Whitley Heights 101

6603 Emmet Terrace

6603 Emmet Terrace, one of the earliest homes built in Whitley Heights, was erected in 1921 by architect Arthur S. Barnes for Herman and Nellie Graaf. The Mediterranean two-story 2,604 square foot home consists of a mission style roof, multi-level arches, lead French windows and doors, and Venetian columns with Corinthian capitals in the entry area. There are four bedrooms and only one bathroom in the home. What makes this property unique, is that it has only been sold once in its lifetime. Graaf wanted to build a home in Inglewood to be closer to his business so they sold the home to John and Mabelle Van Patten in 1925.

The property sits on the northwest corner of Whitley Avenue and Emmet Terrace and was listed as 1951 Whitley Avenue when it was first built, but changed to the address of 6603 Emmet Terrace by 1922. Below is Whitley Avenue coming from Franklin Avenue circa 1928. The photo below it is how Whitley Avenue appears today.

Below is the rear of 6603 Emmet Terrace in the early 1920s (the balcony of 6620 Whitley Terrace is seen to the right). All of the homes seen on the other side of Whitley Avenue below 6603 Emmet Terrace have been demolished for apartment buildings. 1944 Whitley Avenue (across from 6603 Emmet Terrace) and 1936 Whitley Avenue (below 1944 Whitley Avenue), were both demolished in 1964. The property below 6603 Emmet Terrace was torn down in 1928 for the construction of the Ojai Apartments.

John H. Van Patten was born in Schenectady, New York in 1888 and moved to Los Angeles as early at 1905. He started in the printing and photography business before taking a hiatus to join the Navy for World War 1. Below is John in his Navy uniform circa 1914.

John married Mabelle Paulson in Los Angeles in 1913 before he left for the war. Mabelle had just graduated from University of California Berkeley and was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. They had four children: John Keith (1914), Mabelle Loraine (1916), Frances Muriel (1917) and Paul Lyle (1918). In 1920, they were residing in a tiny two bedroom house on West 51st Place and John had his own picture frame manufacturing company which was prospering. Five years later they were able to purchase the four bedroom house on Emmet Terrace. Below is Mabelle when she attended UC Berkeley.

The eldest, Keith, attended Pasadena Junior College and then transferred to Stanford University and was part of the Stanford Flying Club. Upon graduating in 1940, he returned home to live with his family and work for his father. He did travel to England, Copenhagen, Buenos Aires, and Panama during his lifetime. He died in 1991 in Los Angeles. Below, Keith at Stanford University circa 1938.

The second oldest, Loraine, graduated from UCLA. She lived at home and worked for the family business. However, she did moved out on her own in the early 1950s, but returned to Whitley Heights by 1958. Below is Loraine, appearing in The Los Angeles Mirror in 1953 featured in an article about the picture frame design business. At this time the family business was featured at the Lamp and Picture Market at the Biltmore. Loraine also worked as a Travelogue photographer and was appeared on the television show “Golden Voyage: Holland” in May of 1958. Unfortunately, a few months later, she was traveling near the Soledad Prison in Carmel Valley and driving at a high rate of speed when she swerved to miss a car that was slowing down to turn. When she swerved to avoid the car, she ended up hitting a Greyhound bus head-on, dying instantly at the age of 39. She never married or had children.

The third child, Muriel, attended Pasadena City College and then transferred to UCLA. In 1948, Muriel married Wilfred Gauvin, a dancer and stuntman. They lived at 6603 Emmet Terrace with the family until 1952, but ultimately returned to lived in the home until Muriel’s death in 2002. Wilfred died in 1983. They did not have any children. Below is Muriel in 1938 while attending UCLA.

The last child, Paul Lyle, attended Hollywood High School and attended college. In 1941, Lyle married to Florence Hoffman and by 1950 and they had two sons: Paul Lyle Jr. and Jonathan. He was a paint chemist and worked for a paint manufacturing company and eventually owned his own painting company. They were living in an apartment in Los Angeles.

Mabelle died in 1963 and John followed in 1964. By 1967, the house was transferred to Paul with Muriel continuing to live in the home. Paul moved to Laguna Hills were he died in 1996. There was actually a tenant who lived with the Van Patten’s from 1944 to 1946 who was tied to the movie industry. She was a friend of Muriel. Yolanda F. Kruger was born in 1919 and had a younger brother named Clarence. Her father, August Kruger, was a carpenter and worked for the movie industry. Her mother, Ida Mae Kruger, was listed as an actress. When Yolanda was 9 years old and her brother was 6 years old, they were movie extras for Harold Lloyd’s film “Speedy” in 1928. Yolanda also appeared in “Lilac Time” in 1928, starring Colleen Moore and Gary Cooper. Below are two shots of Speedy showing children. Are any of the children one of the Krugers in the photos?

Yolanda did not do any other films after that. Clarence, however, worked as a studio employee for Warner Brothers. In 1950, Clarence died at the age of 28. Yolanda married an electrician and lived a very comfortable life in the valley. As for 6603 Emmet Terrace, the Van Patten’s took out a loan in 1940 to replaster and paint the exteriors, cement the walkway, repair the tile in the bathroom, repair the roof, and replace the cement floor in the sunroom with wood. Not much more had been done with the property and probably needs some updating. The tall columns outside the entry can be seen in the aerial view below. The house is surrounded by overgrown trees.