Whitley Heights 101

2255 Cahuenga Boulevard

2255 Cahuenga Boulevard is now known as the Mikado Apartments, a mid-century Japanese 2-story apartment complex which was built in 1959. However, this property has a long history which dates back to when Harvey H. Wilcox registered the name Hollywood for his estate west of the city of Los Angeles in 1887. A year later, Wilcox was selling off parcels of his land to others in order to grow the city. He sold a large piece of land to Horace Satchett that ran from Hollywood Blvd. to Cahuenga Blvd. in 1888.

Sackett built one of the first hotels immediately after he purchased the land on lot 16 of the Hollywood Grand View Tract. The Sackett Hotel was located on the corner of Prospect Avenue (now Hollywood Blvd.) and Cahuenga Blvd. and was three stories high which featured a lobby and a mercantile shop when it first opened. Below, the Sackett Hotel when it was first built in 1888. The next photo is the hotel in 1905. Unfortunately, the hotel could not compete with the Hotel Hollywood and closed down in 1905. The hotel was demolished in 1910 for the Creque Building, built by E. Fossler which housed the Hollywood National Bank. The building expanded in the 1930s and is now known as the Hollywood Building.

With the other three lots untouched, Sackett sold the land to William E. and Louisa S. Curry in 1905.

William Edward Curry was born in London, England in 1858 and immigrated to the United States in 1883. He married Louisa S. Carrillo in 1886. Carrillo was one of many well-known descendants of the Los Angeles area including the Alvarado, Pico, and Lugo families. Her half-sister Francisca V. Rains married Henry Gage in 1880 who became the governor of California in 1889. In 1887, Curry and his business partner opened a saloon called “The Barrel House”. Their daughter, Lillian was born in 1888 and son, Frank was born in 1889.

After they purchased this land in 1905, the built a two story stucco house with 2 domes on the roof, on the corner of what would be Cahuenga Blvd. and Whitley Terrace in later years. The had their Great Dane guard the premises and planted Palm Tree shoots all over the hill. Below, the top of the house can be seen prior to Whitley Heights Park (Iris Circle) being built. The five homes in the front were on Whitley Terrace. From right to left: 6830 Whitley Terrace (built 1915), 6824 Whitley Terrace (built 1915), 6820-22 Whitley Terrace (built 1920 and demolished 1997), 6808 Whitley Terrace (built 1916 and demolished), 6802 Whitley Terrace (built 1919 and demolished). The building in front of the Curry property was a garage that would be built by the next resident in 1910.

In 1907, Curry was forced to retire due to health issues and sold half the business for $75,000 and then made money on real estate. William and Louisa often had social gatherings in this estate. On one such occasion, their daughter, Lillian, now 18, met a tall blonde Scotsman named Robert E. McMurray and fell head-over-heels for him. They married that same year in San Francisco and daughter Lillita Louisa McMurray was born the following year.

Unfortunately, McMurray left when Lita was only 18 months old and would only see his daughter twice more when she was older. Grandfather Curry assumed the role of a surrogate father. When Lita turned 12, she was discovered by Charlie Chaplin according to the Los Angeles Times in 1924:

Four years later, Chaplin reappeared in Lita’s life and wanted her to appear in his film, ‘The Gold Rush” but Charlie wanted more. Lita became pregnant with Charlie’s baby so they got married. Charles Chaplin Jr. was born in 1925 and Sydney Chaplin was born in 1926. The marriage lasted until 1927. Below, grandparents William and Louisa with Lita, Charles Jr. and Sydney.

The Currys lived in the Cahuenga residence until 1908, selling the property to R.S. Randall.

Randall sold the home to Louis G. Somers in 1909 which was now known as 555 Cahuenga Avenue.

Somers built a two-story garage in the rear of the property which was accessed on Whitley Terrace in 1910.

Louis G. Somers was born in 1864 in Cleveland, Ohio where he married Helen A. Smith in 1888. Somers opened an investment brokerage company in 1894 and then incorporated the Villa Beach Club on Lake Eerie in 1899. The Somers had four children: daugher Helen (born in 1899), twin sons Raymond Louis and Leslie Watson were born in 1893 and daughter Gladys (born in 1900). Tragically Gladys died of convulsions when she was only ten months old. The Somers purchased this property after moving to Hollywood in 1909. Louis worked for the Hollywood Board of Trade to help establish Hollywood as a prosperous city.

Louis’ wife, Helen, was often engaged in community functions and had many social gatherings at their home.

By 1912, 555 Cahuenga Avenue was renamed as 2255 Cahuenga Blvd. Below, the 1919 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Los Angeles, shows the house as 2255 Cahuenga Blvd and the garage below it, listed as 6255 1/2 Cahuenga Blvd. Actor J. Warren Kerrigan’s home was across the street at 2307 Cahuenga.

In 1922, Somers sold six lots from his large property located on Cahuenga Blvd. near Whitley Terrace, lessening the property to two acres from six acres.

After the Somers eldest daughter, Helen graduated from the Girls Collegiate School in 1909 and becoming the May Queen in the Hollywood Carnaval, she attended Stanford University for two years and then returned home.

The twins, Raymond and Leslie, graduated from Hollywood High School and decided to have a double wedding, marrying their high school sweethearts in April of 1917:

With the outbreak of World War 1, the twins registered for the draft in June of 1917. Raymond was working as an auditor at RKO Studios and Leslie had moved up to Berkley where he worked as a bond salesman. Leslie, pictured below, had attended UC Berkley prior.

A year later, Leslie qualified for for second lieutenant for the Army at Camp Kearny and entered into 143rd Regiment; in September, he arrived safely overseas where he was stationed in France for six months. While in France, Leslie contacted influenza shortly before his return to the United States. Upon his return in March of 1919, he returned to his job in Berkley, but got sick with influenza again. By November, Leslie and his wife, Esther, moved back to Hollywood where Leslie got a job at the Hollywood National Bank. On November 29, 1919, Leslie died in his home at 6576 Selma Avenue at the age of 26. After first contracting influenza overseas, he never fully recovered and developed “brain fever”.

His wife, Esther, moved to New York to begin a career in theatrical acting. She eventually moved back to Hollywood where she appeared as a character actress during the 1940s. She is best known for her roles in two episodes of “The Lone Ranger” in 1950 and 1953 and the film “Madame Bovary” in 1949.

Meanwhile, Raymond and his wife, Florence had moved across the street to 6824 Whitley Terrace in 1918 where Florence gave birth to a son, Raymond Jr. that same year. 6824 Whitley Terrace was the house of actor Gene Autry to lived there between 1936 and 1937. The house still exists but it is surrounded by overgrowth and a fence.

In November of 1922, Helen Somers married banker Watson Davenport Otis in the family home; both were 23 years old. Watson and Helen decided to build a home near the Somers house. On 11-4-1922, a permit was issued to build a 7 room, 2 story home located at 6834 Iris Circle (later renumbered as 6851 Iris Circle).

6851 Iris Circle was literally above the Somers house located at 2255 Cahuenga Blvd.

Watson and Helen had two sons: Leslie Somers Otis was born in 1924 and Watson Louis Otis was born in 1926. Louis died that same year in 1926 and his wife, Helen, continued to reside at 2255 Cahuenga Blvd. Tragedy struck in June of 1927, when Watson died of appendicitis at the age of 39. During the time, he was assistant manger of the Security Trust and Savings Bank and died during the operation. His wife, Helen, decided to rent out the Iris Circle home and move back in with her mother who could help her with her two young sons.

By 1929, Raymond divorced Florence and he moved back in with his mother at 2255 Cahuenga Blvd. During the divorce in April, Raymond informed the judge that Florence had a man living with her and their children: Raymond Jr, 12, Leslie, 9, and Helen, 5. Between 1930 and 1931, Helen rented the Iris Circle home to actress Helen Twelvetrees. In 1942, mother Helen Somers died and daughter Helen decided to move back into the Iris Circle house. She converted 2255 Cahuenga Boulevard into a boarding house and put a sign out front labeled “Hollywood Palms Hotel”.

Author Vance Cunningham describes the boarding house in his book “Success or Suicide” in 2007:

In August of 1942, Helen married a widow of five children named Forest Jones up at Stanford University. Two years later, he died. Helen continued to live at 6851 Iris Circle and manage the boarding house. In 1956, Helen was now 67 years old and decided to sell both properties and retire to Northern California. However, before she left there was drama at the former boarding house:

2255 Cahuenga Blvd. was sold to Paul Mintz who razed the “Grey Domes” home in 1959 to build an apartment building known as the Mikado Apartments. These apartments have been home to composer Arthur Kempel who was known for his music in Jean Claude Van Dam’s film “Double Impact” and actor Leonard Lightfoot who was known for playing the attorney, Leonard Rollins, in the first season of the television sitcom series “Silver Spoons”. Apparently in 1969, Elvis Presley was sending letters to a woman named Carmen Montez who lived in the building. 6851 Iris Circle remains as part of the Whitley Heights Historic District and continues to loom over 2255 Cahuenga Avenue where a lot of Hollywood history took place. The Grey Domes house may be gone but not its memories.