Image Via The Selvedge Yard
Former Location –
What it looks like today
Frank Zappa lived in this house for a couple of years in the late 1960’s. He had to finally leave as it became more and more a “crash pad” for too many eccentrics.
Frank and his family moved to a more secluded home in the Hollywood Hills after leaving this home in 1968.
This home burned down in the early 80’s. Frank died on December 4, 1993 and is buried at the Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Private Residence
2401 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90046
When I was a kid my parents would drive our family by that house. It was very funky and seemed like the perfect Rock and Roll hangout…
I lived there in 1979
Yeah I remember this a lady named Fayna rented me the top apartment with my friend Westy.
It was the height of the Punk days and Westy died of a heroin overdose. There was this guy who named himself Robin Hood who lived in one of the Houdini caves across the street with his twin model red head girlfriend. Wow it was a long time ago and I think of this crazy time. I think that house was just full of memories.
I remember going to Zappa’s house from the Strip one night with a man named Kim and some friends. I remember there was a quiet party happening and I especially remember looking down from the patio deck to a deep ravine…Long time ago..
Could it be Kim Fowler?
Fania Pearson owned this property from the ’60’s to early ’90’s. At one time she also owned all four corners of Laurel Canyon — Lookout Mountain, the Houdini property and the famous “Cabin” that she rented out to various musicians including the Red Hot Chili Peppers. My Uncle Jonathan lived at the Cabin between 85 and 88. At one point the FBI raided the property looking for Fania’s niece “Angela Davis” who was not there at the time. I also remember Robin Hood and his son, Mark Hollywood Hatten, who later dated Anna Nicole Smith, both staying on the property.
As far as Harry Houdini goes, he stayed across the street at 2400 Laurel Canyon and Fania owned it as well as the cabin where Frank Zappa lived in the late 60’s. From what I’ve been told – which has been confirmed by several articles I’ve read – the mansion was the first place the Beatles ever dropped acid.
Fania was a very nice woman who had a kind soul. As a child I lived at the mansion and at the cabin, and remember getting into trouble by sneaking both sips of beer and peeks at half naked women. It was likely not the best place for a child to grow up, but I sure have some interesting memories.
Jason, you uncle Jonathan could not have lived at the cabin from 1985 to 1988 because it burnt down in 1981. You must be thinking of a different house. It is true that Fania owned the log cabin and rented it out.
I guess i’m one of the lucky few to have truely been blessed in my life to have grown up in the canyon. I miss you Mr. Bird and living across the street from Houdini’s Estate. I remember going to Frank Zappa’s Cave an listening to Alexander Bizentine play drums. It sure was wild. I still remember Fania an Bernie an the girls. My mother Was Rock’nRobin which as Mario the awesome an aww inspiring owner of the Whiskey knows helped shape the face of music in the canyon in the late 70’s an early 80’s. Thank you God for allowing this now 38yr old kid to be so lucky to have lived a life so filled with love at 1402 Laurel Canyon Rd. Love and Respect to all the fore said peoples so much. Thank you all for such an amazing life guys. You never know our paths may one day cross again.
Born in Hollywood, 59, and grew up in the canyon. Friends and I would drink, drop acid and play in the subterranean remains of Houdini’s castle late at night. Worked for Jan Dean as a caretaker when I was a teenager and spent a few good days in Frank’s cabin…those were “Strange Days”, but good days.
I remember Jonathan, Mark, Fania, and of course Robin Hood (oh my god, who could forget Robin Hood). But I’ don’t remember you Jason. Are you trying to say that you are the kid with red hair whose mom was Vicki Voelker? if so, her son’s name was not Jason. It was something else. I hate to come across as rude, but there’s an alarmingly high percentage of people who lie about living at the estate. And I think you are probably just another one.
This house in the above picture is on Lookout Mountain Avenue. It was owned by my mother Fania Pearson and she commissioned the late architect Robert Byrd to build it. It is not the Log Cabin or the original Tree house/Rock’n’roll tree house of Frank Zappa . The original Tree house/Rock’n’roll tree house of Frank Zappa was the top floor of the Log Cabin @ 2401 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Frank Zappa rented the Log Cabin from my mother in 1968. This house on Lookout Mountain has recently been called the “Tree House” but My mother and Robert Byrd originally named it “The Byrd House” when it was completed in the mid 70’s and that’s what it was known as until recently. The original “Tree House” was a guest apartment that was the top front of the Log Cabin and the stairs leading up to it wrapped around a very large tree. In the early 70’s that large tree fell and the apartment, stairs and the dining room below were destroyed. My mother rebuilt it but with regular stairs and it was no linger called the “Tree House”. There are a lot of articles on the internet calling the Lookout Mountain Avenue “Byrd House” the original “Tree House” but it was not. It was not even built yet when Frank Zappa lived @ the Log Cabin with his family and The GTO”s in 1968. One thing common both houses have is that My mother owned both. I know because I was there the whole time.
So glad you have put the record straight here. Now to tackle the others. I do have a question. I see the plot where the log cabin was situated is up for sale for around $1.5 million. I presume your mother no longer owns the plot or the Byrd House.