The home is nestled in the tangle of hillside homes that make up Whitley Heights, one of Hollywood’s most historic neighborhoods. “The Hill” as locals call it, occupies an irregular triangle of lush hilly terrain north of Franklin Avenue, east of Highland Avenue and west of Cahuenga Boulevard.
Built by “The Father of Hollywood”, H.J. Whitley, a Canadian developer with a love of Italian architecture, Whitley Heights is a secluded community of Mediterranean and Spanish homes suspended above Hollywood Boulevard. A man with a vision, Whitley commissioned architect A.S. Barnes to tour the Mediterranean and study the architecture and landscaping of its historic hill towns.
Between 1918 and 1928, Barnes designed most of the 163 homes that still sit on the hill, most of them include many interior and exterior architectural features never seen before the 1920s in Los Angeles—wrought iron, leaded glass, windows, and tiled roofs.
The list of stars that have lived in Whitley Heights reads like a Hollywood Who’s Who. It’s so long—it should be called a Who Hasn’t.
Rudolph Valentino, William Powell, Carole Lombard, Gloria Swanson, Tyrone Power, Rosalind Russell, Bette Davis, Charlie Chaplin and many, many more called The Hill home.
After WWII, the community was bisected to make way for the Hollywood Freeway and tragically, some beautiful homes were lost—Rudolph Valentino’s and Charlie Chaplin’s to name just two.
In 1982, homeowners campaigned to have Whitley Heights added to the Nat’l Register of Historic Places to keep this travesty from happening again.
Every Hollywood star needs a grand entrance. And 6749 Whitley Terrace has one.
The California palms and mature trees that surround the home heighten privacy.
The home has had a dramatic makeover, inside and out. An oversized living room with warm wood floors, beamed ceilings, and a fireplace shares an open plan with the dining room and kitchen.
The revamped kitchen with a center island has new cabinets, marble counters, a subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances.
Light from French windows and doors in every room fills the home giving it an airy quality. A curved stairway leads to the 3 bedrooms upstairs.
The master bedroom has stunning views of the hills dotted with Italian villas. An enclosed sunroom overlooks hills of jasmine and bougainvillea.
Even the master bath has hillside views. Custom tile and glamorous fittings makes the space feel like a trip to the spa.
You can relax in a claw footbath and contemplate the Hollywood Sign on a distant hill.
No self-respecting Hollywood Hills home would be complete without a media room.
Step outside into sunlight and blue skies that go on forever. Two lushly landscaped side yards have patios with Spanish Saltillo tiles.
A classic walled fountain against cascading purple morning glories serves as a focal point for entertaining. And around the corner you can even get a game of bocce ball going.
6749 Whitley Terrace has all the glamour of old Hollywood in one of the most famous (and infamous) neighborhoods in the city. Rumor has it that sometimes late at night whispered laughs and muffled footsteps echo in these hills—Valentino and his love coming home from a late night soiree? We think so.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.