Wattles Mansion and Community Garden

We got married at Wattles Mansion in January. We give it FIVE stars for the venue itself and for how it turned out and FOUR stars because working with the venue is a little challenging.
PROS:
— The venue is absolutely gorgeous! Elegant. Grand. Classy.
— Great price.
CONS:
— There are lots of rules.
— No outdoor amplified sound, though you can have a mic for the ceremony vows.
— No open flames.
— You must use one of their pre-​approved bartending vendors.
— You have to bring in EVERYTHING – furniture, heating/​air, décor, lighting… etc. It’s an empty mansion.
— There’s no point person for you to talk to. We talked to many people and often got confusing and contradictory answers about things like tenting policies, glassware… etc.
— You can’t use the upstairs of the mansion for your guests, only the bridal party.
— You must end by 10pm and the bar has to close an hour before.
RECS:
— It’s like having a blank slate, so the more time you have to plan, the better.
— We found a full service caterer that had worked there before. Rentals were included and this saved us money on cocktail tables, gift table… etc. to help fill the mansion.
— We hired wedding coordinators who could help set up DIY elements– like hanging lights. This saved us money that would have gone to expensive rental companies.
— If you’re concerned about rain, just know that the back area will flood with a big rain, so a tent would not be possible. You would have to move the party inside. This didn’t happen, but we spent A LOT of time figuring out a Plan B in case it did.
— Seating on the grass area is difficult, because it’s uneven. We chose the backside/​brick area for ceremony and reception and it was great.
— If you’re worried about sound inside the mansion or if there’s enough space to have a dance party inside – DON’T. We had a seven-​piece band and a DJ rocking it all night for 100 guests. It was amazing!
We’d still recommend the venue and choose it again for our wedding! Just know what you’re getting into.

This is my hidden gem in Hollywood. Walkable from where I live, it’s perfect. Open grassy space, gated and private. When you step inside the curved drive and walk up the slight incline, you realize you’ve been transported to another era. Suddenly you feel as if you’ve travelled to the early 1900’s. This home is one of the last of the «old hollywood» style estates. One of the few remaining landscapes reminiscent of another era and tradition, it possesses a genuine integrity of setting, design and workmanship.
The house itself is not open for touring, but occasionally there are opportunities to have a peek inside. They held an open house a year or so ago, it was unannounced and I just happened by at the time. While I do not have any photographs, I can share that the floors are the original wooden flooring, the walls are still structurally the same and the grounds are much the same as when Gordon Wattles lived here.
They used to allow dogs off leash with a strict «pick up after your dog» rule. I personally never encountered any foulness of doggie leftovers. This property is usually a lot less populated than say, Runyon Canyon, Griffith Park or Franklin Canyon areas. Perfect place to chill, read, relax or just take a nap.
There has been much effort placed into maintaining the property and it abuts Runyon Canyon on the south exposure. There are hiking trails adjacent to the property so after your picnic on their expansive lawn you can hike up to Mulholland and take in the city view.

This is a great place to take a dog for a game of fetch or for a personal fitness coach to host their one-​on-​one sessions, because that’s really all I see happening here. The whole lawn is quite beautiful, and the gardens look lovely but I have yet to understand how to get IN the gates to see it up close.
Lots of weddings and filmings take place here so it’s closed from time to time. Nice place to rest in the shade of a tree after a long hike up Runyon.

Amazing hidden gem. You can’t access the house or gardens behind it without an appointment. The hiking trails are open to the public. Can’t wait to explore more!

Beautiful, historic gardens hidden in a hill in Hollywood. Very special and well cared for.

This place used to be my favorite park in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, as of July 2014 the park rangers have started enforcing the dog leash policy. Until then this place had served as an amazing park in a neighborhood that has no other large off leash dog parks. The city really needs to revisit this policy.

Lovely!

Amazing hidden hollywood park! ive heard of the punk history through richard meltzers gulcher book, very cool. ive never been in the mansion or garden. lots of dogs, ever seen the buddha up in the hill?

Maybe you need reservations to visit the Gardens and Mansion? Because we sure as hell couldn’t get in.
This place has a lot of old punk history, as it was a big hangout once all the punks got kicked out of the Hollywood Cemetery around 1980 or so. There’s some pictures floating around of Tomata DuPlenty (the Screamers) having his birthday party here. As a punk historian, I think stuff like that is cool.
Nowadays it’s just a narrow run down park surrounded by rich Hollywood Hills homes. I’d love to come here with a group of people, as maybe it gets more interesting once you head further up in the hills? As it were, I was alone with my girlfriend, and it felt like we would be raped and murdered at any second. No cell phone service, nobody around except the groups of voices you can hear but not see.
I’d definitely go back if people wanted to explore with me, but I’m not really in any hurry to get back there and hang out.

I toured Wattles Mansion when I was looking for a place to hold my wedding. Located up a narrow street above Hollywood, the mansion is a beautiful venue. It was built in the early 1900s and became a historical landmark in the 1980s. It’s been restored and really showcases all the grace and glamour of a bygone era. The interior space of the mansion is actually quite small. The rooms are paneled in gorgeous old wood, but they’re small and don’t flow into each other well, as tends to be typical of older houses. If you wanted to use the indoor space, it’d be best if you had a smaller guest list for your wedding. However, when you step out the back door an amazing garden opens up in front of you, complete with terraced levels, a rose garden and stairs leading up to a very romantic ceremony location. I absolutely loved this area and think it would be a very memorable place to get married. There’s also a large, sloping front lawn with a nice view of the city.
Pros: Beautiful and historic location, scenic garden ceremony spot, ability to have ceremony and reception in one place.
Cons: You have to bring in everything (rentals, catering, valet, etc.) and that can be a lot of work; Music is not allowed outside at night due to neighbors and the dancing space indoors is very limited; indoor spaces are small so if it rains and you have a lot of guests, they’re going to get wet.
We didn’t end up choosing Wattles Mansion for our wedding location, but it was one of the most beautiful places we toured.