William H. Code -- 1729 Whitley Ave. Hollywood

Born in Michigan in 1864, William Henry Code (1864-1951) attended the University of Michigan for special courses in engineering (1888-1890), and ended up in Cheyenne later that year working for the Union Pacific. The next year he became Assistant State Engineer for the brand-new state of Wyoming.

In 1892 a new offer appeared. In Arizona, Alexander Chandler (for whom Chandler, Arizona is named, and who had previously lived in Michigan), convinced Dexter Ferry and C. C. Bowen (both of Ferry Seed Co. fame) to invest in a new canal company which would provide irrigation water to the southern half of the Phoenix Salt River valley. William was named as engineer, and worked for the Consolidated Canal System for the next ten years. His irrigation experience, knowledge and political connections came together in 1902 when he was named Irrigation Engineer for the Office of Indian Affairs. At the same time, the Reclamation Act of 1902 had passed in Congress, which now provided federal largesse for irrigation projects on federal land throughout the western U.S.

W. H. in 1909

An immediate need lay in the Gila River valley, where the Pima tribe, consisting of 800-1000 people, had long used the waters of the lower Gila to irrigate their fields. Over the preceding decade, however, settlers upstream in the Casa Grande area, had ignored water rights for those downstream, siphoning off water until there was no longer enough to support the Pima. As Irrigation Engineer, William was to represent the various western tribes for dealings with agencies of the federal government. In 1899, the San Carlos dam site on the Gila had been surveyed and appeared suitable, but land speculators and settlers in the Phoenix area were much more organized. First the Reclamation act was altered to include irrigation to private lands. Then with this change now in hand, Phoenicians backed a dam for the Salt River instead, at the confluence of the Salt and Tonto Creek. The Pimas at first were to be recipients of water from a canal at the new dam, but Code argued instead for electric well pumps along the Gila near Sacaton.  He stated that he believed Pima water rights could not be restored and using pumps would be the only reliable source for water. What he did not say is that the canal planned to be built from Roosevelt Dam was charted along a higher elevation than needed for the Pima, but would provide ample water for a large acreage abutting Alexander Chandler's 18,000 acre ranch. The Pima feared the pumps would provide alkaline water, proving unsuitable. You can guess the outcome.

In 1905 Code was promoted to Chief Irrigation Engineer for the Office of Indian Affairs, formalizing a position he already held. The job's residence was to be in Los Angeles, so William and wife Martha moved to Hollywood, purchasing a new residence at 1729 Whitley Ave. The house was on a very large lot of approximately 120 ft. by 185 ft. which no doubt played into the house's future. It was a large house for someone with no children, a trait he shared with Alexander Chandler. Martha no doubt loved being in California, as she is often mentioned in society blue-books of the era. And besides his government position, Code also remained involved in Arizona business, notably as a vice-president of Mesa City Bank.

The Code Residence in 1909

William probably was thinking ahead when he had his name added to Burdette's book in 1910, as we are about to see.  The next year was the zenith for his Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) position, with a March full-page article in the San Francisco Call, extolling the munificence of the federal government for the "Red Man", led by William. In an excerpt regarding "Rebuilding Pima Civilization".

"Already eight of these pumping plants have been installed and are now in operation. They will furnish an abundance of water eight thousand acres of land, and this alone is enough to keep the tribe prosperous. But so great was the success of the first of these plants that the government has decided to put in nearly as many more. This will supply water to some fourteen thousand acres and the despised Pimas will become landed gentlemen to be envied by farmers the country through."

But the article was far off the mark. By summer the next year it had gotten so bad, Congress convened hearings on the debacle. Being deposed in this excerpt below was Herbert Marten, Financial Clerk of the Pima Indian Agency:

"Mr. Marten. The point is that the reservoir [Roosevelt Dam] which is now constructed was constructed at an enormous expense, and by selling electricity they hope to be able to reimburse themselves more or less for that expenditure. The Government has spent or contracted to spend, $500,000 in buying electricity, and, as I have said, the white farmers have water for the money they pay. Now, there are two points to the question; the first is that water is reserved for idle speculative lands, and the other one is that not only is the water reserved, but $500,000 is gathered in for that electricity bought in place of water.

