many original features are still there. For example, the "wainscoting" downstairs is original. It's made of pressed paper that looks like leather. The Hale family bought some of the furniture. This includes an oriental door bracket and an Eastlake-style dining set.
You can visit the Hale House and other old Los Angeles buildings. They are open for tours at the Heritage Square Museum.
See also
