MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE 638 North Faring Road Los Angeles Los

Home , Alphonzo Bell, Angelus Funeral Home, Trousdale Estates

MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS CA-2789 638 North Faring Road CA-2789 Los Angeles Los Angeles County California

PHOTOGRAPHS

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

REDUCED COPIES OF MEASURED DRAWINGS

HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY PACIFIC GREAT BASIN SUPPORT OFFICE National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior 600 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94103 HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY • Morris Landau House HABS No. CA-2789

Location: 638 North Faring Road, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. The property is situated on the southern slope of the Santa Monica Mountains, approximately 12 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and approximately seven miles from the Pacific Ocean. Due to its location in the Santa Monica Mountains, the local topography is generalized by ridges and canyons in elevation to the north and descending in elevation to the south.

Beverly Hills, California 7.5-minute USGS Quadrangle, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Coordinates: Zone 11, Easting 367689, Northing 3772835

Present Owner: Harvard-Westlake School 700 North Faring Road Los Angeles, CA 90077 • Original Use: Single-family residence. Present Use: The building is currently vacant.

Significance Summary:

Los Angeles based architect Paul R. Williams designed the two-and-one-half-story, single-family, Georgian Revival style residence for electrical engineer Morris Landau and his wife Mabel. Situated at 638 North Faring Road, the house was built in 1936, on Lot 8, Tract 8236 ofHolmby Hills, in the West Los Angeles District. The property physically manifests a particular phase in the development of Williams' architectural career: residential. His characteristic style and architectural quality is reflected in the overall design of the residence. William's design is effectively complemented by Edward Huntsman-Trout's landscape design . • MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 2) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION

A. Physical History

1. Date of Erection: Original construction (main dwelling and pool): 1936 Significant alterations and additions: 1937 (pool house), 1954 (rear porch extension), 1992 (rear porch area built-out with roof modifications).

2. Architect: Paul Revere Williams, a Los Angeles based architect, is the architect of record for the main dwelling, pool, and pool house. Original landscape design of the property by Edward Huntsman-Trout, an accomplished Los Angeles based designer and plantsman.

3. Original and subsequent owners: Morris and Mabel Landau (1936-1954) Dr. E.E. Hassen (1954-1963) Barry Sterling (1964 - 1966) Budd Kessler (1967 -1982) • Bruce McNall (1982-1993) Harvard Westlake School (1994-present)

4. Builder(s), contractor(s), supplier(s): Main dwelling contractor (1936): Paddock Engineering Company, Hollywood, California. Swimming pool contractor (1936): Paddock Engineering Company, Hollywood, California. Pool house/pavilion contractor (1937): None listed. Swimming pool tile contractor (1937): Sunset Tile & Marble Company, Los Angeles, California.

5. Original plans and construction: No original plans were uncovered. However, original landscape plans of the site are on file at the UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library Department of Special Collections, Al 713 Young Research Library, P.O. Box 951575, Los Angeles, California 90095.

6. Alterations and additions: A number of alterations have occurred to the secondary elevations ofthe residence, including the replacement of windows, modifications to window openings, the infill of the rear porch • area with a two-story room addition, reconfiguration ofthe roofing system at the rear portion MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 3) of the dwelling, and change-out of original roofing materials (from shake/composition to slate shingles). The following is a list of permits on file with the City of Los Angeles Planning Division:

