I’m going to start with the best, then move on to the rest.
This is now called the Mural room, for good reason, my guess is it was the formal living room. Sure there is some aging going on, but in general these murals are holding up beautifully. Maybe they kept the shades down for years, the strong light in the valley can wreck havoc.
Makes sense that there are plenty of horses here. Although this mural wasn’t painted in the house originally, there still was a horse farm on the property. It is thought that Jack Oakies’ second wife Victoria had these painted. Yes, English style riders, a Tudor house, but really, the landscape could be what is just out the window, before all the development happened. Which fits when these were painted.
Ok, so this wasn’t part of the estate or of the Valley… it is lovely. I also love how the image turns the corner. Jack Oakie bought the house from Barbara Stanwyck and he lived there till he died in the 70s. His first wife died in an airplane crash shortly after moving in here. He married again, and his second wife lived her until her death in the 1990s. It was then that the house and 9.5 acres were first donated to USC architecture school. By then the house itself had historic statue. But USC wanted to sell most of the land to developers. Luckily the market fell and the buyer couldn’t afford the purchase. When the economy is booming, a lot of historic buildings get torn down, when it’s not doing well, circumstances allow things to survive.
There is a side house attached to the main house. Today a caretaker lives there. Good thing. You do need people around, otherwise vandals will take over. But there is one room that is open on the tours. Jacks’ trophy room. The trophies are gone, but there are photos of him at different points in his life. Oh, little did I know, he had a part in Chaplains movie, the Dictator, the one about Hitler.
Anyway, the best thing here is the bathroom. I LOVE this wall paper. The docent was a little horrified by it, who would want this today? ME! ME! ME! I doubt Joel would so it’s a moot point.
Come on, how cool are these cancan dancers?? I also like the color scheme, and I do find it funny that this was in a man’s bathroom.
He had a good sense of humor, look at the toilet. I know, some people will be horrified, how undignified, how demeaning to women. Well, not me. lighten up, people need a sense of humor. So much better than being a scold.
Meanwhile in Barbara Stanwyks original dressing room… I’d like to believe that Paul Williams was responsible for this stripped design. I’m just not sure it would have lasted this long. But he certainly was capable of putting this all together. What can I say, something else I absolutely love. Working with stripes can be tricky, making them go every which way and yet, work so well. Amazing.
And then there are the fireplaces. This one, elegant and refined. I find it interesting that the wall is a solid green wallpaper, not paint.
In another room, a very rustic fireplace, once again, the wall wasn’t painted, they used wall paper.
There is plenty of work to do on the house, good luck to the Friends of Oakridge. And to those of you in the area, they do gives tours on weekend, go check the website and go visit. It will be worth your while.
Leah