View of Hollywood, Calif. From Bernheimer Gardens Conceived in 1911 and completed in 1914, the Bernheimer brothers, Charles Bernheimer and Adolph Bernheimer, built a 10-room mansion 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard. It was an exact replica of a palace located in the Yamashiro mountains near Kyoto, Japan. It was their personal residence and was built to house the oriental treasures they collected in their travels that began in the 19th century. The mansion became a gathering place for movie stars and celebrities of the time. Charles Bernheimer passed away in 1922 and much of the collection was sold at auction. In the early 1940s it was vandalized by anti-Japanese patriots. It was converted to apartments and fell into a state of total disrepair. It was purchased in 1948 by Thomas O. Glover who intended to demolish it, but he discovered the treasures under layers of paint and decided to restore it instead. Restoration continues today and its magnificence lives and thrives as the Yamashiro Restaurant. The address is 1999 N. Sycamore, Hollywood, CA. A very special thanks to Mary Louise for providing this history; various sources used, including history by Thomas Y. Glover on Yamashiro Website.
Hollywood From Japanese Gardens, Hollywood, Calif. Conceived in 1911 and completed in 1914, the Bernheimer brothers, Charles Bernheimer and Adolph Bernheimer, built a 10-room mansion 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard. It was an exact replica of a palace located in the Yamashiro mountains near Kyoto, Japan. It was their personal residence and was built to house the oriental treasures they collected in their travels that began in the 19th century. The mansion became a gathering place for movie stars and celebrities of the time. Charles Bernheimer passed away in 1922 and much of the collection was sold at auction. In the early 1940s it was vandalized by anti-Japanese patriots. It was converted to apartments and fell into a state of total disrepair. It was purchased in 1948 by Thomas O. Glover who intended to demolish it, but he discovered the treasures under layers of paint and decided to restore it instead. Restoration continues today and its magnificence lives and thrives as the Yamashiro Restaurant. The address is 1999 N. Sycamore, Hollywood, CA. A very special thanks to Mary Louise for providing this history; various sources used, including history by Thomas Y. Glover on Yamashiro Website.
Battle for Castle of Nagoya Bernheimer Japanese Garden In 1924 Adolph Bernheimer leased the Pacific Palisades location, which was being used as a mule camp in the construction of highways. Adolph supervised every detail of building the complex of oriental structures as his personal residence. It housed his ancient oriental collection. It also was a horticultural showplace. The Bernheimer Gardens flourished as a tourist attraction until 1941, averaging 5,000 visitors a week. World War II was a factor in its fall from grace -- because it was oriental and because Adolph Bernheimer was of German origin. This triggered contempt and led to vandalism. Adolph's passing in 1944, financial difficulties and land erosion, caused the Oriental Gardens to slip into a state of disrepair. The property was vacated in the late 1940s and the treasures were sold at auction in 1951. All of the structures were demolished in the early 1950s. An apartment complex was built at the West End of the property and the rest of the property is still vacant land. The above map is from a Bernheimer Oriental Gardens brochure (see full brochure below). Thanks to Mary Louise for providing this history; various sources used.