LAUREL CANYON PICTURES

In the early part of the 19th century, Laurel Canyon was a rough and rustic area made up of just a few cabins—some used as hunting lodges. The hillside region was first developed by Charles Spencer Mann, an engineer and investor.  His first  development was the Lookout Mountain Inn which was quickly followed by a project called Bungalow Land. In an effort to get prospective up to this development, he built the nation’s first trackless trolley in 1913. The creation of Hollywood’s film industry also attracted residents like Errol Flynn and Ramon Navarro to the undeveloped quarter. By the ‘20s, Laurel Canyon was a real neighborhood with a small schoolhouse, restaurants, a grocery store and even a local newspaper. The Laurel Tavern was a popular place in the camyon.  Early pictures of Lauarel Canyon can be seen on the hollywoodphotographs.com web site.

But it wasn’t until the ‘60s that Laurel Canyon’s lifelong reputation as a who’s who commune of legendary rock n’ rollers developed. Like its Northern cousin San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury, it became the place to be for hippies, as well as successful and aspiring musicians. Its center, said many, was eccentric rock star Frank Zappa’s rented cabin on Lookout Mountain—home to more than a few wild parties. Free spirits and music types continued to migrate and meet up in the Canyon throughout the ‘70s as the scene switched from psychedelic rock to mellow folk music and musicians. 

Today, Laurel Canyon continues to carry its reputation as a residential center for people involved in music, film and the arts. But the rents have gone up, and so have the home prices (into the millions) making it an elite area for creatives. Its ideal location, just a short walk from the famous Sunset Strip, is another reason for its high status in the “location location location” real estate market. It is one of the main north-south arteries between the flats and valleys of Los Angeles. 

Despite being poshed-up, the Canyon has kept the funky, rainbow-colored charm of the ‘60s Love Generation on the walls of its Canyon Country Store, and the occasional brightly colored houses and odd-shaped pads that crop up around newer more upscale homes. Famous, infamous and unknown Canyonites can be seen chatting over coffee and tea at the Country Store’s coffee cart, a neighborhood social hub. 

All of the Laurel Canyon pictures on the hollywoodphotographs.com web site are available for purchase.