Whitley Heights 101

2213 Fairfield Avenue

2213 Fairfield Avenue was built in 1919 in the area of Whitley Heights which was once referred to as “Happy Valley” before it was altered to make room for the Hollywood Freeway during the 1950s. Carpenter August Reinke and his wife, Josephine, built this tiny 22×28, 4 room bungalow with a one-car detached garage right next door to the 2-story duplex they had also built at 2209-2211 Fairfield Avenue in 1917 (see above building to the left of this property). The Reinke’s lived next door and used 2213 Fairfield Avenue was a rental property.

This residence was once located on Fairfield Avenue between Cahuenga Blvd. and Odin Street before it was relocated to Canoga Park in 1952. Between 1932 and 1934, actress Viva Tattersall rented this house. Tattersall was born in London in 1898 and moved to New York in 1920 where she began to act and write plays with actor Sidney Toler. Tattersall’s film deput was in 1932 when she played Millie Miles in King Vidor’s “Cynara” for MGM which starred Ronald Colman and Kay Francis.

The following year, she co-starred with Bela Lugosi in “The Whispering Shadow” and then was cast in a minor role in Clarence Brown’s “Looking Forward” starring Lionel Barrymore. Tattersall only appeared in 8 films until 1935 as her primary focus was playwriting and sculpting. Perhaps her only scandal was marrying the man she worked closely writing plays: Sidney Toler who happened to be 24 years her senior. Toler was already married but when his first wife died in 1943, the two married 4 weeks later. Toler was known for his roles playing Charlie Chan up until his death in 1947.

Interestingly, Tattersall was also previously married; she married Russian-born, screenwriter B. Harrison “Ben” Orkow in Manhattan in 1921 and they divorced in 1937. After Toler’s death in 1947, Tattersall, who was only 34 years old, moved to Redlands for 30 years. She died on in 1989 at the age of 90 in Loma Linda, California.

2213 Fairfield Avenue was also rented to actor and screenwriter George Dromgold in 1935. Dromgold (1894-1948) appeared in 15 films between 1914 and 1925. Perhaps Dromgold is best known for his roles in “In Wrong” (1919) starring Jack Pickford, “The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come” (1920) starring Jack Pickford, “Through the Back Door”(1921) starring Mary Pickford & Gertrude Astor, “Penrod” (1922) starring Wesley Barry, and “The Lying Truth” (1922) starring Noah Beery & Marjorie Daw. Dromgold also wrote 9 screenplays from 1927 to 1931 for various film companies.

In 1933, Dromgold and cinematographer James B. Shackelford traveled to the Great Barrier Reef and Papua, spending three months in Fiji. At Suva, they observed and analyzed fire-walking. Dromgold wrote the book, “Two Lugs on a Lugger”, with photographs by Shackelford, describing their adventures. Below are Dromgold and Shakelford on the deck of S.S. Monterey, 1933.

In December of 1951 the property was advertised as studio duplex to be moved. In January of 1952, the house and garage were purchased by Clarence Pierce, the owner of Pierce Brothers Funeral Homes who had 2213 Fairfield Avenue moved out to his 20 acre farm in Canoga Park. After Pierce retired from being a physician, he and his two brothers opened the funeral home in 1933. He was also president of the Board of Education in the 1940s and then founded Pierce College School of Agriculture in 1947.

In 1960, Chaminade High School purchased Pierce’s 20 acre farm located on Cahasset Street and demolished the former Whitley Heights bungalow house and garage to make room for their high school which currently remains today.

Below, 2213 Fairfield Avenue, today, now part of a parking lot across the street from the Hollywood Bowl.