1936 Original permit for construction of dwelling not found in City of Los Angeles records. 09-25-1936 Swimming pool (50'-0" by 20'-0", concrete). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: Paul R. Williams. Contractor: Paddock Engineering Company (P.P. Paddock, engineer). Cost: $2,000. Permit No. 36LA26030. 04-12-1937 Bathing pavilion (at southern end of pool). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: Paul R. Williams. Cost: $2,500. Permit No. 37LA11540. 04-12-1937 Add reinforced concrete terrace (retaining wall, rear grounds area). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: None. Engineer: C.S. Stacey (Paddock Engineering Company, Hollywood, California). Cost: $650. Permit No~ 37LA11543. 06-18-1937 Tile swimming pool gutter (pool scupper). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: None. Contractor: Sunset Tile & Marble Company, Los Angeles, California. Cost: Tile setting order fee $1.00/Contract. Permit No. 37LA20376. • 03-16-1954 Erect 3 '-0" by 23 '-6" extension of existing roof over [rear] porch (exterior alteration). Property owner: Dr. E.E. Hassen. Architect: A. Godfrey Bailey. Contractor: owner. Cost: $200. Permit No. 54WL10960. 09-26-1961 Wet sandblast. Property owner: Dr. E.E. Hassen. Architect: None. Contractor: Ross Sadler. Cost: $175. Permit No. 61LA98340. 12-21-1964 Interior alterations - no structural changes. Property owner: Barry Sterling. Architect: None. Contractor: Robert Stephen, Encino, California. Cost: $4,000. Permit No. 64WL54954. 07-17-1967 Interior alterations - cab. No structural changes. Property owner: Budd Kessler. Architect: None. Contractor: Robert Stephan;' Encino. Cost: $4,500. Permit No. 67WL68729. 09-12-1980 Building permit, work unspecified. Permit No. 80WL32007. 08-24-1982 Addition of private game room in basement ( 450 square feet, interior alteration only). Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: Cetindis, Santa Monica, California. Contractor: Eastside Construction Company Incorporated, Bell Gardens, California. Cost: $15,000. Permit No. 82WL42156. 10-19-1982 Structural alteration in game room (interior alteration only). Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: None. Engineer: Turhan J. Kasar . • Contractor: Eastside Construction Company (Eugene La Porte), Bell MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 4) Gardens, California. Cost: $1,000 (BP), $10,000(P.C.). Permit No. 82WL42796. 12-01-1982 Change of contractor on Permit No. 42796. Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: None. Engineer: Turban J. Kasar. Contractor: Wilshire Awning & Furniture Company, Incorporate. Cost: $101. Permit No. 82WL43541. 01-17-1983 Change store room to bathroom (interior alteration only). Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: None. Engineer: Turhan J. Kasar. Contractor: Wilshire Awning & Furniture Company, Incorporated. Cost: $10,000. Permit No. 83WL44013. 05-17-1990 Grading pre-inspection permit (work unspecified). Permit No. None. 06-05-1990 Soils report. Permit No. None. 03-28-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL95247. 06-04-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91WL96398. 06-18-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91LA76629. 06-18-1991 Plan maintenance (work unspecified). Permit No. 91LA76629. 06-27-1991 Grading Pre-inspection. Permit No. None. 07-12-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL97009. 07-12-1991 Plan maintenance (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL97009. 07-23-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL97196. 10-07-1991 Grading oversize document. Permit No. None. • 10-07-1991 Grading oversize document. Permit No. None. 10-29-1991 Grading pre-inspection. Permit No. None. 11-01-1991 Soils report. Permit No. None. 01-09-1992 Administrative Approval. 01-10-1992 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 92WL99891. 01-10-1992 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 92WL99892. 01-10-1992 Plan maintenance (work unspecified). Permit No. 92WL99891. 05-01-1992 Certificate of Occupancy. Permit No. 91LA76629. 06-16-1992 Compaction report. Permit No. None. 08-12-1992 Certificate of Occupancy. Permit No. 91 WL97009. 09-09-1993 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 93WL09514. 09-09-1993 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 93WL09515. 12-13-1993 Compaction report. Permit No. None. 02-07-1994 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 94WL12210. 08-18-1995 Building permit (earthquake damage, chimney repair). Permit No. 95WL30970. Post-1992 Infill of rear porch area to add formal dining room at first floor and additional bedroom/office on second floor. This work also included the reconfiguration of the roofing system at rear of house from hip to mansard • and change-out of roofing materials from shingle (composition/shake) to MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE BABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 5) slate. Rear elevation configuration (with 1954 built-out porch area visible) is illustrated on a 1992 aerial photograph.

B. Historical Context:

Los Angeles Holmby Hills Area

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in California, the Los Angeles area was inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians. The earliest explorers to the region arrived in 1769, with the Gaspar de Portola Expedition. In 1781, Mexican settlers under the direction of Spanish Governor Felipe de Neve founded El Pueblo de La Reina de Los Angeles. 1 Land to the west of the pueblo comprised four large ranchos. The largest of these was Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica, encompassing most of the Santa Monica Mountains, Brentwood, west Los Angeles, and the City of Santa Monica. Rancho Boca de Santa Monica comprised the Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica Canyon areas. The present-day Palms area was situated within Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes while Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres encompassed present-day Westwood, land near Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and land to the north of Pico Boulevard.2 During the 1800s, many of these rancho lands were sold to several individuals and • families.

In 1850, California was admitted as the 31st state in the Union. Many Americans flocked to California in hopes of finding gold. During the 1860s and 1870s, land to the west anci north of the present-day Harbor Freeway was settled as Los Angeles began to expand. In the 1870s and 1880s, immigrants established Chinatown, to the north of Los Angeles. By the 1880s, southern California began attracting Midwesterners and Easterners with its new railroad lines. Streetcars also made development of residential neighborhoods further west possible during the late 1880s and early 1890s.3 Former rancho lands were further subdivided into smaller communities, such as Brentwood, Sawtelle, and Pacific Palisades.

The popularity of the film industry and construction of the University of California - Los Angeles, further promoted development to the north and west of Los Angeles in the early 1900s.4 In 1913, the Owens Valley Aqueduct was completed, providing water to outlying areas of Los Angeles and promoting further development in the area.5 By the 1920s, the Westgate Addition, Ambassador Addition, Laurel Canyon Addition, Santa Monica Canyon Addition and the Beverly Glen Addition were consolidated into west Los Angeles. Other smaller annexations continued to occur into the late 1970s. In 1922, Alphonzo Bell purchased more than 1, 760 acres of land east of Brentwood and Westgate for residential development as the Bel Air community.6 In the late 1920s, the Holmby • Hills area was subdivided, with a new girl's school being constructed at 700 North Faring Road . MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 (PAGE 6)

Throughout the 1930s and following the 1950s, development continued to extend into the canyon areas of Bel Air, Holmby Hills, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades.

Morris Landau House

Local architect Paul Williams designed the two and one-half story, single-family, Georgian Revival residence for electrical engineer Morris Landau and his wife Mabel. The landscaping was formally designed by the notable landscape architect Edward Huntsman-Trout (1889-1974). Situated at 638 North Faring Road, the residence is located on Lot 8, Tract 8236 ofHolmby Hills, in the West Los Angeles District of the City of Los Angeles.

