Whitley Heights 101

2313 Fairfield Avenue

2313 Fairfield Avenue is a duplex that was built on the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Cahuenga Blvd. at the foot of Whitley Heights before that section was demolished to make way for the Hollywood Freeway in the early 1950s. It was just around the corner from the French Village and Hollywood Bowl when it was built in 1923 by owners Edward and Sarah Hudson who lived in the rear of the property at 2311 Fairfield Avenue (the bungalow is seen below just behind this two story duplex).

The contractor, PJ Schultz, built the 10 room duplex with a detached garage in the rear of the property. Each unit contained two bedrooms and one bathroom. The Hudsons used 2313 Fairfield Avenue as a rental property through the 1940s while they resided at 2311 Fairfield Avenue.

This duplex was located close to the Cahuenga Pass as seen below, the second floor of the property is seen from the hills of Whitley Heights near the intersection of Cahuenga Blvd. and Highland Avenue. A Texaco gas station sign is seen just behind the residence, which used to be next to the French Village. Across the street used to be the sign for The Berries Dining Room with the caption “Drink Coca-Cola” underneath, located at 2502 Cahuenga Blvd. Next to the restaurant, used to be the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery office at 2500 Cahuenga Blvd.

As for the duplex, the Hudson’s did not make any improvements on the property other than putting a permanent roof in place of the awning that hung over the deck on the second floor. As for residents, there were at least two movie industry tenants that once rented from the Hudsons. Between 1930 and 1931, director and screenwriter, 38 year old Gilbert Pratt resided at 2311 Fairfield Avenue with his mother, 60 year old Jessica Pratt, and a 39 year old actress named Coral Gilbert whose only acting credits was working on stage during the early 1900s. Gilbert Pratt, however, was a very successful director who had 96 film credits between 1916 and 1938. He started in the industry as a character actor in several film shorts and was type cast as a villain. He then turned to directing for Hal Roach Studios and early in his career, directed dozens of film shorts that starred Harold Lloyd and Bebe Daniels. Below is Gene Marsh, Harold Lloyd and Gilbert Pratt in “Luke, the Candy Cutup” (1916), when he started acting.

Pratt’s first full film feature was “Keep Smiling” starring Monty Banks in 1925. Pratt then turned to screenwriting, primarily as a scenario writer, and was credited for the films, “Partner’s in Crime” (1928) and “The Big Killing” (1928) both starring Wallace Beery and wrote “Saps at Sea” (1940) starring Laurel & Hardy. His last film before he retired, was as a co-writer for “Beer Barrel Polecats” (1946) starring the 3 Stooges.

In 1932, Pratt moved down the street to 2209 Fairfield Avenue. He married Nadea Phillips (Ethel Phillips Lob) in 1935 at the age of 42; she was three years younger than him. They married in Yuma, AZ. The two divorced by 1945 as Lob was remarried by then. Pratt died in 1954 in Los Angeles.

Ed Zimmer, a make-up artist who worked for Warner Brother’s, moved into the duplex between 1932 and 196. Zimmer switched to Universal Studios during the 1940s, but in the 1950s worked for an independent company who produced “Around the World in 80 Days” which was his only notable film. In 1960, Zimmer switched to television and worked for two television series, “Men Into Space” and “This Man Dawson”.

In August of 1950, the duplex was advertised for sale to be moved due to construction of the Hollywood Freeway. In January of 1951, a building wrecker named W. Mulbery purchased the duplex, the garage and a French Normandy house located in the French Village, 2316 Highland Avenue, and moved the three buildings to 4013-4015 Sequoia Street in the Atwater Village area of Glendale. The duplex was placed in the front of the lot with the house and garage behind it in the rear.

Below is the upper unit in the duplex with much of its original structure in place. The entire property last sold in 2016 for $900,000. The house and each unit contain two bedrooms and one bathroom.

Below is the original porch that the Hudson’s put a roof on it in 1939.