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Subject:  The Historic Playboy Mansion West - 10236 Charing Cross Road - Holmby Hills, California |
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Author: David Harrison Levi - Copyright © 2006 David Levi Celebrity Entertainment NEWS Network | [ Next Thread |
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] Date Posted: 04:15:27 06/12/06 Mon Author Host/IP: cache-ntc-ad04.proxy.aol.com/207.200.116.198 "Playboy Mansion West" (as it is officially named by Playboy Enterprises) was originally built at 10236 Charing Cross Road circa mid-1920's as the home of Arthur Letts, JR. He is the SON of the founder of the Broadway and Bullocks department stores, Arthur Letts, Sr. The younger Letts commissioned the construction of this stately English Tudor manor to be his private residence. (To be absolutely accurate, Letts, Sr., who DID found the Broadway department store in downtown Los Angeles, staked one of his most trusted employees, John Bullock, in underwriting Bullock's enterprise to create his namesake department store. Thus, Letts, Sr. was more the original "financier" of Bullock's Department Store rather than its "founder." Many books, however, somewhat carelessly use the shortcut description of Letts, Sr. as the "founder" of both the Bullocks AND Broadway chains.) More about Letts, Sr.: he was a Trustee of the California State Normal School (forerunner to the "Southern Branch of the University of California," later renamed "University of California at Los Angeles, and still later, "UCLA"). Letts, Sr. died somewhat suddenly, circa 1923 or '24 I believe. (I am writing this from memory, without the benefit of access to my books or reseach materials, so please forgive the fact that I do not have this date down EXACTLY). Letts, Sr.'s death occurred largely before he could live to realize his vision to develop an area of grandious estates - some say the finest in Southern California - which was his master plan for the prime acreage he devoted to his Holmby Hills development. Incidentally, "Holmby Hills" was personally christened by Letts, Sr. The name was loosely derived from his birthplace, a small hamlet in England called "Holdenby." After Letts, Sr. died, it was left to his son-in-law, Harold Janss (one of the two brothers who ran the Janss Investment Corporation), who married Letts, Sr.'s daughter, Gladys, to consummate the agreement to sell some 373 acres to the UC Regents for the new home for UCLA. This decision by the Regents to relocate UCLA to the then-undeveloped area of "Westwood Hills" sparked the accelerated development of Westwood (offically "Westwood Hills"), Westwood Village, and Holmby Hills. The home of Arthur Letts, Jr., now the Playboy Mansion, still exists today as one of the finest estates in all of Southern California. Incidentally, Gladys Letts (and her husband, Harold Janss) also built one of the premiere estates in Holmby Hills as their private residence. This estate was very near (possibly adjacent to) her brother's mansion, which is now home to Hef and his bunnies. I thought you might find this of interest.... [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |