Whitley Heights 101

6764 Milner Road

6764 Milner Road was one of the earliest residences built on this road in 1921 by Jas S. Bohanan. Originally, the address was listed as 6763 Milner Court and changed to its current address. The 930 square foot, one story Mediterranean home sits on an upslope with two bedrooms and one bathroom. This property has been home to several artists due to the detached working studio and a huge patio in the front.

Down the hill on Milner Road sits the detached one car garage and then there are 48 concrete steps leading up to the house. The garage looks to have been remodeled by one of the recent owners. Local artists that have lived here include; Justine Holmes from 1936-1941 and Charles M. Holmes in 1942.

One of the recognized artists that have resided at 6764 Milner Road is Russell “Neale” Iredell who lived in the home in 1930. Iredell (1889-1998) is an artist known for his black and white portraits, including the nude. Below is Iredell painting a portrait in what appears to be the living room of this home with the fireplace behind him.

When Iredell settled in Los Angeles in 1922, he was painting portraits of Hollywood celebrities and was the artistic director at the Hollywood Bowl. Below, is the portrait of Mary Pickford that he painted with Pickford’s signature, circa 1925 which sold though Julien’s Auctions in 2007 for only $100. His illustrations appeared in several national magazines and he published books on drawing including, Drawing: Female Figures and Drawing the Figure, published in the 1950s and 1960s.

From 1952-1958, stage director Ralph Bloom lived here with his wife, Helen, until his death in 1958. His previous wife was Frances Copeland, a concert pianist who traveled Europe with her sister as part of The Copeland Sisters. Bloom was a prominent director and producer of local theater performances throughout Los Angeles.

Gary Kornblau, an art critic and instructor, lived at 6764 Milner Road in the 1990s through the 2000s. Gary is the founder and editor of Art Issues Magazine and Art Issues Press. He is the author of numerous essays on art, and has lectured, juried, and testified for the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the California State Legislative Committee on the Arts, and the Annenberg School of Education at USC in collaboration with the J.Paul Getty Trust. He has also taught at Claremont University and the Art Center in Pasadena.

Above, in the dining area, the detached studio, which serves as a second bedroom, can be seen on the below patio in the open window. Below, the property is on a partial cul de sac on Milner Road.