Whitley Heights successfully married serene homogeny with imaginative architecture. Mediterranean, Spanish revival, Moorish design suited a sunny California climate.

Silent movies offered something for everyone: epic dramas, love stories, enduring comedies. Keepsake postcards were mailed home, at a cost of two cents per stamp. They were eagerly shared around table and town, then carefully stored. The film industry was a budding art form that captured the world's imagination. People flocked to movie houses to see their favorite silent screen stars. Actors and actresses on Iris Circle alone included Charlie Chaplin, Lotty Pickford, Helen Twelvetrees, Marie Dressler, Carol Lombard, and William Powell. Harold Lloyd had a street named after him. (Lloyd Lane ended at Iris Drive.)

A string of cream stucco facades exude confidence and glamour. Decorative awnings protect residences from afternoon sun as well as provide stars their privacy.

A dramatic mountain backdrop showcases several Whitley Heights estates. 6809 Iris Circle, a prominent Spanish Colonial Revival, was built in 1926. It displays three Juliet balconies plus two more grand windows separated by a signature style chimney. Just to its north peeks the red rooftop of another handsome Spanish Colonial, 6825 Iris Circle. Stucco mission style 6820 Iris Circle is seen at the far left near Cahuenga Boulevard. It is accessed by Whitley Terrace and Iris.

6686 Whitley Terrace. Telephone poles and other utilities were soon buried underground. It only increased the allure of this movie colony. Photo circa 1927.

1928 (house north is Valentino's residence 6776 Wedgewood Place). The telephone cables have disappeared.

Circa 1935.

Forty-nine dream palaces were demolished to pave the way for the 101 freeway.

The houses below are on Fairfield. A long, curvy avenue that began near Highland and ended in a generous cul-de-sac. Only three Fairfield houses remain today. Valentino's property looked straight across the valley.

6776 Wedgewood Place. Distinctive rooftops on Whitley Terrace.

Back view: 6786 Whitley Terrace. A beautiful home torn down to make way for the traffic project.

Note: 6773 Wedgewood (red dot), 6786 Whitley Terrace, and 6796 Whitley Terrace (blue dot).

According to the HPOZ Contributing List 6796 Whitley Terrace was relocated to 6692 Whitley Terrace (lower lefthand corner).

In the foreground of the postcard is a mission tile hipped roof. It could easily be 6796 Whitey Terrace. Lush landscaping obscures the house. The cupola is different but the roof and address match. Currently located at 6692 Whitley Terrace - a cowboy weather vain. This is the second home miraculously saved from demolition. The other is Harold Lloyd's house.

Today: 6620 Iris Circle/6817 Whitley Terrace, a proud gem.

6809 Iris Circle, once Marie Dressler's home.