Silver Lake (or Silverlake), is one of the oldest, funkiest and most artsy neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It’s famous for its reservoir, independent spirit, musicians, and eclectic architecture.
Its weirdest house, the wavy, mosaic-crusted Burrows House, could just as well be its icon.
Just shy of the 20th century, this neighborhood was originally named for the Scottish novel, Ivanhoe, by an expat Scotsman and land speculator named Hugo Reid. Many of the streets here were named for characters in the novel: Rowena, Kenilworth, Ben Lomond, St. George and more.
The rolling hills of Ivanhoe apparently reminded Reid of his homeland; since his day, though, these hills have been mercilessly overbuilt, its often beautiful houses wedged tightly together. The impression these days is more Mediterranean Coast than Munros of Scotland.
In 1906, the reservoir in the heart of the area gave Silver Lake the name that stuck. It was named for Herman Silver, the first head of L.A.’s Board of Water Commissioners. (These are the guys who put a happy local face on the irrigational treachery of the California Water Wars.)
It’s long provided water to South Los Angeles, but when incredibly high bromate levels were detected here in late 2007, it was drained in the spring of 2008, allowed to dry out, and refilled with fresh water two months later. With new walking/running paths all around it, Silver Lake Reservoir will now be used for decoration, while the area’s actual water resources will be provided by an underground reservoir in nearby Griffith Park.
While around the reservoir, check out:
- The science-meets-caffeine experience of the Chemex press at La Mill Coffee
- Try a Sunday, Monday, or Thursday wine tasting at Silverlake Wine
- Have a romantic dinner on the patio at The Edendale Grill, and check out a staggering array of photos from Silver Lake’s silver screen history
Silver Lake in the ‘teens and 20s was the center of the motion picture industry, with movie studios making the West Coast leap here from the lower reaches of Manhattan. The neighborhood was then home to stars like Laurel and Hardy, Gloria Swanson, and Antonio Moreno.
Silent screen star and character actor Moreno was one of the most influential land developers in the area. His famous Canfield-Moreno Estate, found at 1923 Micheltorena Street, formed the centerpiece of his Mediterranean-themed Moreno Highlands; Moreno’s former estate is now known as the Paramour Mansion, and is host to occasional (and some say, haunted) musical recording sessions.
The Moreno Highlands incubated such flights of fancy as the Moorish gem pictured here; found at 1824 San Jacinto Street, it’s a close second for Silver Lake’s weirdest house.
The most famous houses in the area, though, are the often boxy, streamlined houses of Modernist architecture stars like Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler and John Lautner.
Silver Lake today is renowned for its gay bars, its scruffy, thrift-store style, its fiercely independent business ethic (there’s almost no corporate commercial presence here) and its celebrity musicians.
Skinny, quirky Scientologist and sometimes-musical genius Beck lives here (as does his brother-in-law, actor Giovanni Ribisi.) One of our favorite singer/songwriters, Aimee Mann, also lives here with her musician husband, Michael Penn, the brother of Sean Penn. Another one of our favorite singers, Elliott Smith, whose albums Either/Or, XO, and Figure 8, are in constant rotation on our travels, either committed suicide or was murdered by his girlfriend in their neighborhood home in 2003.
Two great musical landmarks in the Sunset Junction section of Silver Lake are:
- Smith’s memorial wall at Solutions Audio (4334 W. Sunset Blvd.)
- Silverlake Conservatory of Music; started by local resident and bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this non-profit school picks up the musical slack left dangling by L.A. Unified Schools
While you’re in Sunset Junction, don’t miss:
- Secret Headquarters, one of our favorite sources for comics and graphic novels
- Casbah Cafe for floaty clothes from North Africa and gorgeous honeyed apricots from Iraq
- The Cheese Store of Silverlake for exquisite cheese, oils, wines and a crushing crowd of locals
- Cru, a creative raw foods restaurant where my food allergies and I can eat everything
- The Sunset Junction Street Fair, a weekend-long concert event traditionally held in late August
But above all, don’t miss our choice for Silver Lake’s weird house:
Burrows House, at 2384 Loma Vista Place.
Another L.A. home inspired by Barcelona’s Art Nouveau master, Antoni Gaudi, this free-flowing, organic structure on a quiet cul de sac was the 1921 creation of Illinois-born architect Charles F. Whittlesey.
Whittlesey, who studied under Chicago legend Louis Sullivan, made a name for himself in San Francisco using reinforced concrete in a blend of pueblo and Mission styles for many private homes in Russian Hill, as well as in Albuquerque, NM with the now-demolished Alvarado Hotel. But it was in Los Angeles that he came into his own, and despite the destruction of many of his finest buildings, Pasadena and the east side are still sprinkled with them.
Burrows House is like Silverlake itself: Hand-crafted, offbeat and completely unique.
[...] to show you 20th century Barcelona in Los Angeles, courtesy of architect Charles Whittlesey and the Burrows Residence just around the corner from [...]