Welcome to
our history
Perched in the hills above Hollywood Boulevard, Whitley Heights holds a singular place in Los Angeles history — a model of early hillside development, a cradle of Old Hollywood glamour, and one of the first neighborhoods in California to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The Vision of Hobart Johnstone Whitley
Canadian-born Hobart Johnstone “H.J.” Whitley (1847–1931) arrived in Los Angeles by way of Chicago. A seasoned developer and banker, Whitley was already known for founding towns along the expanding railroad lines of the American West.​
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During a honeymoon trip to Southern California in 1886, Whitley was captivated by the region’s light, landscape, and opportunity. Soon after settling in Los Angeles, he began acquiring large tracts of land — among them the Herd Ranch, a 480-acre parcel overlooking the Cahuenga Valley. In 1889, Whitley completed the purchase and renamed it Whitley Heights.
In typical fashion, he marked the occasion with bold gestures: planting 10,000 trees and hosting a grand barbecue for more than 1,000 guests — an event that would help cement his role as one of Hollywood’s earliest founders.
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Laying the Foundation of Hollywood
​Whitley’s vision extended beyond Whitley Heights. In 1902, he joined with investors to open the Hollywood Hotel on Highland Avenue — the area’s first true landmark and social center. Around the same time, he helped organize the Los Angeles Pacific Boulevard and Development Company, furthering his influence on the city’s growth.
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By 1903, Whitley had erected the first structure in his namesake development: a Mission Revival-style bandstand modeled after the new Hollywood Hotel. From that vantage point, citrus groves stretched southwest toward the Pacific. Two decades later, the nearby Hollywood Bowl would open, reinforcing the area’s place in Los Angeles’ cultural geography.
Designing a Hillside Community
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At the dawn of the 20th century, the concept of a planned hillside subdivision was novel. Whitley envisioned a Mediterranean-inspired village harmonizing with the Southern California climate and topography. To achieve this, he commissioned architect Arthur L. Barnes to tour Europe and study its architecture and landscaping.
Barnes returned with a vocabulary of Spanish Colonial Revival, Italian Renaissance, and Mediterranean motifs, which would come to define Whitley Heights. Roads were carefully graded to follow the contours of the hills. Retaining walls, pedestrian stairways, and iron chain railings allowed residents to navigate the steep terrain — innovations that would later inspire hillside design across Los Angeles.
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Whitley declared to the Los Angeles Times:
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“Whitley Heights will be my last subdivision. I look upon it as the culmination of a lifetime of development, and frankly, the most beautiful piece of property I ever developed.”
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The Golden Era of Whitley Heights
During the 1910s and 1920s, Whitley Heights became home to some of the most celebrated names in early Hollywood. The neighborhood’s privacy, central location, and proximity to major studios — Paramount, RKO, Warner Brothers, and Chaplin Studios on La Brea — made it a natural haven for the industry’s elite.
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Early residents included Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova, Barbara La Marr, Francis X. Bushman, Norma Talmadge, Eugene O’Brien, Marie Dressler, Charlie Chaplin, Louise Brooks, Wallace Beery, and Gloria Swanson.
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As the silent era gave way to talkies, others joined: Bette Davis, Carole Lombard, Tyrone Power, William Powell, Maurice Chevalier, Donald O’Connor, Barbara Stanwyck, and Rosalind Russell.
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Writers also found inspiration here — among them William Faulkner, Ben Hecht, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Hilton, Anita Loos, and Lenore Coffee — lending Whitley Heights its reputation as a haven for the creative and the restless.
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Architectural Evolution
Most homes were built before the stock market crash of 1929, forming a remarkably cohesive architectural fabric. Later years brought select variations — such as a Normandy cottage on Milner Road designed by set designer Harry McAfee for developer Arthur Watson, and several Streamline Moderne residences by German émigré Kem Weber, who would later design the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
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A Neighborhood Divided and Reunited
The postwar period brought dramatic change. In 1946, construction of the Hollywood Freeway (U.S. 101) cut directly through the neighborhood, destroying dozens of homes — including Rudolph Valentino’s celebrated residence on Wedgewood Place — and physically dividing Whitley Heights.
Despite this loss, the community rallied. Residents organized the Whitley Heights Civic Association (WHCA) to preserve the area’s unique character. Under the leadership of preservation advocate Brian Moore, the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and became a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) in 1992, ensuring its protection for future generations.
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Whitley Heights Today
Today, Whitley Heights remains one of Los Angeles’ most picturesque and storied enclaves — its narrow streets, terraced gardens, and tile-roofed villas echoing the romance of early Hollywood.
As both a living neighborhood and an architectural landmark, it continues to embody Whitley’s original vision: a place where design, landscape, and community come together in timeless harmony.