How different the San Fernando Valley must have felt back in 1937. The house in the center belonged to Barbara Stanwyck. It doesn’t look like she was doing much with the land, but all that space must have been a tonic after a long week at the studio. The road on the left is Devonshire St, and the top of the photo is looking east toward Reseda Blvd. The other house belonged to Zeppo Marx and the land today is known as the historically preserved Oakridge Estate. In other words, it hasn’t been paved over for a mini mall.

Barbara Stanwyck and Zeppo Marx’s train stop, Northridge, Los Angeles: (you know you’re doing well when you’ve got your own train station)

This is what the area looks like now. The estate isn’t a shopping mall now, but it’s next to one!