Last week, Cynthia informed us that the City of Beverly Hills had an interest in knowing the motivation and goals for the project. This got me thinking, "What are our goals?" Of course personal glory and accolades and invitations to underground key parties are at the top of every one's list, but once we get past the glittering surface of moral corruption and depravity, what else is there? What do we hope to achieve by throwing ourselves head first down a rabbit hole?
I know you're all dying to know what I think, so here you go!
Our primary commitment to the space is the restoration and rejuvenation of this forgotten area. The years of abuse and neglect the wing suffered during its incarnation as offices and storage units had taken its tole; cabinet doors had fallen of their hinges, water damage had penetrated walls, in some cases the ceiling was literally falling down. Behind the layers of peeling paint, beyond the smell of age, under the strata of grime, was a collection of rooms as unique as the home that houses them.
These interiors were the watermark of a romanticized age, the indicators of wealth, and, by contrast, illustration of the laborious daily life of the once prevalent servant class. Research into the lifestyle of the Doheny family and their staff provided answers to copious questions regarding the functions of these rooms. Aside from bedrooms to house a second floor staff that included a House Keeper, Personal Valet and Ladies Maid, this area included an office for the inventory of household wares, a linen closet complete with locking cabinets and doors, and an adjoining room dedicated to the treatment of the second floor linens as well as the Doheny family’s wardrobe.
The designs for the interiors reflect the careful combination of what could be considered contrary subjects; functionality and ornamentation. Without a doubt, these rooms are designed for service and are the true work-horses of the Mansion. The main corridor and work areas are paved with asphalt floor tiles, the bedrooms and baths are small yet functional, modern conveniences such as call bells, telephones, garbage chutes and dumb-waiters pepper the space enabling the servants to be efficient and accessible to their employers.
Though the spaces have minimal ornamentation, we take our inspiration for the rooms from the architecture of the Mansion and the lifestyle of the servants. Dormer windows and sloping ceilings create cozy and intimate bedrooms that are nothing if not inviting after a long day of tending to the affairs of the home and its inhabitants. The busy corridors are clad in jaunty paint colors (yes, I did say jaunty), perforated with dressed windows to control the acoustics and keep out the elements, and enhanced by the dynamic and dramatic tower stair. The workrooms are spacious and functional with beautiful views of nature, pleasing patterns, and elements of comfort.
In the end, the goal of the UCLA team is not to recreate the past or vulgarize an honorable profession with stereotypes, but to pay homage to and respect those who committed their lives to the service of others. The rooms represent a humanistic approach to the live-in staff; though not glamorous, they illustrate the basic need for a place to call home. Furnished with personal mementos and hand-me down pieces, the interiors indicate a sense of dignity, pride of profession and, perhaps most important, a sense of identity.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Second Day of Work
This was Wednesday. Only Laura and I came in, plus Cliff the Contractor to show us what we need to do. She scraped glass, I scraped paint off my cabinets. It's a sick version of finding your Zen. Forget raking those little rock gardens or clipping Bonsai into obscene figures, give me a something to clean! My Zen, however, came to a screeching halt when I found a lovely crop of mold under the old shelf paper lining the upper units. I went no further. What made time go by quickly was the addition of the ipod. there's no better way to spend 4 hours on a Wednesday than with the Pussycat Dolls and a paint scraper. Maybe I should download Leonard Nemoy singing 'If I had a Hammer', I think it would be apropos. Yet stupid. 'Rock Me Amadeus', however, is genius! If I only spoke German...
First Day of Work at Greystone
Ok, so, here's the Laundry Room I will be working on. Notice anything odd? Like the surplus of balls floating around?! On the bigger version, I stopped counting after 40. That is not dust. If I say they're the manifestation of spirits, you'll all think I'm crazy...but it's got to be something! Right? I definitely think it's something. I think whatever it is, or are, it is , or they are, drawn to the energy that we all brought to the house that day. I think it's an energy that this part of the house hasn't seen in a long time. Excitement, optimism, exuberance, etc. Maybe one energy awakens another, like a circuit. We all provide the spark to light the homes flame (I do believe homes, especially ones of this age, have a life unto themselves). I don't want to get too metaphysical, I know one lady who's totally into that; psychics, energies, chi, chakra. Blah, blah, blah. But I'm willing to make allowances for all these balls.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Kids Playhouse
Playhouse?!?!!?! Frickin' A! It's a 2 bedroom semi-detached with garden views and it's conveniently located near schools and shopping. Playhouse my Aunt Fanny. It's like a little Anne Hathaway cottage.
