Years later, after growing my career at Coldwell Banker, I was searching for a home in the flats of Beverly Hills. Consequently, I fell in love with that style. I began my career in Cheviot Hills which, oddly enough, introduced me to a well-known 1930s architect named Aiken who designed storybook-style homes. I decided to get a real estate license to support myself through school, and I’m glad I did. My initial inclination was to become a rocket scientist, but as fate would have it, my family was forced to move around quite a bit in the early ’80s, and I became fascinated with architecture and real estate. I graduated from Beverly Hills High in 1981 and from UCLA with a major in mathematics in 1986. I never imagined I would one day be the owner. It was the place that everyone migrated to on Halloween. I was raised in ‘baja’ Beverly Hills, so I knew the Witch’s House as a kid. Photograph courtesy Beverly Hills Heritage/the Green family A rare photo listing three of the silent movies that were made at Willat Studios. Photograph courtesy /beverlyhillsheritage Ward Lascelle outside The Witch’s House. Green in 1998, so I am truly now the keeper of “The Witch.” The Witch’s House under construction at Willat Studios in Culver City during the 1920s. Lillian took over the house’s legacy and eventually sold it to the Green family in 1965. Let me explain why: Ward Lascelle’s wife, Lillian, divorced Ward, kept the house, and then married the house boy/guest/man servant, whose last name was Spadena. Some websites and historians refer to this house as the Spadena House. I would love to know what he was thinking back then. There was only the entry foyer, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a tiny kitchen. He had owned this lot at the time, so he moved the house here to Beverly Hills and turned it into a functioning home. I’ve seen building permits from 1924, so that helps narrow the date down, but back in the 1920s, Ward Lascelle, one of the producers who worked with the Willats, bought the structure because the studio was planning on demolishing it. You can imagine what a big deal that must have been back in the 1920s. I am desperately searching for photographic evidence of the house being moved on a truck. Nobody’s certain when exactly it was moved to Beverly Hills. The house was built for Willat Studios back in 1920 as a set for a few silent films, including Hansel and Gretel, and a studio office. Between a few rounds of pinball on Michael’s vintage Captain Fantastic pinball machine, he spoke with me about his oddball home and what it’s like on All Hallows Eve. Michael was kind enough to allow me and photographer Stephen Russo, my Vintage Los Angeles colleague, to tour the home while he prepared to welcome more than 4,000 trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Saggy, wooden window shutters are hung at odd angles. Its dilapidated-looking pitched roof is pointed like a witch’s hat, and the walls of the house slope precariously, giving the impression it could collapse at any moment. I half expected Walt’s ghost to appear at any moment. I had the pleasure of visiting my childhood haunt earlier this year, and it immediately reminded me of “Mr. There is a huge wrought iron spider web complete with a nefarious looking spider and the house is surrounded by a rickety-looking picket fence. The home now looks more organic, like it’s growing up out of the ground. The landscaping in the front yard is purposefully bizarre, with gnarled, twisted trees and a wooden bridge crossing a mystical moat with a ceramic glass bottom. In addition to restoring the property, Michael has made some incredible additions to the house. The current owner of The Witch’s House, Michael J. What began as a gradual renovation project 15 years ago turned into something else: Landmark #8 for the City of Beverly Hills. Libow purchased the cottage in 1998 and has taken wonderful care of it since. Over time, the property started to show neglect. Then suddenly, the house went dark in the ‘90s, no explanation given. There was dry ice coming from the moat around the house and Disney’s Haunted Mansion soundtrack could be heard out the upstairs window. The owners at that time would dress up as ghosts and goblins and hand out taffy from a witch’s kettle. I grew up trick or treating on Halloween in the late ’70s and early ’80s at the Witch’s House.
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