LA History

When San Fernando Road was known as Highway 99, it was lined with gas, food, and lodging like this motel, built just after World War II. The only guests allowed these days are film crews, which have utilized the spot in productions ranging from Grease 2 to GLOW. 9457 San Fernando Rd., Sun Valley. >Chris Nichols

“It feels special, like Christmas, when you go see a show there. It’s elegant and Art Deco and feels like it’s haunted. I saw a production of Scheherazade, and I’d love to see a pre-Hays Code film there—something like The Blue Angel with Marlene Dietrich.” 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. >Margaret Cho, comedian and actress

Capitol Records Tower (1955)
Conceived by 24-year-old Louis Naidorf under the Becket umbrella, Capitol Records was the world’s first circular office building—a design that proved both cost-effective and visually striking. Porcelain-enameled sunshades ease the workload of the air-conditioning system, itself a novelty at the time for a building of this size. 1750 Vine St., Hollywood.

Château Élysée, now the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre
In 1927, the firm of Luther T. Mayo, Inc. began construction on the four-story, 77-unit turreted castle and its formal gardens on the three-acre former Ince family estate on the southwest corner of Bronson Avenue

No other American city was so utterly remade by the 1960s as Los Angeles.
Famously cavalier about torpedoing its past to make way for a fuzzily conceived future, L.A. was the perfect conquest for thousands of rampaging baby boomers wresting the cultural agenda through sheer preemption. During its golden rock and roll era of the mid- to late ’60s, L.A. saw some of its most venerable commercial districts, from Venice to the Sunset Strip, yanked into the here and now by covetous boomers remaking the city in their purple-hazy image. The moment peaked and passed in 1969, as the twin shocks of the Rolling Stones’ disastrous Altamont concert and the Manson murders in Los Angeles shook the flowers out of everyone’s hair, a watershed captured in native Angeleno Quentin Tarantino’s just-released Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
“Quentin very much wanted it to be actual, not CGI,” says Barbara Ling, the film’s production designer. “We went to great lengths to make sure that you felt immersed in this year.” The production fabricated period-accurate marquees of the Vogue and Pussycat theaters and retrofitted them to the existing buildings on Hollywood Boulevard. The 1969-vintage psychedelic facade of the Aquarius was painstakingly repainted over three days. “People kept saying to us, ‘Please, can’t you leave them up?’ “ says Ling. “We said, We can’t. They’re just facades!”

L.A. in 1969

An aerial photo of 3311 Waverly Drive taken in 1969, the house where supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were murdered by the Manson Family in August of 1969.
The two-bedroom house at 3311 Waverly Drive, listed for $1.98 million earlier this month, became a part of grim L.A. history on August 9, 1969, one night after Manson “Family” members murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, Voytek Frykowski, and Steven Parent. The LaBianca slayings also made the Beatles’ 1968 hit “Helter Skelter” infamous when police found the words “Healter [sic] Skelter” painted in blood on the couple’s refrigerator.

Boasting spectacular city views, stunning architecture and tranquil gardens, Yamashiro has welcomed guests to its magical setting above Hollywood Boulevard for generations.
From its origins as a private estate to its modern incarnation as an Asian fusion restaurant and event venue, the fascinating history of Yamashiro is something out of a Hollywood script.

The Main House at Yamashiro in 1914 | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro

A MOUNTAIN PALACE IN HOLLYWOOD
Meaning "Mountain Palace" in Japanese, Yamashiro was originally the vision of Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer, who were described by the National Park Service as "German-born cotton barons and avid Asian Art collectors." After acquiring a dozen acres of Hollywood hilltop property to build their estate and gardens, the Bernheimer brothers hired New York architect Franklin M. Small, with local architect Walter Webber as supervising architect, to design the Main House that would house their collection of Asian art treasures.
Completed in 1914, the mansion was supposedly a replica of a palace located in the mountains of Yamashiro province near Kyoto. In fact, the Main House was a mix of design elements from Japan, China and other Asian cultures.

Historic foyer at the Main House | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro

Yamashiro was accessed by 300 steps that led up the hillside through landscaped Japanese gardens. Inside the 10-room teak and cedar mansion, carved rafters were lacquered in gold and tipped with bronze dragons. The walls were covered with lustrous silks and antique tapestries.

The miniature Japanese village, with the 600-year-old pagoda in the background | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro

Our 600-year-old Pagoda was flown in from Japan and is currently Californias oldest structure.

With landscaping that reportedly cost $2 million, terraces were filled with 30,000 varieties of plants and trees, waterfalls, goldfish, and a private zoo of exotic birds and monkeys. Toy-sized bronze houseboats floated along a maze of tiny canals and through a miniature Japanese village.

The Inner Courtyard at the Main House in 1914 | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro

An Inner Courtyard, with a garden in the center, was filled with sculpted plants, stone-hewn pools, and rare fish.

Located at the Hollywood Hills Hotel pool, the 600-year-old pagoda from Japan is one of Yamashiro's most famous original structures. The pool was once a "lake" that housed rare black Australian swans.


An antique Buddha sits in the Summer House | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro

Another well-known Yamashiro spot, the ceremonial Summer House was placed just below the top of the hill as a resting place for guests who were climbing the stairs. The antique Buddha seated there became so popular with guests, a sign hangs from a post to warn visitors, "Do Not Climb On Buddha." The Yamashiro Buddha now faces west as a sign of good luck and prosperity.

THE 400 CLUB
The Bernheimer brothers sold Yamashiro in 1924. After Eugene's sudden death in December 1924, most of the art collection – including the Buddhist and Satsuma art, rare jades, tapestries, and cloisonne chandeliers – were auctioned off.

