Whitley Heights 101

2221 Fairfield Avenue

2221 Fairfield Avenue was built in 1925 by contractor D.C. Messing and owner Rhonda E. Robinson. The two-story English Tudor style home consists of 2,379 square feet and a two-car garage with a total of 8 rooms. There are 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Unfortunately for Ms. Robinson, she was forced to sell the newly built property as soon as it had been built. Below is Fairfield Avenue before this street was demolished to make way for the Hollywood Freeway in the early 1950’s. 2221 Fairfield would be on the right side where the vehicle is located. Fairfield Avenue then curved to the right after it intersected with Odin Street and then curved left before it ended just below Wedgewood Place. Various homes in Whitley Heights are above on Odin Street, Fairfield Avenue, Wedgewood Place and Whitley Terrace.

Below is an aerial view of the area with the blue arrow indicating the location of 2221 Fairfield Avenue. Cahuenga Boulevard intersects with Fairfield Avenue to its north.

Below is another view of Fairfield Avenue from the hills of Whitley Heights. The street just below is Odin Street. The rooftop on the lower part of the photo is 2133 Fairfield Avenue which used to curve around and ended at the bottom of Wedgewood Place.

Below is the rear of 2221 Fairview Avenue seen from Hollywood Hills. The street below is Odin Street.

Between 1925-1926, the family who was looking for a maid might have been sued for race and age discrimination if they put advertisements in the newspaper today. One advertisement dated December 27, 1925 stated “woman not over 40” while another dated June 22, 1926 said, “white woman for light housework; must stay in place”. By January 1927, the house was up for sale again for $24,000 and had to be auctioned off.

The house remained up for auction for several years until 1929.

In 1937 Canadian-born actor Alexander Berton Churchill purchased 2221 Fairfield Avenue and moved in with his wife, Harriet and 20 year old daughter, Mary. Churchill started his career in New York City in the theater and transitioned to silent film. He had only worked on 3 silent films before moving to talking pictures. Churchill, who was said to be very selective about his roles, was credited for 131 films between 1919 and 1940. Usually playing stern authority figure character roles as bank presidents, judges, and politicians, he is probably best known for his role as Ellsworth Henry Gatewood in 1939’s Stagecoach.

After filming his last film, I’m Nobody’s Sweetheart Now, in 1940, Churchill had taken a 10 year break from theater. He decided that he wanted to go back and took a part in “George Washington Slept Here” in New York. He flew back to New York in October, leaving Harriet and Mary at home and he checked into the Lincoln Hotel. He ended up collapsing on the floor from uremic poisoning and was not found for several days. Harriet was contacted with the tragic news and arranged to have his body transported back to Hollywood were he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Since Harriett did not work, she immediately put 2221 Fairfield Avenue up for sale, even lowering the price. Harriet and her daughter moved to an apartment in North Hollywood.

Now came bad news for the owner in 1950-the house needed to be moved or it would be torn down for the construction of the 101 Freeway. Luckily, Edith Perry Crooke of Van Nuys (Panorama City) purchased the home. Her home located at 13553 Reedley Street was being converted into a church as the land was owned and used by the American Legion. Crooke was moving 2221 Fairfield Avene to a parcel of land that was next door to the American Legion. Below is the American Legion showing the relocated house with the address of 8370 Woodman Avenue.

Sometime in the 1950’s, the property changed its address to 8372 Ventura Canyon Avenue and Crooke moved. In 1970, the property was converted into a drug rehabilitation center called Impact, Inc. However, the rehab center was forced to move a year later as they were violating a zoning ordinance. The house last sold for $500,000 in 2018 with the hopes the property retains its original features.