Starting in the late 1890s, Hobart Whitley was one of Hollywood’s earliest developers. He built the Hollywood Hotel at Hollywood and Highland, as well as conceiving Whitley Heights on the hillside overlooking Hollywood, which became the first movie-star neighborhood. It was inevitable that he would live there too, and here we have a photo of his home under construction. I couldn’t find a date on this shot, but it must have been pretty early as they’re still using mules to grade the land. And note the Whitley Heights sign in the background. That was Hobart’s idea too, and it was he who gave the Hollywoodland developers the idea to construct one of the world’s most famous signs.
(By the way, I caught a glimpse of this image in Justin Root’s very interesting multi-part series of videos on Whitley Heights. You can watch episode #1 here.)
Here is a front view of the sign, which was electric and could be seen for miles around, probably because it was the only one around. I read somewhere that it was Whitley who brought electricity to Hollywood.
Here is another view of the Whitley Heights sign as seen from the rear. From the looks of those cars, I’d say it was taken early 1920s (can anybody reading this be more specific?)
Advertisement for Whitley Heights in the Hollywood Citizen, May 20, 1921
Hobart Whitley’s house still stands at 2073 Grace Ave. This image is from August 2022.
Love that era and style. The address is 6650 Whitley terrace, Zillow has pics of house. They have a piece of furniture in the house with what looks like someone graffitied the word Hollywood in black on it. I think it looks tacky, but I am not an artistic person.
Once again I jumped the gun. Satellite view has address as 2073 right in the same vicinity.
Looks like 2073 is for grace ave, that runs right below Whitley. Whitley side satellite has 6651 or 6643 Whitley. But 2073 grace is what they have directly over house.
one last comment. The house address is 2073 Grace ave. Realtor.com has it 6 beds and 4 baths on a 9,384 sqft built in 1920. so if info is correct the pic was taken around in or around 1920.
So you’re saying that the house in the modern photo is the same house as the one in the vintage photo at the top? Every single reference I could find showing Whitley’s house showed the one I posted.
It sure looks like it, in the vintage photo says rear of house, but it looks like what is the front on Grace Av. which is the actual address. The modern google photo is showing Whitley side of home. Street to street lot. So I think it is the same house?
I did a 1930 census search for Hobert Whitley. He was listed at 2073 Grace av. He was 79, his wife, looks like Margeret is 68, and a daughter named Grace at 33 years living in that house. I am wondering if vintage house pic being built and the pic of the sign were taken on the same day?
The third photo of the cars lined up behind the sign is quite likely 1920 based on the license plate format. (The only other year it could be is 1924, but the green plate typically looks more gray in b&w. The 1920 was black, and the white numbers make for a contrasty plate like seen in the photo.).
I also put up a copy of the building permit for the Whitley residence on FB.
Thanks, Jeff!
Hi Martin,
I found a higher resolution version of the 3rd photo and I can make out the plate clearly. It’s a 1920 plate. So the photo is definitively 1920, and clearly mid-year (May-Jul) based on shadow angle.
I also think the 3rd photo was shot on the same day as the top photo. You can see a very similar looking set of cars in in the background.
My guess, and I could be wrong, it was a Whitley family and associates trip up to the see the progress on the new residence and the completed sign. I would think very near the time of its first lighting. There is a newspaper story about Whitley Heights that started:
Jun 11, 1920 (LA Evening News Citizen)
“Bringing to mind the early history of Hollywood, the turning on of the electricity in the big sign, ‘Whitley Heights,’ for the first time Friday night, was fittingly celebrated by real estate men of Hollywood as hosts of H.J. Whitley, the developer of Hollywood twenty years ago.”
I’ll post a copy of news clip to FB.
That construction site reminds me a similar looking scene in a movie — “Cast A Deadly Spell.” So, the movie got the look right.
A footnote at W&P Associates notes the town of Marian (mentioned in the ad page posted above) became Reseda in 1922. (You may not always find an answer by frantically searching, but if you get lucky you might just trip over it and get hit on the head by the pavement.)