Elysian Heights, Los Angeles

Elysian Heights is a neighborhood within the northern Echo Park district of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is located at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Geography

Elysian Heights is within northern Echo Park, and borders Silver Lake on the northwest, Elysian Valley on the northeast, and Elysian Park on the east.

The area is mostly residential, with houses set on the northern hills of Echo Park proper.

Elysian Heights is largely within the ZIP code of 90026, but also encompasses a small area of the 90039 ZIP code in its northwest corner.

Before the Glendale Freeway was built, it was also part of the neighborhood known as Edendale..

Elysian Heights is served by Elysian Heights Elementary School. The author Beverly Mason was principal there for many years, and Toshi Ito, the mother of noted judge Lance Ito, taught kindergarten and 1st grade there for many years as well.

History

Since the 1910s, Elysian Heights, along with Edendale has been home to many of the counter-culture, political radicals, artists, writers, architects and filmmakers in Los Angeles. The children of many progressives attended school there during the 1930s, '40s and '50s.

Many architecturally notable and historic homes can be found on the hills of Elysian Heights, such as:

• Southhall house, designed by Rudolph Schindler
• Philip Dike house
• Harwell Hamilton house
• Paul Landacre House
• Estelle Lawton Lindsay house
• Carey McWilliams house
• Klock House
• Judd-Atwater bungalows
• Ross House − during the 1950s and '60s Al Nozaki lived here, the famed film art director who designed the Martian War Machines for George Pal's The War of the Worlds .

The 1906 Edendale water tank and the Volunteer Fire House are also in the neighborhood.

Elysian Heights was home to "Room 8 the Cat", at one time the most famous cat in America.

See also

• Populated places in the Santa Monica Mountains