The Getty House is the
official residence
An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...
of the
mayor of Los Angeles
The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of California, all ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. It is located at 605 South Irving Boulevard in
Windsor Square, a historic district east of
Hancock Park
Hancock Park is a city park in the Miracle Mile section of the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, California.
The park's destinations include the La Brea Tar Pits; the adjacent George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, which displ ...
, about five miles west of the
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed in 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council. It is located in the Civic Ce ...
.
History
The house is named after
George Getty II's son,
J. Paul Getty, the
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
tycoon. It was designed and built in the
Tudor Revival style in 1921 for $83,000 (
$ million in ). The
Getty Oil
Getty Oil was an American oil marketing company with its origins as part of the large integrated oil company founded by J. Paul Getty.
History
J. Paul Getty incorporated Getty Oil in 1942. He had previously worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma ...
company purchased the house in 1959, and offered the property to the
City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
on November 12, 1975. The original gardens were designed by
A. E. Hanson, and have been restored. According to the Los Angeles County Assessor, the property spans approximately half an acre – 22,523 square feet.
The house was built by Swedish immigrant Paul Paulson and his wife Leta, who moved to Los Angeles from Iowa. Paulson established two cafeterias, one in downtown Los Angeles, and the other on Catalina Island.
Mayor's residence
The house became the official residence for the mayor of Los Angeles. Mayor
Tom Bradley was the first to move into the house at the beginning of his second term in 1977, and resided there until leaving office in 1993. However, his two immediate successors opted not to move into the house, so it was unoccupied between 1993 and 2005. Mayor
Richard Riordan
Richard Joseph Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is an American investment banker, businessman, lawyer, and former Republican politician who was the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, from 1993 to 2001. Born in New York City and raised in New Rochelle, New Y ...
(1993–2001) resided at his house in
Brentwood. Mayor
James Hahn (2001–2005) lived in
San Pedro so his children could be near their mother's residence.
After
his election in 2005, Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr.; born January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary ...
announced that he and his family would live in the house on at least a part-time basis, alternating between it and their existing home in the
Mt. Washington district on the
Northeast side. However, in September 2005, Villaraigosa decided that he would move into the house full-time, becoming the second mayor to reside there.
[
] In June 2007, Villaraigosa and his wife, Corina, announced that they were separating, and he would temporarily move out of the Getty House, with his wife and children to continue residing there during the separation.
Newly elected mayor
Eric Garcetti
Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 election, and reelected in 2017. A f ...
announced in November 2013 that he, his wife, Amy Wakeland, and their daughter Maya, would move into the house.
School zone
The house is zoned to the following
LAUSD
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...
schools: 3rd Street Elementary School, John Burroughs Middle School, and
Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are royal blue and white and the teams are called the Romans.
Los Angeles High School is a pub ...
.
See also
*
1921 in architecture
*
Arts and culture of Los Angeles
*
List of American houses
*
List of historic houses
References
External links
* {{URL, gettyhouse.org — ''website of the Getty House Foundation''.
Official residences in California
Houses in Los Angeles
Getty family residences
Hancock Park, Los Angeles
Mayors' mansions in the United States
Government buildings in Los Angeles
Government buildings completed in 1921
Houses completed in 1921
1921 establishments in California
Local government buildings in the United States
Mayors of Los Angeles
History of Los Angeles
Tudor Revival architecture in California