Whitley Heights 101

6689 Emmet Terrace

Built in 1927 as a triplex by E.A. and Kathryn Long and architect Frank H. Webster. Webster was also built the Villa Bonita Apartments located at 1817 Hillcrest Road in Hollywood in 1929. The seven story Spanish building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and declared a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2009. The Villa Bonita Apartments have been home to many Hollywood notables including; actor Errol Flynn, director Francis Ford Coppola (stayed here while filming The Godfather), actress Lois Collier, director Walter Bacon, art director Sidney Ullman, actor Karl Held, and actress Emma Dunn. The building sits next to the Hollywood United Methodist Church and is a few blocks away from Whitley Heights.

In 1928, Webster also designed the Ojai Apartments, 1929 Whitley Avenue in Whitley Heights (see previous post Padre Terrace). He also was responsible for a duplex located at 2601 Beechwood Drive in Hollywood, a three-story hotel in Topanga Canyon, and several buildings in Santa Monica. 6689 Emmet Terrace was built with a total of 15 rooms and three stories high with access on both Emmet Terrace and Bonair Place. Addresses associated with this property include: 6691 Emmet Terrace, 6684 Bonair Place, and 6686 Bonair Place. There are many notables who have lived here; however, there are rumors that James Dean, Stevie Nicks, and Ben Stiller may have stayed at 6689 Emmet Terrace for a period of time, although unconfirmed.

1925).

Silent screen actor Eugene O’Brien stayed at 6686 Bonair Place in 1927 while awaiting to move into 6691 Whitley Terrace as he was adding a two story addition to that home. This unit is 1,600 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. While at this residence, O’Brien photographed the property:

The living room area and the fireplace as it looks today:

Radio star and writer Pierre Mellonino and his wife, Clare, a pianist, also lived at 6686 Bonair Place in 1930. Pierre became the program director at KNX radio station in 1930. The Mellonino’s moved to 4248 Arch Drive where Clare died in 1939 at the age of 44 after a two month illness. Clare made her debut at a concert pianist at the age of 17 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and at the time of her death, she was with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. After her death, Pierre moved back to Whitley Heights down the street at 6673 Emmet Terrace in the 1940s before moving back to Massachusetts. Alexander Ignatieff, an animator who also painted the Jean Harlow mural in Paul Bern’s Easton Drive house, resided at 6689 Emmet Terrace in 1934.

Between 1935-1937 musician Jascha Veissi, and his wife, Hilda resided at 6691 Emmet Terrace. Ukraine born Joseph Weissman (1898-1983) was a classical viola player who played with the Kolisch Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. While living here, Veissi would keep his prized viola in car and park in the back on Bonair Place thinking the neighborhood was safe. In December of 1935, two juvenile boys stole his antique viola (worth $7,600 in the 1930s) and two bows. The boys pawned the two bows for $150 and brought back the viola to Vessi as the theft was all over the news. Vessi wrote down the license plate number and the police found out they had pawned the bows, which were recovered. The boys were arrested for breaking into Veissi’s car and stealing the expensive musical instrument.

Between 1942-1948 composer Aldo Franchetti lived at 6691 Emmet Terrace, where he died in 1948. Franchetti was born in Italy in 1883 and became an international composer and conductor at the Metropolitan New York and performed Pagliacci for two years at the Hollywood Bowl. Franchetti was active in motion picture scores up until his death.

In 1954, actors William J. Eythe and Herbert A. McCallister, Jr. (Lon McCallister) lived at 6691 Emmet Terrace. Eythe and Mcallister had a “forbidden romance” and was on and off through their marriages. Lon McCallister was associated with “the Boy-Next-Door” roles in several 20th Century Fox “family” movies of the mid- and late 1940s. William Eythe was probably best remembered for playing Jennifer Jones’ (sort-of) love interest in “The Song of Bernadette”, Linda Darnell’s suitor in Otto Preminger’s blockbuster “Centennial Summer”, and the good-looking lieutenant with Anne Baxter and Tallulah Bankhead in Preminger’s “A Royal Scandal”.

Eythe, who had a reputation for being “difficult,” had a troubled professional relationship with Fox producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who fired him in 1947. That same year, Eythe married Fox contract player Buff Cobb. The couple were divorced in early 1949, after Cobb, shortly to become the wife of television personality Mike Wallace, accused Eythe of hitting her. Cobb was awarded $2,500 in the divorce settlement, which Eythe failed to pay and was ultimately arrested. Mcallister was happy but noticed that Eythe had gotten out of shape and was drinking far too much. Still, they thought they had something special and were happy to give their relationship another chance.

By the mid-50s Eythe was drinking more than ever and usually depressed. He accumulated a few drunk driving arrests. McCallister did all he could to help pull his partner out of it but to no avail. They lived together in the 1950s until Eythe died in 1957 due to hepatitis at the age of 38. The one mistake they made was “flaunting” their relationship during a period of time when same sex relationship were frowned upon. Mcallister died of congestive heart failure in 2005 in Lake Tahoe. His newspaper obituary failed to mention that Eythe was his longtime partner.

All three units have their own fireplace in the living room and it appears that each has its own floor. There is a detached four car garage below the property on Emmet Terrace. This property is a part of historic Hollywood and is considered significant enough to be protected by the Mills Act.