Here's the original caption from the L.A. Times...
Mrs. Leonard Horwin, wife of former Beverly Hills mayor, stands outside the Children's playhouse at Greystone Estate. Note the roofing design and a birdhouse at the top right, on the roof. Photo dated: May 14, 1965.
Here's the original caption from the L.A. Times...
Mrs. Leonard Horwin, wife of former Beverly Hills mayor, stands outside the Children's playhouse at Greystone Estate. Note the roofing design and a birdhouse at the top right, on the roof. Photo dated: May 14, 1965.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Ben Beats Morgan by 9 Months....
My first friend to have a killer baby was Constance (again, Mark helped a little but we all know what that really means....). His name is Benjamin Albert Snookal and he's built like a Linebacker. And I bought him that rockin' Polo Ralph Lauren Onesie he's wearing. If he's going to be my honary nephew, he needs to look a little more like me (but I totally stopped wearing onesies last spring...). I'm waiting till he can walk before I buy him his first Polo rugby and cargos. I went with him (and his mom, who is one of my personal BFF's) to the Getty in Brentwood, (because he is a thinking man's baby), yesterday and I was shocked to see what a 9 month-old could do with, and to, a banana. And how much of it he could get on the pictured Polo outfit I bought him... *sigh* But he is frickin' cute. Hates the car seat though. Hates. It.
Babies Babies Everywhere!
My SECOND friend to pop out a child! I know this has nothing to do with Greystone but it's my blog and I'll do whatever I damn well choose.
My dear friend Veronica Sheedy just had her first child (with a little help from her husband Kevin). His name is Morgan George Sheedy. Isn't he effing cute!?
Saturday, May 5, 2007
More Greystone History from Waddle's Book
In another area of the book, this is found....
(paraphrasing again)
At first glace, it appeared Hugh had shot Doheny, then himself. But upon examination, the physical evidence was inconclusive. There were no fingerprints on the murder weapon and the angle at which the bullet entered Doheny's head was odd to say the least. One detective, Leslie T. White, theorized that Doheny had fired the first shot (to finally quiet the unstable Hugh) then turned the gun on himself. Later, the Greystone staff, or even Lucy, tampered with the weapon to make it look like Hugh was the man who fired the first shot.
No one will ever know what really happened. Some think Hugh was blackmailing Doheny over information he had on the Teapot Dome Scandal, or an alleged homosexual relationship. Both would have provoked Doheny to fire a gun once he was liquored up and angry. Or, as the DA concluded, Hugh fired at Doheny to demonstrate that the rich are not so different from the rest of us after all-that their blood is just as easy to spill.
chilling!!!!!
(paraphrasing again)
At first glace, it appeared Hugh had shot Doheny, then himself. But upon examination, the physical evidence was inconclusive. There were no fingerprints on the murder weapon and the angle at which the bullet entered Doheny's head was odd to say the least. One detective, Leslie T. White, theorized that Doheny had fired the first shot (to finally quiet the unstable Hugh) then turned the gun on himself. Later, the Greystone staff, or even Lucy, tampered with the weapon to make it look like Hugh was the man who fired the first shot.
No one will ever know what really happened. Some think Hugh was blackmailing Doheny over information he had on the Teapot Dome Scandal, or an alleged homosexual relationship. Both would have provoked Doheny to fire a gun once he was liquored up and angry. Or, as the DA concluded, Hugh fired at Doheny to demonstrate that the rich are not so different from the rest of us after all-that their blood is just as easy to spill.
chilling!!!!!
New Ned-ness
So I was reading an exerpt from a book about Beverly Hills Mansions and the drama within.
Accoring to this book, Hugh, the secretary, did shoot Ned in a fit of rage. However, it was no lovers tryst. Hugh had worked for Lucy Donheny's family before she and Ned were married (Lucy's father owned the Pasadena transit system). Hugh had worked as a mechanic and had met Ned, instantly there was a common admiration and friendship even thought their backgrounds were very different (rich man, poor man and all). Ned took Hugh on as an assistant and a travelling companion and Hugh loved living the high life with Ned. (There was no talk in this book of Ned living at the Mansion, but the murder did take place in the same guest suite.) On one occassion, Hugh traveled with Ned to D.C. to meet a politician (the Secretary of the Interior) and give him $100,000.00. Hugh didn't know this was a bribe, and he also didn't know the reason for the bribe; Ned was paying off the Secretary so he could get incredibly cheap land prices so his company could build oil wells on it and increase his already high profits. This became known as the Teapot Dome Scandal (it's called Teapot Dome because there was an outcropping of rocks near the oil fields that looked like the dome of a teapot.) and it rocked the media and Washington.
