Whitley Heights - Hollywood’s First Star-studded Neighborhood

A souvenir postcard featuring Whitley Heights.

Just north of Hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood hills are dotted with architecturally stunning dream homes built by noted architects and inhabited by a constellation of movie stars over the years. Whitley Heights was Hollywood’s first celebrity neighborhood and was the brainchild of Hobart J. Whitley, a prolific Los Angeles developer who was inspired to use this section of the Hollywood Hills to recreate the Mediterranean villages where he liked to vacation.

Whitley was quoted as saying, ““Whitley Heights will be my last subdivision. I look upon it as the culmination of a lifetime of development, and frankly, the most beautiful piece of property I ever developed.” Mrs. Whitley named this beautiful property the Hollywood Ocean View Tract; indeed, sweeping views of the ocean and the city could be enjoyed from the highest point on the western hillside. To take full advantage of this natural asset, a mission-style pavilion was built there 1903 and was used to host community events (mostly Sunday concerts) to attract prospective buyers to Whitley’s new subdivision. It also hosted the first Hollywood Easter Sunrise Service in 1919.

In the early days of Whitley Heights, only Italian and Spanish architecture was encouraged. These restrictions were lifted in 1928, but a majority of the lots had been developed at this point, leaving the area with the charming Mediterranean vibe Whitley had intended.

The development of Whitley Heights perfectly coincided with the rise of the film industry. Those first superstars with fortunes to spend flocked to this glamorous new neighborhood in the heart of Hollywood. A resident of Whitley Heights could be neighbors with stars like Carole Lombard, Gloria Swanson, Chester Morris, Tyrone Power, or Rudolph Valentino. Valentino was possibly the most famous Whitley Heights resident, and his home earned a notoriety of its own. More on that next week!