Morris Landau owned the house for almost twenty years.7 In 1954, Doctor E.E. Hassen purchased the residence and made minor modifications to the interior and exterior, as have other previous owners.8 The Harvard-Westlake School purchased the residence in 1999 and maintains it as a month-to-month rental property on an interim basis.9

Paul Revere Williams, Architect

The architect of the Morris Landau House,. Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980), a notable architect • and an African American, is well recognized in the history of southern California architecture. He was born in Los Angeles in 1894, soon after his family arrived from Memphis, Tennessee, where his father had been a hotel waiter. Both parents died before Williams was five and he was then reared by foster parents.10

Williams first attended the Sentous A venue School on Pico Boulevard. He later excelled at art ~t Polytechnic High School and became determined to pursue an architecture career after graduating in 1912. He later attended the Los Angeles based workshop ofNew York's Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, eventually winning the Institute's Beaux-Arts Medal of Excellence. He won numerous awards, including first prize in a design contest for a neighborhood civic center in Pasadena in 1914.11 One year later, while attending the Chicago Emancipation Celebration, he was awarded First Honorable Mention in architecture. By 1916, he placed third for the Sperling Prize at a countrywide competition in New York. Shortly thereafter, Williams enrolled in an architectural engineering course at the University of Southern California. Upon graduation he went on to study at three additional art schools. By 1919, he had won the Hollow Tile House Competition and had his drawings published in "Southwest Builder and Contractor" and "California Southland."12

Williams was employed during his early years in the offices of residential architect Reginald D . • Johnson, and eventually with the commercially-oriented offices of John C. Austin. 13 During this MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 (PAGE 7)

employment, Williams sharpened his skills as he assisted in the design of more than 30 schools and commercial properties. Williams also assisted in the preparation of drawings for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Shrine Civic Auditorium, and the First Methodist Church of Los Angeles. 14 In 1917, he married Della Mae Givens whom he met at the First AME Church (the marriage produced two daughters).15 Williams became a licensed architect in 1921; a year later, at age 28, he started his own firm. Among the first homes designed by Williams was the Louis Cass home, in the hills of Flintridge. By this time Williams was a member of Los Angeles's first City Planning Commission, one of many federal, state, and local boards and commissions he would serve on. Known as "PRW" to his friends, Williams became the first African American member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1923. Most of Williams' business came from well-to-do white clients building homes in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hancock Park, Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, San Marino, Flintridge, Pasadena, and Ojai.16 By the end of the 1920s, Williams had established a reputation as "a skilled and sophisticated designer for the upper middle class and the wealthy," wrote architectural historian David Gebhard in the foreword to Paul Williams, Architect: A Legacy of Style, a book by Karen E. Hudson, the architect's granddaughter and director of his archives. Williams designed department stores, schools, mansions, car dealerships, churches, public housing, and movie sets. There were also occasional commissions within the city's African American community, including the Second Baptist Church, Connor-Johnson Mortuary, and the 28th Street YMCA. Williams' business thrived during the 1930s. His residences were admired fortheir • "play between the rational and picturesque," wrote historian Gebhard. At the opposite extreme, Williams served as an architect for the US Navy, and the War Finance Program of the Treasury Department, designing defense housing projects in the United States during World War II.

Over time, his firm designed public schools, banks, auto dealerships, the Arrowhead Springs Hotel (in association with Gordon Kaufinann), the W. & J. Sloane department store, the Palm Springs Tennis Club, and the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance building.17 His firm also re-designed the public rooms and bungalows of the Ambassador Hotel and the famed Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel. He designed many homes for Hollywood celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Lucille Ball and Desi Amaz, Lon Chaney; and private homes for Jack P. Atkin, John B. Greene, E.L. Cord, V. Mott Pierce, Fred A. Price, Jay Paley, the Banning Residences, and others. Design commissions also came from Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, and South America. Overall, Williams designed some 3 ,000 projects during his career, which ended with retirement in 1973. He died in Los Angeles on January 23, 1980, at age 85. 18 • MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 8) Edward Huntsman-Trout, Landscape Architect

The original landscape design of the Morris Landau House was created by landscape architect Edward Huntsman-Trout.19 A prominent and well-respected local landscape designer, Huntsman Trout was an accomplished plantsman and designer. Many ofhis landscape plans complemented the architectural designs of notable architects, including Paul R. Williams and Gordon B. Kaufmann.

Born in 1889 in the town ofTintern, Ontario, Canada, Edward Huntsman-Trout was the youngest of five children. His mother died when he was three, and at the age of six he was sent to live with his eldest sister at the Toronto estate of his uncle, Edward Trout. Under his aunt's guidance he developed a keen interest in and knowledge of horticulture. Between 1903 and 1907 his aunt and uncle sent him to live at their winter home in Florida. It was during this period that they legally adopted him and he became Edward Huntsman-Trout.20

In 1907, he moved with his adoptive parents to Hollywood, California. After a year at Hollywood High, he entered the University of California as a science major. At that time there was no program in landscape architecture, so he enrolled in several elective courses in architecture. Following his graduation from the University of California in 1913, Huntsman-Trout entered the graduate program in landscape architecture at Harvard University. He completed the courses for the landscape • architecture degree but did not take the final exams and never graduated. After Harvard University he worked for a year for landscape architect Fletcher Steele. In 1916, he became the head of the design department in A. D. Taylor's office in Cleveland, Ohio where he designed large country estates until he went overseas in World War I. After the war he continued in Taylor's office until 1920, when he returned to southern California.

