Featured image credit: Los Angeles
This far into our Los Angeles Architecture 101 series, boundaries begin to blur a bit more. Sure, they were already blurring over the last few revival styles. And today’s focus, French Normandy (and the closely related Châteauesque) highlights another revival style, though one with a very distinguished look. However, it borrows quite a bit from other European-influenced styles that we’ve covered. And the people of LA’s short-lived but fervent embrace of French Normandy architecture isn’t wholly original either. That being said, if you ever wanted to live in a castle or French chateau, then French Normandy will likely be your favorite architectural style of the lot.
New Money… Old Aesthetics
The first inklings of the French Normandy Renaissance began toward the turn of the 20th century. Industry was putting “new money” into the pockets of American entrepreneurs. When it came time to make a statement, they turned to classical Europe for inspiration. After all, the one thing new money couldn’t buy was old money status.
While Europe boasted a diversity of architectural styles (many of which blended together to form the non-committal Georgian Revival styles), America’s new millionaires needed instantly recognizable designs that stood out. So, it’s no wonder that the French Normandy styles favored castles and chateaus as their muses.
In Southern California, which was practically still frontier country at the time, a fledgling tycoon couldn’t simply wait for a storied castle to become available. None existed. Rather, they had to use their new money to commission new castles. And in the spirit of that novelty, architects tried to introduce a bit of California flavor into these otherwise European strongholds of splendor.
French Normandy and Châteauesque Styles Finds Their Footing
It wasn’t until the 1920s that French Normandy styles really picked up steam in Los Angeles. There were a lot of factors involved in the sudden popularity of the Eurocentric designs.
- Homebuyers returning from fighting a world war in Europe
- The rise of the film industry
- New strides in construction technology
- LA’s great housing boom
These factors will be familiar to any of you keeping up with the Architecture 101 series as they were the catalyst for the popularity of several contemporary styles. But French Normandy was particularly popular with those who had become accustomed to life in Europe while serving in World War I.
Hallmarks of the French Style
While French Normandy and Châteauesque architecture employ a diversity of European flourishes, the most common distinguishing traits include:
- Hipped roofs with a steep pitch
- Stylized chimneys
- Pronounced dormers and gables
- Castle-like spires and turrets
- Gothic arches
The French Normandy style wouldn’t have been possible without the technological advances in building that made architecture like Beaux-Arts possible as well. With these state-of-the-art techniques, builders could add a thin facade of brickwork or stone over intricate wooden structures. It made the efficient construction of Californian castles and LA chateaus a possibility.
The Brief But Colorful Life of French Normandy in Los Angeles
Designers didn’t just invoke French Normandy styles for single-family homes. Hotels, luxury shopping plazas, and even apartment buildings incorporated the style regularly. It was the perfect meeting ground between the concrete and the fantastic, attracting young creative minds new to the city with the promises of the rapidly growing film industry.
But the French Normandy craze had a relatively short lifespan, especially when compared to other popular styles of the time. Its gothic spires and European sensibilities just couldn’t gel as well with the exotic Southern California terrain the way a style like Spanish Colonial Revival could. By the end of the 1920s, new commissions in the French Normandy style had dried up.
Where to Find French Normandy/Châteauesque Buildings in LA
It’s difficult to find homes that strictly adhere to a French Normandy or Châteauesque style, but we can look to the following examples for their heavy French influence.
- Bob and Dolores Hope Estate – 10346 Moorpark St, Los Angeles, CA 91602
- Castera-Ward Residence – 651 Siena Way, Los Angeles, CA 90077
- Chateau Colline – 10337 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
- Clark Building – 3000 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
- Craft and Folk Art Museum – 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
- Elmer Belt Residence – 2201 Fern Dell Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90068
- Frederick Hastings Rindge House – 2270 S Harvard Blvd, LOs Angeles, CA 90018
- Susana Machado Bernard House and Barn – 845 S. Lake St, Los Angeles, CA 90057
- Taix – 1911 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
