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Originally Posted by JeffDiego
Fascinating photos of The Garden of Allah , and Nazimovoa. Speaking of unusual, long-gone apartment complexes that I don't believe have been featured here, a pal who lived in West Hollywood in the 50's says that there was a very large complex of stage-set like French cottage-style apartments, probably built in the twenties which may have been called Normandy Village. (Similar in architectural style to the small and still-standing "French Village Apartments" located in a quiet residential area of Hollywood, supposedly having a connection to Charlie Chaplin).I believe it fronted on the Sunset Strip and was a block square in size. I came across a photo of it on the LA Times a few years ago. Lots of peaked roofs and picturesque stairways. Anyone have photos or info?
A tidbit of gossip (my pal is probably the world's expert on old Hollywood and forgotten celebrities; he wrote many books on the subject) is that among the residents there was Harald Ramand (also known as Harald Maresch, originally from Vienna), the man who got Lupe Velez pregnant before she committed suicide in 1944 (he was blamed and it ruined his budding movie career). He lived at the complex with a gay lover.
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Here is a bit about the French Village Apartments from Ken Schessler's 'This is Hollywood', a great little guide to interesting and "unusual" Hollywood sites. I lost my original during one of our expeditions but picked up a used one cheap on Amazon. It's arranged by different neighborhoods and includes basic maps. It also includes Beverly Hills and downtown LA.
"Hidden behind the trees here is one of Hollywood's most unique apartment courts. The unusual shaped bungalows that resemble a small French village complete with a narrow cobblestone street, were built about 1920 by Charlie Chaplin for use as a movie set in one of his pictures. 1330 Formosa"
I took one or two pictures back in 94 or 95 before digital cameras existed. From what I remember, there was a 6 foot fence around the court plus a closed entry gate. But we were able to see the tops of the bungalows. I'll see if I can dig up the pictures when I get a chance.