Huntsman-Trout worked in the design office of the Beverly Hills Nursery for two years, designing large estates in BeverlyHills.21 A few years later he established his own practice of landscape architecture in Hollywood. He maintained a small office in Hollywood from 1922 until 1941, where his work centered primarily around residential design commissions within the affluent communities of the West Los Angeles area. 22 His commissions included the Harvey Mudd estate ( 1929), the Bing Crosby residence (1932), the Robert Young cottage (1935), and the Morris Landau residence (1936).23 During World War II, he worked with the architect H. Roy Kelley on camouflage projects for the Douglas Aircraft Company. 24 From 1945 until his death in 1974, he maintained an office in Beverly Hills. Huntsman-Trout's largest and considered his most important commission was the landscape design of Scripps College in Claremont, California (1930). Other notable landscape projects by Huntsman-Trout include the Los Angeles County Arboretum (1950s-1960s), the • Trousdale Estates (1955) in Beverly Hills, Pershing Square (re-landscaping) in downtown Los MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 9) Angeles (1950), and the Paul Williams designed Arrowhead Springs Hotel (1940) in the San Bernardino mountains.

Huntsman-Trout saw each commission as a unique place for a particular client and site, so his designs have no signature characteristics. He believed that gardens were outdoor living rooms whose design was as important as that of the house's interior spaces.25 Thus, many of his designs create axially organized terraces and courtyards providing a strong basic architectonic :framework with plants creating further complex spaces. Edward Huntsman-Trout passed away in 1974 .

•

• MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 10) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION:

A. General Information:

1. Architectural Character: Constructed in 1936, the Morris Landau House is a two-story single-family dwelling that is designed in the Georgian Revival style. A common style utilized by the architect Paul R. Willjams for his residential designs at the time. The interior spaces of the dwelling reflect Classical influences in the wall and ceiling details, fireplace mantels, door paneling, staircase, and window treatments.

2. Condition of the Fabric: The condition of the structure, garage, and pool house is very good and intact. The roofing system and materials, as well as the exterior cladding, doors, window frames and glazing, painted surfaces, and structural :framing have not been damaged :from the environment, infestation, or past alteration work. Interior wall and ceiling finishes are in good condition, as are the decorative trim features, flooring materials, stairways, and hardware. The walls, ceilings, and flooring of some interior spaces do contain asbestos. The house retains its original location, design, setting, feeling, and association, as well as much of its historic materials and workmanship along its primary (west) elevation. The property retains many of the important historical physical features and characteristics that define this particular property type and architectural style. However, a number of alternations have occurred to the secondary elevations of the residence, including the replacement of windows frames with compatible :frames, the modifications to window openings primarily along the east (rear) elevation, and the construction of a two-story infill room also at the rear of the house. Though modifications have occurred to the house, the overall historic character that connects the historical and architectural associations with architect Paul R. Williams have not been compromised. (See Part I. Historical Information, A. Physical History subsection 6. Alterations and additions on page 3 of this document for more information regarding modifications to the house).

3. Summary Description: This large, wood-framed Georgian Revival style dwelling has an irregular-shaped plan, an asymmetrical fa<;ade, and a slate covered mansard roof. Roof treatments include the slate roof, boxed eaves, brick chimneys, modillioned cornice, and dormer windows. Most of the exterior of the primary (west) elevation is clad with red brick set in a common bond, while a • small portion is covered with shiplap siding. The secondary elevations (north, south, and MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 11) east) are clad with smooth stucco. All elevations are punctuated by a variety of window types, including multi-pane casement, double hung, and fixed-pane. Some window openings along the fas;ade are flanked with louvered wooden shutters. A one-story, hipped roof wing projects out from the north end of the fas;ade. This wing contains a multi-paned bay window and multi-paned casement windows. With very little setback, the main entry into the house is approached via a concrete driveway and brick steps. The multi-paneled, glazed front door is centrally located along the front elevation and is recessed into a wood paneled foyer. Above the entryway, French doors open onto a small wrought-iron balconette. A two-story garage is situated at the north end of the dwelling and is attached to the main house via a second floor walkway. The terraced back yard contains a tennis court, expansive gardens, an ornate tiled pool, and a one-room pool house. A partial basement opens onto the tennis courts and gardens. The property is surrounded by mature trees, shrubs, and landscaping. Alterations have occurred to the building's secondary elevations, including the partial infill and total modification of the rear (east) elevation, alteration to the north kitchen wing area, and the semi-reconfiguration of the roofing system and roofing materials.

The interior of the house exhibits restrained Classical influences. The first floor of the dwelling contains well-appointed family rooms, formal and informal living rooms, • office/library space, a formal dining room, breakfast room, large kitchen, service area, and numerous bathrooms. Williams' signature architectural feature, the dramatically curved staircase, is located at the north end of the main hall and is considered the key character defining feature of the interior space. High ceilings with wood surrounds and prominent mantel pieces add to the classical styling of the property. The second floor of the house contains spacious bedrooms, bathrooms, and closet spaces, including his and her walk-in closets.

