Whitley Heights 101

St. Francis Court

In 1917, the St. Francis Court bungalow courtyard was built 100 feet north of Hollywood Boulevard between Cherokee and Whitley Avenues. Twenty-four bungalows were built composed of Mission and Colonial design that were finished in cement stucco with 8 of the units in chalet style. What was unique about St. Francis Court was that they were on a large lot comprised of 120 feet wide by 350 feet long and had walking entrances on both Whitley and Cherokee Avenues so the courtyard the the length of an entire block.

In January 1917, Henry Heilman obtained building permits for the 24 bungalows, hired Samuel Gitelson as the building contractor and Tifal Brothers to draw up the plans for the courtyard consisting of 12 double bungalows, 4 two-story units, 16 units consisting of four rooms, and 8 consisting of five rooms. The project cost approximately $170,000.

Heilman wanted to create a rental property that would afford the tenants all the conveniences and privacies of a first class bungalow. He furnished all of the units to accommodate winter tourists that was in a prime location being centrally located between the beach cities and Los Angeles. In that way, they could easily reach those locations, but were far enough away from noise and confusion. In both entrances on Whitley and Cherokee, the concrete retaining wall extended across the end of each lot, leaving an entrance on each street, to the court of about 15 feet.

At the main entrance to the court, on Whitley Avenue (then Whitley Street), two large ball English box-woods were set in a concrete bowl, which were supported on the buttress of the retaining wall. Upon entering the courtyard, there were two concrete walks of three feet wide, that extended from one side of the entrance to the other. A two foot space between the two walkways that also ran the same length, were filled with a variety of flowers. Tenants were allowed to pick the flowers to furnish their bungalows.

In the center of the courtyard, sat an oblong shaped fish pond that was surrounded by flowers. In the center of the pond was an artificial rock made of concrete with the stump of a hollow tree as a pedestal for the upper basin which contained a large concrete mushroom in the center where water spouted up through it. The fish pond was surrounded by a 30 foot pergola with concrete seats on two sides of the fountain. Six concrete columns extended along the concrete center walk with electric lights which remained on all night long.

The rear concrete walk extended the entire length of the courtyard along the rear of the bungalows. There were also a series of electric lights on each side of the entrance to the courtyard. The 8 chalet style bungalow were grouped together at the center of the courtyard and all have an additional bedroom on their second floor. Each chalet had a beautiful covered porch and all of the bungalows were furnished with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, dressing room, and rear porch.

In April of 1918, St. Francis Court opened its doors to its new tenants advertising “steam heated bungalow apartments with circulating hot water and beautifully furnished” and offering monthly or weekly rentals. The short-term furnished rental appealed to many, including people in the movie industry from 1918 until the 1930s. During the first year of operation, director Arvid E. Gillstrom and actresses Gloria Swanson and Molly Malone were one of the first tenants to live in St. Francis Court. With many rentals refusing to rent to people from the movie industry, St. Francis Court welcomed them.

Arvid E. Gillstrom (1889-1935) was born in Sweden and directed over 100 films between 1915 and 1934, first working for Keystone Film Company and then King Bee Studios. While at King Bee, Gillstrom directed Oliver Hardy and Billy West in a series of short films. While directing “Back Stage” in 1917, he met actress Ethel Burton and married her the same year. Later, Gillstrom worked for Mack Sennett Comedies including the film, “Please” in 1933 and “Just an Echo” in 1934 both starring Bing Crosby. Gillstrom, pictured below, died in 1935 at the age of 45 ending his film career.

Gloria Swanson (1889-1993) was credited for 84 film and television roles between 1914 and 1974 for 60 years! After appearing in dozens of short films, she received a seven year contract with Paramount Pictures and worked under directors Cecil DeMille and Sam Wood. In 1925, Swanson joined United Artists as one of the film industry’s pioneering women filmmakers. She produced and starred in the 1928 film Sadie Thompson, earning a nomination for Best Actress at the first annual Academy Awards. Her sound film debut performance in 1929’s The Trespasser earned her a second Academy Award nomination. However, she is best known for her role of Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard” which aired in 1950. After making guest appearances in several television shows, her last role was of herself in the film, “Airport 75” in 1974. Swanson moved into the St. Francis Court where her mother was living after splitting up with her first husband, actor Wallace Beery, in 1918.

