West Hollywood apartment tower with a storied actor clientele, by architect-to-the-stars Leland Bryant

Added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1982

Got $5500 a month to spare on a one-bedroom condo? No? Well then you probably can’t afford to live in this historic apartment tower in West Hollywood. Built in 1930 and designed by architect-to-the-stars Leland Bryant (he of the stunning art deco Sunset Tower and many a French chateau-style abode), the Colonial House seems like a perfectly nice French colonial building from the outside (the only part of it that I will ever get to see); while I’ll always prefer my private apartment complexes to make some concessions to the public, like a sweeping lobby or an ornate entryway to marvel at, the condos themselves seem tasteful, old-world but unfussy from the photos. Aaah, a shared pool. Good for you if you live there! I’m sure you deserve it. 

If I seem unimpressed, it’s because the Colonial House is on the same block of Havenhurst Ave. as Arthur & Nina Zwebell’s fantastical courtyards (see post #32), which offer up much more for the eye and the imagination. 

BUT: if you’re talking straight up star power of its past resident list, the Colonial House is plenty impressive. Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, Myrna Loy, Eddie Cantor, Joan Blondell, Frances Marion, Julia Roberts & Jamie Lee Curtis are all purported to have lived here; more recently, Katy Perry rented here for a spell after her divorce from Russell Brand.

It’s nuts to think about how many Hollywood legends ate and pooped and left for work wearing giant sunglasses and huge hats here. You gotta wonder if any of them passed each other in the halls, or read lines together, or carpooled to MGM or Warner Brothers. If these walls could talk, right? 

Recommended Reading

+Colonial House @ NRHP website

+More about Leland Bryant’s connection with LA history (Variety)

+Read about the Colonial House’s Hollywood history @ Dear Old Hollywood