B. Description of Exterior:

1. Overall Dimensions: The house is primarily rectangular shaped in plan. The overall dimensions ofthe main house are approximately 82' x 45'. There are two projecting wings, which add to these dimensions creating an overall envelope of approximately 138' x 91 '. The house is two-stories plus a partial basement. The entry into the dwelling is on the first floor.

2. Foundations: The house has a reinforced concrete slab on grade foundation, which sits partially on • compacted fill. The building also has a partial basement of concrete construction . MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 12) 3. Wall Construction: Wall construction is primarily wood-frame with reinforced concrete retaining walls to the east and south.

4. Structural System, Framing: The structural system of the building is wood frame with brick veneer and stucco cladding.

5. Porches, Balconies, Stairs: A low-rise, herringbone pattern red brick entry stoop with three red brick steps is located at the front (west elevation) of the house where the primary entrance into the house is located. An open back terrace deck is situated along most of the back (east) of the house and wraps around a portion ofthe south side ofthe dwelling. The terrace deck is accessible through the informal living, entertainment room, and breakfast room. It has a herringbone pattern red brick surface with an intricately decorated standard-rise iron railing enclosing the space to the east and south .

6. Chimneys: The house contains three running bond patterned red brick chimneys, which serve four • interior fireplaces: I) an attached exterior chimney along the front (west elevation) of the building that services the formal living room fireplace on the first floor and the master bedroom fireplace directly above on the second floor; an attached exterior chimney along the south side of the building that services the first floor informal family room fireplace; and an exterior chimney along the north side of the house that services the library/office fireplace on the first floor. All three chimneys are braced by narrow iron support bars (for seismic safety purposes) discriminately hidden from public view.

7. Openings:

a. Doorways and Doors: The main entry is centered on the west side of the house recessed within a wood paneled portico. The top half of the wood panel entry door is punctuated with two elongated beveled glass windows. A segmented multi-pane transom frames the upper portion of the doorway. The south side of the dwelling contains two sets of recessed multi-paned, wood-framed French doors along the first level and a single, multi-pane wood-framed door and a wood louvered door at the basement level. The east (back) side of the house contains five sets ofrecessed multi-pane, wood-framed • French doors each with its own sliding pocket screen door at the first level and a MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 13) single pair ofmulti-pane wooden French doors at the basement level. Exterior access from the north side of the dwelling (first level only) includes a three-light wood framed door, a multi-pane wood-framed panel door, and a wood paneled double door. The garage contains a single, wood-framed panel door along the south side and two roll-up metal garage doors along the east side. The apartment unit above the garage has two glazed panel wood doors along its east side. The pool house contains a double glazed door (metal frames) along its front (north) fac;ade and two doors along its south (back) side: a single, wood louvered door (partial basement level) and a glazed, wood-framed double door (first level).

b. Windows: The first level of the west (front) side of the house contains three sets often light, wood-frame casement windows, which are flanked by wood louvered shutters. A large, multi-pane wood-fraµie bay window punctuates the far north end of the first level of the western fac;ade where the library is located. A four light, wood-frame casement window also punctuates the library's north and south walls. The west (front) side of the garage contains a pair of multi-pane, wood-frame casements with louvered shutters. The first level of the south facing walls of the dwelling contain a large, floor-to-ceiling wood-frame barrel curved bay window at the south end of the formal living room space, a ribbon of six-light wood-frame casement windows in the kitchen, and a pair oftriple light wood-frame casement windows in the service/utility • wing. The first level of the north side of the house contains a single wood-frame, multi-pane casement window in the service wing; a wide, floor-to-ceiling large pane window (with aluminum framing) in the kitchen area; a semi-arched, multi-pane fixed window in the pantry area; and a large floor-to-ceiling multi-pane, wood-frame bow window in the formal dining room.

The second level of the west (front) side of the house contains a multi-pane, wood framed French door that is sheltered by an arch shaped pediment. Three gable covered wall dormers with raking pediments and multi-pane, wood-frame double hung sash windows also punctuate this elevation. All second-story fenestration along the west side of the house is set at beltcourse level. Two additional multi-pane wood frame windows are set within the west side of the slate covered hip roof that saddles the open walkway between the main house to the south and the garage/apartment unit to the north. The west exterior wall of the second-story apartment unit above the garage contains a single, multi-pane wood casement window set within a shed roof dormer. Fenestration along the north side of the house consists ofmulti-pane, wood frame casement windows. The east (back) and south sides of the dwelling are punctuated by ribbons of triple pane, wood-frame casement windows . • Fenestration for the pool house includes two large, plate glass windows along its MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 14) north (front) side (first level) and two small octagonal shaped, fixed windows with diamond pattern glazed panes along the south (back) wall at the basement level.

8. Roof:

a. Shape, Covering, Cornice: The perimeter ofthe main house and garage/apartment unit is capped with a complex hip roofing system covered with slate tiles. However, a mansard center deck clad with slate tiles sits over the central portion ofthe house. Large skylight panels cover much of the kitchen/service wing roof. Boxed eaves and wide, flat wood cornice moldings with modillions trim all exterior walls of the residence and garage/apartment unit. The pool house is capped with a slate tile covered hipped roof with boxed eaves.

