A Wee Bit of Scotland on the Westside : Cheviot Hills: The square-mile community echoes the Scottish theme in its street names, such as Dumfries and Wigtown.
In 1986, Timothy Homan, a math teacher at Santa Monica High School, bought a three-bedroom fixer-upper in Cheviot Hills for $260,000.
Investing $100,000, he added a bathroom, replumbed, relandscaped, refinished floors, made cosmetic changes, including wallpaper and paint, and sold the house in 1988 for $550,000.
But Homan didn’t take his profit and move on.
“I fell in love with Cheviot Hills,” he said, “and I found my dream house”--a 2,500-square-foot, two-story home that he bought for $700,000.
“It has three bedrooms, two baths and sits on a beautiful lot and a half, so there’s great potential to add on,” Homan said. “I have wonderful plans for this home and I plan to live in it for a long time to come.”
Originally a section of farmland famous for its celery, beans and oranges, the neighborhood of Cheviot Hills is about one square mile of undulating, tree-lined streets located south of Century City and 20th Century Fox Studios, north of the Santa Monica Freeway and to either side of Motor Avenue.
Built up during the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, the area was named by two developers who were inspired by the original Cheviot Hills of Scotland. The Scottish theme is echoed in its street names, such as Dumfries, Haddington, Wigtown, Troon.
Kaye Van Horn, a field aide for Rep. Tony Beilenson (D-Los Angeles), has lived in more than one home in Cheviot Hills--like many of her neighbors--and has never wanted to leave the area.
“Those who live here are in love with its unique physical beauty,” she said. “It’s an established community with a special character . . . lovely older homes and beautiful landscapes . . . excellent schools and convenient location.”
“One of this neighborhood’s greatest virtues is its accessibility,” said Richard Van Horn, director of the Mental Health Assn. in Los Angeles.
“It’s close to the business communities on the Westside . . . and, because the freeway is so close, you can be in downtown Los Angeles or LAX in 15 minutes.”
The community is also a “wonderful area to raise children,” said Lynn Angalet, who with her husband, Bruce, an educational consultant, are raising 4-year-old Jason.
“Eight years ago, there were only three children on our street,” she said. “Then, about the same time that Jason was born, there was a kind of baby boom and now there are more than 17 children on our block alone.
“Our older neighbors are terrific. They’ve all told us how happy they are to have young children playing in the neighborhood again.”
However, the Angalets face troubling issues common to other couples raising families in Los Angeles, including the influence of gangs and drugs in the schools.
“We thought about sending Jason to a private school but Overland Elementary had an orientation program recently that convinced us that it’s a very fine school. The teachers are very good; they have new equipment; they provide an excellent after-school day-care program for working parents, and they have tremendous parent involvement,” she said.
Millie Chase, a longtime resident who sold real estate in the area with her husband, Jack, until they retired in 1978, recalled the early days when the land was sold lot by lot.
“The homes were built as the lots were sold--they were meant to blend in with the scenery. It was quite common at that time to have only one house on an entire block. That’s why Cheviot Hills doesn’t have a tract look. That is also why the streets stop and start so abruptly.”
The houses reflect a variety of architectural styles--Norman French nestles comfortably beside Mediterranean, Spanish mingles with traditional.
Of particular delight to residents are the cottages built in the 1940s and ‘50s by the late Edmond J. Aiken. Sometimes called English cottages or “witches houses,” the homes rest in cozy landscapes with slanting thatched roofs, curving brick walkways and thick mortar oozing between brick and stonework.
Working with his own crew, which included his son, Aiken filled the small-scaled rooms with handcrafted doors, beamed ceilings, walls and floors, all of which were finished with original paints and stains.
Originally a shipbuilder, Aiken made use of every cozy corner, fashioning shelves for display, cupboards for storage and half-oval fireplaces that provide a view of crackling fires from any seat in the room.
“Mr. Aiken built practical, lovable homes, and catered to young couples on tight budgets because he knew they would love his homes as much as he did,” said Rosemary Peters, who with her husband, Ralph, a stockbroker, arranged for Aiken to build their first home in 1952.
“He loved funny, odd-shaped lots and would design the house to fit the lot,” Peters said. “In fact, following his advice, we rejected one parcel that was too ordinary for his taste and chose instead a uniquely shaped lot across the street that suited the character of our home perfectly.”
“He was an artist,” said Virginia Counts, who with her husband, J. Curtis, bought an Aiken home in 1948. Like other Aiken owners, the Counts kept in touch with the beloved home builder and visited him in Northern California shortly before his death in 1988 at the age of 99.
“Mr. Aiken used odd lots of brick and wood that make inevitable repairs next to impossible, but also make his unique homes one-of-a-kind treasures,” she said.
Like much Southland real estate, Cheviot Hills experienced extraordinary appreciation in the past 20 years.
Eliane and Armand Capdeville have lived in Cheviot Hills since the early 1970s and have worked together as a real estate agents for most of that time in Cheviot Hills, Rancho Park and Century City. They now work for Prudential California Realty.
“In 1970, an average 2,000-square-foot home in Cheviot Hills sold for $50,000 to $70,000. Today, that same home is valued at between $700,000 and $800,000,” the Capdevilles said.
“And Aiken homes have always been worth more per square footage than any other homes. In the early 1970s a 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bath Aiken home was valued at $60,000; today its value would begin in the mid-$500,000 range.”
“There is a special feeling of community that has been maintained throughout the years,” said Millie Chase, a longtime member of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners Assn.
“The neighbors on our street have a summer block party,” she said. “Everyone joins in and brings potluck. I’m particularly impressed with the enthusiasm of our younger neighbors, one of whom arranged for someone from UCLA to come to speak to us and helped our block organize a neighborhood earthquake awareness plan.
“Each neighbor knows the names of every adult and child living in each home, the names of their pets and the names of anyone who lives with them or works for them.”
The neighbors have even chipped in to buy a generator for emergency use in case of an earthquake disaster.
“We’ve always had a strong homeowners’ association that’s taken on City Hall more than once concerning issues affecting our neighborhood, such as the commercial development of areas surrounding Century City and what is now known as the Westside Pavilion--development that alarms many of the residents,” Chase said.
“Some battles we win, some we lose, but it has always been a dedicated group of individuals willing to work hard for issues that are important to the residents of Cheviot Hills.”
AT A GLANCE Population
1990 estimate: 4,225 1980-1990 change: 3.1% Median Age: 39.2 years Annual income
Per capita: 28,818 Median household: 59,014 Household distribution
Less than $15,000: 2.1% $15,000-$30,000: 18.1% $30,000-$50,000: 20.7% $50,000-$75,000: 17.8% $75,000 +: 38.7%
