
2207 N. Fern Dell Place 90068 - Franmar
2207 N. Fern Dell Place 90068 Los Feliz USA
Type
Historic-Cultural Monument, Swiss Craftsman
Sold
Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
Bathrooms
3 Baths
Area
3,505 sqft
About
“Franmar”
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1121, designated in 2016.
Frances William Vreeland, Designer
Click here for Los Angeles Department of City Planning Recommendation Report, which has additional details on the property’s architectural and historic significance.
Statement of significance for HCM:
“Franmar” as the house was called, came from the combination of his first name with his wife’s, Marian. They also referred to it as the Carpenter’s House. The Swiss Craftsman house was the first house built on the 2200 block of Fern Dell Place in the Oaks section of Los Feliz. The lot runs through to Live Oak, which was the original street associated with the property and is listed as the street address on building the permit.
Vreeland explained that the house should be “a wooden house, because structurally a wooden house is just naturally… related to woodland surroundings.” The doors and windows came from stock lumber but were embellished personally by Vreeland and a blacksmith by adding hand-made nails, brass hinges, and original handles, creating an aesthetic specific and unique to the house. The double height ceiling in the living room with a wall of windows creates a grand space filled with natural light. The living room was used as Vreeland’s studio.
Francis William Vreeland (1879-1954) was a fine artist originally from Nebraska who studied at the Cincinnati Art Academy. He met his wife Marian Frances Hasting Smalley at Rockwood Pottery in Cincinnati in 1900. They worked there together until 1903 when they moved to New York City. They continued to work in the art world and eventually moved to Los Angeles in the early 1920s.
In Los Angeles Francis Vreeland worked as a scenic artist, muralist, painter, lecturer and write for several publications including Spectator Magazine, American Magazine of Art, and California Graphic. He became the president of the Hollywood Art Association. In 1926 the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts featured a solo exhibition of Francis’s work. Marian also worked as a lecturer and writer; together the couple promoted the arts in Hollywood and held many gatherings at Franmar. An excellent example of Swiss Craftsman residential architecture in Los Feliz. (Source: Historic-Cultural Monument Application, 2016).
History:
Artist Francis William Vreeland lived here in 1940. He designed the property in 1923 as his family home and studio.
The citywide historic resources survey, SurveyLA, found the subject property eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Places, and eligible for designation as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument under the context of Architecture and Engineering.
1940 Census: 2207 Fern Dell Place (aka 2206 Live Oak Drive East; Value $22,000): 1) Francis W. Vreeland, head of household; white married male 61 years of age; born in Nebraska; artist, art. 2) Marian H. Vreeland, wife; white married female 73 years of age; born in Louisiana; not working. 3) Wayland H. Taylor, lodger; white widower 63 years of age; born in Ohio; not working.
2207 North Fern Dell Place; 2206 North Live Oak Drive East
Photo courtesy Michael Locke, 2021.
Details
Type: Historic-Cultural Monument Sold
Bedrooms: 4
Area: 3,505 sqft
Lot Size: 11,050 sqft
Bathrooms: 3
Year Built: 1923