C. Description of Interior:

1. Plans The house is built on a three-level hillside scheme with entrance from the private driveway at the first level. The entrance is into a hall with an open, two-story stairwell to the north and a • large formal living room with a floor to ceiling glazed bay window to the south. At this level off the entrance hall there is a study, small anteroom with bathroom, large formal living room, an informal living room, a large entertainment room, and the breakfast room. This floor also contains a formal dining room, large kitchen, and service/utility area that are all accessed via a vestibule adjacent the entry hall and breakfast room. On the second level there are the bedrooms, bathrooms, utility rooms, and closets. At the basement level are two multipurpose rooms both with bathrooms and closet spaces; one with a small service kitchen (See Sketch Plans and Measured Drawings prepared for the property for specific floor plan details).

2. Stairways: The main stairway that leads from the first level to the second level (bedrooms) is located at the north end of the entry hall. It is spiral in shape with 20 treads of varying size and 21 risers approximately 6 inches high. A delicately designed iron railing approximately 2' x 11" high follows the elliptical shape of the stairway. A second stairway that leads from the first level to the basement is located between the breakfast room and the formal dining room. This staircase is approximately 3 '-4" wide and is accessed from behind a panel door located in the vestibule that connects the entry hall to the breakfast room. A third stain.Vay linking • the first floor with the second level bedrooms is located in the same stairwell as the MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 15) secondary stairway, however;-it is accessed on the first floor :from the pantry area and on the second level :from within the secondary hallway that connects the bedrooms (except the master bedroom). All of the stairs have wood risers and treads.

3. Flooring: The floors in the house are hardwood in all of the main rooms, including hallways, living rooms, guest room, library/office, dining room, entertainment room, and bedrooms. Plush, low-pile carpet covers the wood floor in the formal living room area. Travertine tiles set in a diamond pattern cover the floors of the kitchen and pantry area on the first level. In the master bedroom on the second floor, marble tiles cover the floor of the "his" bathroom while travertine tiles covers the "hers" bathroom floor. Both the "his" and "hers" walk-in closet floors and the study in the master bedroom are covered with low-pile carpeting. Other bathroom floors are covered either with ceramic tile or linoleum. The floors ofthe basement level rooms are concrete covered with low-pile carpet. The floor ofthe apartment unit above the garage is wood covered with low-pile carpet. The interior floor of the pool house is concrete with marble tile of varying size arranged in an elaborate mosaic pattern (first level). The basement level floor of the pool house is concrete covered with linoleum.

4. Wall and Ceiling Finish: Smooth plaster over metal lath is used for all interior surfaces. There are some cedar lined closets on the first and second levels. The walls of the "his" bathroom in the master bedroom • on the second floor are covered with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and sheets ofmarble. Walls in the formal dining room (first level), some bathrooms (both floors), and a bedroom (second level) are covered with wallpaper. Ceilings are sheathed in smoother plaster throughout the interior ofthe house and feature decorative molding ofvarying width and style depending on the room. The kitchen also has massive, exposed wood beams running through it, which appear to support the large skylight window in the ceiling over the center island.

5. Openings, Doorways and Doors: Solid wood panel doors with wood :frames and classically inspired surrounds are utilized throughout most ofthe residence (interior). Doors servicing utility rooms are flush type with plain wood frames. Wood panel pocket doors are employed in the two doorway openings connecting the informal living room with the entertainment room. The east side ofthe entry hall contains three large openings - two that lead into the entertainment room to the east and one that leads into the vestibule area adjacent the breakfast room (to the east) andthe formal dining room (to the north). The three large openings are framed with classically inspired wood trim molding. Octagonal shaped windows also :framed with classically inspired wood moldings and keystones are set within the wall above the two openings that lead into the entertainment room. The doors vary in width and height depending on their purpose (closet, • bedroom, bathroom, etc.). · MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 16) 6. Decorative Features and Trim: Panel wainscoting is located in many of the public rooms on the first level, including the front entry vestibule, entry hall, breakfast room, and formal dining room. Doorframes within the formal dining, breakfast room, and guest anteroom (all on the first level) are adorned with classically inspired pediments. Built-in display pedestals constructed ofwood with recessed canned lighting are located within the formal dining room space on the first level. A large built-in wood bookcase that bows out from the wall is located in the northwest comer bedroom.

7. Hardware: Standard metal hardware with a highly polished bronze finish is used throughout the house. Some concealed hardware, as well as standard butt hinges and door knobs, are also used. The hardware for the windows is a part of the standard units employed.

8. Mechanical Equipment:

a. Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation: Heating: Heat was originally provided through a series ofradiator ducts/registers and forced air furnaces, as well as the fireplaces located in the main rooms of the house. Such heating equipment (radiators and furnaces) was removed from the dwelling at • some unspecified date and replaced with a central gas heating system. Air Conditioning: The building was not originally designed with air conditioning. A centralized air cooling system was installed on the roof of the main dwelling in the early 1990s, when other modifications were made to the house.

Ventilation: Ventilation throughout the house was originally provided via the windows. Roof vents ventilated (and continue to ventilate) the attic space areas of the building.

b. Lighting: Original electric lighting was incandescent throughout the entire house. Non original recessed canned spot lights have been installed throughout much of the house. Bathrooms and kitchen area have fluorescent fixtures. There are no original light fixtures in the house.

c. Plumbing: Most of the bathrooms have standard plumbing fixtures that include a sink with faucet and typical toilet facilities. The "hers" master bathroom on the second level has a large sunken roman tub, a wash basin, toilet, bidet, and a stand alone shower • stall. The "his" master bathroom on the second level has a stand alone shower/steam MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 17) room stall, toilet, and a single wash basin.

