Etan Does LA 231: Villa Carlotta (Altadena) | Los Angeles history

National Register visit 231: Villa Carlotta 📍234 East Mendocino, Altadena

Architect Myron Hunt is best known for big-ass commissions like the Rose Bowl, CalTech, the Pasadena Central Library, the Huntington Library and the Ambassador Hotel. But he was also an inspired designer of residential houses for the well-to-do, and today we’re looking at a unique one in my old stomping grounds of Altadena.

Villa Carlotta (no relation to the Villa Carlotta on Franklin) was completed in 1917 or 1918 as a retirement home for Francis R. Welles and his family. Welles was an executive for the Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company, responsible for promoting Alexander Graham Bell’s telephones in Europe and overseeing the company’s factory in Antwerp.

Stylistically, Villa Carlotta blends the Mediterranean revival style that Hunt specialized in, with craftsman details that were in vogue in LA at the time. He also incorporated tall ceilings and dark wood paneling from the Welles family home in France.

There’s a ton of original stuff left in this house, from the bathroom tile to the library shelving to the Batchelder fireplaces. There are seven authentic Bell telephones mounted throughout the house that now function as an extensive intercom system. Very forward-thinking!

PS: Villa Carlotta is for sale! If you’ve got $5.3 million to spend on a 7000-square-foot helping of Altadena and architectural history, Scott James & Christian Stillmark at Douglas Elliman Real Estate hold the listing: https://www.elliman.com/newyorkcity/s...

PPS: My voice was a little hoarse when I shot this video (‘twas the day after my birthday 🤷). Gotta push through it for the love of the Hunt.

I'm visiting all 600+ LA landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. Read more about this one and many more at EtanDoesLA.com: https://etandoesla.com/villa-carlotta...

Photo Credits:
📸 All still photos of Villa Carlotta: Isaac Garcia
📸 Myron Hunt photo: Edgar L. Brown (Security Pacific National Bank Collection / LA Public Library)
📸 Myron Hunt silhouette: Maud Daggett (Pasadena Library)
📸 Pasadena Central Library interior: Mott Studios (CA State Library)

#architecture #oldhouses #altadena #alexandergrahambell #nationalregister #architecturehistory #myronhunt #losangeleshistory #lahistory