HOLLYWOOD ART CENTER ARCHIVE
Architects Dennis & Farwell. Partnership active 1895-1913
Year Built 1904
Location 2025 and 2027 N. Highland Avenue
Hollywood, California 90068
(HCM) Historic Cultural Monument, City of Los Angeles #1202
HISTORIC HOLLYWOOD ART CENTER SCHOOL ESTATE PROPERTY HISTORY
The historic Hollywood Art Center Estate, was built by famed architects, Dennis & Farwell, known for building the Hollywood Hotel and Magic Castle and many other iconic structures, for artist, Otto Classen. D+F built many commercial and residential projects in Southern California during 1895-1913, and was one of Los Angeles' most important architectural firms at the turn of the century.
Circa 1904 image of HACS Estate Artist, Otto Classen Hollywood Hotel, circa 1940s by Dennis + Farwell
In fact, the HACS estate is one of the oldest (yet unknown), still existing in Hollywood, as it relates to the early development of Hollywood under H.H.Wilcox and H.J. Whitley's Ocean View Tract development. It's built upon one of last original tracts of land in this hillside, next to the Yamashiro. This is an important cultural landmark as it relates to the birth of Hollywood and the artists who helped make it. This estate needs to be preserved, protected and not developed.
The second owner, Bertha Barker (wife of Barker Brothers Furniture founder).purchased the estate in 1919 and built bungalows on the frontage of the estate. Later these bungalows were turned into the Carlton Motor Lodge, and eventually knocked down to build the present day, Best Western Motel.
Carlton Lodge used to be where the current Best Western Motel is Circa 1940s image, by George Auslender (Lovins relative) ,
at 2011 N. Highland Avenue. shows Carlton Lodge on left, HACS Drive(middle) and
American Legion Building on right .
In the 1940s, after walking by the estate for ten years, Henry and Mona Lue Lovins purchased the estate as their final residence and additional campus for the Hollywood Art Center School. The Lovins family owned the estate until the year 2000.
.
Mona Lue Lovins at fountain of HACS estate, 1947.
From 1960-1985, their son, Jay Lovins, also operated his independent film company out of the estate called Threshold Film and Hollywood Film Associates.
The estate is located at 2025-2027 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90068. Since the estate is no longer owned by the Lovins family, it is not open to the public anymore. Currently, the estate is privately owned and unfortunately, its fate, remains up to the new owner, Bassam Alganim, of Bel Air and his firm Aragon Holdings LLC.
However, if you are driving along Highland Avenue, you will notice the beautiful wood gates at 2025-2027 N. Highland Avenue, leading into this magical, 3-acre secret garden estate. From the street, you would never realize that this piece of old hollywood still exists! It's one of Hollywood's best kept secrets.
