About

Altered to duplex.

Frederick A. Hanson, architect

About the architect:  Frederick Alexander Hanson was architect of Forest Lawn in Glendale. His many elegant buildings such as the Grand Mausoleum, the Wee Kirk O’ the Heather and the Hall he designed to house the famous Crucifixion by Jan Siyka are well known. More obscure is the 1920s fantasy medieval Europe made up of five unique Storybook style houses on Tuxedo Terrace in the Hollywood Hills.

5850 Tuxedo Terrace was designed by Hanson who also designed sets for Hollywood movies. The Storybook style originated in Hollywood during the 1920s in connection with the emerging movie industry and largely vanished by the late 1930s.

5850 Tuxedo Terrace is near Hanson’s own residence in this rare Storybook enclave. Hanson’s home is a designated historic-cultural monument #1031. (Source: Los Angeles Department of City Planning Recommendation Report for 5863 Tuxedo Terrace.)

About the architectural style:  “The storybook style is a nod toward Hollywood design technically called Provincial Revivalism and more commonly called Fairy Tale or Hansel and Gretel.  While there is no specific definition of what makes a house storybook style, the main factor may be a sense of playfulness and whimsy. Most seemed snapped out of a craggy old-world village with intentionally uneven roofs, many cobblestone, doors and windows which may look mismatched and odd-shaped. It took a foothold in California, particularly in Los Angeles, during the 1920s and 1930s.  French Normandy Revival style houses typically have a rounded tower but lack the whimsical factor. (Source: Wikipedia)

1930 census:
5852 Tuxedo Terrace (Value: $20,000): 1) Edward A. Voight, owner and head of household; 37 year old white married male; married at age 20; born in Illinois; father born in English Canada, mother in Pennsylvania; a builder in the motion picture industry. 2) La Rissa Voight, wife; 28 year old white married female; married at age 24; born in Montana; father born in New York, mother in the USA; a hairdresser in the motion picture industry.

Full address: 5850-5852 W. Tuxedo Terrace 90068