Bungalow Courts in Los Angeles

They were for poor people and dreadful hillbillies

Ida Sessions lived in a bungalow court, and look what happed to her!

*happened

That's a nice one, OP. I look them up sometimes and they're never good inside. Friends literally refer to me as "Bungalow". Bungalow court bungalows are never good inside. At the most they're comparable to efficiency one bedrooms.

I was reading this the other night. It's about LA's Spanish courtyard apartments. I'm not sure where the line between a bungalow court and a courtyard complex is drawn.

That’s the LA of my youth. Sad to see rows of bungalows disappearing.

OP's picture looks like the one in Mulholland Drive, towards the end of the film.

I knew some people that lived in a bungalow court in San Francisco. It was very charming, stucco buildings. IIRC, there was even an Italian fountain in the courtyard.

Thank you, R4. That's a pretty building and an interesting article about a film I haven't seen. It's on Amazon, so I put it on my watchlist.

R5 and R7, it's really a charming style that ought to be revived. It's not practical in the heart of the city, but as an alternative to apartments in less densely built-up areas, I think courtyards surrounded by attractively designed apartment-sized houses would be delightful. Unfortunately, I doubt that builders will ever do it because they can build so many more units and make so much more money building apartments and condominiums on the same patch of land.

It looks like Army housing.

There are still tons of these in the poorer neighborhoods of Miami and South Florida. They're often occupied by the elderly who are still independent enough to live on their own. Like a laissez-faire assisted living facility.

This one's on Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale.

St Andrews Bungalow Court in Hollywood.

My aunt, uncle and cousins lived in one when they first moved to the U.S. in the 1960s. It was in a fairly rundown neighborhood in L.A. They had a small backyard that was concrete tile although there was a small banana tree and some flowering bushes around the fence. Their bungalow was at the back end of the property. I don't think the other bungalows had a backyard but there was a cement walkway behind all of them on both sides.

There were other nicer ones in the city still existing in the 80s near Wilshire Blvd. Those were much pricier and nicer looking.

There are still some scattered around in hidden streets all around Hollywood if you know where to look. They are kind of charming but these days, everything in Hollywood is becoming expensive so don't expect these to be cheap just because they once were.

They look like elderly assisted living houses to me.

But I can also see them differently if they're in Hollywood, populated by young actors. Did studios own any of these? They'd be a good place to house actors they are grooming.

These remind me a lot of terraced housing here in England. Or what we’d call two up two down in the sense of being terraced and small And having a little garden. They are though so much more picturesque and nice looking. What’s the sq ft? A 2 up 2 down is about 700sq fr. Sadly here terraced houses not only still stand but they at now back in the private housing market having originally been built as social housing. My friend and his bf paid £600,000 for one. As a singleton I wouldn’t even get a mortgage on one after my parents worked themselves to the bone to get us out of a council estate. Now the council house my mother was raised in is on the market for £400,000 and DINK middle class couples are hoping to scrape the deposit together for such a house. Life’s a old bitch sometimes! Ok hoping to move to the continent next year and I’d love to find a place like this.

Shit that Chevy Chase Drive picture is so perfect looking. If I win the lotto I’m moving my whole family in there. So clean and perfectly manicured.

Though often associated with Los Angeles, bungalow court type housing actually began in Pasadena. The latter city however is more active in preserving this type of housing than former. In LA like elsewhere real estate pressures are causing many bungalow court housing to be emptied out, torn down and land redeveloped.

Court type housing once dominate in many forms from early part of last century until before WWII has generally fallen out of favor with developers. All those court yards are simply viewed as wasted space. This is why you don't see court yard apartment buildings going up any more either.

The bungalows at Sierra Bonita in Silver Lake were used by Disney animators and employees in the 1930s.

Does Aunt Ruth's apartment from the movie Mullholland Drive count as a "fancy" bungalow court?

Better pics of the same building:

I love them.

Even Joan Crawford lived in one, in AUTUMN LEAVES (56). She shared it with her young, crazy husband.