Senator Curtis. You mean that the Government is using the electricity to pump the water out of the wells, instead of getting it from the reservoir?

Mr. Marten. That is the point.

Senator Curtis. What Senator Page wanted to know, as I understood his question, and which I do not think you did, is: Why did the Government put down those wells if it was going to be such an expensive and such a useless proposition?

Mr. Marten. They should never have done it.

Senator Curtis. Why did they do it--that is the point?

Mr. Marten. I think all the evidence seems to show that the reason why it was done was that these idle speculative arid lands which were not supplied with water should have the water that ought to have gone to the Indians.
I can give you a case in point. There is a large estate of 18,000 acres of land bordering on the Indian reservation, with nothing to divide the two but an imaginary line run by the surveyors. There is evidence to show that those 18,000 acres of public land have been illegally secured from the Government, and the water which should be running over the Indian lands, and which used to overflow this land from a canal in times of high water is now running on this 18,000 acre tract of speculative land.

Senator Page. It has been diverted wrongfully?

Mr. Marten. It has been diverted in place of being put on the Indian lands.

Senator Curtis. It is appropriated by the other lands?

Mr. Marten. Yes, sir.

Senator Curtis. How many wells have been put down by the Government?

Mr. Marten. Ten.

Senator Curtis. How much have they cost?

Mr. Marten. The cost of those wells is about $900,000 at the present time, including contracted indebtedness.

Senator Curtis. How many of them are working?

Mr. Marten. Seven.

Senator Curtis. Satisfactorily, I mean.

Mr. Marten. Well, not all of the seven are working satisfactorily.

Senator Curtis. Three, is it not?

Mr. Marten. There are three or four working satisfactorily; seven are working more or less satisfactorily.

Senator Curtis. How many acres are being irrigated by those seven wells or from the seven wells?

Mr. Marten. There can be about 4,200 acres irrigated.

...

Senator Owen. Under whose direction was that done?

Mr. Marten. I believe it was done chiefly under the direction of the former chief engineer of the Indian service, Mr. William H. Code, in connection with the Reclamation Service. Mr. Code has now resigned from the service.

Senator Owen. That is rather an expensive service.

Mr. S. M. Brosius (agent of the Indian Rights Association). I should like to say that Mr. Code resigned from the service after there had been quite an exposition of the transactions in the irrigation matters last summer."

 But the hearings did not seem to damage Code's reputation.  He along with two others formed Quinton, Code, and Hill civil engineering consultants, in late 1911 before the hearings. Code remained an active part of the business well into the 1930's.

A 1924 ad for Code's consulting business
(UCLA Annual)

The Codes moved from Whitley Ave. by 1917 to 7231 Hillside, where they remained until their deaths in 1951. After a short ownership change the Whitley Ave. property was purchased by a Nebraska couple with the owner intending to build "bungalows" on the lot, no doubt following the trend next door to the south, which was filled with bungalows in 1919 as seen below.

Whitley Avenue in 1919
(courtesy of Sanborn Maps)

And by the mid 1920's the house is gone from the directories.  Bungalows were installed on the back half of the property. Known as "Corte Riviera", they are still there today.  And in the 1940's, the apartments in the front half were built.

Looking west across the old 1729 Whitley property
(courtesy of Google maps)

And the federal government in the 1920's built Coolidge dam, with the hope of providing reservoir water to the Pima. Control by the BIA of water usage led to a loss of native crop farming skills as Pimas were now required to plant "cash" crops. 

A 2004 settlement between the government and the Pima will hopefully bring the issue to final resolution.

Additional Info
The Native American Water Rights Project
A history on Gila River Water

Edwin W. Sandison -- 6525 Franklin Avenue

Edwin Wallace Sandison (1844-1918) found his business love early on--developing real estate.  His short biography from Homes of Los Angeles indicated he was the founder of three Kansas cities--Everest, Horton, and Liberal--all of which he did before moving in the late 1890's to Los Angeles. Of course it was also before he took 15 trips to Alaska for the gold rush.  Married in 1875 to Sabina Wigle (1855-1938), their children as listed in censuses demonstrate well the family's travel across the U.S. First child Edna (b. 1878 NE), was followed by Edwin Jr. (b. 1880 NE), Wilbur (b. 1885 KS), Mamie (b. 1883 KS), Gordon (b. 1886 KS), and Addie V (b. 1888 CO).