Silent Screen actress Molly Malone lived in the St. Francis Court bungalows from when it first opened. Violet Malone was born in Wisconsin and began her acting career in 1916 with Universal Film Company appearing in over 90 films until 1929. Malone caught the eye of actor and director Fatty Arbuckle and cast her in several of his films, including Back Stage, The Garage and Round Up. She also appeared in films directed by John Ford and Clarence Badger. Her last film was the Universal-Stern silent comedy short The Newlyweds’ Pest in 1929. Malone resided at 6611 St. Francis Court beginning in 1918 until 1933 after the murder of a seamstress occurred across the street.

Director Francis Grandon resided at St. Francis Court between 1919 and 1920. Grandon (1879-1929) was credited for directing 130 films between 1912 and 1920 and also acted in 96 roles between 1909 and 1925. Grandon started acting in Biograph short films directed by D.W. Griffith such as “Ramona” which starred Mary Pickford in 1910 and “The Last Drop of Water” which starred Blanche Sweet in 1911. When Grandon died at the age of 40, after suffering a series of strokes. Obituaries across the US called him “the father of movie serial motion pictures” and a mentor to many young film stars.

Actress Wanda Hawley lived in the St. Francis Court bungalows in 1920 and also lived in at least two homes in Whitley Heights. Hawley (1895-1963) began her acting career in 1917 for William Fox before Douglas Fairbanks moved her out to Hollywood to co-star with him in “Mr. Fix-It” in 1918. Shen then worked under director Cecile DeMille for several years. In 1922, Hawley starred opposite Rudolph Valentino in “The Young Rajah”. However, her drinking eventually affected her career which dwindled by the early 1930s.

Director Albert Ray (1897-1944) resided at 6620 St. Francis Court in 1920. Ray began his career acting and directing in 1915 and while he focused on directing after 1921, he was credited for directing 85 films until 1939. During the 1920s, Ray worked for Fox Film and First National Corporations. His first feature-length film as director was Scrap Iron (1921) starring Charles Ray (his cousin) for First National, and altogether he directed nine of his cousin’s comedies.

Director Scott Dunlap resided at 6622 St. Francis Court in 1920. Dunlap (1892-1970) began his career directing and producing in 1919 but focused on producing during the 1930s to the 1960s. He also became the manager of cowboy star Buck Jones and the two became close friends. On November 28, 1942, they were together in Boston at the Coconut Grove Nightclub when a fire broke out which killed 492 people, including Buck Jones. Dunlap recovered from his injuries and continued to produce western films until 1961.

Also in 1920, director William Seiter, lived at 6606 St. Francis Court, with his wife, Jill. Below, they are pictured at St. Francis Court. Seiter would later marry actresses Laura LaPlante and Marian Nixon. Seiter directed over 150 movies and television shows including; “The Little Princess” starring Shirley Temple in 1939, “Little Giant” starring Abbott and Costello in 1946, and list last, directing 56 episodes of “The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna” between 1956 to 1960.

Director Jay Hunt resided at 6619 St. Francis Court from 1921 to 1923. Hunt (1855-1932) began him film career in both acting and directing in 1911. He was credited for 30 acting parts until 1931 and directing over 80 films until 1920. He appeared in “The Hunchback of Note Dame” in 1923. Hunt married actress Florence Hale in 1878 who was known for her role in “Oliver Twist” in 1922.

In 1921, David J. Grauman, father of Sid Grauman, died in his St. Francis Court bungalow on April 6, 1921. Known to his friends as D.J., Grauman was a veteran theatrical man and motion picture exhibitor. He was the first showman to reestablish himself after the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 and he was the first to adopt the large, luxurious theaters for showing motion pictures. After the earthquake, he raised a tent at Steiner and Post Streets and commenced vaudeville performances. It was so successful he built a theatre around the tent and continued there for 4 years. His son, Sid followed in his footsteps and built Grauman’s Chinese Theatre at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood.

In 1922, famed producer Darryl Zanuck, then a scenario writer, lived at 6618 St. Francis Court. After Zanuck (1902-1979) fought in World War 1, he became a scenario writer and his second story, The Storm, was sold to Irving Thalberg at Universal Studios which aired in 1921. Although described as a poor writer, Zanuck had a knack for movie plots and then worked alongside Mack Sennett, Syd Chaplin and Carl Laemmle, eventually producing the Rin Tin Tin series for Warner Brothers. He produced over 250 films between 1925 and 1970, including The Jazz Singer (1927), 42nd Street (1943), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), All About Eve (1950)and his last Tora Tora Tora in 1970. He married actress Virginia Fox in 1924 and had three children, with son Richard, following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a producer with hits like Jaws, Jaws 2, Cocoon, and Driving Ms. Daisy.