C. Site:

1. General Setting and Orientation: The dwelling is located on Lot 8, Tract 8236 in the Holmby Hills residential neighborhood of the Bel Air Community of the City of Los Angeles. Wooded and heavily vegetated slopes, ridges, and canyons surround the site. Several large estate homes, including the subject property, are located along North Faring Road. Most ofthe homes are setback far back from the street (except for the Morris Landau property) often built with tennis courts and landscaped with expansive lawns and shrubs, or other buffers.

The Morris Landau House consists of approximately 1.58 acres and contains a two-story, single-family dwelling, as well as associated facilities, including an in-ground swimming pool, a pool house, and a tennis court. The house is owned by the school and is currently vacant. Well manicured landscaped lawn and garden covers much of the uneven ground surface of the property to the south and east of the house. The front of the house faces west towards North Faring Road with the tennis court to the east, expansive landscaping to the south, and the garage/apartment to the n<;>rth. • 2. Landscaping, Hardscapes, Enclosures: The outdoor areas surrounding the house, include the sloped manicured lawn with mature pine and eucalyptus trees to the south and a hard-surface (concrete) tennis court to the east. A high-rise, red brick masonry wall covered with mature vines fronts the property along North Faring Road. Two gated driveway openings punctuate the wall at the north and south ends. The original landscaping, designed by Edward Huntsman-Trout, also included a variety of fruit (avocado and almond) and citrus trees, as well as a formal garden with flowering plants and shrubs. These landscaped elements have all been removed.

3. Outbuildings: Situated along the southern parcel line of the property is a small wood-frame pool house. Set within the sloping hill the one-story structure also contains a parcel width basement space that contains a bathroom and dressing area. This basement space is accessed via an exterior staircase comprised of concrete risers and treads.

PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A. Architectural Drawings:

• No original plans or other drawings for the building were located during the current research MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 18) investigation.

B. Early Views:

Aerial view ofback (east elevation) ofhouse prior to infill of two-story room addition, looking west, c. 1991. Black and white photocopy, Harvard Westlake School.

C. lnterviewsNideos:

None.

D. Bibliography:

PUBLICATIONS

Angelus Funeral Home. "Paul R. Williams, Architect, 1894-1980." Available from the California Biography File "A," Los Angeles Public Library.

Birnbaum, Charles and Robin Karson, editors. Pioneers ofAmerican Landscape Design,. New • York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Blumenson, John. Identifying American Architecture. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1989.

Carley, Rachel. The Visual Dictionary ofAmerican Domestic Architecture. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994.

City of Los Angeles. "Bel Air-Beverly Crest Community Plan." November 6, 1996. Available online at www.cityofla.org/PLN/community/community_plans.htm. Accessed September 2000.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. A Guide to Architecture in Los Angeles and Southern California. Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1977.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. Architecture in Los Angeles: A Complete Guide. Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1985.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. An Architectural Guide. Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine • Smith Books, 1994. MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 (PAGE 19)

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles. Layton, Utah: Gibbs, Smith, Publisher, 2003.

Gleye, Paul. The Architecture in Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California: Rosebud Books, 1981.

Grenier, Judson A. A Guide to Historic Places in Los Angeles County. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1981.

Hudson, Karen E. Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy ofStyle. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. 1993.

McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.

McWilliams, Carey. Southern California: An Island on the Land. Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1946, Revised 1988.

Office of State Historic Preservation. California Historic Resources Inventory, Survey Workbook (excerpts). State of California: Sacramento, 1986 .

Office of State Historic Preservation. Historic Properties Directory. State of California: • Sacramento, 1995. Ovnick, Merry. Los Angeles: The End ofthe Rainbow. Los Angeles: Balcony Press, 1994.

Parker, Patricia L. National Register Bulletin 24, "Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning." Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985.

Phillips, Alice Mary. Los Angeles: A Guide Book. Los Angeles: The Neuner Company, 1907.

Sanborn Map Company. Insurance Maps of Los Angeles, California. New York: Sanborn Map Company.

Smith, Jessie Camey, editor. "Paul R. Williams." Notable Black American Men. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Research, Inc., 1999.

Starr, Kevin. Inventing the Dream: California Through the Progressive Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 15, "How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation." Washington, DC: National Park Service, • Interagency Resources Division, rev, 1991. MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 20) Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1992.

NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS

Brown, Jessie May. "PRW Remembered His City." Los Angeles Sentinel. A-2. January 31, 1980.

Brown, Nick."Black Architect Overcomes Obstacles." Los Angeles Sentinel. A-2. January 31, 1980.

Brown, Nick. "Last Respects Paid To PRW." Los Angeles Sentinel. A-2. January 31, 1980.

Gale Research. "Paul R. Williams." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 9. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Research, Inc., 1995.

Ebony. "Blacks Who Overcame the Odds." November 1986: 148-154.

Hill, Herman. "A Tribute to Paul R. Williams." Los Angeles Sentinel. A-2. January 31, 1980.

Levine, Bettijane. "A Legacy Restored." Los Angeles Times, pp El, E4. August 8, 1999.

"Homes Named Monuments." Los Angeles Herald Examiner. December 2, 1976, Part A, p. 4.

"Houses, Lots and Lands - Saturday Review of Buildings and Development." Los Angeles Sunday Times. September 8, 1907, Part V, page 1.