Out West Magazine  Volume 3, in 1895 recorded their early family home in the "University Place" district of Los Angeles:

According to street directories of the day, it was located at  the "ne corner W 39th and Budlong", which would have placed it about three blocks west of Exposition Park and the university. At the time their youngest son Gordon was twelve. That may have been him in the yard.

By 1905 the Sandisons had moved to their new home "out" in Hollywood. In April of that year daughter Addie garners a mention in the L.A. Herald for taking a picnic to Ocean Park as part of the Jolly Six Club, which appears to be Addie and five of her friends.

The winter of 1905-1906 was a very wet one, with constant newspaper reports of rain.  (It's good to know that back then the rains also came in winter to Southern California.) It was so omnipresent that season that when tragedy struck the Sandisons in March, 1906 with the death of their son Gordon--the funeral notice, while mentioning the funeral was held at the Sandisons' Hollywood house, also reported in a large sub-headline that "Cars near Hollywood Tied up by Washouts and Sanded Tracks". The funeral was overseen by Rev. Bovard, who may have been related, as daughter Mamie had married a Bovard.

225 W. Franklin in 1909

 In 1910 living in the house were E.W., wife Sabina, daughter Edna (who never married and lived with Sabina until her death), son Wilbur (age 25), and daughter Addie (age 22). About this time E.W. invested in large tracts of land in Wilmington, near San Pedro.  Son Edwin Jr. and his wife Ruth ran the real estate office there, and lived in the area at 1149 Marshall for many years. Continuing the naming tradition, grandson Edwin III and great-grandson Edwin IV also lived in Wilmington.

In July, 1918 Edwin Sr. died, and Sabina and Edna moved out of the large house to the Wilmington area, probably to be nearer son Edwin Jr. They stayed a short period at the Hotel Schuyler in Long Beach, then moved to Banning Avenue in Wilmington, where Sabina passed away in the late 1930's.

The house at 225 West Franklin received an address change with Hollywood's merging into Los Angeles, becoming 6525 Franklin. The next family was to live there longer than the Sandisons had.

William F. Beesemyer Jr.(1887-1953) was a local, native-born son, one of five, graduating from Hollywood High in 1906, where he was also one of the commencement speakers. He was the son of Hollywood pioneers William (1854-1947) & Sophie (1858-1946) Beesemyer, whose early investment in Hollywood land made them quite wealthy. Their Hollywood ranch was bordered by Sunset & Santa Monica Blvds. on the north and south, and Western and Bronson Aves. on the east and west. Their house address was 1407 N. Wilton, right in the middle of the property. Part of the ranch included today's KTLA-TV lot, which was an early Warner Bros. studio location--it was sold to the Warners for $25,000 by William Sr. and Sophie around 1919.

William Jr., the third of five sons of William and Sophie, married Leah Marsh, also a Californian, and by 1920 they had moved into 6525 West Franklin with their new baby son, William III. Son Frank (1920-1990) joined the family that year, as William Jr. pursued a career in wholesale food brokering, rather than land or movies.

The Beesemyer neighborhood--looking east on Franklin Ave. at Whitley, 1928
The house is on the left side where the street crests the hill (blocked by the tree).
(courtesy of USC Digital Archives)

It seemed to be a quiet life for the family. As William Sr. continued in ranching and real estate, William Jr.'s older brother Arthur (1882-1923) became superintendent of streets for Hollywood. Another brother, Clarence (b. 1891) went into the oil business, ultimately becoming president of Gilmore Oil Co. Brother Gilbert (b. 1885) went into banking, with spectacular results--he was arrested for embezzling over $7 million. He was convicted in 1930 and sentenced to prison for 10 to 100 years.

Sometime around 1950, William and Leah left the house, as records indicate son Frank and his wife Phoebe (1921-2012) are living there in 1951. William passed away in 1953; Leah moved to an apartment on Scenic Drive.

By 1956 the Franklin Ave. house had become an apartment house--as it is today.

