Whitley Heights 101

6630 Whitley Terrace (Grace’s House)

6630 Whitley Terrace was built by H.J. Whitley, Arthur S. Barnes and architect E.C. Wiseman for Whitley’s daughter, Grace in 1919. This residence is diagonally across the street from H.J. Whitley’s house on Whitley Terrace. In the picture above, H.J. Whitley’s house can be seen in the upper left hand corner. This 3,029 square foot home consists of three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and sits on a downslope on the hill. The backside of the property is seen in the picture above with the upper floor accessible on Whitley Terrace. Originally built in Mediterranean style, the house has had some makeovers prior to the Whitley Heights becoming a historical neighborhood.

Grace Virginia Whitley was born in Los Angeles in 1894 to Hobart J. Whitley and Margaret Virginia “Gigi” Ross. Hobart was fourteen years older than Gigi and they had their first son, Ross, when H.J. was 35 years old; Gigi was 21 years old. They waited seven years before having Grace. When Ross left for Stanford University, Grace attended Miss Head’s Fashionable School for Girls, a progressive school which taught Grace to be independent and politically aware. As a result, Grace began to rebel against the strict norms of society. Ross was only 16 years old when he left for college so Gigi temporarily moved up to Stanford with him because H.J. felt he was too young to be on his own. Below is a picture of Grace being honored as a debutante in 1914.

Grace’s rebelliousness continued attending Hollywood High School when it opened in 1910. H.J. would often lecture her on proper behavior and the obligations of wealth. Grace’s skirts were becoming shorter (above her ankles) and her father had caught her kissing a boy in public. At the same time, Ross was also defiant as H.J. had caught him smoking in his room with other young men the summer after his first year of college. Ross met a vaudeville showgirl named Mary and they got married at the Whitley ‘s house in 1913. That same year, there was a debutante party held at the Hollywood Hotel for Grace where she was introduced to a debonair named William Widenham. Widenham gave Grace attention she desired so when he proposed she accepted at the age of nineteen.

Although, Mr. and Mrs. Whitley were once again, not thrilled about their daughter rushing into marriage, Grace said she loved William. H.J. wanted her to finish school on the east coast and postpone the wedding. In 1914, Grace was planning to elope to William Widenham and her brother, Ross, attacked Widenham in front of GW Hill’s home. The two eventually shook hands after the brawl and agreed to have an October wedding on the east coast. They actually married on June 22, 1914 at the Whitley’s home in Van Nuys. Unfortunately, William had a “wandering eye” and Grace experienced passion but not kindness in her new marriage. A year later, Grace gave birth to Margaret Virginia Widenham, hoping a baby would mature William into fatherhood.

Ross and his wife, Mary, moved to Tu-Tock-A-Nula Ranch in San Fernando Valley in 1922 and Ross caught Mary in the barn with a ranch hand. He told her to leave the property and he never spoke to her again. A year later, he married Irene Preston, an intelligent and education woman whom his parents would approve of. Irene got pregnant eight months after they were married and Johnstone Whitley was born in 1924. Grace and William’s marriage continued to decline. William was a heavy drinker and all her nagging did was cause him to be physically and verbally abusive towards her. The last beating Grace had received was so severe she had to be hospitalized and was after the birth of their son, William Jr., in 1929. Grace divorced William, got custody of her two children, and moved in with her parents. It is unclear if Grace actually lived at this residence. However, she was listed as an artist at this address in 1922.

This property was still owned by Whitley in 1922 because he added the two-car garage located on the left side of the house and rented the house that year. He eventually put the house up for sale in 1923. Actor Knute Erickson and his wife, actress Eleanore Brigare, lived in the house in 1924. Knute was a vaudeville comedian and actor and starred in over 30 films between 1921 and 1939. His best known role is Daffy Dan in the 1931 movie, The Monster. Erickson, pictured below, had some success with that character while traveling in vaudeville shows. The Swedish born actor played the Daffy Dan character in two Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle films which were never released.

Between 1927 and 1929, Lathrup and Marie Tuttle lived in the house. Their son worked for an oil company and married actress, Adele Farnum (her father was actor William Farnum). In 1932, motion picture director, Emile De Recat resided here with his wife, Raquel. Francis X. Baur (pictured below) and his wife, Dora, moved into the home. Baur was the executive to the Motion Picture Relief Fund of America, which collected money from the entertainment industry to help needy families. Baur took over the organization in 1933 just before Marion Davies was elected president. In 1935, he died in the home at the age of 47. He had an influenza attack a few months prior and died of an “organic ailment” that was attributed to the flu.

In 1946, Mr. and Mrs. George P. Murphy lived in the home. Their daughter was Jeanne Eve Murphy, a Manhattan stage actress who is pictured below.

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, the house received an extensive makeover changing the style on the exterior to a French modern look. A carport and another bathroom were added to make the total bathrooms to three. Eventually the carport was remodeled into another garage. In the 1990’s the windows were updated and the doors were replaced with sliding doors.