Through an archway on Sunset Boulevard is the Court of the Olive Tree, named for the imported sapling planted here at the groundbreaking ceremony on June 20, 1927 … and yes, where it still stands today.
Silent film cowboy Fred C. Thomson commissioned Gogerty & Weyl (Baine Building, Hollywood Playhouse) to design what was originally known as the Spanish Shopping Studios, an artistic court devoted exclusively to unusual commerce. Also referred to as the Fred Thomson Shopping Court and the Fred C. Thomson Building, it fronts 200 feet along Sunset Boulevard just east of Seward Street.
All construction on the $100,000 building was done around the olive tree stationed in the center of what would become a lush landscaped court. Beside it, Thomson added a whimsical wishing well that doubled as a fountain: water flowed down from the suspended bucket.
At the time of the shopping court’s opening in October 1927, the main suites were occupied by specialists in their respective fields—and each was consulted in the construction of their individual shop.
Fashion designer Howard Greer (former Paramount chief costumer) and the Sunshine of Hollywood flower shop were in the east wing, adjacent to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The west wing comprised the hair establishment of “Halo-Tress” wigmaker William Hepner. Set back beyond the court was the Mary-Helen Tea Room.
The charming Court of the Olive Tree made Mary-Helen the most popular outdoor dining experience in all of Hollywood. During the day, luncheons and bridge parties were held on the patio. After the sun set, candlelight illuminated the romantic hotspot.
Inside, there were several themed rooms available for banquets: Spanish Room, Movie Room, Pasadena Room, Gray Room, and Indian Room. Mary-Helen stayed here for nearly a decade, until she retired in 1936.
In addition to the main shops, the two-story Thomson building included nine smaller studios, all of which overlooked the Court of the Olive Tree. Among the tenants was its architect, Carl Jules Weyl, who had an office attached to the Hepner salon in the west wing.
Thomson was so intent on conserving the natural beauty of this block of Sunset, he stipulated that Gogerty & Weyl draw up their plans so that not a single pepper tree along the boulevard was removed. In fact, Hepner made Thomson promise the trees in front of his salon would remain. Anyone who attempted to destroy them “would have a fight on their hands,” he told the Los Angeles Citizen-News. “I believe Hollywood should take active steps to preserve its trees.”
Olive trees are symbolic of the connection between man and nature, and Thomson’s sapling has been respected by his court’s occupants over the past century (Gourmet Restaurant, Mauna Loa, Sunset Gardens, Cat & Fiddle, Hearth & Hound, and currently, Superba Food + Bread).
Now a very mature tree, it still holds court, although it was moved several feet away from the wishing well (which was also tiled) by property owner Jesse Shannon, an Atlanta-based developer who remodeled after unceremoniously kicking out Cat & Fiddle in 2014 simply to be able to hike up the rent to "market value." It would be several years before he could convince New York restauranteur Ken Friedman and chef April Bloomfield to open a restaurant in his vacant space. They did in December 2017, the same month Friedman was accused of sexual harassment by 10 women who worked for him at the Spotted Pig in New York. Hearth & Hound, his Hollywood eatery with Bloomfield, limped along for 13 months before shutting down in January 2019.
Subsequently, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation at 6255 Sunset Boulevard nominated the Fred C. Thomson Building to be a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument before any more extensive remodeling could be done to lure the next tenant. The Court of the Olive Tree sat empty for yet another two years until Superba Food + Bread opened in October 2022.
The Spanish Shopping Studios was meant to be the first in a string of unique commercial buildings Thomson hoped to build along Sunset Boulevard. But that dream died with him only a year later, when the 38-year-old actor passed away on Christmas Day 1928 in the arms of his wife, screenwriter Frances Marion. At the time, newspaper reports said Thomson had died following a gallstone operation. Wikipedia claims he stepped on a rusty nail and contracted tetanus, but there is no citation.
Only three of Thomson’s films have survived: Just Around the Corner (1921), The Love Light (1921) costarring Mary Pickford, and Thundering Hoofs (1924).
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