Aerial view of the lot--outlined in red

link checked 2/9/20

Additional info: 

The short bio for Edwin Sandison from the author's 1910 copy of the book 

A larger copy of the 1910 photo from the book

 

Arthur M. Letts -- Holmby House

Born in Holdenby, England, Arthur Letts (1862-1923) was one of ten children (four boys, six girls) born on the Letts estate, which dated back 400 years. At 16, Arthur was sent to apprentice at a dry goods store for three years, a trade which he no doubt learned very well. During his work he and younger brother Frank became enamored of opportunities they'd heard of in America. As the second son, he would not inherit the estate, so in July, 1883, two years after serving his apprenticeship, he and Frank embarked for Quebec, only notifying parents Richard and Caroline AFTER they'd boarded the steamer.

Arthur Letts, at the
time of his wedding

 His first work in Canada was on a farm near Toronto, but Arthur was not cut out for manual labor. He moved on to Toronto proper, working at the John Kay Co., a large mercantile store, and volunteered for the Queen's Own Rifles, fighting in the Battle of Cut Knife Creek. In 1886, he married Florence Philp (1868-1944), with law-student friend George Ira Cochran serving as Best Man. (George will end up playing an important role in Arthur's future.) Arthur advanced steadily at John Kay Co. in Toronto, but after six years in Canada, believed his best opportunity would be in the U.S.  He then set out for Seattle, arriving just a few days prior to the city-wide fire in June, 1889. Having little success, he then headed for L.A. in 1895 (based mostly on enthusiastic letters from Cochran, who had moved there when Arthur went to Seattle). With just $500 in his pocket--according to biographies, it wasn't much so far, but his fortunes were about to change.


As he arrived in L.A., The Broadway Dept. Store, J.A. Williams & Co., Proprietors, had just gone bankrupt. While not in the main business district, Arthur believed in time that the business center would move that direction. Creditors asked for a public auction for the store's stock, estimated value $15,000.  Arthur bid $8,167, winning the bid by $80. He needed $5,000 cash, with the balance due in 30 days. The Los Angeles National Bank loaned him $5,000, based on the loan's co-signer's good credit. That would be his old friend and Best Man, George Cochran. The rest of what was owed would be paid back from the sale of excess stock.

The next day a quarter-page ad went into the L.A. Herald, advertising "the greatest bargains ever seen". 

The first ad for Letts' Broadway Store

Arthur knew this was his big break. As his biographer stated "He began work regularly at 6 in the morning and continued frequently until after midnight. Literally, he did not quit until every task was done for the day." While this tenacity was to provide unbelievable success in business, it probably created personal issues with his family.

He made money from the start, and his fortune grew quickly.  By 1907, he had purchased 100 acres of land with a small knoll in the far-out Los Feliz area of Hollywood, and here he had built his mansion of success, calling it Holmby House in honor of his native homeland.

Our book's photo of Holmby House and Gardens ca. 1910

Living in the house in 1910 according to the census were Arthur and Florence, daughters Edna (1887-1966), Gladys (b.1889), son Arthur Jr. (1891-1959), along with three maids, a chauffeur, a cook, and a gardener.

Shopping in a "department store" back when Arthur started in Los Angeles was very different from today. Imagine all transactions rounded to the nearest nickel--one of Broadway's "firsts" was to provide exact change for each transaction. He was first in Los Angeles to use marked, fixed pricing--prior to that each item was a negotiation between you and the clerk. Another first in L.A. was the Broadway's offer of store credits for returns. Before that if you bought it, you owned it. At Christmas, as biographer Kilner wrote, "he was right there with an ad inviting the children to come to The Broadway and see a 'real live Santa Claus.' Santa was to be loaded with presents, and would give a bag of candy free to every little boy and girl who came to see him".

Changes were also introduced on the employee side. Beginning in the Spanish-American War, full salary was given to all employees who volunteered and were called up for service, and Arthur agreed to provide pensions to any  employee's family who lost his life during the war, to the full amount of the salary the employee was receiving when he enlisted. At a time when children had to work to support their family, he worked with the Board of Education to use one of their teachers to open a school in the store for child workers. Each morning employees under eighteen were allowed to attend the 1 1/2 hour class, which included arithmetic, grammar, composition, history and other topics. He provided half-day holidays each week during July and August, and shortened daily working hours for employees, closing at 5:30 p.m., a full hour earlier than usual.

