California Bungalow originally built in 1914 by H.E. Been. The house became home to Walt Disney when he first arrived in California in August 1923, when he stayed with his uncle Robert Disney who owned the home.
The first California letter of Walt's in the Archives uses a letterhead reading: "Walt Disney, Cartoonist" at the Kingswell address. It is dated August 25, 1923. During his spare time, when he wasn't hunting for jobs, Walt busied himself in Uncle Robert's garage, constructing a stand for an animation camera which he had just purchased.
Early in October 1923, M. J. Winkler, a New York distributor, agreed to contract for a series of Alice Comedies to be made by Walt. With his brother, Roy, Walt rented some space in the rear of a small office occupied by Hollywood-Vermont Realty at 4651 Kingswell on October 8, 1923, for ten dollars a month. On October 16, the Disneys' first contract was signed, and they were in business. In January 1924, the Disneys rented, also for ten dollars a month, a vacant lot at 4589 Hollywood Blvd., at Rodney Drive, for outdoor shooting on the Alice films. This lot was about three blocks from the studio. By February, the Disneys had enlarged their staff to seven, and the real estate space was outgrown. So, a lease was negotiated on the adjoining store, at 4649 Kingswell, for thirty-five dollars a month. A separate garage was also rented for seven dollars a month. The sign on the window read "Disney Bros. Studio." This remained the Disney Studio until mid-February 1926 when they moved their operations to 2719 Hyperion Avenue.
On September 15, 2016 the City of Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted unanimously to consider designated the house an historic monument. Historic-Cultural Commissioner Barry Milofsky wondered if the original garage where Walt Disney began his studio might someday be relocated back to the home from the Garden Grove museum it was moved to in the 1980s.
The house is located at 4406 Kingswell Avenue in the Los Feliz Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The house was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 1132) in 2016. Please do not use this image in any media without my permission. © All rights reserved.
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