Located in the mid-city area of Los Angeles, the historic Hancock Park and Windsor Square neighborhoods have many stories to tell, both historically and cinematically. Bordered by Melrose Avenue to the north, Wilshire Boulevard to the south, Wilton Place to the east, and La Brea Avenue to the west, the neighborhood owes its name to developer philanthropist George Allan Hancock, who subdivided the property in the 1920s. The Hancock family donated the land for the park in 1916 to preserve the nearby La Brea Tar Pits.
Residential development under the “Hancock Park” name began around 1919, allegedly because Hancock’s oil derricks, the original source of his fortune, were running dry. Long-time residents of the area tell a different story. At that time, it was impossible for members of the Jewish faith to own homes in the upscale neighborhoods of Beverly Hills or Brentwood. Undeterred, well-to-do Jewish Angelenos created their very own ‘Beverly Hills’.
It didn’t take long for Hancock Park to become a desirable address. By the mid-30s, the neighborhood became home to both movie stars and city officials alike, as well as many West Coast consulates. Famous residents included Dorothy Chandler and Nat King Cole, whose 1948 application to buy a residence in the area sparked public outcry; Cole persevered despite lawsuits and harassment, finally buying his house, challenging the long-standing segregation in the neighborhood. From Mae West to Howard Hughes and Katherine Hepburn, Hancock Park and Windsor Square have been home to them all.
Known for its palatial two-story, single-family residences in various Period Revival styles (including Tudor Revival, English Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Monterey Revival, and American Colonial Revival), the vast majority of the homes are set back 50 feet (15 m) from the street and include side driveways generally leading through a porte cochere to a rear garage. This was a stipulation insisted upon by G. Allan Hancock while he was drawing up plans for the neighborhood.
Aside from its many famous residents, the neighborhoods have hosted countless film productions throughout the years, from Sunset Boulevard (1950) to Rebel Without A Cause (1955), through Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962), War Games (1983), and Pretty In Pink (1986), to LA Story (1991), and right up to Transformers (2007) and The Artist (2011). TV shows have also used Hancock Park and Windsor Square as a backdrop for many popular shows; from Happy Days to the current series American Horror Story, Hancock Park and Windsor Square have hosted them all.