Postcard of the Residence and Gardens, ca. 1910

Arthur had many interests outside work. Besides his love for horticulture (creating the gardens you see above), he also bred Collies on the property, bringing over from England a championship winner Ravenswood to start a line of Collies in California. The kennel grew to become too large for the estate, and so he set to find good homes for the dogs, and turned more attention to his flowers.

In 1909, the estate was a stop on the Points of Interest for Hollywood tour, which also included Paul De Longpre's residence about a mile away. The L.A. Herald's write-up in their Sunday magazine:

Arthur Letts' Mansion and Grounds
Immense country place. Large sunken gardens. A full acre of every known variety of cacti. Flowers in profusion. The largest coca plumosa drive in Southern California. Grounds open to visitors Thursdays.

In 1905 Arthur accepted the office of Vice-President of the L.A. Y.M.C.A. The directorate had been recently reorganized, with Frederick Rindge taking on the President position. But Rindge died before most action could be taken, and Arthur as president, headed a subscription drive for a new Y.M.C.A. building downtown, and by 1908 the new building was completed. This service was augmented by his volunteering for the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a National Vice-President in 1917. He donated ten acres for use as a camp site in Nichols Canyon.  It was used until the 1950's, when it was sold by the Boy Scouts for development, with the exception of a small 1/4 acre strip, which contains a memorial to J.B. Lankershim, who also donated camp land.

Camp Arthur Letts in the 1920's
(today's address for the tents would be 7551 Kimdale Lane)

John G. Bullock was new in Los Angeles in 1896, searching for a job. Arthur hired him as part of the bankruptcy sale on the first day of The Broadway's existence. By 1906, Bullock had progressed to buyer for Men's Furnishings, but assisted throughout the store. That same year, the Broadway lease was about to expire, and in a protective move, Arthur took on a second lease in a partially-completed new building at 7th and Broadway. Bullock was chosen to organize a company and save the location in the event it would be needed for The Broadway, which was rapidly outgrowing its current location. "Bullock's" was opened in March, 1907, with a large lighted sign on the roof, attracting curious crowds from around the city. Within a month, it was noticed that the better merchandise was moving well, but not so the usual goods. Buyers were ordered to focus future purchases with this new upscale clientele in mind. Bullock's was such a success, Arthur decided to keep both stores, empowering Bullock to organize the business. He took P. G. Winnett (Vice-President) and one other executive from The Broadway with him to Bullock's.  Everyone else in the organization had not been associated with The Broadway. Upon Letts' passing the business of Bullock's, which had been started with $250,000 in capital, was valued at $7,000,000.

Map of the Letts Property
(courtesy of the author)

Arthur knew real estate was great for investment in fast-growing Los Angeles. And with his significant access to capital, it was just a matter of time before he made one of his most significant purchases. In 1919 heirs to the Wolfskill Ranch (Rancho San Jose de Buenos Aires) were ready to sell, but they wanted cash. The former ranch consisted of over 3,200 acres, with an approximate border of Pico Blvd. on the south, L.A. Country Club on the east, Sunset Blvd. on the north, and I-405 on the west.  Purchased for $2 Million, Arthur turned over development to his son-in-law Harold Janss' company, Janss Investment Co. The area south of Wilshire contained land reserved for movie studios. The townsite of Westwood was laid out, which by 1927 contained 4,000 people.  In 1923 Arthur discussed with UCLA Regent Edward Dickson the idea of a new campus in Westwood. Janss Investment followed up after Arthur's death by offering land to the state and city at a price significantly under market value. And so construction started on the new campus--the first building being the Dickson Court Bridge connecting the main quad to the admin building. (The small valley it crossed has long since been filled.) Another part of the original Westwood Campus? Janss Steps (see below left).

Looking down Janss Steps, 1977

Janss Investment continued with the development of the rancho--creating estate lots from 3/4 acre and up, and planning an ultra high-end neighborhood, named Holmby Hills.  Many of the Janss and Letts families would end up owning houses there (six, in fact).

1923 was not the best year for Arthur. According to Unreal Estate, a recent book that  focused on the owners of Holmby Hills and Beverly Hills residences through the years, Arthur went to Florence and asked for a divorce, citing desertion for the prior year. But soon after, Arthur suffered a nervous breakdown, and within a month was dead of double pneumonia.

