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Storybook houses of Los Angeles

By Christy Hobart, Special to The Times Once upon a time. . . . "Storybook houses are an outgrowth of the blurred line of fantasy and reality that is particular to Los Angeles," says Trudi Sandmeier, a preservationist at the Los Angeles Conservancy. The style pops up across the country, she notes, but nowhere did it attain the popularity it enjoyed in L.A. Pictured here is the Hobbit House in Culver City.

By Christy Hobart, Special to The Times

Once upon a time. . . .

“Storybook houses are an outgrowth of the blurred line of fantasy and reality that is particular to Los Angeles,” says Trudi Sandmeier, a preservationist at the Los Angeles Conservancy. The style pops up across the country, she notes, but nowhere did it attain the popularity it enjoyed in L.A.

Pictured here is the Hobbit House in Culver City.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Once upon a time (in the early 1900s) hobbit holes and witches dens dotted the Los Angeles landscape. A few are left standing.

Storybook houses

At a time when midcentury modern is the pinnacle of hip living, when Neutra and Schindler are considered gods by architecture buffs, and when light and space are in high demand, the storybook style has never seemed more out of fashion.

The outside gate at Witches House in Beverly Hills.  (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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