Every November, the Echo Park Historic Park Society hosts a walking tour where visitors will get to…read moresee the interiors of some of the homes in the Echo Park area. These tours are meant to promote the neighborhood's past and encourage preservation and restoration. Some of the homes retain their original character, while others have been restored in a variety of ways.
The theme for the tour I took was "The Bohemian Havens of Elysian Heights" and focused on the homes of artists, writers and other creative people who live specifically on the northern end of Echo Park known as Elysian Heights, a rustic enclave of narrow canyons and steep hills.
The tour comprised of 10 homes where we were able to view the interiors. No pictures of the interiors were allowed, except for one home where the docent said it was okay, but the only one interior shot I wanted to take was of the window. The first home we visited was on an extremely steep hill and when looking outside the window, you get this visual of parked car that looks like it's falling. It was definitely a Kodak moment.
In regards to Elysian Heights, I pulled the info below from the tour website, so that you can learn more about this area of Echo Park.
The wooded hillsides of Elysian Heights make it feel like an extension of neighboring Elysian Park. Located within the original boundaries of the City of Los Angeles, the steep hills of Elysian Heights were once the highest in the city. Early automakers tested their newest models on Baxter and Fargo streets to prove they could climb some of the city' s steepest streets.
The remote and rustic atmosphere made these hills popular with those seeking seclusion, including free thinking members of the Semi Tropic Spiritualists Assoc., whose midnight dances, seances and readings by "spirit mediums" attracted large crowds as well as ire of neighbors and city officials.
Elysian Heights was also home to a great many artists and creative individuals who contributed to the neighborhood's bohemian reputation. These included Carey McWilliams, chronicler of the struggles of the state's working class during the Depression, who resided in a hilltop home on Alvarado Street. Edward Middleton Manigault, a World War I veteran who exhibited in the nation's first major exhibition of modern art, found refuge at the top of Elysian Heights.
During the 1920s, bookseller and art dealer Jake Zeitlin was the center of cluster of Modernist artists, including Elysian Heights neighbor Paul Landacre, a famed wood engraver. Watercolorist Philip Dike, who lived near Elysian Park, was among California's leading regional painters during the 1930s and 1940s.
Nearby, one of Los Angeles' most influential modernist architects, Harwell Hamilton Harris, lived in a tiny house of his own design that can be reached only on foot. Musicians, from opera singer Marilyn Horne and her husband, conductor Henry Lewis, to jazz great Art Pepper, were also at home here.
As you can see, Elysian Heights is quite an artist's colony and that is definitely reflected in some of the homes that were part of the tour. One of the homes we visited had owners who owned a decorative tile company, so their beautiful tile work was seen throughout their home and their awesome backyard, including the pool, the walls and a fountain. Another home had this outdoor kitchen and "sofa" that was just amazing. I wasn't sure what the material was, but everything was bright yellow and also had some beautiful tile work.
Since this was a walking tour, there were also other homes that we passed by that I wished were part of the tour. Specifically, there are two that had very artistic and colorful front exteriors that you'd have to see to believe and you can do that by checking out my photoset below.
In general, it was a great tour and one I would do again. The cost of the tour is $15 Pre-Sale and $20 on the day of and for all the info, just check out the Historical Echo Park Society website which is included in this review.
To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600263418870/
