The Harry Houdini Estate

In the early 1900's Laurel Canyon was pretty much untouched. Below the hills were farms & the water runoff from the hills provided nicely for those farms. Civil War veteran Charles Harper had a 480 acre ranch there. Soon, Charles Spencer Mann, along with his partners, bought up lots in the area and the development of Laurel Canyon began.

Laurel Canyon was thought of as the Bel Air of it's day (although there were virtually no Persians) & as the film industry was born, many of it's brightest stars made their home in this canyon (well, they didn't actually make them themselves).

One certain property of about 6 acres at 2400 Laurel Canyon Blvd in the Hollywood Hills, has a very interesting history associated with it.

The estate was originally built in 1915 by R.J. Walker, a wealthy furniture store owner who profited handsomely on the sale of his expensive furnishings (no particle board here mister!) to all the affluent new residents of Los Angeles. It was a looming castle-like structure with arches, battlements, towers, tunnels and secret passages. The house had 3 stories, 11 bedrooms, 9 baths and a basement pool. There was a ballroom, a 15-foot stage for musicians and a ballet room–equipped with mirrors and barre. It is even said to have a tunnel that went below Laurel Canyon Blvd which lead to an elevator connected to the guest house across the street. The property even had a turntable at the top of the driveway so that cars could be spun around & drivers could exit easily down the narrow driveway (ever see one of those on Cribs? I don't think so).

One night in late October in 1918, Mr. Walker threw a costume party for his son's 40th birthday. At a certain point in the night, the 40 year old son escaped to a balcony with his lover, another man (Mr. Walker would later regret the ballet room). It was a secret affair that could not be revealed in that day & age without disgraceful consequences. The story goes that an argument began, then a scream (may have been a shriek) was heard & guests arrived at the scene to find the 40 year old son looking down from the balcony & his (former) lover 30 feet below in a pool of blood.

R.J. Walker spent every penny they had paying off the police, the lawyers and even the judge in order to ensure that his son & family name be saved from disgrace. The son was acquitted, but it costs them their house as well as their business. The family left the house penniless.

Houdini had been spending quite a bit of time in Southern California and moved in to the 4 room guesthouse across the street next to a cabin owned by actor Tom Mix. It is believed that Houdini later bought the estate from the once furniture magnate. Houdini liked the spooky nature of this place. He would practice his underwater escapes in the subterranean pool. Quite the spirtualists, Houdini and his wife conducted countless seances in this home.

On October 26, 1926 Houdini was visited by two students backstage before a show. One of the students asked Houdini if it was true that he could withstand any punch to his stomach. Houdini distractedly replied yes so long as he had time to brace for it. The student, assuming he had permission, struck Houdini in the abdomen. Houdini (who would have turned the little brat into a frog had he not been injured) was in pain for the next few days, continuing to perform despite a rising fever & doctors claims that as a result of the punch he had acute appendicitis. Days later, at the end of a show, Houdini collapsed. Doctors performed an operation in vain. On Halloween 1926 at the age of 52, Houdini whispered to his brother "I'm tired of fighting, Dash". He turned over and stopped breathing forever.

Houdini's wife Bess kept the property, electing to live in the guest house and hold seances in the main house in an attempt to contact her late husband. 17 years after Houdini's passing and with no success of contacting him beyond death, Bess died en route in New York in Needles, CA (nothing good has ever happened there). She was not allowed to be buried in the same cemetery as her husband in Queens, NY because she was a gentile.

The house was taken over by a mysterious woman writer known as "The Green Madonna" (hmmm...). She was a pioneer of the women's movement and wrote a book called "A Woman's Call To Arms" in 1950. One day she simply abandoned the estate & it was later sold.

On a dry & windy day in 1959 (not unlike those we have seen quite often recently), a fire swept through Laurel Canyon, consuming many houses and properties - the Houdini estate included. Only certain walls, the chauffeur's quarters and a portion of the garage remained.

It was later rebuilt, and in the 60's & 70's many famous names stayed there, including Mick Jagger, Jimmy Hendrix, David Bowie & The Beatles. That house probably saw more drugs than the DEA.

It is now owned by producer Rick Rubin and many albums have been produced there such as Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Stadium Arcadium, Audioslave's Out of Exile, The Mars Volta's De-Loused in the Comatorium, Linkin Park's Minuted to Midnight and many more.

To this day it is said to be haunted by many spirits including that of Houdini.