Whitley Heights 101

2026 Holly Hill Terrace

2026 Holly Hill Terrace was built in 1922 by Hollywood Architectural Service Company and the address was originally listed as 2008 Holly Hill Terrace. It was changed to 2026 Holly Hill Terrace shortly thereafter. The Spanish style bungalow consists of two floors. The top floor is accessible on the street of Holly Hill Terrace. There is also a one bedroom apartment that can be entered on the left side of the property. After the house was built, it was auctioned off in 1923.

The main residence consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and a sunroom that sits over the garage. The garage had been converted into another “unfinished” room. In 1937, the owner had installed a French door between the living room and dining room which has been removed in a more recent remodeling.

The rear of the property backs up to what is left of Bella Vista Way and has not access from that street. There is a patio and covered porch in the backyard. The “granny flat” apartment consists of a living room, kitchenette, one bedroom and a full bathroom. Below, 2026 Holly Hill Terrace’s back view is center and Cerritos Place can be seen to the left.

In 1928, Swedish photographer, Olof Brinell rented this property. Brinell was also one of the voices on the Swedish version of “Dumbo” in 1946. He also selected five American actresses for a Stockholm exhibit in 1925:

In 1945, at the age 49, Brinell was driving a vehicle which failed to turn on Topanga Canyon Road and crashed over a soft shoulder and into a eucalyptus tree. All of his passengers died. He got out of the car and gave his name to a witness and then dropped dead. One of his passengers was Roger Denny, a screenwriter of 15 credits; best known to be a contributing writer of Citizen Kane.

Jack Townley was born on March 3, 1896 in Kansas City, Missouri. He was a writer and director, known for Guilty Parents (1934), The Pittsburgh Kid (1941), The Traitor Within (1942) and The Yellow Rose of Texas (1944). Although he was once a struggling Hollywood newspaper writer, Townley’s big break began writing scripts for Fatty Arbuckle movies in the 1930s. Townley eventually started his own production company. He also lived at 2127 Whitley Avenue in 1934-36 as discussed in a previous blog. Townley had his money troubles as he filed for bankruptcy twice while residing at the Whitley Avenue residence. He died on October 15, 1960 in Los Angeles while staying at the Hollywood Motion Picture Country Home, a nursing home for those affiliated with movies and television. His wife, former actress Jean Lake, was living at this residence when Townley died. Jack and Jean Townley had been married since 1931; he was eleven years older than her.

Teen Wolf actress, Holland Roden remodeled this residence which was featured in a 2018 Architectural Digest edition. Roden, who claims Frank Avruch, the 1960s entertainer best known as Bozo the Clown, resided at 2026 Holly Hill Terrace and that actress Judy Garland lived next door. After an extensive search on Avruch, it appears that he lived most of his life in Boston, Massachusetts and that his radio appearances and films were completed in Massachusetts or New York. Although Avruch may have temporarily resided at this property, there is no documentation that places him here as to date.

Roden, who was working in Canada at the time, purchased this property without physically seeing it. It was also her first purchase as a homeowner. In 2017, she hired electrician John Manzano, to assist with the renovation, which proved to be more extensive that she first thought. While only residing in the home for half of the renovation and filming in New Zealand, the house was completed in six weeks. Together Manzano and Roden designed the fireplace, added crown molding, shiplap, beams, and barn doors she found at Home Depot.

Roden is somewhat of an adventurous type because during the Covid shutdown, she rebuilt a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter camper van with her own hands. She then traveled around and lived in the camper and posted her adventures on social media.