Joan Duffy | Ewing & Associates

What is it about a neighborhood?

By: Joan Duffy

About 20 years ago I sold a house to a young family who had 2 bright little kids, 2 and 4 years old. I remember selling the home by emphasizing the quality of the neighborhood – one of the fathers biggest concerns. Recently, I was thumbing through my mail and opened a wedding invitation for a couple I didn’t recognize. Honored by the invitation, I promptly RSVP’d but not without asking who exactly was getting married. As it turns out, one of the little kids from over 20 years ago was marrying the girl that grew up next door. The family insisted I sit at the head table and celebrate this dearest occasion that was made possible by the home I sold them.

As I pondered this stunning occurrence, I began to consider the importance of neighborhoods. The nostalgia of a neighborhood is a concept that fascinates me. I consider the tree lined streets of San Marino in Father of Bride or the narrow neighborhood roads in Los Feliz – each containing it’s own personality and history. Whether we are raising a family or growing up ourselves, neighborhoods affect our lifestyle and reality.

Today, I sense a shift in desired neighborhoods. Clients are considering a more cosmopolitan neighborhood; a place where you aren’t forced to drive to the grocery store. We miss the old neighborhoods where we grew up. Studio City is known for the old bridge between Laurel Canyon and Whitsett that connects a Studio City community to town.

These old neighborhoods in Los Angeles are what make our city so desirable. What is it about your neighborhood?

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The Rise of the Ranch House and Beginning of Modernism

By: Joan Duffy

The classic suburban home that was popularized following the gilded age and through the 1930′s soon gave way to a very different style home; the ranch house. Seen primarily in New Jersey and the suburbs of Chicago, the 2 story house had little functionality in the open farm lands of the San Fernando Valley. In 1945, just after World War II, men were building lives in the greater Los Angeles area; namely, the San Fernando Valley. In the late 40′s and 50′s, as people began to discover the walnut and orange groves, the valley began to grow. People bled into the valley through the Cahuenga pass and the hills of Studio City began to populate. With Lockheed in Burbank supplying most of the jobs in the area, developers like Mellenthin began to make their mark.

Due to the change in available materials, the rise of modernism soon began to take hold. With aluminum becoming a more used material, and the recent use of slab style foundations, the modern homes of the Los Angeles area arose. But that’s another topic entirely.

My point in explaining these architectural trends is to illuminate a much more profound point. As I saw Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley expand and I noticed the catalyst for such changes – art. Art influenced the society. It influenced clothing, cars, and homes. It is society’s director and it has affected architecture throughout the ages.