The historical Villa Carlotta is awaiting refurbishment. According to a previous report from vanityfair.com, "Villa Carlotta has housed all manner of strivers and connivers on their ways, either up or down the precipitous Tinseltown social ladder." The four-story high building with its fifty units has had glorious moments and ruin as well.
The apartment-type building was built in 1926. The décor and style of this building survived for almost a century and according to la.curbed.com, "Architect Arthur Harvey designed a "flamboyant Churrigueresque", and it filled with hand-painted and hand-carved details." Curbed further reported that Villa Carlotta was outfitted with the most luxurious amenities of the day such as soundproofing and central refrigeration." Villa Carlotta's décor consists mainly of arched windows and entryways. The ceilings are carved and beamed. The stair railings are embedded with carvings and hand-crafted designs as well. It also features wrought iron balconies and pare-petal fire escapes as stated in a report by la.curbed.com.
For more than a century it has withstood different dwellers that added their own style. For instance, a more low-key set of artists, musicians, actors, and others moved in, making the place their own stated in a report by la.curbed.com. Other dwellers painted, decorated their own space, and created close-knit community. They also sublet their space if they left for film shoots or tours.
People from all walks of life got a taste of living in Villa Carlotta. According to a report by vanityfair.com, "Celebrities such as Jim Morrison, Rickie Lee Jones, and Neil Patrick Harris had crashed and lived in Villa Carlotta."
Things are about to change for this historical landmark. The Red Line subway and a campaign of redevelopment aims on making this old Hollywood place trendy again. With those plans in mind, Villa Carlotta was sold last year to a company called CGI Properties as stated in a recent report by la.curbed.com. Regardless of the outcome of the refurbishment, Villa Carlotta will always have a historical significance for those that lived and stayed for years.
