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Hollywood’s first 50 years, until the freeway changed the landscape forever


Marilyn Monroe’s Childhood Home
Marilyn Monroe’s troubled childhood had a brief bright spot in 1933, when her mother purchased a home near the Hollywood Bowl.
May 31, 2024


Crane’s Art Deco Showroom
Crane’s Hollywood showroom displayed the latest in modern plumbing.
Jan 23, 2024

Disney’s Hollywood Hills Campus That Never Was
In 1964, Walt Disney imagined an enchanting 26-acre Hollywood campus for CalArts in the hills near the Hollywood Bowl.
Nov 30, 2023


Franciscan Motor Hotel
The Hollywood motel opened in 1949 on Highland Avenue.
Jul 27, 2023


Hollywood Bowl’s Muse of Music
The start of the 1940 Hollywood Bowl season was heralded with the dedication of The Muse of Music, “a symbol of the arts within.” Located...
Jun 10, 2023


The Curse of Cahuenga Pass
Could there be buried treasure at the Hollywood Bowl? More so, did its curse kill at least 10 men? The lore of the loot dates back to...
Feb 25, 2023


Hollywood Wedding Chapel (1918-1960s)
Kathryn Baird Sullivan realized her long-cherished dream to “launch brides and grooms happily on their marital ways” when she turned her...
Sep 3, 2022


Max Factor Studio
Hollywood queens trusted their faces to the makeup king, Max Factor. From his Highland Avenue studio, the brilliant beautician...
Sep 3, 2022


The French Village (1921-1951)
Below the Mediterranean mecca of Whitley Heights sat another European-inspired beauty: the French Village. In 1919, brothers Walter and...
Sep 3, 2022
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