Whitley Heights 101

2050 N. Las Palmas Avenue

2050 North Las Palmas Avenue was built in 1933 for owner Amelia Eastman who had been a frequent visitor to Los Angeles and decided to permanently moved to Tinseltown. While there was no architect or contractor listed on the original building permit, she built a 2 story Spanish style duplex, with the main living area on the upper floor and a studio apartment on the lower floor. Eastman was an established poet who published her poetry in England. Her son, Sidney Eastman was a baritone singer who had traveled throughout Europe on tour. Sidney periodically resided in this residence with his mother and eventually opened his own studio in Los Angeles, giving voice lessons.

Access to the upper floor is by a flight of tiled stairs on the exterior of the residence. Upon entering, there is rectangular great room consisting of a living room with a fireplace and the kitchen big enough for an island with stools and a nook with a circular table and chairs.

There is a flight of five steps leading up to two bedrooms, each bedroom having its own walk-in closet and full bathroom. There are two outside patios accessed from a door from the kitchen and one of the bedrooms.

Eastman rented out the lower studio apartment which consists of a living room, three stairs in the rear leading up to a kitchenette and a walk-in closet and bathroom on the left side of the living room.

In the rear of the property there are stairs leading up to a fenced in grassy area.

Beginning in 1924, Eastman would spend the summer in Los Angeles, reading her poetry on the local radio station and then return to Shreveport, Louisiana by early fall. In September of 1935, it was announced in the Los Angeles Times that she built “a home on the hill near Las Palmas in Hollywood”. She became a member and eventually president of the Hollywood Browning Society, a tribue to English poet and playwright, Robert Browning. She was also friendly with her neighbors, silent screen actor Vessey O’Daveren, and his wife, artist Ivy de Verley, across the street at 2049 N. Las Palmas Avenue. The O’Daverens built a duplex in 1920 and were long-time residents of Whitley Heights, often hosting parties where Ivy displayed her portraits of the rich and famous.

On one such event, Ivy had painted a portrait of Sidney Eastman’s wife, soprano prima donna Sonya Novak, and displayed the painting at their gathering across the street. Amelia Eastman remained at 2050 N. Las Palmas Avenue until her death in 1966. In 1937, she rented the studio to Paul Van Sloun, the son of character actor (“Dracula” (1931), “Frankenstein” (1931) and “The Mummy” (1932).  Whitley Heights resident, Edward Van Sloun. Paul was a technical advisor for the motion picture industry.

In 1939, the studio was rented to interior decorator Lillian Adrian. Adrian was a former silent screen actress who appeared in four films, including Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” in 1925. Lillian had married the well known MGM studio barber dubbed “Jim the Barber” who worked on Lew Cody, Robert Montgomery, Will Rogers, Clark Gable, John Barrymore and even director Cecil De Mille. Jim even appeared in the George Hill prison film “The Big House” in 1930. Jim was good friends with actor John Gilbert (both pictured below) since 1914 when they lived in Venice Beach.

Last year after another long time owner died, the house was purchased and upgrades were made in order to put the home on the market at $1.85 million.