National Register visit 185: The Holmes-Shannon House. If I were a Christmas celebrator, this opulent 1911 craftsman in Victoria Park is exactly the kind of place I’d want to have a homey family get-together. Those overhanging eaves are ideal for lining with frosted glass bulbs, and the symphony of mahogany and stained glass on the inside is basically a lit Christmas tree all year-round, so imagine what it’d be like with an actual tree stuffed in the sunken music room!
Even outside of the holidays, there’s a lot to celebrate here. Embodied in the Holmes-Shannon are: 1) The history of the Victoria Park neighborhood, an upscale Mid-City neighborhood that had to set its sights a little lower after WWI; 2) The legacy of the eminent architects Train & Williams, part of the influential Arroyo Guild of Fellow Craftsman; and 3) The fascinating backgrounds of financier Nellie Shannon, her husband Michael (who helped to build the transcontinental railroad, and was later the first traffic cop in LA) and their son Michael Francis, a renowned litigator who became the first SoCal resident to serve as Grand Exalted Ruler of the Elks. What a family, right?
Historic photo credits, in order:
📷 Aerial view of Victoria Park, 1918: Public Domain, via USC Libraries & California Historical Society
📷 Newspaper ad for Victoria Park, 1907: Los Angeles Sunday Herald, May 26, 1907 - via Library of Congress
📷 Train & Williams headshots: Public Domain, from Men of California, 1900-1902, edited by Wellington C. Wolfe
I'm visiting all the landmarks in LA County listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Read more about this one and many more at etandoesla.com...
#westadams #victoriapark #lahistory #architecture #craftsman #trainandwilliams #arroyoculture #arroyoguild #lapdhistory #westadamsheritageassociation #elkshistory #architecturehistory #railroadhistory #trainhistory