Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening..." - Coco Chanel

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

"The Paramour Session"

Just a little class project-turned photographic field trip, the Paramour Mansion is amazing, truly the multifaceted gemstone cast in the Silverlake mold, if you feel up for a drive call Steve and set up a tour, very worth it...
















The Paramour Mansion is tucked away in the highest hills of Silver Lake, providing the most spectacular view of Los Angeles. The buildings of downtown look like little lego figurines in the distance, and from further out, the ocean looks like a smooth blue blanket. The view makes the city look like a tranquil, calm place, but in reality the hustle and bustle is still there—just too far off to notice. That idea is the exact feeling we immediately got when we pulled up to the estate. Though we sat in traffic getting there, and undoubtedly passed thousands of people with busy lives on our way, once we drove through the gate everything felt removed and peaceful. We were no longer in the hectic city of Los Angeles, but were standing in the presence of one of the most historic and pivotal buildings of the cities’ past. Steve, the man who lives and operates business at the mansion, immediately greeted us at the gate. He was accompanied by one of the many dogs on sight, Willow, who, though clearly aged, had the welcoming demeanor of an eager puppy. Our unclear expectations were put to ease as we drove in and were pleased to find welcoming faces and beautiful grounds. We first walked around the perimeter to see the amazing views and the exterior of the house…
The Paramour Mansion, also known as the Canfield-Moreno Estate or the Crestmount, is a spectacular residence nestled atop one of the highest peaks in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. The 22,000 square-foot estate has rich historical significance for the city, thus it has earned a Historic Cultural Monument Certification. Noted California architect, Robert D. Farquhar designed and constructed the manor in 1923, when he was commissioned by Charles Canfield, a business partner of Edward Doheny, to create it as a wedding gift for his daughter, Daisy (Silverlining, 2001). Thus, it became the lavish home of Antonio Moreno, a silent film star, and his wife Daisy Canfield-Danziger, an heiress and socialite. Much speculation surrounded their relationship’s validity, as Moreno was suspected of making a calculated move in marriage in order to thwart rumors of homosexuality. However, Steve assured us that, as with many things in Los Angeles, the tale was most likely more rumor than fact. Nevertheless, the house was the site of many lavish parties and business arrangements, as the couple’s union brought screen stars, Hollywood elite and oil investors alike into each other’s esteemed company. The two were, for all intensive purposes, a perfect match, who helped to provide Los Angeles high society and the film industry with a literal and figurative meeting place. Their parties were home to many deals bringing finances and film together, which contributes to the historic magnificence of the mansion. The couple resided there until 1928, a year before deeding the property to the Chloe P. Canfield Memorial Home, a school that housed “precocious” or otherwise especially gifted young girls (Silverlining, 2001). In 1933, shortly after separating from her husband, Daisy was returning home to Crestmount when her car took a deadly plunge off of Mulholland Drive. In 1953, the manor reformed yet again into a convent and school, upon its’ acquiring by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.
The mansion has clearly seen a lot of changes and has successfully adapted to all of them, which contributes to its realness and prominence. One aspect that has remained constant is that a woman has always been the owner of the mansion, which is very clear from its feminine energy. In 1998, the property was purchased by its current owner, Dana Hollister, who is responsible not only for the mansions most chameleon-like transitions into reality tv stages, movie sets and recording studios, but also for the incredible impact that this concept of transformation has had on the Silver Lake area as a whole. Dana is related to one of the largest land-owning families in California, and is a renaissance woman of sorts, as she has been a prominent philanthropist, interior designer, civic patron and photographer for years. She has contributed greatly to the Moreno Mansion and the Silver Lake community. “Dana doesn’t see this as building businesses, she says we’re making cities. Its not in some imperial way—she loves the funk and grunge. She figures out what she needs an then acquires it” (Gardetta, 2001). Initially she had plans to turn the estate into a 45-room hotel, but grew uneasy with that future as she began to realize the city’s more desperate need for reform that could eliminate gang violence and financial dispair, so she set out to rebuild the community (Gardetta, 2001). She has the ability to see beauty in what may not look beautiful upon a first glance, and has bought much of the property in Silver Lake in hopes to beautify the area while staying true to its original architecture. “When she first took up residence with her sleeping bag, dog and sawed-off shotgun, it was in need of some good loving--a mess of broken windows, a leaky ballroom ceiling and musty, long-closed rooms. ‘But,’ she says, ‘I knew even then she had beautiful bones’” (George, 2007). It indeed does have beautiful bones and she has beautifully accentuated them. Each room is a different but vibrant color with very unique furniture. No two rooms look the same and yet the interior is brilliantly interconnected, and the same goes for Silver Lake. It is a neighborhood that is widely unique and yet the differences coexist perfectly: This idea is something that Hollister has hoped for.
