Events Calendar

Welcome to the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society Calendar. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

May
26
Wed
VIRTUAL HOME TOUR 303 N. JUNE ST. @ Virtual Event
May 26 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
VIRTUAL HOME TOUR 303 N. JUNE ST. @ Virtual Event

Wednesday May 26th at 7:00 PM. A prime Hancock Park 1927 Mediterranean Revival Architectural Masterpiece has been fully renovated, restored, decorated and enhanced into its present pristine  condition by the legendary design firm of Ron Wilson Interiors and its owner, Joseph Guidera as his personal residence.  This distinctive estate has all the hallmarks of a truly unique and special property: built in the 1920s for a direct descendant of Los Angeles oldest original Spanish land grant holding families, designed for large-scale entertaining and yet with many smaller intimate personal spaces in a grand period revival style by noted architects, constructed by a local well know builder of most prestigious luxury homes of the era, and now restored to all of its former glory.

$25 Member price
(Pay Below with a small Paypal fee)*
$35 Non-member price (Pay Below with a small Paypal fee)*
*After your purchase you will be emailed the special presentation link by 6pm the day before the presentation and by 12pm on the day of the presentation.

Wednesday May 26th at 7:00 PM

The Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society

presents its first

History and Virtual Home Tour of 330 N. June Street

Featuring an interview and guided tour through this historic property by President Richard Battaglia and home owner Joseph Guidera followed by question and answer period with Mr. Guidera.

Patrick J. Watson was born in 1876 to his parents, Colonel James Alexander Watson of Scotland and Maria Dolores Dominguez on the old Manual Dominguez Rancho, which encompasses much of present day cities of Torrance, Wilmington, Compton, Carson, San Pedro and the South Bay area of Los Angeles. This was the first Spanish land grant in CA from King Carlos of Spain. Patrick Watson was the vice president of the Watson Land Co and in 1923, he sold his share of the original Rancho property to The Pan American Oil Company which was a subsidiary of the Doheny Company. In the mid-1920s, Patrick Watson & his wife, Miss Mamie O’Farrell of San Francisco, were looking to move off of the original Rancho property and decided to build a new home for themselves in the fashionable and developing area of Hancock Park.

Patrick hired the notable Architectural firm of Hunt & Burns to design his new family estate on a large double access lot located on a prominent corner in the new district of Hancock Park.  During their tenure together, Sumner P. Hunt and Silas R. Burns built some of the most beautiful buildings in the Los Angeles area including:  Automobile Club of Southern California, Headquarters – 1921-1923, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles – 1910, The Wilshire – Ebell Club, Clubhouse – 1926-1927, Los Angeles Public Library, Vermont Square Branch – 1913, McKinley House, Lafayette Park, Los Angeles, CA – 1917, Scripps College, Claremont, CA – 1929, The Los Angeles Tennis Club – 1927 and The Wilshire Country Club – 1919.

For his new home, Patrick Watson would enlist the services of the Sweden-born master builder C.J. Nordquist who had a well-deserved reputation for building some of the grandest homes and public buildings in Los Angeles.

 

Sep
18
Sat
Mansions, Moguls & Movie Stars Twilight Tour
Sep 18 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Mansions, Moguls & Movie Stars Twilight Tour

September 18, 5pm to 7pm. Please join us on a fascinating twilight walk through of historic Windsor Square on September 18th from 5:00 to 7:00. Explore the architecture and learn about the current and former residents of this beautiful area right in the center of Los Angeles. This is the second in our new series of walks around Windsor Square and Hancock park with Eleanor Schrader and Bret Parsons. Wear comfortable shoes. You won’t want to miss this.

This event has been SOLD OUT.

Member $50. Non-member $60 (You may pay below with a small Paypal fee)

The Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society

presents

Mansions, Moguls & Movie Stars Twilight Tour

with Eleanor Schrader & Bret Parsons

Please join us September 18th, 2021,  5:00pm – 7:00pm

Refreshments will be Served

Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author.  She lectures worldwide on the history of architecture, interiors, and decorative arts and leads art and architecture tours throughout the world.  She has been named a Distinguished Instructor of design history at UCLA Extension.  She is also Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at Santa Monica College. She has done graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby’s Institute in London and New York and has served as Design Review Commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills. She is co-author of “Master Architects of Southern California, 1920-1940: Wallace Neff”.

Bret Parsons has written five books, including Colcord Home (2008), the biography of the beloved Southern California architect Gerard Colcord. He is the co-author of books on Paul R. Williams, Roland E.Coate, Gordan B. Kaufmann, and Wallace Neff among others in the Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940s published by Angel City Press. A residential Realtor, he founded Bret Parsons Real Estate in 2008. He is the founder and executive director of the architectural division of Compass. Bret resides in Los Angeles.

 

Dec
12
Sun
SOLD OUT: WSHPHS Annual Holiday Party
Dec 12 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Sunday, December 12th, 5 – 7pm. Please save the date to join us for our annual Holiday Party at the Landmark Home of Joseph Guidera.

