Whitley Heights 101

1979 Grace Avenue

1979 Grace Avenue, known as “Whitley Townhomes”, consists of 9 units that were built in 1979, before the Whitley Heights Historic District was adopted by City Counsel in 1992. Unfortunately, the oldest house in Whitley Heights was demolished in order to build the townhomes. This property is located on a large lot between Whitley and Grace Avenues and once was home to a two-story, 8 room house that was built in 1908.

Real estate broker Benjamin F. Jacobs built the 45 x 45 foot home with the original address of 379 N. Grace Avenue and named the house “Hillcroft”. The house was designed by Jacob’s brother, C.W. Jacobs, an architect from San Diego. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs only lived in the house for three years before selling the property in December of 1911; Mrs. Jacobs was homesick and wanted to return to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The house was purchased by an attorney named Andrew M. Strong who lived with his wife on Carlton Way. Strong was in desperate need to move as he had just represented the wife of a wealthy oil man named H.B. Guthery in a very public divorce and she was awarded $300 per month alimony (equivalent to almost $10,000 today). Mr. Guthery fled California and headed to Mexico in order to avoid the payments and wrote Strong letters threatening to kill him and burn down his home. Strong alerted authorities and moved to this house as he feared for his safety.

Andrew and Katherine Strong were prominent society members often hosting parties in the house. The house address was changed to 1979 Grace Avenue by 1913 and the Strongs built a detached garage on the property. Strong even established the Broadway Theater Company with his father-in-law, John Collier, who also resided in the house with his wife. In 1916, Strong tried to sell hundreds of shares of stock of the theater and was slapped an injunction by a disgruntled partner who claimed Strong was trying to “freeze” him out of the company. In October, the judge ruled in Strong’s favor.

The house remained with the Strong/Collier family until 1938. Interestingly, they temporarily moved to a rental on Cahuenga Blvd. between 1919 and 1920 and rented the house out to actor Lew Cody. Cody was born in Maine in 1884 and made his debut on the stage in New York in “Pierre of the Plains” before moving to Hollywood to work for Thomas Ince at Balboa Film Studios in 1914.

By the time Cody rented 1979 Grace Avenue, he was working for Universal Studios and starred opposite Mildred Harris (Charlie Chaplin’s first wife) in “Borrowed Clothes” which was directed by Lois Weber. Cody had recently divorced actress Dorothy Dalton, pictured below, whom he married in 1914. Dalton had filed for divorce in 1916 citing physical and mental abuse-she claimed he threw a vase at her once.

Years later, Cody was living on North Maple Drive in Beverly Hills. At that time, he was married to actress Mabel Normand (pictured below), who had succumbed to her fair share of scandals. They had actually married after he proposed to her during a drunken night at a party. The two were good friend who met in 1918 after Cody appeared in her film, “Mickey”. Norman was first linked to Fatty Arbuckle’ and the death of Virginia Rappe as she was a defendant in all e of his trials. When William Desmond Taylor was found murdered in his home, Mabel was the last person to have seen him alive. Many people accused Normand of killing the director, which has still an unsolved homicide to this day. Finally, Normand joined oil tycoon, Courtland S. Dines, for drinks at his apartment. When her chauffeur came to pick her up, a fight ensued, and Dines was shot by the chauffeur, but later cleared in the shooting due to everyone being intoxicated.

Cody and Normand were married after the party and although remained married, they actually lived in separate Beverly Hills homes. Normand, known to have had periods of drug and alcohol addiction, was now in poor health. On the night of February 22, 1930, Cody hosted a party at his Beverly Hills house to honor the death of his wife who had died of complications related to tuberculosis. A few years later, Cody died due to heart failure.

In 1938, actor Leo G. Carroll purchased the property from the Strongs, Andrew now deceased. Carroll (1886-1972), a character actor, started on the screen in 1934, appearing in Joan Crawford’s “Sadie McKee”. Carroll was known for his many roles in Alfred Hitchcock films, Suspicion (1941), Spellbound (1945), Stranger’s on a Train (1951), and North by Northwest (1959), but also had minor roles in well-known films such as; A Christmas Carol (1938), Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Father of the Bride (1950), and The Parent Trap (1961). Carroll ended his career on television and was also known for his role of Alexander Waverly on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”.

Carroll was no stranger to Whitley Heights, he first rented out 2008 Whitley Avenue shortly after it was built in 1926. Below, the rear of 1979 Grace Avenue can be seen surrounded by trees circa 1963.

After this house was demolished and the townhouses were built in 1979, tv game show host Jay Stewart moved into unit #1 during the 1980s. Stewart started his career as the announcer on “The Price is Right” between 1956 to 1965 and then on “Let’s Make a Deal” between 1965 to 1976.

Stewart was type-cast as an announcer and was able to set a few roles playing such that in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” in 1963, “Hawaii Five-O” in 1972 and “Rock and Roll High School” in 1978. Unfortunately, Stewart suffered from depression which was exasperated when in late 1981, his daughter committed suicide. Stewart could not overcome the pain of his daughter’s death and turned to alcohol, which ultimately led to his departure from $ale of the Century in January 1988 and found work in the managerial field.

On September 17, 1989, Stewart died by suicide by shooting himself in the carport of his home eleven days after his 71st birthday. A suicide note and a last-will-and-testament was discovered in his possession. In addition to severe depression, he also suffered from chronic back pain for years, during his years on “Let’s Make a Deal” when he had to carry prize display tables to and from the audience area. Stewart was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetary.

The Whitley Townhomes remain on the big lot at the corner of Grace and Whitley Avenues. The carports have since then been changed to private garages. All that remains from the original house that was built in 1908 is the beginning of the driveway that once led to a detached garage and the mission style house that held society parties of the early 1900s. This house was, in fact, one of the first homes to be built in Whitley Heights in 1908.