Seems like this type of housing would attract hoarders.

Perhaps I'm thinking about my first apartment I shared with my boyfriend. It had a courtyard-type configuration and we learned our downstairs neighbor was a hoarder, who eventually was evicted. You should have seen the mountain of crape that was removed after he left. And we lived above that mess. Soon after we moved into a high-rise.

San Diego has a ton of these

What is the criteria? Courtyard is a given. 1 to 2 stories? Less than 30 units? Anything else?

Came here to say Mulholland Drive.

A friend in Seattle lived in a complex like the Spanish ones here. I remember him more for his short, fat cock—what someone referred to in a past thread as a "fireplug" cock—the size that fits in me as if custom-designed. His name was Stephen, and unfortunately, he was more of a bottom. Also, it was at his bungalow on New Years Day 1979 or '80 that I saw my first computer.

When I first saw the title of this thread I thought it read "Bunghole Courts in Los Angeles".. That sounds like a lot more fun.

I lived in one on Fountain Avenue when I first moved to LA in the 90s. It was perfect for me and my bf at the time. We had our own little outdoor area with a lime tree. We had fabulous lunches out there and always had people over for drinks. We eventually moved to a much bigger place up the road but I really loved our little abode - it was the perfect no-frills landing pad. Many happy memories there.

Bet r30's neighbors loved it when he "always had people over for drinks."

I lived in one of these during the 1970s.

First, by definition a bungalow is one story- one and a half stories top (a small room under the roof line found on Sears bungalow kit houses). The Bungalow courts always had one story units.

They were wonderful first apartments. Pretty much a studio apartment with a sleeping alcove. I cannot remember if there were larger apartments in the complex. The small size made it easy to maintain. The outside was maintained by the complex owner. It was perfect for someone just starting out.

All I can think of is the courtyard plans from reading about the murder of William Desmond Taylor. It seems that such places were neighborly but perhaps a little claustrophobic as well. I've always been a fan of small living quarters and these do look charming.

These are so appealing to me. I have always lived in apartments, and feel safer and cozier in a smaller space surrounded by other people. That they are in a place with nice weather and things like lime trees makes them even better. I’d happily spend my old age in one.

Actually r31 the neighbors usually would join us.

I’ve always wanted to buy one of the old motor Court motels and make it into a B and B with each room decorated differently and the office made into a cocktail lounge.

Lived in one on N Kingsley for a year and a half (1984-85) with my then boyfriend. It was adorable.

These bungalows look adorable. I've only seen them in the movies, usually noir films from the 40s. I did see Mulholland Drive and R20 is right. And I loved the courtyard where her aunt's bungalow was situated.

Very Day of the Locust.....

R36 Do it! And post the address on DL. You'll be booked for years...

That's good, r35. It's always preferable to have mutual drunky boys.

In the 1950's TV series "So This is Hollywood, " the aspiring actors lived in a bungalow court.

That's the movie that popped into my mind R39. Also the Joan Crawford/Cliff Robertson film. I'm sure you could make a pretty substantial list of movies that featured them.

I lived in one in Long Beach, early 70s. The landlord also lived on premises which was a bit of a pain. I'd have friends over to get high and watch "Fractured Flickers" and he'd come over to tell us we were laughing too loudly. Hans Conried ... how could you not?

Lived in one in Hollywood Hills for a while, although the units were not connected, just little bungalows. It was an amazing place to live. Beautiful spanish details throughout. Owner told me they were originally built in the 30's to house actors on break from filming. This was before the age of trailer dressing room homes.

I lived in one for ten years and it was divine. Suzanne Pleshette had lived in the one across the courtyard--HISTORY!!!!

They used to be everywhere in Florida . I lived briefly in the one featured in "Cocoon" . Charming as hell but tiny . A few years ago I saw one for sale in Miami and I wanted so bad to be able to buy it but they were asking like 3 million ! In Miami ! In a bad area ! When I was growing up there were still hundreds of them along US90 , but now they are all gone with the exception of a few .

Melrose Place owns this thread.

The courtyard apartment building at R4 was the setting for "In a Lonely Place," 1950. It's a favorite and I like that form as well as some of the bungalow courts like the one at R11.

In a Mediterranean sort of climate the common patio or courtyard concept is brilliant, I think, offering at once a sense of separateness and community in a private garden. I understand the economic instinct to build out to maximum profit, but the city/state should offer some modest economic incentives to preserve a these rather unusual architectural forms. With the movement to flexible, multi-generational housing, downscaling and upscaling, it would seem that the form would appeal to some buyers or renters who want some character and a choice between proximity/privacy in an attractive architectural and landscape setting with shared maintenance.

If you're in the market for a Barbary Lane enclave to call your own, here's a nice 1912-1915 series of three duplexes of varying size with historic architectural details and a lush setting. But not cheap.

R47, I believe the Melrose Place dwelling was simply a courtyard apartment complex, not bungalow-style.

Musical background for the thread.

R12 That is beautiful and makes me think of Charleston or Savannah not .

They're basically a variation on what the rest of the country calls garden apartments. They don't seem to build them much anymore--land costs or simply trying to maximize profits by covering as much buildable land as possible.

R10 and R34: “Laissez-faire assisted living” – that’s what I want for my old age. It’s funny, when I started this thread, I was thinking that a bungalow court would be a perfect arrangement for senior housing. The lack of steps, the ease of access (just a short walk that could easily be made handicapped accessible from the parking lot), the presence of a built-in community - these are all desirable features for older people. Like R34, I think it would be perfect for me in my impending old age.

Amazing how much love there is not only for these little gems, but the general concept of very small houses clustered together around a courtyard. I think it's the idea of a blend of privacy and built-in community, plus having a home surrounded by landscaping that you don't have to maintain.

R36, buy that motor court before they're all gone. R40 is right; you'll be sold out months in advance.

R52: Aside from landscaping being a part of the equation, I don't see much similarity with "garden apartments" and "bungalow courts" or "courtyard apartment buildings."

Some garden apartments are arranged somewhat around a courtyard or some similar configuration but garden apartments are distinctly suburban in character (even when, occasionally, they get built in a proper city.) Parking features prominently, sometimes even garages, and there is often a dual orientation: front toward the street or parking area and rear toward a swath of green, a copse of woods, an artificial lake, or some landscaped area. These landscape features are largely for show and zones intended for use (children's play areas, seating areas, a pool sometimes) are set apart from the "look only" landscaped areas. They usually have balconies accessed by sliding glass doors, with space for a few chairs, s table, and a barbeque grille. It's a more sprawling and horizontal and suburban environment geared to driving and automobiles, without the sense of a common entry point -- the courtyard gate or some other means of funnelling people in and out from a common, narrow point in a bungalow court or courtyard apartment like R4. These earlier forms pushed cars around to the back, out of view, the opposite of a garden apartment complex; and they had a cohesive orientation around a shared common space that was used --if only as the sole mens of getting in and out-- by every resident (not just seen from a window or balcony). Garden apartments are designed to maximize privacy for every unit; bungalow courts and courtyard apartments have a more balanced duality of communal space and private space.

These courtyard apartments like the one where F. Scott Fitzgerald died seem lovely.

Some apartment buildings in L.A. have a courtyard as well.

This is @ 450 N Sycamore Ave

And the entrance.

Oops someone already posted about it - oh, well, my pics are better.

There's a bungalow court in Alameda (SF Bay Area) called "Stonehenge." Within Stonehenge, there's a house called the Dollhouse. Here it is. $799,000.

R54, you make good points, but the cars-at-the-front design is a bow to reality. I'm sure even in bungalow courts by the 1950s, many residents got around by car. Certainly today they do. That's a necessity in most of Los Angeles and in almost all suburbs (the only areas where there's enough land to build such developments today).

