Wattles Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wattles Mansion |
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The Wattles Mansion from the south
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival Style |
| Address | 1824 N Curson Avenue |
| Town or city | Los Angeles |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 34°6′15.5″N 118°21′16.8″W / 34.104306°N 118.354667°W |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Client | Gurdon Wattles |
| Owner | Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Elmer Grey, Myron Hunt |
| Designated: | May 25, 1993 |
| Reference #: | 579 |
The Wattles Estate, also called Jualita, is a historic house and park in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A rich banker named Gurdon Wattles built it in 1907. He used it as his winter home. Today, the Wattles Mansion, Wattles Park, and Wattles Gardens are managed by the City of Los Angeles. They are open for everyone to visit.
This estate is special because it is the only complete example of old Hollywood homes. These homes existed before the film industry became big. Back then, Hollywood was mostly farmland. It was a winter getaway for wealthy people from the East and Midwest. The City of Los Angeles says that 'Jualita' reminds us of a different time. It shows how things were designed and built long ago.
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What is the History of Wattles Mansion?
How the Wattles Estate Was Built
Famous architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey designed the Wattles Mansion. They built it in the Mission Revival style in 1907. The estate grounds had many different gardens. There was a Japanese garden, an Italian rose garden, and a Spanish garden. There was also a palm court and fruit orchards. It quickly became one of Hollywood's first places for tourists to visit.
Gurdon Wattles slowly changed about 49 acres of farmland. He created orchards and themed gardens. He got ideas for these gardens from his trips to Japan and Mexico.
Who Owned the Wattles Estate?
After Gurdon Wattles passed away in 1932, his wife, Julia Vance Wattles, and his son continued to live there. In 1965, Gurdon Wallace Wattles Jr. sold the property to the City of Los Angeles. The city officially bought the estate in June 1968 for $1,917,000.
In 1983, a group called Hollywood Heritage started to restore the mansion. This group works to protect old buildings. They used the estate as their main office until 2009. Volunteers worked hard to clean up the gardens and fix the inside of the house. They helped bring the Wattles Mansion back to its original look.
In 1993, the Wattles Mansion was named City of Los Angeles Cultural Monument No. 579. This means it is a very important historical site. In 2000, the J. Paul Getty Trust gave $75,000 to help with its preservation.
Exploring the Wattles Mansion
The Wattles Mansion has two floors and a full basement. On the first floor, you can find a library with wood panels. There is also a formal dining room and a large living room. This living room has a big window that looks out to the south gardens. There are also bathrooms, a servant's dining hall, a kitchen, and a pantry. The second floor has five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The mansion has many beautiful original features. The entrance hall, called the foyer, has a black and white marble floor. The library has finely carved walnut bookcases and a ceiling painted by hand. Throughout the house, you will see hardwood moldings, white stucco walls, and wood-beamed ceilings. The floors are made of hardwood and often have Oriental carpets. Outside, there is a terracotta tile terrace. A wide, grassy lawn slopes down from the house. Brick steps lead down to landscaped areas. There is also a Spanish patio with a balustrade that looks over 3 acres of formal gardens.
What is Wattles Farm?
Wattles Farm was once the avocado and fruit orchard of the Wattles Mansion. In 1975, some local people turned a 4.2-acre part of the estate into a community garden. Today, this garden is only for members. It is one of the oldest organic community gardens in Los Angeles. A nonprofit group called Wattles Farm and Neighborhood Gardeners Inc. runs it. They work with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.
Discovering Wattles Park
Some of the gardens around Wattles Mansion are now part of Wattles Park. Gurdon Wattles met his head gardener during his travels in 1910. This gardener worked for him for 20 years. Gurdon's ideas for the gardens came from his trips to Mexico and Japan. He even bought a tea house, shrines, and lanterns from Japan for the gardens. Four main gardens were created. The first matched the house's style. The second was Italian, the third American, and the fourth Japanese.
Today, Wattles Park covers about 50 acres. It is a long, narrow area that rises 950 feet from Hollywood Boulevard. The lower part of the park is 4.13 acres and faces Hollywood Boulevard. The Wattles Mansion and its formal garden area are along a private road. The early American garden is behind the mansion. It used to have rose and vegetable gardens.
The Japanese teahouse along Curson Avenue was a gift to Los Angeles. It came from Nagoya, Japan, which is Los Angeles's sister city. A famous landscape architect from Japan named Fugo designed the Japanese garden. All the plants and shrubs in this garden were brought directly from Japan.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the park was popular with the punk scene in Los Angeles. Over time, the park faced challenges. Heavy floods caused a small lake and stream to dry up. Some palm trees had to be cut down. The park became less tidy because of budget cuts. Graffiti was seen on white columns and the Japanese entrance. The roof of the outdoor temple was also removed. Now, there is a sign in the park warning about rattlesnakes. Benches were also removed.
Today, Wattles Park is a popular place for people to walk their dogs.
Images for kids
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The Wattles Mansion from the south
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Wattles Mansion in 1913
