The History of West Hollywood’s 1343 N. Laurel Ave.

Architectural historian Margarita J. Wuellner evaluated 1343 N. Laurel Ave. for the City of West Hollywood. What follows is her assessment of the property and its features.

Constructed in 1923 by owner Arthur J. Clark as a single-family home, the Main Residence was designed in a pre-World War I version of the Colonial Revival style. Initial property improvements included the two-story Main Residence located in the center of the double lot, as well as a one-story North Garage at the rear of the property. A one-room Servants Quarters was added onto the North Garage in 1917.

In 1924, the property was purchased by Adolph Linick, a pioneer theater exhibitor from Chicago. A German immigrant who settled in Chicago in 1892, he soon developed a highly lucrative business investing in various forms of popular entertainment and became increasingly involved in the fledgling film industry, which brought him to Southern California as early as 1905.

In 1924, at the age of 55, Linick retired and moved his family to Los Angeles permanently, purchasing the large residence on Laurel Avenue. The Chauffeur’s Cottage was constructed at this time. Images of the residence made in 1924 depicted the Main Residence surrounded by formal landscaping with a driveway, front sidewalk, terraced front lawn, fruit trees along the southern edge of the property, and a windrow of eucalyptus trees along the rear edge of the property.

1941 Remodel

By the 1940s, the family’s use of the property had changed. In 1941, architect John H. Fleming was hired to remodel the large residence into four separate apartment units and to update the exterior in a more contemporary version of the Colonial Revival style. The sensitive treatment of the conversion retained the feeling of a single-family residence. Additional features added to the property included a four-car garage (South Garage), a concrete walkway to the Chauffeur’s Cottage (North Walk), and a paved motor court adjacent to the South Garage.

Considered one of the showplaces of the neighborhood, the Main Residence contained ample room for the growing family who continued to reside there, renting out the remaining available space. Adolph Linick lived on the property until his death in 1966 at the age of 97. Thereafter, the property passed to his daughter, Elsie Linick-Weisman, who lived in one of the upstairs apartments with her husband, Sidney.

In 1997, Mrs. Linick-Weisman donated the property to the City of West Hollywood. She continued to live at the Laurel Avenue residence until her death in 2000 at the age of 101. A passive pocket park was later installed on the property. The Main Residence and ancillary buildings are presently intact and undergoing a protective structural stabilization and mothballing program.

Present Appearance

Today, the Main Residence reflects the architectural character and layout of the 1941 renovation. At that time, the front façade was modified in what was considered a more contemporary version of the Colonial Revival style and was elaborated with a prominent broken pediment over the front door. The large ground-floor windows, more appropriate for the living spaces of a large residence, were replaced by double-hung sash windows and capped with triangular pediments.

The interior was reconfigured from its original single-family use into four apartment units, two on each floor. A new wing was added at the rear, and a bay window was added to the north façade. The easternmost portion of the south façade was enclosed and a wooden exterior staircase was added. All kitchens and baths were remodeled at this time, including all modern fixtures and equipment.

While there were substantial changes to the original features of the primary façade, modifications made during the 1941 rehabilitation were sensitive to the original style and character of the building. With the exception of two second-story room additions on the north façade in the 1950s, the Main Residence has remained essentially unaltered since this time and retains high integrity from the 1941 period.

The existing mature landscape retains original features that distinguish it as an example of the “open lawn idea,” with trees and shrubs massed on the boundary lines, curving lines of the driveway and walks, and foundation plantings and shrubbery blending the residence with the site. Originally designed to create an overall visual picture when viewed from the street, the formality of the landscape is still apparent.

Historical Significance

The property was listed as a City of West Hollywood Cultural Resource in 1994 due to the significance of the residence and its setting. In 2005, the property was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, as an important example of the transformation of single-family residences to multiple-family housing that was typical of housing development in West Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. The period of significance is 1914 (the date of the oldest extant buildings on the property) to 1941 (the date of major remodeling). As remodeled in 1941, the residence is also eligible for inclusion in the National Register as an important example of American Colonial Revival–style architecture in the context of West Hollywood.

The Main Residence interior retains character-defining features, from both its original 1914 construction and alterations through 1941, but not subsequent changes. Significant features include:

• The plan and layout of the four existing apartment units around a central public entrance hall and staircase.

• The front entrance, including the existing door, screen door, transom window, and jambs.

• The central hall, staircase, and balustrade.

• Bathrooms including cabinets, sinks, countertops, bathtubs, some fittings, and original tile work on the walls and floors.

• Crown molding, chair rail molding, and baseboards.

• Built-in shelves and cabinets.

• Hardwood floors.

• Window frames and trims.

• Interior door openings, doors, and surrounds.

• The metal heating vent grilles.

• Some light fixtures, including the fixtures in the kitchens and hallways of the two south units.

CORRECTION:  An earlier version of this article quoted architectural historian Margarita J. Wuellner as saying that the 9091 Santa Monica Blvd. was built in 1914. However, the City of West Hollywood has determined that it was constructed in 1923.  The story has been updated to reflect that.