Cars-in-back means that residents will generally use the back, rather than front, entrance. That's true in many suburban high-rise apartments. The nice lobby and its adjacent careful landscaping is scarcely seen or used by residents because all come and go by car and thus are forced to use the back entrance.

There are many more apartments in most garden apartment complexes than in bungalow courts. I think you can build a bungalow court and still provide a single parking lot in front; in fact, you'd want to do that to encourage use of the main entrance. It's more secure as well as being more encouraging of a sense of community.

I remember some quite charming ones in Venice CA. Tiny little studio bungalows at very reasonable rents set around a court.

A few of the nicer ones I've seen (sq footage and deeded parking) are in Long Beach. Here' a recent one in the 1928 building called The Barcelona.

Here's another example from Long Beach known as El Cordova (featured in the film, La La Land).

In the mid-70's I lived in one on Hilldale Ave. in West Hollywood. Very charming, and I had the coolest and nicest neighbors ever.

Can't everyone hear you fucking when you live like that? Or what about animal sacrifices!? How would THAT work in such close quarters?

I lived in one in West Hollywood down the street from Hamburger Mary's. It wasn't technically a stand-alone bungalow (it was three which stood side-by-side), but the complex had that little bungalow feel. I loved it.

I also lived in a bungalow in the University Heights area of San Diego. It wasn't the nicest area (near a major highway and not the safest neighbourhood), but I still like the feel of the bungalow community. And there is something about living one during the Summer weather. Just a laid-back feeling of ease.

There used to be some studio bungalows in Burbank used as offices. They were cute.

Goldie Hawn's character lived in an adorable bungalow court in 1984's set-iin-the-40s movie 'Swing Shift". First she fucked her husband, Ed Harris in that and when he went off to war, she fucked Kurt Russell there.

And in 'Six Feet Under', Brenda moved into a pretty divy apartment in a down its heels court. She fucked and neighbor who was a recovering sex addict there, and likely Nate too. God only knows who else. She was herself a sex addict but never all that interested in dialing that back.

Therefore, R68 , bungalows are good for the sex life.

r68 That neighbor Brenda fucked was a young up and comer named Justin Theroux. Brenda and her many bungalows were my gateway drug to the bungalow world.

-- r4

There were lots of bungalows in the 50s/60s television shows like Perry Mason and 77 Sunset Strip. They were occupied with young people who just moved to Los Angeles, trying to jumpstart their careers. The bungalow courts were always lovely on the shows.

R54: Chicago is filled with garden apartments built in the 1920s. Indeed, some people would argue that a real Chicagoan, at least one living in the city, especially in areas within a couple miles of the lakefront, has probably lived in one. And Chicago is just one example.....places as different as Cleveland and Nashville have examples. Even Atlanta, a place that bulldozes everything has a few oldies.

[quote] Can't everyone hear you fucking when you live like that ...

I was to a few of the older ones in the Santa Monica area when growing up, and some of the neighborly 'noise' was mitigated by the layout of the units on the lot. They were all the same size and design inside (perhaps reversed), but they were like in a step pattern on the lot. This cut down on how much common wall they might have. And if the bathrooms and closets were on the shared wall, then that buffered things as well. This also allowed for each unit to have a back door and porch. So the three in the front might have more front area, while the three in the back would have more rear area. Most of these places came with one single car garage accessible from the alley and there was a shared laundry room attached to the garage structure. My aunt lived in one. I think it was about 650 sq ft.

I think that whore who got knocked up by Warren Beatty's character in A Place In The Sun lived in one of these bungalows.

Warren Beatty didn't have a character in A Place in the Sun, r74.

Charlie Chaplin built and owned several bungalow courts in West Hollywood, which he rented out to cast and crew who worked in his nearby movie studio on La Brea and Sunset (now the Jim Henson Company Studios). One of them was Chaplin Bungalow Court on North Formosa Ave, comprised of four cottages done in "Storybook" style. Supposedly, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks Sr, and Judy Garland all had once resided there during their early days.

