[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 135 (Friday, August 11, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO THE WHITLEY HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 11, 2023

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the Whitley Heights Civic Association of Los Angeles, 
California.
  The Whitley Heights Civic Association, founded in 1923 as a garden 
club, has represented the members of the Whitley Heights neighborhood 
for 100 years. This notable achievement also earns the association the 
honor of being one of the longest continually operating civic 
associations in Los Angeles.
  The Whitley Heights community was established when major land 
developer Hobart Johnstone Whitley commissioned architect Arthur Barnes 
to begin the design and construction of a new Mediterranean-style 
neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills. The arched doorways and windows, 
iconic red-tiled roofs, and balconies were new to Los Angeles, inspired 
by Barnes' tour of the Mediterranean; in particular, Italy and its 
historic hillside towns. With many of the homes constructed between 
1918 and 1928, Whitley Heights was one of the first Hollywood 
developments. The style and aesthetic of the homes as well as the 
secluded hillside setting, attracted many prominent residents, 
including Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Bette Davis, William 
Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In fact, the neighborhood's design 
was so highly regarded that many exterior features became popular in 
other contemporary Los Angeles developments.
  Preservation of this iconic neighborhood has been a challenge in the 
decades since the initial development. Construction and alteration of 
the Hollywood Freeway divided the original development in the 1940's 
and 1960's, during which almost 50 homes were demolished. In the 
1980's, after the demolition of a historic bungalow to make space for 
potential tract homes, actor Brian Moore, president of the civic 
association, began advocating for the historical preservation of 
Whitley Heights; this resulted in the neighborhood being added to the 
National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and later, into a Los 
Angeles Historical Preservation Overlay Zone. The civic association 
works with the residents, city agencies and elected officials to ensure 
the preservation of this beautiful neighborhood.
  It is an honor to recognize the Whitley Heights Civic Association for 
its commitment to preserving a historic neighborhood of Los Angeles, 
and I ask all Members to join me in congratulating this organization 
upon their centennial anniversary.

                          ____________________