Wattles Mansion

History

Noted local architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey designed the Mission Revival residence in 1907 with grounds featuring a Japanese garden, an Italian Rose garden, a formal Spanish garden, a palm court and orchards. It was one of Hollywood's first tourist attractions. Wattles was responsible for gradually transforming 49 acres (200,000 m²) of agricultural land into orchards, thematic gardens and naturalistic landscapes based on his trips to Japan and Mexico.

After Wattles' death in 1932, his wife and his son continued to live on the property. Gurdon Wallace Wattles, Jr. negotiated the sale of the residence to the City of Los Angeles in 1965. In March of that year, the City of Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks Commission adopted Resolution 5135, designating the Wattles estate as an acquisition area, and purchased the property for $1,917,000 in June 1968.

Hollywood Heritage, a private non-profit preservation organization, began restoration efforts in 1983, and the estate served as their headquarters until May 22, 2009 when control of the property reverted to the Los Angeles Department of Parks & Recreation. Over the first decade volunteers with the Hollywood Heritage organization removed several feet of mud from the garden, replanted landscaping, and repainted and refinished the interior woodwork. Through their dedicated efforts, the Wattles Mansion was returned to its original state. In 1993 the Wattles Mansion was designated as City of Los Angeles Cultural Monument No. 579. In 2000, the J. Paul Getty Trust donated $75,000 towards a Preserve L.A. planning project designed to further the site's preservation.

Wattles Mansion

The home is two stories with a full basement. The first-floor rooms include a paneled library, a formal dining room, a large living room with a picture window to the south gardens, two large bathrooms off the entrance hall, a servant's dining hall and a kitchen and pantry. Five bedrooms and three baths are on the second floor.

Some of the original features in the Wattles Mansion include a black-and-white-checkerboard marble floor in the foyer, and intricately carved walnut bookcases and a hand-painted ceiling in the library. Hardwood moldings, white stucco walls, wood-beamed ceilings and hardwood floors with Oriental carpets are found throughout the house. There is a terracotta tile terrace and a wide, sloping lawn. Brick landings on a wide stairway go downwards towards landscaped terraces on each side, with a Spanish balustraded patio overlooking 3 acres (12,000 m²) of formal gardens.

Wattles Farm

Once the avocado and fruit orchard of the Wattles Mansion, in 1975 a group of local residents converted a 4.2-acre (17,000 m²) section of the then-neglected Wattles estate into a community garden. Today this members-only organic garden is among the oldest community gardens in Los Angeles. It is run by a nonprofit organization called the Wattles Farm and Neighborhood Gardeners, Inc., in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Wattles Park

Many of the gardens surrounding Wattles Mansion have been designated as Wattles Park. In the 1970s and '80s the park was popular among L.A.'s punk scene. Gurdon Wattles met the original head gardener during his world travels in 1910, and retained him for the next 20 years until his death in 1930. Gurdon's concept for the gardens was influenced by trips to Mexico and Japan; he bought a tea house, shrines and lanterns from Japan for use in the gardens. Four gardens were eventually developed, with the first corresponding to the architecture of the house, the second Italian, the third American, and the fourth Japanese.

Today Wattles Park occupies approximately 50 acres (200,000 m²) of a long narrow corridor of space that rises 950 feet (290 m) from Hollywood Boulevard. The lower park is 4.13 acres (16,700 m²) in size and fronts on Hollywood Boulevard. The Wattles Mansion and formal garden area runs along the private roadway to the building. The early American garden area is directly behind the residence and was composed of rose and vegetable gardens. The Japanese teahouse along Curson Avenue was a gift to the City of Los Angeles from the City of Nagoya, its sister city in Japan. The Japanese garden portion of the grounds was designed by Fugo, an influential landscape architect in Japan. All of the shrubs, plants, and vegetation were brought directly from Japan for the garden.

In the 1980s and 1990s, crime at the park increased, with drug pushers and junkies using the tea house. Vandalism and a couple of fires ruined the tea house, which has since been off limits to all visitors, and only a small portion of the tea house is still standing. Heavy flooding overflowed the small lake and stream, drying them up forever. Some of the palm trees had to be cut down. The place became unkempt as a result of the cutbacks, making it difficult to maintain the gardens. Graffiti was reported on the white columns and the Japanese entrance, as well as the outdoor temple, and the roof of the temple was removed. The park now has a sign warning of rattlesnakes in the area. Benches were removed as well.

Wattles Park has become popular with dog walkers.

Eviction notice

Hollywood Heritage was served an eviction notice in 2008 by the city of Los Angeles for failure to maintain the landmark and for throwing loud parties. Hollywood Heritage denied the allegations, but ultimately agreed to vacate the mansion in May 2009.