Our first impression of the outside of the mansion was that it looked old, still beautiful but old and clearly full of history. We really appreciated Steve and his input on the mansion because he gave us insight that we would have never been able to receive, and through his conversation, the beauty of the mansion and all its capabilities was truly brought to light. Steve told us that if he had to give the house a one-word description it would be “authentic,” and after a brief tour we would say the same. The word mansion invokes ideas of modernity, prestige, and conceit: Though we were coming upon a historic building the thought that it would have embodied more of stereotypical, new-looking mansion still prevailed initially. Steve pointed out in our tour that many of the historic sites in Los Angeles have had repairs that keep it looking new, no matter how much change occurs to the original. For example, in the kitchen area there was the original call box that the butler used years ago: It looked like an antique and indeed it was. One thing that stood out about the Paramour Mansion was its unexpected legitimacy: though it embodies much grandeur, and though it has worn a hundred different faces over almost a century, there seems to be no façade or effort behind it, it just is.
For modern Los Angeles this idea seems foreign because everyone is trying so hard to appear a certain way and forgets about being real, losing authenticity in the process. Steve told us a story about a photo shoot on site at the mansion for Jennifer Lopez: Her label company chose the Moreno mansion because they wanted to make her seem more real and fresh to her audience. They wanted to erase her image of being overly glamorized, glitzy and fake because people cannot relate to that, especially in these economic times. Steve told us that after taking a brief tour of the mansion, she stormed downstairs and hated it, probably because it wasn’t the lavish scene what she thought of when she heard mansion. After three hours of hair and makeup she came out in a shimmering gown and took her photos behind a white backdrop—she had the opportunity to be shot in the most beautiful, genuine scenery in order to showcase her true beauty and yet she chose to be in front of a blank sheet with pounds of make-up on.
The Paramour Mansion is much more than an old house; it is used for reality shows, episodic TV shows, commercials, movies, parties, recording studios and hideaways for musicians to write their music. Throughout the tour of the grounds Steve would identify a certain musicians room including Fiona Apple’s room, or Sarah McLaughlin’s room. It seems like the perfect hide away to write music and be secluded from the business side of things in order to truly focus on the creative process. The house has become most famous for its musical ties, as bands such as Papa Roach and My Chemical Romance have recorded and drawn inspiration from their stays there while creating albums, and as acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elton John and Sting have all played benefit concerts on the ground (Silverlining, 2001). Today it is used on a weekly basis and these are considered slow times for the mansion. The music industry is most associated with the mansion in popular culture, but due to the economy and the bad climate that ensues for the industry, the bookings for the mansion have become less frequent. However, the mansion still holds it place in Los Angeles due to its rich history and deeply rooted ties within the entertainment community.
Though the mansion has maintained its place in current times, through the years it has stayed true to it’s roots in many ways. It does not try to be something that it is not, which is a very unique quality to find anywhere in Los Angeles; a city where people fear the aging process, exhaust themselves trying to maintain a certain status, and go bankrupt trying to keep up with the latest trends. This classic site has truly found the balance between being true to itself and keeping up with the current culture. Los Angeles is one of the few American cities where the term “melting pot” can be accurately applied: This idea paints the city as a place where new possibilities exist and where many separate lifestyles can coexist, and is a feature that can be applied to the mansion itself, as it has housed various kinds of people and adjusted to their respective needs. It is a cultural mecca unto itself in many respects, as its architectural influences, diverse decorations, contrasting surroundings and various guests have each left their own impact on the mansion, all combining to give it its unique ambiance. One thing that must help the mansion stay humble is visits from the past. Many people have called the Moreno mansion home; from its days as a girl’s school to a convent, numerous ladies have returned to see their old stomping grounds. “Canfield girls” who possibly lived at the school from age 3-18 come by often to show family members and friends where they used to live, while the girls who lived in the convent come by sharing a different experience when they walk through the halls. The girl’s school was seen as a positive thing for many of the students due to the Great Depression. The school gave these girls opportunities that they would have never been able to have, but for the sisters of the convent it is a different story: Many girls were sent to the convent as a place for correction or escape so the memories they have when returning are not as lighthearted. Many come back for healing or as a reminder of where they have come from. All these things contribute to the realness of the mansion. It is so diverse and multifaceted, but manages to maintain a strong identity within the busy, ever-changing city of Los Angeles.








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