Whoops, I meant Monty Cliff. Saaawwwwry!

Another Chaplin owned residential complex was Normandie Towers on Hampton Ave, just a block from his studios. It was also done in storybook style.

Thanks, R72. The Chicago examples from the 1920s -- usually a U-shaped cluster of three separate buildings or one continuous "U" (inverted, with the two arms reaching toward the street frontage and framing a central forecourt) -- are a great feature of the city. The form accommodates a range of apartments from small and basic to large and fairly luxurious and it gives a pleasant rhythm to the streets as well as a lot of greenery.

These are more like the courtyard apartments of LA than the WWII and post-war suburban "garden apartments" that take a very different attitude toward space and orientation.

Chicago - and some far-flung places- also has its version of bungalow courts. They're always interesting as a concept, though to my taste the most successful examples are those found in more Mediterranean climates and designed in Spanish-derived styles. The Storybook and Tudoresque and other styles seem more forced in their application to a central patio concept; they often seem dollhouse-like or just curious.

Here’s the inside of one from House Beautiful.

There were lots of them San Diego. I guess they built them when people were settling in San Diego or returning from WWII. Some remain but slowly they've been bought up, knocked down and replaced by expensive condos.

Actually, I did, as a kid. My folks moved out to LA to try it (from New England) and I was really young but remember living there and we have Kodak pictures of it. Made some great friends. There's an old Glenn Ford-Ruth Roman movie called Young Man With Ideas, where they live in one of these places.

Continuing with Charlie Chaplin owned property... The Charlie, on North Sweetzer Ave in West Hollywood, is a cluster of 14 English cottages surrounded by gardens, which served as a retreat for Chaplin and his movie colony friends. Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, etc. all have stayed here at one time or another. Today, the compound is a luxury bed & breakfast just blocks from the Sunset Strip.

The Charlie again

Storybook cottage bungalows on Griffith Park Blvd in Los Feliz.

This thread makes me miss living in Southern California.

Gram Parsons also lived in the Chaplin property on Sweetzer, when he first moved to Los Angeles from the East Coast.

The Charlie in WeHo

Looks lovely!

They are very nice looking, but I just couldn't live in one if I was single. I don't want everyone to see all my comings and goings.

Yes, I'd be a whore Darlin!

R47 Yep, and I'm pretty sure that place is still there (in Los Feliz).

R39 whenever I visit someone who lives in one, or pass by one, I say "Day of the Locust." Brenda lived in one in a few seasons of Six Feet Under, and she made that comparison when she first moved in.

Brenda had money and a fabulous bungalow in the first season I don't remember what brought about her move to the run-down bungalow court.

We have them in Portland too.

We have them on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Sniffen Court, Murray Hill

Both lovely, R94/R95. Pomander Walk (R94) was built in the early 1920s as a single project of 20-some complementary Tudor Revival and English cottage derived townhouse facades each with one apartment per floor. It's an excellent purpose-built example of housing that fits with the bungalow courts and courtyard apartments of Los Angeles (and other places.)

Sniffen Court (R95) though it has a similar look began as a mews of ten stables constructed during the Civil War as ancillary buildings for nearby larger townhouses; from before the end of the 19thC some of these were converted to other uses: artists' studios, a small theatre, and housing (Cole Porter, Graham Norton, etc.) It's a courtyard residential enclave by accident, I would say, having started life as something else altogether, but an especially beautiful one.

R95

Technically Smiffen Court is a mews of stables/carriage houses that have been converted into other purposes. Wouldn't call them 'bungalow houses" per se.

Mews were fairly common in New York City, London, Boston and many other areas back when horse drawn carriages were means of transportation even for city residents. When automobiles replaced horses stables were either converted to garages or housing. Many simply were torn down and land redeveloped.

We have a few left in NYC, and they are all preserved via landmark status. There are probably more carriage houses remaining though.

Mulholland Drive bungalow court.

This was the bungalow court that the main character (in the real world), lived in.