Old-Time Elegance Lingers in an Urban Setting : Mid-City: Restored mansions and Craftsman homes from early in the century evoke a quieter, safer lifestyle.
When architect David Shaw was a teen-ager, he would cut through Victoria Park Circle on his way to the pool at Los Angeles High School. He admired the stately homes built as a secluded community for the well-to-do of early Los Angeles between 1905 and 1910.
In 1979, Shaw and his wife, Linda, bought a 1911 Prairie-style home reminiscent of the early designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. Time had taken its toll--windows were broken, the plumbing and wiring were in disrepair, the stained glass and light fixtures had been removed and the once grand home had been cut up into apartments.
Today, the Shaws have renovated the house, retaining the horizontal lines and cantilevering that were avant-garde in their day. The reward for their hard work is an elegant house with spacious rooms and 3,600 square feet.
They also enjoy the lifestyle of their urban neighborhood. “We feel safe and comfortable here. I walk around the circle for 30 minutes every morning,” Linda Shaw said.
Victoria Park Circle and the adjacent neighborhoods of Lafayette Square and Wellington Square are pockets of large homes located between Pico Boulevard and the Santa Monica Freeway just west of Crenshaw Boulevard, along Victoria Avenue, Virginia, Wellington and Buckingham roads. Each neighborhood has its distinctive character.
Victoria Park Circle, located between Pico and Venice boulevards, is an enclave of Craftsman-style houses and 1920s duplexes built around a circle lined with stately palms.
Lafayette Square, between Venice and Washington boulevards, is a community of large homes, including some built by architect Paul Williams, who lived in the square. His widow and daughters still are residents.
Development in Lafayette Square was started by pioneer developer George L. Crenshaw around 1910.
Many prominent citizens have called Lafayette Square home. George Pepperdine, founder of Pepperdine University, actors W. C. Fields and Fatty Arbuckle, entrepreneur Norton Simon and boxer Joe Louis lived there. The facade of a home belonging to credit dentist Dr. Campbell was used as the exterior of the Cleaver home in the television series “Leave It to Beaver.”
In Wellington Square, between Washington Boulevard and the Santa Monica Freeway, most of the houses are from the mid-1920s to the 1930s. Built for the business executives and professionals of that time, the houses are a bit smaller than those of Lafayette Square, averaging between 2,800 to 4,500 square feet.
After World War II when restrictive covenants setting racial guidelines for neighborhoods were broken, these areas became popular with black professionals, many of whom still live in the area.
Today, proximity to Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles is drawing new residents to the area. The lure of owning a Georgian, Tudor or Italian Renaissance mansion at a fraction of the price that such a home would command in Beverly Hills, nearby Hancock Park or the West Side also is a draw.
The large home purchased by entrepreneur Jamey Miller is not unusual for Lafayette Square. The 7,500-square-foot house has five bedrooms, each with a separate bath, a full attic, and a basement with storage, laundry and 12 forced air heaters. Downstairs, the mahogany paneled living room and dining room were decorated by singer Dionne Warwick, who also designed a bar in the area formerly used as a carriage entrance.
“Compared to other areas of town, this neighborhood offers a tremendous value to buyers,” said Jo Love, manager of the Jon Douglas Co. real estate office in Larchmont.
“These older homes, most of which are two story, are especially appealing to East Coast buyers who are used to city living,” she added.
According to Love, homes in Lafayette Square range in price from $350,000 for a smaller four-bedroom house to $750,000 for a mansion on an oversized lot. These larger homes could have five to seven bedrooms, three to five bathrooms, a music room, library and pool. The average home, that has 3,500 to 4,600 square feet, four to six bedrooms and three to five baths with family room or library, sells between $500,000 and $650,000.
The highest sale to date in Lafayette Square was $750,000 for a 6,500-square-foot house on three lots.
In Wellington Square, prices range from $290,000 to $535,000, Love said. Houses near the freeway and one-story houses may bring a lower price. The average four- to six-bedroom house is listed for $400,000 to $415,000.
Listing prices for Victoria Park Circle range between $350,000 and $450,000.
In the past three years prices in all three areas have escalated, according to Jon Douglas agent Rhonda Payne, who lives in Lafayette Square.
“In 1988 I sold houses in Lafayette Square for around $230,000 and houses in Wellington Square for around $150,000,” Payne said.
“Now, you have to pay around $400,000 in Wellington Square and $550,000 to $600,000 in Lafayette Square for the same house.”
Attorney Amy Forbes and her husband, Andrew Murr, a Newsweek reporter, are new residents to Wellington Square. Forbes works downtown and Murr works in West Los Angeles.
“When we got married, it was my mission to find a neighborhood that was close to both our jobs,” Forbes said.
“We wanted a relatively safe neighborhood where people care about their houses. We drove through this neighborhood late at night on a Saturday after attending a party. It was very quiet.”
Forbes and Murr wanted to buy a Craftsman-style house with wood paneling that had not been painted. After looking at about 30 houses, they discovered a two-story 1914 Craftsman house that was more or less in its original state.
“The kitchen had been redone, and the roof was new. There was some new plumbing and wiring. Otherwise, the house had not been redone,” Murr said.
The house has a large paneled dining room, living room, library with the original shelves and breakfast room downstairs. Off the large entry, a stairway leads to the upstairs bedrooms. “Unlike many Craftsman houses, this house had two bathrooms upstairs,” Forbes said.
One bathroom has the original claw-foot bathtub. There is also a maid’s room and bath downstairs.
As in many homes in the area, a rear maid’s stairway connects the kitchen to the bedroom area.
Buyers like Forbes and Murr are looking for a house that retains much of its original character and shun those that have been redone in the style of the 1960s and ‘70s.
“You see some horrendous rehab jobs,” Murr said.
Acoustical ceilings with glitter, paneling and fireplaces that have been painted and other remodeling that does not fit with the original style of the house result in a reduced price.
“Buying a house in one of these neighborhoods is like buying an antique. If the house has been altered, price is affected downward,” said Jerry Mendelsohn, a realtor with Heritage Realty and a homeowner in Victoria Park Circle.
“When you’re restoring an older house, you have to be informed so that you won’t lose money.”
Mendelsohn and his wife, librarian Joyce Albers, bought their 1911 Craftsman house in 1987. The house, which has 5,500 square feet of living space on three floors, has mahogany paneling, stained glass panels and molded plaster ceilings.
“The house was well preserved. You could still see the grandeur of the wood,” Albers said.
To restore the house to its original splendor Albers and Mendelsohn removed murky varnish from the paneling in the dining room and stripped flocked contact paper from the walls in the breakfast room. They bought a 1930s’ Magic Chef stove at auction for the kitchen. The light fixtures are of the period.
“It helps to be a good handyperson when you have an older house,” Albers said.
Karl Tucker and Jeff Mendel live down the street in a 12-room Craftsman house painted barn red with green and orange trim on a three-fourth acre lot.
They are serious preservationists, and even have installed a vintage stove that cooks with both gas and wood in their kitchen. Upstairs, one bedroom is heated with a wood stove. At the back of the lot they show visitors the carriage house that was once home to horse and buggy.
Active residents’ organizations, the Victoria Park Neighborhood Assn. and the Lafayette Square Assn., have helped maintain the pleasant ambience of the neighborhoods.
Many residents also belong to the West Adams Heritage Assn.
When attorney Al Boudroux and his wife, school board member Barbara Boudroux, moved to Lafayette Square in 1975, they found that the existing homeowners’ organization had been inactive for years. The Boudrouxs began to research the neighborhood’s history and encouraged neighbors to take a more active role.
About 75% of the households belong to the association now, they said.
Probably the most significant accomplishment of the association is getting the city to block most streets providing access to the area.
“Originally, the Square had nine granite gateways with matching gates,” said Rhonda Payne. “Today all streets have blocked entry except off Venice.”
Residents feel that the closure has cut down on traffic and made the square more secure. In Victoria Park Circle, a partial closure on Victoria Avenue blocks access from Venice Boulevard, but allows residents to exit. The neighborhood is working toward making the closure permanent.
“There was a sharp fall off of burglaries after the closure,” said Robert Harris, current president of Lafayette Square Assn. “Our project this year is to get more attractive fencing on the entries, perhaps iron gates with locks. The entrances still are accessible to emergency vehicles.”
The neighborhood associations also work on problems along the adjacent streets, which can present a jarring contrast.
“We are very concerned about stopping the erosion of surrounding areas,” Harris said.
However, residents feel relatively safe living in the midst of an urban area.
“This is basically a middle-class professional neighborhood where residents care for the area and for their homes,” said detective Robert Hyde of Wilshire Division, Los Angeles Police Department. “Crenshaw, Pico and Venice are well lighted, and there isn’t a problem driving in and out of the area. People have lived there for years without problems. Still, as in many parts of the city, it is best not to walk after dark,” he added.
“My kids were in their late teens when I moved to Victoria Park Circle from Woodland Hills in 1979, and they thought I was crazy to buy here,” said librarian Eda White, who lives in a Craftsman-style house on the circle with her poodles Happy, Sunny and Cleo and her son, Bill.
“My friends and relatives were horrified. People just don’t know how safe and convenient it is living here. There’s a real sense of community.”
At a Glance Population
1991 estimate: 5,639
1980-91 change: +26.1%
Median age: 32.6 years
Annual income
Per capita: 9,411
Median household: 23,450
Household distribution
Less than $10,000: 18.6%
$10,000 - $20,000: 22.4%
$20,000 - $30,000: 21.1%
$30,000 - $50,000: 21.4%
$50,000 + 16.5%