Once Hugh found out about this, he freaked out. Appealing to Doheny for advice (he could have been ruled as an accomplice), Doheny said not to worry. Hugh worried. He knew Doheny was in the clear because he had enough money to buy off any judge, politician or media outlet. Hugh, on the other hand, had nothing and feared a long stay in prison for his employers shady dealings. Ned offered an alternative, Hugh could have himself committed to a state metal facility for the duration of the trial. Hugh almost went along, but balked when the thought of the Doctors failing to release him after the trial claiming he was mentally unstable. He feared that the Doheny's might pull strings to keep him in that hospital for years, if not the rest of his life.
In addition to this stress, Hugh's wife (aha! a wife!) of 11 years had just left him and filed for divorce citing abandonment as her justification as well as a fear of his volatile mental state. This did not help Hugh's situation and he suffered a nervous breakdown and was ordered by the Doheny's family Doctor to bedrest. Ned offered him sanctuary in the guest house (no personal bedroom in the house, according to this source) but Hugh decided to stay home to stay out of Ned's reach, his anxieties began to spin out of control. Hugh had become suspicious and began to see a rift between the two realizing they were never really close at all. Hugh was both a liability and a man to take the fall.
One night, Hugh decided to take matters into his own hands. He drove up to Greystone and was allowed in by the Guard (the majority of Beverly Hills mansions were without guards at this time, Greystone was one of the few exceptions) because Hugh was a frequest visitor. Hugh arrived at the house and burst in the Doheny's master bedroom as the couple were getting ready for bed. Ned took Hugh to the Guest room downstairs to smoke, drink, and talk about Hugh's problem. Sensing Hugh's now erratic behavior, Lucy Doheny phones for their Doctor to come immediately.
Upon the Doctor's arrival, 2 shots ring out from the guest room. The Doctor, followed by Lucy, runs to the room. He steps over Hugh's now dead body and finds Ned still breathing but with a bullet wound in his head and blood beginning to drip from his mouth. In an attempt to revive Ned, the Docotor turns the man on his side to clear his air passage but Ned dies within a few minutes. Lucy returns to her room with a servant and goes into hysterics. The Doctor calls Ed Doheny Sr. at his home in Chester Place in West Adams and tells him of his sons death. Mr. Doheny travels by car through the night up to the home he built for his son.
Upon seeing the body, he goes to his sons side and takes one hand in his and holds it for some time. Once police arrive, Ed goes to join his daughter-in-law who has regained some composure, but continues to grieve. It is said that Ed fell to the ground and wept uncontrollably for his only child. A servant closed the door to leave the pair in privacy.
Paraphrased from the book 'Among the Mansions of Eden: Tales of Love, Lust and Land' by David Weddle
Accoring to this book, Hugh, the secretary, did shoot Ned in a fit of rage. However, it was no lovers tryst. Hugh had worked for Lucy Donheny's family before she and Ned were married (Lucy's father owned the Pasadena transit system). Hugh had worked as a mechanic and had met Ned, instantly there was a common admiration and friendship even thought their backgrounds were very different (rich man, poor man and all). Ned took Hugh on as an assistant and a travelling companion and Hugh loved living the high life with Ned. (There was no talk in this book of Ned living at the Mansion, but the murder did take place in the same guest suite.) On one occassion, Hugh traveled with Ned to D.C. to meet a politician (the Secretary of the Interior) and give him $100,000.00. Hugh didn't know this was a bribe, and he also didn't know the reason for the bribe; Ned was paying off the Secretary so he could get incredibly cheap land prices so his company could build oil wells on it and increase his already high profits. This became known as the Teapot Dome Scandal (it's called Teapot Dome because there was an outcropping of rocks near the oil fields that looked like the dome of a teapot.) and it rocked the media and Washington.
