If your visiting Los Angeles for the first time, you might be amazed that its geography is not flat! Los Angeles is instead a slanting basin encircled by the Santa Monica Mountains to the west, the high San Gabriel’s to the north, and the Puente Hills to the east. Within this basin, there are many small hills that break up the whole area into hills and valleys.
Mt. Washington, which is 940 feet in height, is located on the eastern edge of downtown Los Angeles and the east shore of the Los Angeles River, running north toward the City of Glendale.
Originally constructed in 1910 as the Mount Washington Hotel, its intention was to highlight an exclusive residential subdivision promoted by real estate developer Robert Marsh. Served by a cable railway. The hotel was a popular spot frequented by silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin.
As the film studios moved out of Sycamore Grove Park on their way to Hollywood, the popularity waned, and the building stood vacant. Mt. Washington’s growth and its unique neighborhoods developed and thrived and today continue with that same artistic and visionary spirit.
Mt. Washington’s residential architectural roots began with Victorian farmhouses, grand estates, and charming Craftsman homes. In the 1920s, modern homes included Spanish colonial revival, English Tudor, and smaller bungalows.
In later decades, streamlined modern was introduced, International, post-war traditional, and mid-century modern. Mt. Washington’s eclectic mix of architectural character among these diverse styles of homes has made it both unique and fascinating. Would you like a tour?
Located on the southwestern slopes of Mount Washington, Elyria Canyon Park is a 35-acre nature park that provides a glimpse into the native habitat that once thrived in the hills near downtown Los Angeles. A network of trails meanders through fragrant communities of coastal sage scrub, chaparral, grassland, and purple needlegrass.
The park boasts one of the finest examples of California black walnut woodland in Southern California. The trails lead to vistas of the Los Angeles River, Griffith Observatory, and the city.
With the rugged individualism and early industrious nature of those who developed the residential real estate of Mt. Washington, there is a vast artistic and creative realm in this region. Up here, architecture and its immersion in nature reign king! And the views!!!
Architects Richard Neutra, Gregory Ain, and John Lautner’s all have created residences in Mt. Washington! One of the lesser-known is Canadian-born architect W. Earl Wear who moved to Southern California in the 1950s. According to his obituary, “in his work Earl followed the principles of Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Organic Architecture and during his time in the Los Angeles area he designed and built nine original residences.”
It should come as no surprise that with great demand to live in Mount Washington with a tight supply of homes, it is a seller’s market. With low-interest rates and Covid-19 resulted in families moving up in the market and new participants moving in with soaring rents. It’s a jungle out there!
The Mount Washington housing market is very competitive. The average sale price of a home in Mount Washington was $1.31M last month, up 23.9% since last year. (Redfin) With numbers like these, it matters who you work with!
