Party like it’s 1913: Helping an Echo Park bungalow celebrate its 100th birthday

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A reproduction of a vintage menu rests on a plate rail inside a 1913 bungalow on Lemoyne Street.

Talia
and Daniela moved into an Echo Park home, not long before it reached its 100th
birthday. They graciously agreed to write about the celebration held
in its honor. Here’s their story! — EPHS News
By Talia Inlender and Daniela Gerson
Our Echo Park bungalow turned 100 on Dec. 15, or
sometime thereabouts. The two-bedroom home on Lemoyne
Street, built for Mrs. W.M. Rowland in 1913 at a cost of $1,656.50,
still has many features from its earliest days: wood
windows and clay tiles, wainscoting in the living and dining rooms; a built-in pantry
with leaded glass.

 

A party guest visits the front porch.

The house,
constructed by the United Building Equipment Company, is nestled on a
hill in the Elysian Vista Scott Tract.
Sitting on the
front porch, it is easy to imagine a quieter Los Angeles, with downtown
still a
short journey away by trolley or jalopy.

We love our home.
Although it’s new to us, it’s one of the older ones in the neighborhood.
When we moved in earlier this year, we knew that a celebration
was in order.

So on December 15, we threw our home a 100th birthday
party. The theme, of course, was 1913. We scoured the Los Angeles Public Library’s
collection of menus and recipes from the era, asking friends to bring dishes
and drinks appropriate to the time. We dined on macaroni croquettes and sand
tarts, and sipped sazerac and boating punch.

We researched movies that were
filmed in or about 1913 – A Noise from the Deep, The Squawman, and Making a
Living (Charlie Chaplin’s first movie). Vaudeville was the soundtrack, made
possible by a Spotify station. Some of our nearest and dearest pulled out their
feather caps, long skirts, and suffragist banners to bring the home’s original
era alive with costumes.

It was a wonderful evening, one that we hope would make
Mrs. Rowland proud of how her house has withstood the test of time. We’re optimistic about the next 100.

Does your home belong to the century club? Tell the EPHS your story!

Things got swinging in the backyard of this 1913 bungalow.