Once Hugh found out about this, he freaked out. Appealing to Doheny for advice (he could have been ruled as an accomplice), Doheny said not to worry. Hugh worried. He knew Doheny was in the clear because he had enough money to buy off any judge, politician or media outlet. Hugh, on the other hand, had nothing and feared a long stay in prison for his employers shady dealings. Ned offered an alternative, Hugh could have himself committed to a state metal facility for the duration of the trial. Hugh almost went along, but balked when the thought of the Doctors failing to release him after the trial claiming he was mentally unstable. He feared that the Doheny's might pull strings to keep him in that hospital for years, if not the rest of his life.
In addition to this stress, Hugh's wife (aha! a wife!) of 11 years had just left him and filed for divorce citing abandonment as her justification as well as a fear of his volatile mental state. This did not help Hugh's situation and he suffered a nervous breakdown and was ordered by the Doheny's family Doctor to bedrest. Ned offered him sanctuary in the guest house (no personal bedroom in the house, according to this source) but Hugh decided to stay home to stay out of Ned's reach, his anxieties began to spin out of control. Hugh had become suspicious and began to see a rift between the two realizing they were never really close at all. Hugh was both a liability and a man to take the fall.
One night, Hugh decided to take matters into his own hands. He drove up to Greystone and was allowed in by the Guard (the majority of Beverly Hills mansions were without guards at this time, Greystone was one of the few exceptions) because Hugh was a frequest visitor. Hugh arrived at the house and burst in the Doheny's master bedroom as the couple were getting ready for bed. Ned took Hugh to the Guest room downstairs to smoke, drink, and talk about Hugh's problem. Sensing Hugh's now erratic behavior, Lucy Doheny phones for their Doctor to come immediately.
Upon the Doctor's arrival, 2 shots ring out from the guest room. The Doctor, followed by Lucy, runs to the room. He steps over Hugh's now dead body and finds Ned still breathing but with a bullet wound in his head and blood beginning to drip from his mouth. In an attempt to revive Ned, the Docotor turns the man on his side to clear his air passage but Ned dies within a few minutes. Lucy returns to her room with a servant and goes into hysterics. The Doctor calls Ed Doheny Sr. at his home in Chester Place in West Adams and tells him of his sons death. Mr. Doheny travels by car through the night up to the home he built for his son.
Upon seeing the body, he goes to his sons side and takes one hand in his and holds it for some time. Once police arrive, Ed goes to join his daughter-in-law who has regained some composure, but continues to grieve. It is said that Ed fell to the ground and wept uncontrollably for his only child. A servant closed the door to leave the pair in privacy.
Paraphrased from the book 'Among the Mansions of Eden: Tales of Love, Lust and Land' by David Weddle
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Creepy McCreepsalot - Ned's Grave!
Freaky, no?! According to sources, Ned was not buried in the family plot at the Catholic church his father funded (see St. Vincent de Paul in the West Adams District). Instead, his family erected a monument to his memory at Forest Lawn in Glendale.
Hmmmmmmmm, why wouldn't he be buried at the family plot? Certainly not because they ran out of room...they practically owned the whole church. So, I am willing to use the deductive reasoning skills that I picked up from watching Scooby-Doo and Get Smart. I think that because of his somewhat well know affair with his assistant (his dude assisitant) that his family felt it would be a little sacrilegious to bury him in their big fat Catholic church (it was the 20's after all...) since he was diddling around with his dude secretary. And perhaps because of all the publicity this high profile murder case was undoubtedly receiving, they may have felt that it would be a disservice to the church patrons to have people trudging across the graveyard to gawk (People with enough time on their hands to visit graves of random strangers are crazy anyway. They don't need anymore crazy coming and going from there than they already have). So banishing him to the Valley does make some sense; no one is going to drive that far out of their way and confront crazy Valley people to see a grave. But still, it's the Valley, he's still family, no need to punish him even more now that he's dead...
More Vintage Greystone!
These interior shots all appear to be showing the home in its original condition. I find it a unique situation in that the exterior of the home is a heavy, quasi rustic European style with Tudor and French influences, while the interior has a refined Classical Revival style (the majority of the homes original furnishings were French with occassional variations from that theme). The majority of the rooms have Classically influenced ornamentation, save for the sitting room which is very English in style; the photos original caption calls it 'Elizabethan'.