"President Picks L.A. Architect." Los Angeles Times. September 13, 1953.

"Behind the Hedges ofHolmby Hills." Los Angeles Times. August 1, 1976, Part 5, p.1.

"Paul R. Williams, Architect, Dies." Los Angeles Times. January 25, 1980.

"Early American BlackArchitect, 85, Dead." Los Angeles Times. January 28, 1980.

"Famed Architect's Buildings Set to Be Razed." Los Angeles Times. March 20, 1996, Metro Section, pp. BS.

Moffat, Susan. "Roots Revisited." Los Angeles Times. Metro section. n.d.

Mozingo, Joe. "Architect Paul Williams Honored For L.A. Legacy." Los Angeles Times. March 1, 1998, pp B2.

• n.a. "Georgian Type Residence." Southwest Builder and Contractor. September 27, 1935. MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 21) n.a. "Pueblo Del Rio." Southwest Builder and Contractor. July 5, 1940.

n.a. "Watts Housing Project" Southwest Builder and Contractor. May 9, 1941.

Ryon, Ruth. "A Forgotten Black Architect Who Designed Mansions for Movie Stars." Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1989, Part Vill, p. 1.

Smith, Doug. "Around the Foothills 'The Worth ... of an Architect."' Los Angeles Times. March 8, 1990.

Winsor Square - Hancock Park Historical Society. "Paul Williams Honored at Homes Tour." The Historical Observer, Vol. 2, No. 2., Spring, 1977.

PUBLIC RECORDS

City of Los Angeles. Building Permits.

Los Angeles City Directories 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, and 1942.

• Los Angeles County Assessor's Records.

City of Los Angles Department of Water and Power.

E. Likely sources not yet investigated:

Los Angeles Department of City Planning Archives (visited, but not thoroughly), Los Angeles, CA. Karen E. Hudson, granddaughter of Paul R. Williams and director ofhis archives. Los Angeles, CA. National Archives: Laguna Niguel, CA and Washington, D.C.

F. Supplemental Material:

Harvard-Westlake School: Middle School Campus Modernization Project Environmental Impact Report, vols. 1 and 2. State Clearinghouse No. 2001121016/EIR. Prepared for the City of Los Angeles by PCR Services Corporation, January 2004 . • MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 (PAGE22)

PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION

The applicant proposes to improve the existing Harvard-Westlake Middle School Campus facilities, which is directly north of the house at 638 North Faring Road, to accommodate the optimal needs of a co-educational private school, as well as to provide expanded and improved facilities that fit the existing academic, athletic, and cultural arts programs at the school. This, in turn, would serve to maintain and enhance the School's position among the other private schools in the Los Angeles area. To allow for the expansion of the school campus onto the adjacent lot to the south, the Morris Landau House would be relocated off-site to a compatible location in terms of setting, context, orientation, topography, and associations.

As a component of the established mitigation measures outlined in the "Historic Resources Technical Report" prepared for the project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), HABS Level I recordation for the Paul R. Williams' designed residence was recommended. It was stipulated that the recordation package include measured drawings, large-format photo documentation, documentation of any existing drawings, and written relevant text. Such documentation would be completed prior to its relocation.

This HABS recordation document conforms with the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey guidelines set forth by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and is being donated to the Library of Congress to partially satisfy the mitigation measures required by the project applicant for CEQA compliance and project implementation.

Agency: City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, Los Angeles, CA

Applicant: Harvard-Westlake School

Project Name: Harvard-Westlake School: Middle School Campus Modernization Program

Prepared by: Janet Ostashay, Director of Cultural Resources Management PCR Services Corporation 233 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 130 Santa Monica, California 90401

Date: December 2005 • MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 (PAGE 23)

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SECOND LEVEL • MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE26) ENDNOTES

1 Ovnick, Merry. Los Angeles: The End of the Rainbow. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. Sanborn Maps. 4 Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. An Architectural Guide to Los Angles, pp.135-160. 5 City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. 6 Gebhard David and Robert Winter. Architecture in Los Angeles: A Comp/eat Guide. 7 Los Angeles City Directories, 1936, 1940-41, 1942, 1950, 1960; Los Angeles Assessor Records. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 "Paul R. Williams," Notable Black American Men. pp. 1238-1239. II Jbid. 12 Ibid. 13 Biography Resource Center. "Paul R. Williams." www.biographvresourcecenter.com: Gale Group, 2000. 14 "Paul R. Williams." Notable Black American Men, p. 1239. 15 Hudson, Karen. Paul R. Williams, Architect: A Legacy ofStyle. 16 Ibid. 17 "Paul R. Williams," Notable Black American Men, p. 1240. 18 "Early American Black Architect, 85 Dead." Los Angeles Times, January 28, 1980, pt. I, p.22. 19 "Georgian Type Residence," Southwest Builder and Contractor, September 27, 1935; original landscape plans archived at University of California, Los Angeles Library - Department of Special Collections. 20 "Edward Huntsman-Trout," Pioneers ofAmerican Landscape Design, McGraw-Hill, p.184. 21 Ibid, p. 185. 22 Ibid. 23 Ibid. 24 California Index at the Los Angles Public Library. 25 Edward Huntsman-Trout," Pioneers ofAmerican Landscape Design, McGraw-Hill, p.187 .

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