2598 Corralitas Drive

Built in 1929, 2598 Corralitas is very close to the Edendale Historic District, where movie studios once sat along Allessandro Boulevard (now known as Glendale Boulevard) just south of the Silver Lake reservoir. The days of the silent film were waning, and the talkies were slowly gaining prominence. Producer William Selig and Cowboy Tom Mixville built their studios in the vicinity, just around the time this home was being built.

July 5, 1935 Los Angeles Times

Wikipedia.org

The Keystone Kops, the old silent film movies about bumbling police officers produced by Mack Sennett, was one of the most well known projects shot in Edendale. The district was home to a vibrant artists’ community in the early 1900s and remained a “movie mecca” for another twenty years.

According to a 2001 Los Angeles Times article by Cecilia Rasmussen, “The area became such a movie center that in 1917, vaudeville and film actor Julian Eltinge–the original “King of Drag Queens,” who squeezed his 200-pound body into a corset with a 23-inch waist–built his Moorish mansion there. He called it Villa Capistrana, and it still stands at the top of Baxter Street.”

You can read a little more about early movie studios in Silver Lake in our 2312 Baxter Street blog.

The Edendale red car line, which opened in 1896, also ran through the district. The line began in downtown Los Angeles and stretched for about 5 miles into the Edendale District.

iew of Red Car at Edendale courtesy of USC Digital Libraries

Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1922

2598 Corralitas Drive was adjacent to the Hunter Terrace Subdivision, which touted the Edendale Red Car line in its marketing for real estate in the area. When the Red Car was decommissioned in 1955, the Red Car property at Corralitas was left vacant, and today one can still see the remains of the line. As we covered in our 2225 India Street post, this area just below Fletcher Street is nicknamed “Silver Lake’s Stonehenge” because of the concrete blocks, once a part of the Fletcher Street Red Car Viaduct, that still remain. The concrete blocks were designated LA Cultural-Historic Site #770 in 2003, and today the area is beloved by hikers seeking a quirky and slightly creepy foray into LA history. (Some say it’s haunted.)

Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2002

Over the years, residents and developers have struggled with their own visions of what the Red Car property should be. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, multiple attempts were made to build homes on the lot, while residents agitated for a new park to occupy the area instead.

Today, the Red Car area remains peaceful and as verdant as ever, with locals hiking, walking, and jogging within the densely wooded area. Besides the oak trees and abundant foliage that abound in the immediate vicinity, the home itself is flanked with cacti and other weather-appropriate shrubbery. A vibrant stucco and tiled doorway greets visitors at the entrance of this wonderfully private enclave in the hills.

Exquisite wrap-around decks and intricate landscaping make the outdoor areas ideal for entertaining. A large two car garage with additional parking on site makes it easy to host regular soirees.

The spacious, sunny living areas feature built-ins and hardwood flooring throughout. It’s all about the details here–a sunken living room is set off with gorgeous Spanish tiled steps while a fireplace for cooler nights, and breezy French doors that open onto a spacious deck for warmer ones…

A beautiful cook’s kitchen replete with everything the master chef needs is accompanied by a bright, sunny breakfast nook that opens onto one of the multiple patios.

It’s only just a few steps from the kitchen to the garden for that juicy tomato or a fragrant handful of fresh basil.

A spacious master bedroom is complemented by an equally spacious and decorative (and newly remodeled) bathroom. Master bedroom opens onto yet another patio.

2598 Corralitas was certainly constructed with the outdoors in mind. Multiple decks and patios offer stunning canyon views from any vantage point. Step outside and contemplate the historic beauty of the Silver Lake hills, though with this view, it’s easy to forget that one is in Los Angeles.

A great escape: truly an indoor/outdoor space, 2598 Corralitas evokes the best of California living (hello outdoor hot tub!) with an earthy, modern aesthetic that blends fluidity and comfort with elements of the outdoors.