A Little Vintage Greystone Action
The foyer circa 1965. This is when the City of Beverly Hills was attempting to purchase the mansion. Who on Earth painted all the woodwork white?! Rachel Ashwell?! This photo was published in the Herald-Examiner with the following caption:
Even stripped of furnishing, the old mansion retains an irreplaceable charm of yesteryears. Mrs. Leonard Horwin and Jo Van Ronkel, chairman of Citizens for Greystone, walk down the staircase of the entrance hall. The mansion rises majestically from a forested knoll above Doheny Road and Loma Vista Drive and occupies an 18-acre area. Note the architectural details of the entrance hall. Photo dated: May 15, 1965. Photo from lapl.org
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Apparently I'm Illiterate
Hi People,
Numerous friends (or character assailants) have pointed out that my grammar and proof reading skills are a little lacking. So, I will attempt to be more aware of what I am writing and I will also attempt to hack my own blog to fix all the type-o's. I swear, I am a college graduate! I shouldn't post so late at night, either.
Numerous friends (or character assailants) have pointed out that my grammar and proof reading skills are a little lacking. So, I will attempt to be more aware of what I am writing and I will also attempt to hack my own blog to fix all the type-o's. I swear, I am a college graduate! I shouldn't post so late at night, either.
We got our room assignments!
Sema and I will be doing the linen room (rich people like to have servants iron everything!) and a charming little attic bedroom. In Manhattan it would rent for 2,000/mo. plus utilities and association fees. It has cross ventilation, and a walk in closet. Solid gold people. Solid. Gold.
Sema was also more than happy to point out the the bedroom we were assigned to had NO orbs in the photos (we're both still undecided on the whole ghost thing, but better safe than sorry). The laundry room, however, not so much with the whole no orbs thing.
Sema was also more than happy to point out the the bedroom we were assigned to had NO orbs in the photos (we're both still undecided on the whole ghost thing, but better safe than sorry). The laundry room, however, not so much with the whole no orbs thing.
cynthia
I'm just posting this because I can. Look and all the orbs she has on her jacket! Do you think she knows? She was talking about something very interesting here, I just don't remember what it was...
As sappy as it sounds, and as brown noser-esque as it sounds, we all owe Cynthia a lot for putting all of this together. I've made some new friends that I never would have met otherwise, and this is going to be a great experience for all of us and great exposure as well. Go team!
Well, that's enough of that.
As sappy as it sounds, and as brown noser-esque as it sounds, we all owe Cynthia a lot for putting all of this together. I've made some new friends that I never would have met otherwise, and this is going to be a great experience for all of us and great exposure as well. Go team!
Well, that's enough of that.
One of each please
These chandeliers are off the hizzle fo shizzle. Word.
Lovely Sema, my design partner.
Lovely Sema, my design partner.
Happy Time in the Loo
If my bathroom looked like this, I'd order take-out and never leave. Look that the grill-work on that shower door! Sweet Mary!
English Carving at Its Finest
The incredible Foyer Staircase leading down to the Card Room. Standing near is the incredible Pilar, I'm not sure where she leads though...
Spooktacular Private Movie Theater
Cynthia was so excited to be in this room, it's rarely ever open. Too bad it's also rarely ever well lit...
You can't see it all that well, but in addition to the cool Deco seats (duct taped with finesse and style) there is an oak paneled rear wall with velvet drapes to shield the projection booth and a fab paneled and coffered ceiling. And there are also the most unique 4 light Tole painted wall sconces. I love this room!
Lovely Laura rocks the D&G. Pilar will kill me for posting this...she's actually quite ravishing in a Salma Hayek sort of way. Which is not a bad way to be, frankly.
Tour Guide/Park Ranger Steve tells us all, to our horror, that the bone heads at AFI (American Film Institute who leased the mansion for several years) walled over the original movie screen and stage cutting the rooms lenght in half. Tragic. Fortunately, we are all much more in tune with historic preservation and something like this would never happen.
You can't see it all that well, but in addition to the cool Deco seats (duct taped with finesse and style) there is an oak paneled rear wall with velvet drapes to shield the projection booth and a fab paneled and coffered ceiling. And there are also the most unique 4 light Tole painted wall sconces. I love this room!
Lovely Laura rocks the D&G. Pilar will kill me for posting this...she's actually quite ravishing in a Salma Hayek sort of way. Which is not a bad way to be, frankly.