In the late 1920s, Yamashiro was briefly home to the 400 Club, an exclusive gathering of A-list celebrities from the Golden Age of Hollywood. One rumor even said that Yamashiro was a brothel during the Roaring Twenties. During the Great Depression, tours of the Yamashiro gardens were offered for 25 cents.

WORLD WAR II
After Pearl Harbor, anti-Japanese sentiment was rampant in Hollywood and across the country. Yamashiro was rumored to be a signal tower for the Japanese. Much of the landscaping and decorative elements were stripped by vandals.

Yamashiro’s Asian architecture was disguised - carved woods were covered with paint and boards, and the estate became a military boys school. At the end of WWII, the property was converted into 15 apartment units. Over the years, everyone from legendary comedian Richard Pryor to local news anchor Jerry Dunphy lived on the grounds.

SAVED BY THOMAS O. GLOVER
In disrepair and unrecognizable from its heyday, the estate was purchased in 1948 by Thomas O. Glover, who wanted to raze the building and develop a hotel and apartments on the seven-acre property. (Glover would later buy the nearby Magic Castle.)

As he prepared for Yamashiro's demolition, Glover discovered ornate woodwork and silk wallpaper hidden beneath layers of paint and plywood. Instead of tearing down the estate, Glover decided to restore the mansion.
Glover opened a cocktail lounge in a back room of the building and charged a $1 membership to the “Hollywood Hill Club.” The resident handyman did double duty as a bartender, serving drinks for 35 cents. The popular bar soon outgrew its space and was expanded into the next room, and the next, until it occupied the entire east side of the building.

YAMASHIRO RESTAURANT IS BORN
According to Yamashiro, Glover’s son, Thomas Y. Glover served hot hors d’oeuvres to bar guests one New Year's Eve, and Yamashiro Restaurant was born. Starting with just four tables in the early 60's, the restaurant expanded into the remaining rooms of the palace.

Over the next five decades, Yamashiro became a popular dining destination and wedding venue that could accommodate hundreds of guests. The Pagoda Bar was added on a terrace above the pool, overlooking the 600-year-old pagoda, with the city skyline as a backdrop.

THE TEA HOUSE
Built at the time of the original Main House, the Tea House was modeled after an actual Japanese tea house. Vintage photos show that the Tea House was connected to the main building by a switchback walkway, cascades, and waterfalls. In the late 1950s, the Tea House was converted to an apartment and occupied for 20 years by actor Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright on Bonanza and the title role on Trapper John, M.D.)
Not long after Roberts moved out of the Tea House, vandals lit fires on the hillside and the Tea House burned down. The foundation and remnants of the water cascades and waterfalls are all that remain.

THE MONKEY HOUSE
Originally built to house a collection of monkeys, the namesake Monkey House was built "like a cave," made of chicken wire and plaster on the inside, where the monkeys could sleep. An outdoor area featured small ponds and swings.

In the late 50's, the Monkey House was converted to an apartment and rented to celebrities like Randy Prince, whose father owned much of Hollywood Boulevard. Prince's lavish parties became well-known around Hollywood. Thomas Y. Glover moved into the Monkey House in 1978 and re-built it into a comfortable residence, where he lived until 1993. Since then it's been occupied by several Hollywood celebrities.


The Garden Courtyard | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro, Facebook

A National Landmark
In August 2012, the Yamashiro Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places. According to the National Park Service, the Yamashiro Historic District includes "nine contributing buildings, sites, and structures on the estate property."

UNFORGETTABLE SPECIAL EVENTS
Thanks to its romantic setting and impressive city views, Yamashiro is one of L.A.'s most popular wedding and special event venues. Spaces throughout Yamashiro are available for events, from the famous Garden Courtyard to the Skyview Room and the more intimate Koi Room.

STARRING YAMASHIRO AS "JAPAN"
Since the 1920s, Yamashiro has starred as “Japan” in numerous film and TV productions, and also appeared in countless commercials and photoshoots. Most recently, Yamashiro is the setting for the final scene of Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals. Director Joshua Logan chose the palace as the officers’ club in his Academy Award-winning 1957 film, Sayonara starring Marlon Brando. Other Yamashiro film appearances include Memoirs of a Geisha, Gone in 60 Seconds, Blind Date, Thousand Men and a Baby, Playing God, and Teahouse of the August Moon. During the 1950s and '60s, Yamashiro became a familiar sight on TV with appearances on series such as I Spy, Route 66, Perry Mason and My Three Sons.

Scene from "Memoirs of a Geisha" filmed in the Inner Courtyard | Photo courtesy of Yamashiro

A NEW ERA BEGINS
In March 2016, the property that contains Yamashiro was sold to JE Group, a Beijing-based hotel operator. In July 2016, Yamashiro announced its new operators, BNG Group and Sugar Factory. Yamashiro also welcomed new Executive Chef Christophe Bonnegrace, the former executive chef of Buddha Bar and Little Buddha in Las Vegas.

New features like a sushi bar, robata grill, teppanyaki grill and a new lounge are based on the original 1914 plans for the "Mountain Palace" and its surrounding grounds.

The carousel was built by the Spillman Engineering Company, of North Tonawanda, New York, in 1926. It was brought to San Diego for the 1936 World’s Fair and from there to its permanent home in Griffith Park. Everything on it is authentic, from the belts and gears that drive it to the hand-painted panels that circle its crown -- lush images of tigers, elk, swans, mountains, lakes and other scenery.
“We have 66 horses, all jumpers,” Gosdinski says, meaning no stationary horses. “We have a few horses that were carved back in 1895, so they’re actually older than the merry-go-round. Those are the jewels of the carousel.”

what used to be in Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill