2104 Las Palmas Avenue

2104 Las Palmas Avenue was the oldest home built in Whitley Heights, even before Whitley Heights existed. In 1911, 35 year old Henry Tracy and his wife, Miriam, moved from Berkley where Tracy was a college professor, and rented a house in Hancock Park. Tracy was hired as a science teacher at Hollywood High School where he taught botany and horticulture.

That same year, the Tracys purchased 2 acres of land on North Highland Blvd. (near Highland & Milner today) for $6,000. In 1912, the Tracys moved to a 5 room bungalow on North Highland and the following year, Tracy pulled a permit to build a 3 room bungalow on his 2 acres of land. In 1913, the house was finished so they moved in using the address, 2104 N. Highland Avenue, along with their 5 year old son, Herbert. Below, the house can be seen from across the street from the Hollywood Bowl.

Miriam’s parents, Herbert A. (who died in 1915) and Emma Lee, also lived with them. In 1914, the Tracys gave birth to another son, Arthur. Below, Miriam and her sons, Arthur (left) and Herbert (right).

By 1919, they added two more rooms so Miriam’s sister, Emily Lee, could move in too. Henry continued working at Hollywood High School while Miriam taught music lessons out of the home. Her music studio was called the Glenn-Arden Music Studio where enlisted the help of famed violinist, John Marquardt, who lived across the street at 6770 Milner Road.

Emma worked at the library and Emily was a school teacher. By the early 1930s, Henry retired from teaching to become a published writer. He wrote about the exotic plants he grew around his house. He also converted his home to a two story duplex as his family continued to reside with them. In 1934, their address changed to 2104 Las Palmas Avenue as their house was literally across the street from residences on Milner Road.

During this time, Henry assisted John Laurence Seymour, also a former teacher at Hollywood High School, in writing an opera for Lawrence Tibbitt, the actor who worked at the Metropolitan in New York. The opera was called “In the Pasha’s Garden” which was first performed on January 24, 1935, at the Metropolitan Opera and starred Lawrence Tibbett and Helen Jepson. Unfortunately, the opera received negative criticism, although Seymour was given the Bispham Memorial Medal Award.

In 1936, Emma died at the age of 94. In his mid-fifties, Henry was chopping wood and a chip pierced one eye causing him to eventually go blind in both eyes.  Nonetheless, he continued to write and no longer published any of his work.  However, he corresponded with many renowned authors of his day, both in England and the United States.  The writers often encouraged him to publish his work, but Henry told them it was too difficult to edit and re-write without his sight. Below, Henry and Miriam most likely sitting in their yard.

In 1941, Arthur married Lorenza Garcia and they continued to live in the duplex. Arthur worked as an “Eye Training Teacher” while Herbert worked as a chauffeur and later worked as an inventory clerk in an aircraft factory. In 1956, Miriam died and then Henry died in 1958. Arthur continued to live the home with his wife and daughter, Teresa.

By 1961, the city ordered 7 homes on Alta Loma Terrace, Las Palmas Avenue and Milner Road and a 16 unit apartment on Highland Avenue to be torn down or be relocated in order to build the proposed 4 million dollar Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum. All of the home owners were opposed to leaving their homes and did not accept the financial offers to relocate but the county did not care. 2104 Las Palmas Avenue was torn down in 1962. Unfortunately after the homes were demolished, the museum was never built in the area. Milner Road was extended down to Highland Avenue. Years later, the DeMille barn was relocated to the area where the Hollywood Heritage Museum is located.

However, botanical preservationists found out that Henry had grown rare plants on the property and was able to turn some of the land into a park. Both of the Tracy brothers relocated to Santa Barbara where they lived the rest of their lives. Their father will always be remembered for building the first house in Whitley Heights. The house may no longer be there, but the park and its plants is a memory of the former Hollywood High School teacher who spent time cultivating the land around his home.