**SOLD OUT**

5pm – 7pm

303 North June Street

$45 for Members
$55 for Member’s Guests
Open to members and guests who have been vaccinated

Dec
11
Sun
HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOLIDAY PARTY AT TAM O’SHANTER @ Tam O’Shanter
Dec 11 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOLIDAY PARTY AT TAM O’SHANTER @ Tam O’Shanter

Please mark your calendars to join your fellow members of the Historical Society for our annual holiday party on Sunday, December 11th at 1:00. This year we will be enjoying the festivities at the much-loved 100-year-old Tam O’Shanter in Atwater Village. This was Walt Disney’s favorite place for lunch and the plaque on table 31 is a testament to it.  Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, fresh salmon, roasted chicken, Martinis and rum toddies, etc.

Sunday, December 11th at 1:00
Tam O’Shanter
2980 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Festive all year long and especially this time of year.

Members: $75
Guests: $85

Oct
14
Sat
DOUBLE-DECKER BUS TOUR OF WINDSOR SQUARE AND HANCOCK PARK
Oct 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
DOUBLE-DECKER BUS TOUR OF WINDSOR SQUARE AND HANCOCK PARK

Join architectural historian Eleanor Schrader and realtor/architectural author Bret Parsons for a spectacular tour of the historic enclaves of greater Hancock Park. Our double-decker bus will guide us down streets filled with beautiful homes as we reveal secrets that illuminate this coveted neighborhood. We’ll regale you with details about its historic revival styles, extraordinary architects (Elmer Grey, Sumner Hunt, Paul R. Williams, Wallace Neff, and others), filming locations including “Sunset Boulevard,” and anecdotes about the lavish lifestyles of famous personalities who inhabited these estates.

Members Tickets are $75

Note that all tours require 48 hours’ cancellation notification for refund. You will be asked to sign a waiver of liability.

A portion of the proceeds benefit Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society.

Upper-deck seats provide a unique view of the homes on our tour.

Additional details to be emailed a couple of days before the tour.

Please, no children, babies, or pets.

Oct
19
Thu
MAGIC CASTLE HALLOWEEN PARTY @ The Magic Castle
Oct 19 @ 5:00 pm – 11:45 pm
MAGIC CASTLE HALLOWEEN PARTY @ The Magic Castle

For those of you who have never been to The Magic Castle, you are in for a treat. The Historical Society will have its long overdue Halloween party at this legendary Los Angeles landmark on Thursday, October 19th starting at 5:00. Doors open at 5:00 for drinks and various activities.  This is a no-host bar. At 6:00 guests will enter the main dining where they will be treated to the Classic Magic Castle 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu, and the option to choose from a variety of delicious dishes. The price for dinner and the shows is $175 per person.

CHOICE OF MAIN COURSE
GRILLED 6oz FILET MIGNON garlic whipped potatoes, grilled jumbo asparagus, and red wine sauce
CITRUS ROSEMARY ROASTED HALF CHICKEN garlic whipped potatoes grilled jumbo asparagus, and citrus beurre blanc
PAN-SEARED SCOTTISH SALMON garlic whipped potatoes grilled jumbo asparagus, and citrus beurre blanc
BUCATINI OGLIO E ALIO WITH FRESH TRUFFLES

Please select your main course and ticket from the drop down menu. (small Paypal processing fee added)

At 8:00 pm there is the Palace Magic Show in the main theater

Guests can stay to enjoy more of the rest of the shows and the castle until closing which is 1:00 AM. Please keep in mind this is a no-host bar and no-host parking. Parking is $25. and carpooling, Uber, and Lift are encouraged.

The Magic Castle is located at 7001 Franklin Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90028 323 851 3313

The Magic Castle is a private magic nightclub of the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) which hosts nightly performances and it is considered an honor by many magicians to perform there. It is located in Hollywood, California, and opened its doors on January 2, 1963. Only members and their guests are allowed entrance, though courtesy invitations can be obtained by magicians visiting from out of town.  During a typical evening, there are numerous magic shows and historic displays, as well as a full-service dining room and numerous bars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of classic nightclub days, and a dress code of fancy party attire is enforced.

Dec
10
Sun
CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY PARTY LAWRY’S PRIME RIB
Dec 10 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY PARTY LAWRY'S PRIME RIB

Please join us for our annual Holiday Christmas Party at world-famous Lawry’s Prime Rib this year. The original location was on Restaurant Row on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, and was opened in 1938 by Lawrence L. “Lawry” Frank and Walter Van de Kamp. It now has restaurants all over the world.

Please bring a Toys For Tots gift.

Member and guests: $125 (with a small Paypal fee)



WSHPHS Holiday Party


Our Holiday dinner will be in the Oval Room, can hold up to 100 and includes:

PLATED HORS D’OEUVRES
Potato Pancakes with Caviar & Creme Fraiche

SALAD COURSE
Lawry’s Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad
Crisp romaine, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, shredded beets, chopped eggs, croutons, Lawry’s Vintage Dressing, with sourdough bread

ENTREE SELECTIONS
The server will take orders for the choice of one at dinner
Roasted Prime Ribs of Beef
8 oz. Cut Carved to order, served with mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding,au jus, whipped cream horseradish
Choice of:
Creamed Spinach
Creamed Corn
Salmon Rockefeller
Skuna Bay salmon, sautéed spinach, scampi shrimp
Crispy Roasted Chicken
Half of a jidori bird, wilted chard
Vegetarian Entrée of the Day

DESSERTS
Vanilla Ice with hot fudge ( no berries)

Classic Dinner
Includes freshly brewed Lavazza Coffee or Harney & Sons Hot Tea

For more on the rich delicious history of Lawry’s go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawry%27s_The_Prime_Rib

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