But did he really ask for a divorce? We don't really know--but what is known is that upon Arthur's death Florence immediately left the house, going to San Francisco where a Charles Quinn lived. From there she applied for a passport stating intentions to travel to Europe. Her return in June, 1924 through the port of New York was as Florence Quinn, wife of Charles. Together with Charles, she was to move to Holmby Hills in the early 1930's just down the street from two of her children, remaining at 141 South Carolwood until her death in 1944.

Holmby House in Happier Times
(courtesy of USC Digital Collections)

At the Funeral Service

The Family Mausoleum Today

Thousands attended the funeral for Arthur.  The eulogy was given by the Rt. Rev. Horsfall Johnson, local bishop of the Episcopal church. Burial was in the family crypt at today's Hollywood Forever Cemetery.


With Arthur's passing The Broadway was sold to a group of investors led by son-in-law Malcolm McNaghten (married to daughter Edna), who had been a Vice President of Finance at The Broadway. John G. Bullock led the buyout for his namesake department store. Son Arthur Jr. who had become President of The Broadway upon his father's death, focused his efforts on the real estate side of the family business after the department stores were sold. And besides the breakup of business, family members Arthur Jr. had their breakups too, with Arthur Jr. divorced in 1930, while daughter Gladys divorced in 1932.


Holmby House and the gardens itself were first finished about 1907. On the property in 1923 were Arthur and Florence in the main house, and daughter Gladys and husband Harold Janss lived in a grand house on a portion of the northeast corner of the land. But what was to happen to the main house and gardens with Arthur's death? It had been Arthur's stated wish to keep the gardens, to the extent he had provided money in his will for maintenance. Neither Florence nor Edna nor Gladys nor Arthur Jr. would try to live up to Arthur's wish. Harold the developer led the creation of "Franklin Avenue Square", razing the house completely. Some of the exotic plants were moved to Arthur Jr.'s new house in Holmby Hills, and Henry Huntington procured many of the exotic cacti for use in his cactus garden in San Marino. In less than 30 short years, the house had been built, then torn down. Nothing remains today.

An Aerial composite of today and yesterday
(courtesy of Bradford Caslon)

Additional Info:
Photos of the Gardens and House Interior

Gladys's 1933 "toy" after her divorce

It was a family business

Updated Feb 2020

Lloyd C. Haynes -- 217 Pine Avenue

Born in New York, Lloyd Haynes (1862-1924) was a man who seemed to try a lot of different businesses. As a teenager he worked in merchandise brokerage, followed by a journey through the Pennsylvania oil fields for four years. Then in 1885 he went into the tailor business, opening several stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1890 he met and married Dora L. Mayer (1864-1949) in Olean, New York, where they became parents of their only child Henry Lewis Haynes (b.1894), who went by H. Lewis.

In 1898 Lloyd ventured to the Alaskan gold fields for two years, then sold those holdings to return to New York and begin in the bond business, under the name of Manhattan Securities. In that business, he found many stocks and bonds were being written on western assets, including the Haynes Copper Mine (relationship unknown) near Jerome, Arizona, so in 1907 he moved the family to Los Angeles, along with relocating headquarters for Manhattan Securities.

Upon his arrival, Lloyd quickly made local headlines with the announcement that he was buying the Howells mines in Yavapai County, Arizona for $100,000 cash. The article goes on to describe multiple ore assays implying the properties are loaded with gold.

In 1908 architect Frank M. Tyler, known for multiple residence designs in Los Angeles, announced the building of a new residence for Mrs. L.C. Haynes, to be located at 217 Pine Avenue in Hollywood. Our photo was taken shortly after its completion, judging by the landscaping.

217 Pine Ave. Architect: Frank M. Tyler

In addition to his securities business, Lloyd started up the

Ad for Oil & Metals Bank
L.C. Haynes, V.P.

Union Exchange Bank of Los Angeles, naming himself president. Within a year the bank had merged with a trust company to become the Oil & Metals Bank. A short biography on Lloyd indicated he dropped affiliation with the bank by 1913, as "he found that his private interests did not permit of him giving much time to banking, so he resigned his offices, and now devotes his time entirely to his own enterprises," which included the Modoc County Irrigation Co., and Beaver Gold Dredging Company, entities located in northeastern California, as well as the East Side Land & Water Company, which was involved in irrigation near Elko, Nevada. 

