Apr 15, 1982
Colonial House - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance: In order to accommodate a large segment of the film industry whose work took them both to New York and California, the Hollywood community built a number of luxurious apartment hotels. These hostelries sought to maintain the highest levels of service to their prestigious clients, at the same time providing a home-like atmosphere. Such buildings dot the Hollywood landscape; many, however, are but shadows of their former selves. One such building which has not lost its place in the community is Colonial House, which continues to serve a function closely allied to the original. Now a condominium, it still provides a sense of place in a secluded environment to its resident. The architect, Leland Bryant, was an architect, engineer, and inventor. A native of California, he attended the University of California at Berkeley. He designed a number of apartments in period styles, his favorites being the French Colonial and the French Chateau styles. Among his buildings in the Los Angeles area are: Sunset Towers (1929), the Voltaire (c. 1928), Country Club Manor (1926), Crystal Pier Beach Club in Santa Monica (1926), Le Trianon (1928), the Fontenoy (c. 1927), and the Spanish La Leyenda. Bryant is noted for his Class A construction, his care in engineering, and the amount of detailing which graces his buildings. Colonial House was begun in 1930, one of the last of its kind to be finished before the Depression hit California. One of its original owners was actress Margaret Livingston Whiteman, wife of band leader Paul Whiteman. From the beginning, the luxuriously appointed building attracted personalities from the film industry, among them Clark Gable, Frances Marion, Nicholas Ray, Joan Blondell, Eddie Cantor, and currently, Bette Davis and Audra Bindley. Its location and the privacy it afforded made it popular with the film industry. In addition, a number of professionals, public relations people, producers, writers, and directors made Colonial House their home. An oral history detailing the residents is attached. An oral history detailing the residents is attached. The Colonial House is significant in the Hollywood community not merely by virtue of its famous residents, but also for its period architecture and the visual symbol of an era. The advent of talking pictures focused the eyes of the world on the emerging community, and its boosters were determined to create a city that would look as glamorous as it was rumored to be. Throughout the Twenties, they committed themselves to an expansive and lavish building program, in both commercial and residential areas. The apartment hotels played a major role as visual symbols of the sophistication of Hollywood. Colonial House has retained this role, continuing as an example of architecture in Hollywood's heyday and representing a lifestyle which to a large extent has disappeared.
Colonial House - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance: In order to accommodate a large segment of the film industry whose work took them both to New York and California, the Hollywood community built a number of luxurious apartment hotels. These hostelries sought to maintain the highest levels of service to their prestigious clients, at the same time providing a home-like atmosphere. Such buildings dot the Hollywood landscape; many, however, are but shadows of their former selves. One such building which has not lost its place in the community is Colonial House, which continues to serve a function closely allied to the original. Now a condominium, it still provides a sense of place in a secluded environment to its resident. The architect, Leland Bryant, was an architect, engineer, and inventor. A native of California, he attended the University of California at Berkeley. He designed a number of apartments in period styles, his favorites being the French Colonial and the French Chateau styles. Among his buildings in the Los Angeles area are: Sunset Towers (1929), the Voltaire (c. 1928), Country Club Manor (1926), Crystal Pier Beach Club in Santa Monica (1926), Le Trianon (1928), the Fontenoy (c. 1927), and the Spanish La Leyenda. Bryant is noted for his Class A construction, his care in engineering, and the amount of detailing which graces his buildings. Colonial House was begun in 1930, one of the last of its kind to be finished before the Depression hit California. One of its original owners was actress Margaret Livingston Whiteman, wife of band leader Paul Whiteman. From the beginning, the luxuriously appointed building attracted personalities from the film industry, among them Clark Gable, Frances Marion, Nicholas Ray, Joan Blondell, Eddie Cantor, and currently, Bette Davis and Audra Bindley. Its location and the privacy it afforded made it popular with the film industry. In addition, a number of professionals, public relations people, producers, writers, and directors made Colonial House their home. An oral history detailing the residents is attached. An oral history detailing the residents is attached. The Colonial House is significant in the Hollywood community not merely by virtue of its famous residents, but also for its period architecture and the visual symbol of an era. The advent of talking pictures focused the eyes of the world on the emerging community, and its boosters were determined to create a city that would look as glamorous as it was rumored to be. Throughout the Twenties, they committed themselves to an expansive and lavish building program, in both commercial and residential areas. The apartment hotels played a major role as visual symbols of the sophistication of Hollywood. Colonial House has retained this role, continuing as an example of architecture in Hollywood's heyday and representing a lifestyle which to a large extent has disappeared.
Apr 15, 1982
Posted Date
Mar 13, 2022
Historical Record Date
Apr 15, 1982
Source Name
United States Department of Interior - National Park Service
