The Richard Neutra-designed O’Hara House
BOUNDARIES: Silver Lake Blvd., Glendale Blvd., Earl St., Sunset Blvd.
DISTANCE: About 2 miles
DIFFICULTY: Strenuous (includes stairways)
PARKING: Free street parking is available on Silver Lake Blvd.
Silver Lake is a popular destination for LA’s gay, artist, and musician communities, as well as for culturally diverse young families who have found that the neighborhood’s picturesque hills and lively community spirit make it a desirable alternative to areas such as the beach cities of the Westside or the Hollywood Hills. This route starts in one of the neighborhood’s destinations for daytime shopping and nighttime music and then climbs into the hills overlooking the Silver Lake Reservoir, where you’ll discover rustic, overgrown walkways and homes that seem so far removed from urban sprawl, you’ll hardly believe you’re only a few minutes from downtown.
Begin on Silver Lake Boulevard between Berkeley Avenue and Effie Street, and head northeast. For the most part, Silver Lake Boulevard is lined with houses and apartment buildings, but this short stretch features a collection of cute stores and cafés. At 
Yolk (1626 Silver Lake Blvd.), you can choose from a selection of hip merchandise such as children’s toys, home decorations, architectural books, and yummy-scented candles. Across the street is an elegant interior-design firm, ironically called Rubbish. Neighborhood eateries such as L&E Oyster, Milk, and 
LA Mill (an upscale coffeehouse and diner) are good places to consider after this strenuous walk.
The Satellite, Silver Lake’s main venue for live music from about-to-break bands, resides at 1717 Silver Lake Blvd. After crossing Van Pelt Place, you’ll see where all the dogs you’ve probably passed came from: the 
Silver Lake Recreation Center and off-leash dog park sit at the base of the neighborhood’s namesake reservoir, on the north side of the street. At 1886 Silver Lake Blvd. is a fairy-tale Tudor Revival house.
After passing Duane Street, you come to a fork in the road where Rockford Road splits off from Silver Lake Boulevard to the right. Follow Rockford uphill. At 1948 Rockford is a striking modern home with a shallow, peaked roof and jutting eaves over the garage that give the structure a top-heavy look. Next door is a mysterious gated compound with a long stairway that presumably leads up to Apex Avenue, which runs parallel to Rockford. You can catch occasional glimpses down to the sparkling blue reservoir between the houses on your left.
Turn right on Cove Avenue. Look for the wide stairway up ahead, and ascend its shallow steps, stopping to turn and admire the spectacular vista of the reservoir, the hills of Silver Lake, and, in the distance, the HOLLYWOOD sign and the dome of Griffith Observatory. These are the Mattachine Steps, named after the Mattachine Society, founded by Harry Hay, who lived next to the steps. Founded in 1950, the group was one of the first gay-rights organizations in the country.
At the top of the stairs, continue straight on Cove for one more block to Apex Avenue and turn left, following it down the hill toward Glendale Boulevard. Despite the picturesque surroundings, some of the homes in this neighborhood are unkempt, with peeling paint and messy yards.
At the diagonal intersection of Apex Avenue and Glendale Boulevard, carefully cross Glendale—there is no crosswalk—and then turn left to head north on Glendale.
Turn right on Loma Vista Place. At 2384, look for the whimsical house with wavy walls and colorful mosaics that bring to mind the architecture of Antoni Gaudí.
Ascend the steps at the end of the cul-de-sac. This combination stairway and walkway may well be the longest one in Los Angeles. Heavily overgrown in places and lined on either side with bungalows and farmhouses, the Loma Vista Place path has a distinctly rural feel. Eventually, the shady staircase widens and starts to head downhill. At this point, you can hear the dull roar of CA 2 just ahead, startling you back into awareness of your urban surroundings.
When you reach the end of the Loma Vista Place stairs, turn left on Allesandro Way, which runs right next to the freeway. Across the freeway, you can see the hills of Elysian Valley.
Turn left on Earl Street and bear right to bypass Earl Court.
When you reach the intersection of Earl Street and Bancroft Avenue, look for a stairway near the street sign. Ascend the Earl Street steps, an extensive, zigzagging stairway.
At the top of the stairs, continue straight on Earl Street, which heads downhill at a sharp angle after it crosses Hidalgo Avenue. As you descend the hill toward Glendale Boulevard, the reservoir comes into view once more.
Once again, carefully cross Glendale Boulevard and continue on Earl Street. This stretch of Earl features several architecturally interesting houses. At 2425 is a lovely Spanish home with vibrant blue trim and a mailbox covered in brightly colored tile. At 2434 Earl St., you’ll notice a stepped structure covered in weathered wood shingles. This is the Treetops triplex, designed in 1980 by Dion Neutra, son of acclaimed modernist architect Richard Neutra. Next door, at the corner of Earl Street and Neutra Place, shrouded by bamboo and trees, is the headquarters of the Institute for Survival Through Design, run by Dion himself.
Born in Vienna in 1892, Richard Neutra came to be one of the leaders of the Southern California modern-architecture movement. After training with Otto Wagner in Austria, Neutra was drawn to the United States by American architectural legend Frank Lloyd Wright and eventually settled in California, where he worked closely with another Viennese-born modernist icon, Rudolph Schindler. Neutra’s signature designs consist of a light metal frame with a stucco or wood finish and extensive use of glass, creating an effect that is both light and industrial. His buildings also take advantage of the region’s amenable climate by carefully integrating residential landscapes into the structural design.
Neutra found Silver Lake to be LA’s most open-minded neighborhood in terms of innovative architecture, so he built his home and studio in the hills overlooking the reservoir, and he also designed several more houses in this neighborhood.
Turn left on Neutra Place. This short cul-de-sac is a showcase of the architecture of Dion’s father, Richard. You can see examples of his work at 2218, 2200, and 2210 Neutra Place. The O’Hara House, at 2210, is particularly striking; perched high above the street to afford views of the reservoir through its giant picture windows, the structure is a study of geometric shapes in glass and wood.
Retrace your steps to Earl Street and turn left toward Silver Lake Boulevard.
Turn left on Silver Lake Boulevard. You’re now level with the reservoir just across the street, and the Silver Lake Meadow, a passive park space “reserved for quiet enjoyment.” This stretch of the boulevard is rather pleasant, shaded with towering pines and eucalyptus trees. As you head south on Silver Lake Boulevard, you pass another string of Richard Neutra–designed homes on your left, from 2226 to 2238 Silver Lake Blvd.
Continue alongside the reservoir for just under 0.5 mile. After crossing Rockford Road, retrace your steps from earlier for a couple of short blocks before turning left on Easterly Terrace and leaving the noisy boulevard behind. Easterly Terrace is an elevated residential street that runs roughly parallel to Silver Lake Boulevard. Large homes sit high above on the steep hill to your left, some teetering on stilts.
East Silver Lake
Points of Interest
Yolk 1626 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-660-4315, shopyolk.com
LA Mill 1636 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-663-4441, lamillcoffee.com
The Satellite 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-661-4380, thesatellitela.com
Silver Lake Recreation Center 1850 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026; 323-644-3946
When you reach the fork in the road at Occidental Boulevard, go right to head downhill on Occidental.
Turn right on Effie Street. There’s no sign, but it’s the first cross street you come to on Occidental Boulevard.
Follow Effie one short block to your starting point at Silver Lake Boulevard.
