Noted as one of LA’s most beloved cultural enclaves, Los Feliz is home to some of the city's finest residential architecture. Established in 1776 by Corporal José Vicente Feliz this verdant neighborhood boasts an unmatched array of styles. Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Hollyhock and Ennis House provide the perfect example of the roaring 1920s, with Golden-era glamor stamped firmly within gated communities, all while Lautner, Schindler, and Neutra add touches of modernism. However, it is Spanish Colonial Revival that sets the tone among the gilded hills, and this week Carolwood launches one of the most significant examples of this style designed by Carleton Winslow Sr.
Designed in 1926 and perched on an approximately half-acre hilltop lot, this unmatched estate has been lovingly restored and impeccably cared for with uncompromising integrity, and now awaits its next generation of stewards.
Provenance abounds, having been graced by the likes of the legendary Orson Welles, prominent literary giants, directors, artists, musicians, philosophers, oenophiles, and rock stars. The home also offers wonderful views encompassing the Griffith Observatory, downtown, Century City, and the ocean.
Mature gardens, fruit trees, multiple terraces, and tree-shaded gravel pathways lead to a grand double staircase with a Plateresque façade, providing a story-book entry to the lofty barreled-ceiling foyer, with a Romeo and Juliet balcony overlook. Winslow designed some of Southern California’s finest buildings including Bel Air Country Club, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and most notably, he oversaw the completion of the Los Angeles Public Library after the passing of Bertram Goodhue. His signature design elements feature throughout the home, celebrating a reverence for plays of light, with exquisite attention to detail and orientation; each room offers yet one more vignette embodying old Hollywood, thanks to meticulous maintenance and restoration.
The estate also includes beautiful hand-stenciled ceilings, oversized fireplaces, and an elevator that services the motor court, kitchen, and bedroom levels. The home offers grand entertainment and multi-purpose spaces, including a lower level that might be used for a home office/studio, screening room, or game space. Numerous French doors open to many an outdoor terrace. In addition, the property has garage parking for three cars, an expansive gated motor court, and a charming one-bedroom cottage with a full bath and remodeled kitchen.
It is no surprise that Los Feliz still attracts numerous Hollywood legends, given past residents that include Charlie Chaplin, Cecile B. DeMille, and Walt Disney, who began his global empire in a garage on Kingswell Avenue. Local amenities and destinations such as Griffith Park, the Greek Theatre, and a slew of wonderful independent restaurants and shops, make this superb neighborhood, in the simplest possible terms, one very happy place to live.
5BD 7BA, 8,406 sq ft. on 20,514 sq ft. lot | Offered at $9,995,000. 2464 N. Catalina Street is represented exclusively by Marcie Hartley at Carolwood Estates.
