THE NOSEY NEIGHBOR- Mellenthin homes

Welcome back to June 9, 2020

Hmmmm..my get up and go almost gone and went this morning.

I was trying really hard to make up excuses not to go out for a photo walk. Neighborhood trash pick-up days are not very conducive to the landscape.

The two schools, I pass, are beginning to wake up. The athletic fields are again being watered and green is returning.

There are cars parked in their lots.

All the trikes and plastic

cars have disappeared from their outside parking. I am assuming to be thoroughly sanitized.

I think I'm where most sane people are on the coronavirus outbreak:

--Concerned but not panicked.

--Calm but not apathetic.

--Taking reasonable precautions but remaining skeptical of what all the purportedly "best experts" here in the United States are telling us about every aspect of this crisis.

I was very delighted this morning to discover another one of William Mellenthin’s mid-century design, distinctive “birdhouse ranch” style homes.

They feature a cupola or dovecote built prominently into the roofs of the homes. My neighborhood features many homes built in the 1920’s to the 1960’s. My own home was built in 1949.

The house where I have meet ups with Henry(a neighbors dog) is one of the original houses in my neighborhood.

One of the Valley’s pioneer developers, Mellenthin was responsible for constructing literally hundreds of homes throughout Valley (and elsewhere) from the 1930’s through the 1950’s. They are peppered through out the valley.

His so-called “birdhouse” additions (dovecotes, to be technical) over the garage were a hallmark of many of his structures.

Birdhouse houses became, and remain, an almost ubiquitous sight throughout the San Fernando Valley Mellenthin added the feature to what would otherwise be considered a traditional ranch-style house to give it a little extra pizzazz, which it apparently did based on his success.

He is well known for his classic iconic Birdhouse ranch homes built in our Valley from the 1940s to the 1960s. He built small birdhouses, cupolas, or dovecotes into the roofs of the homes, either on the garage, living room, or bedroom. These homes were very popular with families in a post-war Los Angeles.

Our first home was a Sears Kit like compact bungalow shack, in the alley, after we got married. We lived there for a year until we purchased our home on Alcove Ave. in North Hollywood.