As for the bank, it did not seem to stir consumers, and by 1918 it had disappeared.

By 1920 the Hayneses had moved to 1303 N. New Hampshire. Son H. Lewis was still in the house and had formed a printing business, named logically the Haynes Corporation. In addition, Lloyd had formed a movie picture business. The census indicated that Lloyd is president of the "moving pictures" and H. Lewis is "superintendent, job printing".

In 1924 at age 62, death took Lloyd, and his remains were interred in Hollywood Mauseoleum.  Dora takes a vacation to Hawaii in 1928.  H. Lewis marries and keeps at his printing business, in the process writing two books which have lived on--one named Potential Printing Craftsmen.

And the house at 217 Pine?  It lasted until around 1938, when it was demolished to put up a two-story apartment building, which is there today.

217 Pine today
(courtesy of google maps)

Oh, when Hollywood joined Los Angeles, they changed the name and address of the street. If you know today's location, put in a comment....



More on Haynes

Lloyd's photo in 1910
Biography in 1913

(updated 9/21/18)

Paul de Longpre -- The King of Flower Painters

Updated 2/7/23

Ah, the King of Flower Painters, or so it reads in a 1904 article about Paul de Longpre, French artist and Hollywood resident. His three-acre garden site at 1741 N. Cahuenga Blvd, took up almost half the block beginning at Hollywood Blvd. northbound, and became one of the first tourist attractions in Los Angeles.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1899, de Longpre decided to make it permanent. In 1900 he bought the site in "Cahuenga Valley", and had built this mission style mansion, designed by Louis J. B. Bourgeois, a Canadian architect and sculptor.

Visitors so overwhelmed the property the family had to close touring the house beginning in 1909, and the gardens ultimately were limited to being open only January-April. The popularity of his estate can still be witnessed by the thousands of postcards created from photos of the house and gardens. A quick search of 'de Longpre postcard' on the internet yields many colorful results.

Our photo of the de Longpre Mission-Style Mansion in 1910

Paul de Longpre ca. 1906

Paul de Longpre, born in 1855 in Lyon, began painting at 12 years of age, marrying at 19, and proudly boasted his first painting in a Paris Salon in 1876. He left France after a financial failure of a Paris bank left him without money, coming to New York in 1890 to do commissions. His successes resulted in the first flower-painting exhibit in New York in 1896.  His paintings (most in watercolor) continued to gain in popularity, and he took his newfound wealth to go to Los Angeles where he could paint flowers year-round. With his wife Josephine they were the parents of three children, and became a key part of the social scene in Hollywood. One grand celebration was held in 1909 when "the tunnel" was completed in downtown Los Angeles, reducing ride time on the P.E. car to Hollywood by twelve minutes. The house was a main tourist stop on the line. 

In September, 1910, de Longpre became hospitalized with a serious middle ear infection  requiring surgery, from which he never recovered. By February, 1911 he was bedridden, and died at his home June 29, 1911.

By September his widow had moved to a new home on Cahuenga. It turned out the house was the majority value of his $60,000 estate, which was given to Josephine. 

By 1920 the house was in use by a French art dealer. But the house had been sold, and later that same year it was demolished. It had lasted less than 20 years.

 

The end in 1920 for the de Longpre Mansion
(USC Digital Collections and CHS)

By 1951 we end up with essentially what we have today. The area is commercial buildings and parking lots. The building apparently bisected by the old north property line was in 1951 a bus station (the L-shaped part). In the 2010's it was something called "Halo" and then "The Colony". By 2021 it appears boarded up. Amazingly the five apartment buildings west of the northwest corner of the lot, built between 1913 and 1919, still remain.

(image updated 2/7/2023 thanks to a sharp-eyed commenter--below)

Below is a sample of Paul de Longpre's art (courtesy of wikimedia.org)

Roses and Bumblebees 1898 Roses and Bumblebees 1899 Here are a couple of postcards that give some idea of the beauty of the gardens. On the back of one, written in May, 1908, the writer states " This must be the most beautiful spot on earth."