Tour Guide/Park Ranger Steve tells us all, to our horror, that the bone heads at AFI (American Film Institute who leased the mansion for several years) walled over the original movie screen and stage cutting the rooms lenght in half. Tragic. Fortunately, we are all much more in tune with historic preservation and something like this would never happen.
Ghosts at Greystone? Fact or Fiction
Some people don't want to talk about a 'haunted' Greystone Mansion. Those people aren't me. :)
According to the Travel Channel, spirits materialize as spectral orbs on digital cameras and they can also be heard on digital tape recorders. There have been many ghost hunters in the Mansion looking for proof of their presence in the house. According to one such person, the Grand Foyer of the home is a vortex or portal in which spirits travel back and forth from this world to the next. How convenient; it's right by the car port. According to Cynthia and Ranger Steve, during one of the numerous tapings of the home for feature films, the sound engineer left his equipment on overnight and what he heard th enext day was quite enlightening. Steve and Cynthia heard it as well, so if it's a joke, they're all in on it. They heard loud bangs and crashes and what sounded like a fleet of moving men pushing armoires down the main staircase as well as voices though no words were able to be made out. For all of the racket recorded, there was no damage to be found.
So, what happened here that would cause spirits to remain? Lots of things!!!!
The most notorious event to occur in the home was the murder/suicide of Edward Doheny Jr. (who received the house as a wedding gift from his father, oil barron and sometimes shady character Edward Doheny Sr.) and his personal secretary. As the story goes, the secretary was mentally imbalanced (not good) and was also in need of a raise but Doheny wouldn't give it to him. The secretary, who had a private room at the mansion, shot Doheny in the head, then himself. The case was closed in 36 hours marking the secretary as the killer and Doheny as the victim.
HOWEVER....according to new evidence, we find that Doheny was rumored to be having an affair with the secretary. The dude secretary. With this in mind, the gunman has now become a fed up Mrs. Doheny. Apparently, people in the Doheny's social circle knew of Ed Jr's bisexual dalliances and the Mrs. had enough of it going on in her own house. The secretary had worked for the Doheny's for several years under various professions, grounds keeper, maintenance man, etc. Why keep crazy on the payroll for so long? Well, he wasn't crazy, he was his boyfriend!
It's very plausable that Mrs. Doheny could have shot both of them in a fit of rage and when the doctor (who, btw, moved the body while trying to revive Ed Jr. Now I have only seen ER a few times, but CPR really doesn't work on head wounds. And CSI has taught me to never move the body when I find one laying in the street or in the park. Even if it's in my way.) and police showed up, the story of the angry and crazy assistant played very well. No one really knows what happened. If Mrs. Doheny did do it, she took it with her to her grave. Creepy.
Another tragic event found daughter Lucy's playmate falling from a second floor bedroom window and breaking her neck when she hit the pation pavement below.
And another occurred when a house maid locked herself in a walk in refrigerator and killed herself. She did it in the fridge so she wouldn't make a mess! The poor woman! The fridge, BTW, is in my wing of the house on my floor. Good times.
But on a positive note (if that can be said...) I was taking some photos in the Doheny's private movie theater (It's fab BTW. It is in need of major restoration, but fab) and there were a ton of orbs that showed up on my camera screen. I think that they are there because of the good times they had in the space. The theater still holds positive engergy and even in an abandoned state, still has life in it.
The bottom line is, all old houses take on a life of their own. The history lives in them and sometimes a different kind of life goes on after one life ends.
According to the Travel Channel, spirits materialize as spectral orbs on digital cameras and they can also be heard on digital tape recorders. There have been many ghost hunters in the Mansion looking for proof of their presence in the house. According to one such person, the Grand Foyer of the home is a vortex or portal in which spirits travel back and forth from this world to the next. How convenient; it's right by the car port. According to Cynthia and Ranger Steve, during one of the numerous tapings of the home for feature films, the sound engineer left his equipment on overnight and what he heard th enext day was quite enlightening. Steve and Cynthia heard it as well, so if it's a joke, they're all in on it. They heard loud bangs and crashes and what sounded like a fleet of moving men pushing armoires down the main staircase as well as voices though no words were able to be made out. For all of the racket recorded, there was no damage to be found.
So, what happened here that would cause spirits to remain? Lots of things!!!!
