Photo Essay: The Museum of Misfit Houses

"You mean that place off the 110 with all the houses?"

Inevitably, that's what I hear when I mention LA's Heritage Square Museum.

It is a bit of an anomaly, tucked away at the end of what looks like an access road, abutting the freeway in Northeast LA. Its visitor center and gift shop is the old Palms Depot, originally part of the Southern Pacific Railroad and eventually along the Pacific Electric Railway, halfway between Los Angeles and Santa Monica.



It's full of vintage houses in one small concentrated area – something you don't see much in LA anymore. We have plenty of house museums, but this is a museum of houses. And unlike Oxnard's Heritage Square, these houses aren't privately owned or running businesses. Many are still being restored.



The Perry Mansion – once the largest house in LA – opens occasionally for events, like Victorian magic shows.



The Greek Revival / Italianate home of a former lumber baron was relocated here from its original location on Pleasant Avenue in Boyle Heights (earning it the nickname "Mount Pleasant").



The Hale House didn't have to travel very far to get to Heritage Square, having been relocated from the foot of Mount Washington at what is now Figueroa Street.



Built in 1887, it is a classic example of a Queen Anne / Eastlake style house, with fish scale shingles, iron grillwork, and a corner turret.



The dollhouse-like color scheme of the exterior is actually close to the original paint job, and was reproduced from paint uncovered during its extensive restoration after arriving at Heritage Square in 1970.



The Valley Knudsen Garden Residence was originally built by a cabinetmaker, Richard E. Shaw, in Lincoln Heights.



This is also a Queen Anne style house, without the Eastlake details. The unique roofline (which makes the second floor look like an attic) is French, and can also be seen along Paris boulevards.



The John Ford House is possibly my favorite, though it's far more middle-class than the others in its company.



Ford, the house's original owner, was a well-known wood carver...



...and the house's embellishments show off his handiwork both inside and out.



This house is very early in its restoration process, still recovering from its most recent use as a low income apartment building near Downtown LA before moving here.



Perhaps the most unusual of structures at Heritage Square is the Octagon House...



...a design which was hailed for its inexpensive construction costs, availability of natural light, and good air circulation.



A porch wraps around all eight exterior sides of the octagon...



...and a central interior staircase looks straight up to the pitched roof and lantern.



The octagon architectural style was popular briefly in the mid 1800s, but basically died out by the time of the Civil War. It always stood out in those rows of square boxes that other people lived in.



Most octagon houses were built back East, but this Octagon house was built in 1893 in Pasadena. Now it is the only Victorian octagon house in the state of California that hasn't been altered substantially.



The museum has renovated and repainted at least one room, but the kitchen and bathroom remain untouched, a time capsule of the early 20th century.



The Octagon was rescued from demolition and moved to Heritage Square in 1986.



Some of the on-site restoration work happens inside a Carpenter Gothic style carriage barn, which was relocated here from Pasadena...



...as was the Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church, built 1897 and moved in 1981.



Unfortunately, the last two remaining structures from Bunker Hill burned down only a few months after moving here – a reminder that not everything can be saved.



But it's worth a try. In a city known for its Modernist architecture, these Victorian era houses thankfully have found a forever home at Heritage Square, which has become a kind of Island of Misfit Toys for otherwise under-appreciated buildings that had fallen into disrepair and become an eyesore. And misfits attract other misfits...like me...and a couple of wayward roosters...

Related Posts:
Photo Essay: Oxnard Heritage Square
Photo Essay: Doheny's Other Mansion
The Forbidden Haunted Mansion of Spadra Ghost Town
Photo Essay: Old Soldiers Home Chapel and Streetcar Depot, Closed

R.I.P. Belle Boy, Heritage Square's Museum Cat

One of the great joys of visiting Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights, Los Angeles over the last few years has been its floofy orange museum cat.

His name was Belle Boy. And I just found out he passed away last September 28, 2023.

