The mansion that once stood at 641 S. Irving Blvd, Los Angeles was originally known as the William O. Jenkins House. It was also home to one J. Paul Getty’s ex-wives. But you and I know it as Norma Desmond’s mansion in the Billy Wilder film “Sunset Boulevard.” (1950) In the movie, Norma’s address was 10086 Sunset, but the exteriors were filmed here. This photo was taken in 1957 when, sadly, a wrecking crew was in the middle of demolishing it to make way for a boring office tower. It looks like the sign on the far left says “SALVAGE.” I wouldn’t have minded the chance to sneak in and souvenir something. After all, Norma Desmond was “the greatest star of all.”
You can read a full history of the house on the Wilshire Boulevard blog.
From Norma Desmond’s mansion to this. What a shame it couldn’t be saved. This image is from March 2019:
It was a shame for it to have been demolished. Even today there is too much of a rush to obliterate our past whether it be buildings, history, monuments or even historical events.
I hear you there George. What is with society today??? Don’t they know beauty and class when they see it? You will never be able to
rebuild the beauty of old Hollywood again. The buildings and homes from the Golden Age are magnificent. I cry when I hear one has been destroyed.
The Harbor Building at 4201 Wilshire (on the mansion’s site at the “T” intersection with Crenshaw) is a vastly more important and consequential building than the mansion ever was. It combines the Corporate International and Late Moderne styles, and was built as the Getty-Tidewater Oil Building (1956-58), designed by the noted architect Claud Beelman. It is one of the era’s most impressive corporate buildings, and is recognized by the LA Conservancy.
To have been able to have walked through that doorway, through those halls, amongst those corridors and hear the echoes of evenings past. To have absorbed even the slightest element of what had been before….
Would an opportunity like that have been nice?!?!?
This view is on Wilshire Blvd, but the house was actually facing Irving.
Had no idea building was so important architecturally. Working in it for a couple of years became impressed; from the white marble façade down to the chrome plated fire nozzles this was a “first class” building in every respect – Guessing Getty “persuasion” influenced a 10 freeway offramp for Crenshaw Boulevard. Speaking of LA Conservancy recognition:
https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/harbor-building
Jenkin’s house trivia:The mansion was built in 1924 for $250,000 an absolute fortune for the era. (At that price the interior souvenirs….) J. Paul Getty was the 2nd owner. The empty pool was also used in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause”. If only the original owner hadn’t build on the Boulevard. This neighborhood is still beautiful..off the Boulevard.
The name “Norma Desmond” was a combination of Actress Norma Talmadge and Director William Desmond Taylor.
I quite like the clean mid-century lines of the building but did it have to come at the expense of what must have been a gorgeous – if perhaps run down – home? And I didn’t know where Norma Desmond’s name came from, so thanks for that, Matt!
Thought about it more & building reminds me of the Kirkeby building at 10899 Wilshire in Westwood. Come to discover both built by same architect, Claud Beelman! Both covered in white marble & seriously well built.
Guessing most don’t know Kirkeby was the 2nd owner of Lynn Atkinson spread, aka Beverly Hillibillies tv show mansion. Atkinson was a construction magnate with projects like Hoover Dam to his credit –
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4u4d6cSFfaFt_MSCg1PWriK528L25dSVdAg&usqp=CAU
I just discovered this post and this website.
I was searching for the location of the Norma Desmond house on Sunset Boulevard that was used as a location in the film. But I was very surprised to learn that it was at 641 Irving Boulevard. That’s just a few blocks from where I grew up on Norton Avenue near 4th St. I used to ride my bike all through Windsor Square and one of my elementary school friends lived at 617 Irving Blvd. I went to his house a number of times and we would look over the wall into the backyard of the Getty mansion. I clearly remember the swimming pool.
I learned that it was used in a scene in the film Rebel Without a Cause. I also remember when they were filming Rebel Without a Cause I was walking on Wilshire Boulevard where a small curved driveway had an awkwardly parked Porsche spider car. I realized later this was had to be James Dean‘s car. And he was there for that filming. He, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo had broken into a mansion at night in the movie. But in that film they gave the impression that this house was below the Griffith Park observatory.
I had no idea that this was the same house I had seen many times in the movie Sunset Boulevard.
Another fact is that to the north of my friend’s house, on the corner of sixth Street and Irving, is a mansion of another friend of my friend and sometimes I would go visit. I can still see the interior. This home was purchased by the city of Los Angeles, and is now the official residence of the Los Angeles mayor.
Anyway I’m so happy to learn finally where Norma Desmond‘s mansion really existed and it’s still clearly visible in my childhood memory. I was 9 years old at that time and in the 4th grade. That was about three years before they tore it down.
Ah, so you were looking for the Norma Desmond only to find that you’d already been there!
You might also like this post: https://martinturnbull.com/2021/03/14/peters-family-photos-of-the-getty-mansion-used-during-the-filming-of-sunset-blvd-at-641-s-irving-blvd-los-angeles-1949/
I love seeing these pictures. Thanks very much.
One photo shows a production vehicle, looking like a trailer, parked up against an arch, right where I saw the Porsche convertible parked during the filming of Rebel Without a Cause. I still believe that must have been James Dean’s car.