Windsor Square, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Windsor Square is a small, historic and wealthy urban neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire
region of Los Angeles, California
.
The development was constituted as a private square. Both the homes and the streets would be privately owned. At that time there were dense groves of bamboo in the area which needed to be destroyed before trees and gardens could be cultivated. Intervening walls or fences were discouraged so that one garden ran into another creating a park-like setting. Windsor Square was the first area in the city to have the power lines below grade, an extraordinary innovation for 1911.
To make sure that the homes were significantly upscale as befitted the exceptionally beautiful setting, deed restrictions were set at a minimum cost of $12,550. per home, an enormous amount at the time. Many outstanding architects designed homes for the area including Paul Williams and A.C. Martin.
As a result, many of the city's elite moved west to Windsor Square including Howard (his daughter still lives in his home on Windsor Blvd.) and Norman Chandler who took up life-long residence with his wife Buffy on Lorraine Blvd. Oil magnate John Paul Getty bought a property on Irving Blvd. that is now Los Angeles' official mayor's residence.
to Third Street, and from Plymouth Blvd. to Irving Blvd. The English flavor was enhanced by street names: Irving, Windsor and Plymouth. Lorraine Boulevard took its name from the developer's daughter Lorraine Rowan. Nurseryman Paul J. Howard designed and planted most of the magnificent gardens of Windsor Square and supervised tree planting.
to Beverly
Boulevards, and from Arden Boulevard to Van Ness Avenue. This is inclusive of the one-block strip of Larchmont Village, between First Street and Beverly Boulevard. Windsor Square is often mistakenly called "Hancock Park," even by long-time residents. But in fact, Hancock Park
is the neighborhood immediately to the west. Windsor Square's homes have the same historic value as in Hancock Park
, but most of the homes are built on a slightly smaller scale.
Windsor Square consists of approximately 1,100 homes, and it is one of the oldest, most well preserved neighborhoods in Los Angeles. With its broad lawns, mature trees and central location five miles west of downtown, Windsor Square is a garden oasis in the heart of a world-class city.
Windsor Square contains Larchmont
, a "main street" for Windsor Square, which is particularly popular with teenagers and young adults. The Marlborough School for Girls, just three streets over from Larchmont and on Rossmore Avenue, is one of the most prestigious all-girls schools in Los Angeles. Windsor Square is served by the Larchmont Chronicle
monthly community newspaper.
Windsor Square is also home to Getty House
, the official residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles.
The area was designated a City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone on September 29, 2004.
Mid-Wilshire
Mid-Wilshire is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Wilshire region.It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the Santa Monica Freeway to the south, although some...
region of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Origins and history
Sometime between 1900 and 1910 a prominent financier named George A.J. Howard envisioned a beautiful tranquil park as a setting for family homes such as one sees in the English countryside in what was then a undeveloped and rural area about half way between the city center (now Downtown LA) and the coast. Howard pushed the early city fathers to make his vision come true, and in 1911, Mr. Robert A. Rowan was able to initiate a unique residential development and called it Windsor Square.The development was constituted as a private square. Both the homes and the streets would be privately owned. At that time there were dense groves of bamboo in the area which needed to be destroyed before trees and gardens could be cultivated. Intervening walls or fences were discouraged so that one garden ran into another creating a park-like setting. Windsor Square was the first area in the city to have the power lines below grade, an extraordinary innovation for 1911.
To make sure that the homes were significantly upscale as befitted the exceptionally beautiful setting, deed restrictions were set at a minimum cost of $12,550. per home, an enormous amount at the time. Many outstanding architects designed homes for the area including Paul Williams and A.C. Martin.
As a result, many of the city's elite moved west to Windsor Square including Howard (his daughter still lives in his home on Windsor Blvd.) and Norman Chandler who took up life-long residence with his wife Buffy on Lorraine Blvd. Oil magnate John Paul Getty bought a property on Irving Blvd. that is now Los Angeles' official mayor's residence.
Location
The original "Square" ran from Wilshire Blvd.Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
to Third Street, and from Plymouth Blvd. to Irving Blvd. The English flavor was enhanced by street names: Irving, Windsor and Plymouth. Lorraine Boulevard took its name from the developer's daughter Lorraine Rowan. Nurseryman Paul J. Howard designed and planted most of the magnificent gardens of Windsor Square and supervised tree planting.
Expansion
Windsor Square was later expanded to the north, east, and west. Today, Windsor Square runs from WilshireWilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
to Beverly
Beverly Boulevard
Beverly Boulevard is one of the main east-west thoroughfares in Los Angeles, California. It begins off Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills and ends on the Lucas Avenue overpass near Downtown Los Angeles to become 1st Street...
Boulevards, and from Arden Boulevard to Van Ness Avenue. This is inclusive of the one-block strip of Larchmont Village, between First Street and Beverly Boulevard. Windsor Square is often mistakenly called "Hancock Park," even by long-time residents. But in fact, Hancock Park
Hancock Park
Hancock Park is a park in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, area, which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . The park does not, however, lie within the Hancock Park neighborhood which is...
is the neighborhood immediately to the west. Windsor Square's homes have the same historic value as in Hancock Park
Hancock Park
Hancock Park is a park in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, area, which is the location of the La Brea Tar Pits, the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . The park does not, however, lie within the Hancock Park neighborhood which is...
, but most of the homes are built on a slightly smaller scale.
Windsor Square consists of approximately 1,100 homes, and it is one of the oldest, most well preserved neighborhoods in Los Angeles. With its broad lawns, mature trees and central location five miles west of downtown, Windsor Square is a garden oasis in the heart of a world-class city.
Windsor Square contains Larchmont
Larchmont, Los Angeles, California
Larchmont is the commercial heart of an area in mid-city Los Angeles, California. The area's geographical location within the Windsor Square neighborhood receives patronage from nearby Hancock Park, located to the west, and Hollywood adjacent to the north...
, a "main street" for Windsor Square, which is particularly popular with teenagers and young adults. The Marlborough School for Girls, just three streets over from Larchmont and on Rossmore Avenue, is one of the most prestigious all-girls schools in Los Angeles. Windsor Square is served by the Larchmont Chronicle
Larchmont Chronicle
The Larchmont Chronicle is a monthly community newspaper serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Fremont Place, Park La Brea and Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is independently owned. -History:...
monthly community newspaper.
Windsor Square is also home to Getty House
Getty House
The Getty House is the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles. It is located at 605 S. Irving Boulevard in Windsor Square, a historic district located on the east of the Hancock Park district, and located approximately five miles west of Los Angeles City Hall. California.-History:Getty...
, the official residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles.
The area was designated a City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone on September 29, 2004.