 

When I heard the news, I cried with heartbreak. But I was also grateful—glad that I'd gotten to spend a little time with him in May 2023 while producing a video for PBS SoCal's "SoCal Wanderer."

Photo Essay: Oxnard Heritage Square

Sometimes, if you're going to save a place, you have to chop it up in pieces, move it, and then put it back together. Hence, the Heritage Square.



But unlike similar squares in LA and Bakersfield, Oxnard's Heritage Square has no locked gates, and no admission fee.



Its relocated historic homes and other turn-of-the-century structures aren't vacant and locked. The former pump house has transformed into a visitor's center.



And if you're lucky, you might encounter the apparition of a nice Victorian lady who'll unlock any locked doors for you.



All restored to or close to their original condition (replacing broken windows and repainting exteriors in more modern color schemes), there are 11 homes total that occupy a large block of Historic Downtown Oxnard.



The former homes of Oxnard's first families now house businesses as diverse as produce...



...a winery...



...a hair salon, spa, and even an orthodontist's office.



The on-site chapel began as a Congregational church and then evolved into more multi-denominational ceremonies.



In its current location, it retains its original stained glass in the back of the sanctuary...



...which is now used for meetings, events and performances.



The grounds are maintained by a homeowner's association, and the business owners actually own their historic buildings and maintain them.



It's so lovely to have something like this open to the public in the center of the town. And if you can't find it by all those whimsical and elegant dollhouses (and one California Craftsman), just look for the water tower.

Related Post:
Photo Essay: Doheny's Other Mansion

Photo Essay: Heritage Square Museum Has Thrown the Abandoned Church Doors Open

For the entire time I've lived in the Los Angeles area (nearly 14 years now), there's been one building at Heritage Square Museum I haven't been able to get into. 

All the mansions and the former train depot have posed no problem—but the former Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church, on the other hand, was a longtime holdout. 

Photo Essay: A Victorian Stroll at Twilight

Part of my job as a Field Agent for Atlas Obscura is creating opportunities for people to explore places in their own backyards. But those excursions must be unique in some way—either giving people access to a place they would not normally be able to get into, or creating an experience at that place that is beyond what they might get on their own.

It's a lot of work, but it's worth it to me, because I get to reap the benefits of that unique access for myself. If I didn't have a group to bring with me, I probably wouldn't have the same opportunities on my own. So I'm willing to do the legwork to get us all in.

On its own, Heritage Square Museum is historic and haunted enough to qualify for an Obscura Society excursion, but it's open to the public, and anyone can visit during its open hours pretty much anytime. They even host occasional Victorian magic shows and silent movie screenings. But those evening opportunities are few and far between, so I set up a private, after-hours tour of Heritage Square's hauntingly beautiful houses as the sun was setting.



We arrived at Magic Hour...



...toured the houses through twilight...



...and waited for the triple digit heat to relent.



This time of day plays tricks on your eyes. The sun has set, but it's still somewhat light out, the horizon still glowing from where the sun dipped down.



We weren't in a hurry...



...but the darker the dusk became...



...the less we would be able to see.



Although I'd walked down these paths during the day...



...the change in light likewise changes your perspective.



Everything looks different.



You don't recognize the scenery. Sometimes you think you don't recognize yourself.



It would take a while still for this museum of misfit houses to become pitch black, but we stayed long enough for everything to appear in silhouette and shadow play, our pupils dilated wide to let as much light in as possible, to see the unseeable.

It was hard to go back into harsh, artificial light after that. It was hard to see things so glaringly bright, to hear the blaring sound of traffic after speaking in hushed tones to each other.

Sometimes you need to turn down the lights a bit. Sometimes the contrast doesn't need to be so harsh. Sometimes the saturation can ease up a little.

Sometimes, less is more.

Related Posts:
Photo Essay: The Museum of Misfit Houses
Photo Essay: Oxnard Heritage Square