Paul de Longpré (1885-1911), a French painter of flowers, arrived in Hollywood in 1899 with his wife Josephine and daughters Blance, Alice, and Pauline.

A three-acre lot at Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard was provided him by Daeida and H. H. Wilcox, the founders of Hollywood. De Longpré grew thousand of flowers (including 4,000 roses bushes!) as inspiration for his watercolors.

 

He was so famous that his house and flower gardens were the first Hollywood tourist attraction!

 

The 1910 silent movie “Love Among The Roses” was filmed in the de Longpré gardens and starred a 15-year-old Mary Pickford.

”Roses and Bumblebees” by Paul de Longpré 1899

 

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

Paul de Longpré house and garden, formerly located at the west side of Cahuenga Boulevard at Hollywood Boulevard, ca. 1902-1903.

 

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

Paul de Longpré’s beautiful Mission Revival/Moorish style house, 1906.

 

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

A view of Paul de Longpre’s Hollywood gardens, 1909. Note the large lattice pavilion on the left. The inset in the upper right hand corner is a picture of de Longpré himself.

 

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

An art gallery in his house, ca. 1905. Twenty-five of his still-life watercolors hang on the walls or stand on easels, floor, and furniture and were for sale.

 

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

His home and gardens were the first tourist attraction in Hollywood! Thousands of tourists each year arrived via Pacific Electric’s “Balloon Route Excursion,” a streetcar route which ran in a balloon shaped loop between Hollywood and West Los Angeles.

”Love Among The Roses” 1910

Filmed at Paul de Longpré’s house and gardens, here is your opportunity to see lace-maker Mary Pickford (age 15) in the gardens, and you also see several shots of de Longpré’s mansion.

What happened to Paul de Longpré and his gardens?

Paul de Longpré died at home in 1911.

The family sold the property and moved back to France.

Due to ever-increasing property values, the gardens were demolished by 1924, and the house was demolished around 1925.

This is what the corner of Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard looks like now.

photo credit: Google Earth 34°06’04.64″ N 118°19’46.84″ W

 

De Longpré’s house and gardens are long gone. But what beautiful watercolors he left us.

photo credit Wikimedia Commons

”Roses and Lilacs,” watercolor on brown paper

photo credit Wikioo

”Fresh From The Garden” 1898

photo credit Wikioo

“White Azaleas In A Flower Pot” 1900