The most notorious event to occur in the home was the murder/suicide of Edward Doheny Jr. (who received the house as a wedding gift from his father, oil barron and sometimes shady character Edward Doheny Sr.) and his personal secretary. As the story goes, the secretary was mentally imbalanced (not good) and was also in need of a raise but Doheny wouldn't give it to him. The secretary, who had a private room at the mansion, shot Doheny in the head, then himself. The case was closed in 36 hours marking the secretary as the killer and Doheny as the victim.
HOWEVER....according to new evidence, we find that Doheny was rumored to be having an affair with the secretary. The dude secretary. With this in mind, the gunman has now become a fed up Mrs. Doheny. Apparently, people in the Doheny's social circle knew of Ed Jr's bisexual dalliances and the Mrs. had enough of it going on in her own house. The secretary had worked for the Doheny's for several years under various professions, grounds keeper, maintenance man, etc. Why keep crazy on the payroll for so long? Well, he wasn't crazy, he was his boyfriend!
It's very plausable that Mrs. Doheny could have shot both of them in a fit of rage and when the doctor (who, btw, moved the body while trying to revive Ed Jr. Now I have only seen ER a few times, but CPR really doesn't work on head wounds. And CSI has taught me to never move the body when I find one laying in the street or in the park. Even if it's in my way.) and police showed up, the story of the angry and crazy assistant played very well. No one really knows what happened. If Mrs. Doheny did do it, she took it with her to her grave. Creepy.
Another tragic event found daughter Lucy's playmate falling from a second floor bedroom window and breaking her neck when she hit the pation pavement below.
And another occurred when a house maid locked herself in a walk in refrigerator and killed herself. She did it in the fridge so she wouldn't make a mess! The poor woman! The fridge, BTW, is in my wing of the house on my floor. Good times.
But on a positive note (if that can be said...) I was taking some photos in the Doheny's private movie theater (It's fab BTW. It is in need of major restoration, but fab) and there were a ton of orbs that showed up on my camera screen. I think that they are there because of the good times they had in the space. The theater still holds positive engergy and even in an abandoned state, still has life in it.
The bottom line is, all old houses take on a life of their own. The history lives in them and sometimes a different kind of life goes on after one life ends.
Ok, so I am WAAAAAAY behind in just about everything regarding this blog.
Meeting 2 happened. We hauled our cookies up to the masion at 9 am on Saturday. I am by no means a morning person so it took all my strength to roll out of bed and get there on time. Mornings for me are from 11am to 12 pm and then it's the afternoon. Mornings are not my friend.
These facts being true, my morning was not made better by being locked out of the complex all together, along with my 9 class mates. Little did we know that our tour guide for the day had cancelled due to illness and didn't let the tour group know. So the instructor, known as Cynthia, had to call the Park Ranger to let us in and in turn he (Steve) became our tour guide. But we could only tour for a little bit, so we got the back door tour of the house, one very reminiscent of that 60's movie 'If its tuesday it must be Amsterdam'. we were peeling around the house taking whatever photos we could and absorbing any trash the ranger had to tell us...lots of ghosts, murder, intrigue, etc. look for another post on that later. :)
The tour ends and we fianlly get to see our rooms. For the most part they're very cool, lots of nooks in the bedrooms, a kick ass checkerboard floor in the hall and service rooms. Its like clue! But as you will see in the photos, some of the rooms need lots of work (and I thought the blitz was over...).
Meeting 2 happened. We hauled our cookies up to the masion at 9 am on Saturday. I am by no means a morning person so it took all my strength to roll out of bed and get there on time. Mornings for me are from 11am to 12 pm and then it's the afternoon. Mornings are not my friend.
These facts being true, my morning was not made better by being locked out of the complex all together, along with my 9 class mates. Little did we know that our tour guide for the day had cancelled due to illness and didn't let the tour group know. So the instructor, known as Cynthia, had to call the Park Ranger to let us in and in turn he (Steve) became our tour guide. But we could only tour for a little bit, so we got the back door tour of the house, one very reminiscent of that 60's movie 'If its tuesday it must be Amsterdam'. we were peeling around the house taking whatever photos we could and absorbing any trash the ranger had to tell us...lots of ghosts, murder, intrigue, etc. look for another post on that later. :)
The tour ends and we fianlly get to see our rooms. For the most part they're very cool, lots of nooks in the bedrooms, a kick ass checkerboard floor in the hall and service rooms. Its like clue! But as you will see in the photos, some of the rooms need lots of work (and I thought the blitz was over...).
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