In 1924, director Tod A. Browning lived at 6602 St. Francis Court. Browning (1880-1962) directed over 60 films between 1915 and 1939 and also acted beginning in 1913. He is best known for directing “Dracula” in 1931 which starred Bela Lugosi and “Freaks” in 1932. Browning married silent screen actress Alice Wilson in 1911 and they remained married until her death in 1944. In the early morning hours of June 16, 1915, Browning was seriously injured when his car collided with a freight train in Downtown Los Angeles. The crash killed one of his passengers, actor Elmer Booth, and injured another, actor George Siegmann. An initial police investigation stated that the train operators claimed Browning was at fault for failing to observe the railway signals, but no legal action was taken.

Between 1921 and 1922, actress Marjorie Daw resided at 6609 St. Francis Court. Daw (1902-1979) appeared in almost 80 films, usually as a character actress between 1914 and 1929 includingRebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917) and Mary of the Movies (1923). In 1927, she appeared opposite Tim McCoy in the western film “Spoilers of the West”, then appeared in three short films in 1929 and then disappeared from the screen. Daw married director Alfred Edward Sutherland in 1923 and were divorced two years later. She then married producer Myron Selznick in 1929, had two children, and then divorced in 1942.

Motion picture director Harold Shaw resided at 6606 St. Francis Court in 1926. Shaw (1877-1926) directed 74 films between 1912 and 1924 but started his film career as an actor in 1911. He is best known for directing “Rouged Lips” starring Viola Dana in 1923 and “The Rose to Rhodesia” in 1917, which starred his wife, actress Edna Flugrath, whose sisters were Viola Dana and Shirley Mason. On January 30, 1926, he was involved in an auto collision near the intersection of Rossmore Avenue and Third Street where he was killed instantly.

6620 St. Francis Court was home to actor Ray Cooke in 1929. Cooke (1905-1963) was primarily a character actor between 1927 to 1951. He appeared in King Vidor’s “Show People” starring Marion Davies in 1928, “Blonde Crazy” starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell in 1931, “Taxi” starring James Cagney and Loretta Young in 1931, “It Happened One Night” starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in 1934, and “Too Hot to Handle” starring Clark Gable and Myrna Loy in 1938. However, Cooke did star in “The Torchy” series of short stories by Sewall Ford that were turned into a popular series of shorts in the early 1920s.

During the 1920s, St. Francis Court was home to many other film industry people including, director Colin Campbell, writer Lillian Ducey, and actress Sylvia Jocelyn, to name a few. As all nice neighborhoods, St. Francis Court began to age and look run down in 1930s. Actor Harry B. Stafford lived at 6604 St. Francis Court between 1934 and 1935. Mainly a character actor for 25 films between 1932 and 1942, he appeared in “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “San Quentin”, “Wells Fargo”, “College Swing”, and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. Stafford died in 1950 while living at the Magic Castle when it was a boarding house called “Hollywood Chateau”.

As with many of the residences of Los Angeles, comes the legends of who may have lived in the homes. St. Francis Court is no different. According to singer Dave Guillen, who wrote his memoir “In the Summer of My Life”, he lived there during the 1950s for $60 per month, mentioning Joan Crawford once lived in the bungalow he was renting:

Shortly after St. Francis Court was built, it was sold to Herman Fisher, who also owned Marengo Hotel in Pasadena, Terry Apartments, 425 E. Ocean Blvd., in Long Beach, Hillview Apartments and the Garden Court Apartments, both on Hollywood Blvd. It turned out that Fisher was a thief and was part of a modern day “Apartment House Ponzi Scheme”. After Fisher bought the Hillview Apartments in 1921, he disappeared with over $200,000 from primarily his female tenants from all of the apartments that he owned. His family did not report him missing as they felt he had been kidnapped. Interestingly, he filed bankruptcy a few days before he disappeared.

Eventually Fisher showed back up with no money as he had filed the bankruptcy. All of the apartments that he owned were seized but he got off scot-free. Fisher would periodically end up in the news for embezzling money from one person or another and eventually was sent to San Quentin in 1931. After he was released from prison 1937, he continued his life of crime until his death in 1943.

One of the bungalows was used as a teahouse in 1931:

St. Francis Court was purchased in 1936 and renamed St. Francis Terrace.

Below are images of St. Francis Terrace taken in 1937 from the Cherokee Avenue entrance.

In 1944, ownership changed hands again to Joseph Abramson. In 1964, St. Francis Terrace met its demise when the Board of Parking Commissioners gave the green light for a project to build a 128 space parking lot where the bungalows were located. Below, is the current situation of where St. Francis Court used to be located. On the Whitley Avenue side, there now sits Arirang Senior Housing and on the Cherokee Avenue side, is a storefront building and a parking garage.