apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hmmm - I have never seen this house, but there is a little development of very similar homes (apartments?) in Hollywood. Someone told me that the Walt Disney Co. built them for employees, but I have nothing to substantiate that. They do look like the 7 dwarves could live there, though.

Robyn, this could be what you'd heard about. I was curious enough to Google it..
http://www.janesvillage.org/

Ooh -this makes me think of Albion Castle here in SF!

Auctioned a few years ago - rumor has it it's going to become a brewery again. The coolest thing about it is the underground tunnels hold "fresh" spring water.

photos
http://pauldejong.com/~castle/imagesPage.cgi?castle

more
http://albioncastle.us/

google
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=albion castle&btnG=Google Search

The house is near the Beverly Hilton.

rad!
I used to do a loop in Beverly Hills and it included this landmark.
By the way- great running in that neighborhood. No coffee and dougnuts though. ( haha)
Cool post- thanks!

So cool, Abby! I will have to check it out next time I'm in LA. Maybe by then you'll have managed an invite inside. Dress up as Goldilocks? Thanks and keep posting!

It hard to believe that architecture like this exists in Los Angeles. My 11 year old son saw this and said, "It is very CARTOONISH." You almost expect the seven dwarfs to come marching out singing "Hi Ho, Hi Ho."

How do find these places? Nice to find the treasures in your own back yard. Can't wait to stop by.

This was THE house to visit for Halloween when I went to high school nearby.. oh the nostalgia of it all.. thanks abby for taking me back 20 sum years...

only in LA. so nice to see a beverly hills home with a little bit of character. sure makes a pleasant change from the endless mcmansionizing of the neighborhood. nice find.

Oh, I love this house! My sister- and brother-in-law drove us by it on a tour of "L.A. architectural weirdness" during a recent visit. It's also featured in the Arrol Gellner book "Storybook Style."

Great post, and wonderfully written!

Leah

I love this house... my out of town guests always recognize it from "Clueless" (when Alicia Silverstone is depressed and takes a walk, she strides past this house). Abby, please see what you can do about getting inside so we can all get a peek! (Though, I think the mystery makes it even cooler).

The Witch's House!!

I was taken to see this this when I was in LA a lifetime ago. At the time, it had a flying broom resting against the chimney.

It's great that it hasn't been torn down - often wondered what happened to it.

This was on an episode of "The Girl's Next Door", Hef's girls went on a Halloween tour and they got inside and a tour from the current owner, it was being remodeled at the time but still very cool.

If you want you could buy the episode on itunes.

Google "storybook style" and see something the same or similar and completely delightful.

Great article Abby! Very well written. Just in time for me to show my family when they arrive from the east coast!!

I've heard about this place for years but never knew where it was located. How did you know, Abby?
It may not be genuine (it's in Beverly Hills after all, not the UK) but it's not about massive, cold square footage either. Thanks for reminding us that there's nothing wrong with a little funky romance or a house that makes you smile.

I've heard so many rumors about what this house was/is/used to be! Its nice to be able to finally get the straight story. Thanks. I love this kooky house and think its an impoirtant part of the strange culture that is LA.
Cool.

oceansdreamer56 -- not sure why my last post didn't go thru, but...

No, the one I was talking about is not Jane's Village (which is very cute). It is a little apartment complex on Griffith Park Boulevard. You can see a small picutre of it here, although the 'storybook' details are much better in person:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/mulholland_bonita.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/mulholland.html&h=200&w=300&sz=39&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=8QEx989NuXm1wM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgriffith%2Bpark%2Bboulevard%2Bmulholland%2Bdrive%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

oceansdreamer56 - no, not Jane's Village (although those houses look adorable). This is a little complex on Griffith Park Boulevard.

Robyn - you're right - those are adorable. Thanks for that link - looks interesting.

There's some photos on the "Storybook" site that Leah mentioned of another very cute set of apartments.

I remember little sets of apartments similar to this in various locations around Orange County where I grew up (no, we did NOT call it The OC!! ;->) although the architecture wasn't as whimsical - mostly Craftsman or Spanish/Moorish, but still very cool. My best friend in Jr. Hi. lived in one set and I thought it was great even then because everyone looked out for each other, helped each other - a little community within the community. There's one (only one!) in the town where I live now and I'd love to live there, but there's not a large turn-over of residents.

Lol, it looks like Hansel and Gretel!

Tom
Beverly Hills Apartments