THE HISTORY OF THE COZY COTTAGE

A rare storybook home with roots in Los Angeles film-era history

The Cozy Cottage in Los Angeles is a historical property located in the Studio City Island neighborhood across from Universal Studios.

Today it serves as a private residence, wellness center, art gallery, filming location and event space.

The Cozy Cottage, also known as the Hansel and Gretel Cottage, is a part of the Fantasy Cottage Collective, which includes the Columbia Ranch Dwarf Houses along Hollywood Way near the Warner Bros Studio Lot.

Built between 1946 and 1951, the houses fall within the original 40-acre lot, dubbed the Columbia Ranch, studio head Harry Cohn acquired at the end of 1934 to use as a backlot for filming.

The houses, with no more than 900 sq ft., appear to have been designed by the same designer/architect.

According to the Burbank Historical Society, these were not constructed as backlot dressing rooms or offices but to be used as ordinary homes, for normal people.

Built in 1950 by Karz Construction (a North Hollywood builder/developer established in 1914 by Erwin H. Karz) The Cozy Cottage is one of eight similarly-designed single-family residences with fanciful details.

The cottages are non-contiguous, located on three adjacent residential streets within the Studio City Island.

Each cottage displays a similar whimsical facade with a slightly different composition, applied to an otherwise simple stucco-clad house.

Features of the facade include wood board-and-batten cladding, steeply-pitched roofs with flared eaves at the front facade, and divided-light wood-frame windows in a variety of shapes and configurations.

The cottages' most distinctive feature is the brick chimney placed prominently on the primary facade, each with its own unique design.

These cottages were constructed in 1950 and 1951 and share a similar design, including their overall scale and massing, steeply-pitched roof at the facade, and prominent chimney.

The cottages on Hollywood Way were designed by Kenneth Worthen, Sr. Though not a licensed architect, Worthen was responsible for a number of more traditional Storybook and Period Revival residences throughout the Toluca Lake and Burbank areas.

However, the cottages identified in this thematic group were constructed a few years after Worthen's death in 1947, suggesting that his designs were sold to one or more builders.

Two additional cottages have been identified in the 5600 and 5700 blocks of Whitnall Highway in nearby North Hollywood.

These were constructed in 1953 and exhibit many of the same features, but do not display the distinctive chimney on the primary facade.

This thematic group is significant as a unique collection of similarly-designed residential cottages with fanciful details.

The proximity of the cottages to major motion picture studios, and the "set design" approach which limits all architectural details to the primary facade, suggests a connection to the entertainment industry, although no definitive link could be established outside of Columbia Ranch’s studio head appreciating the practicality of a short commute.

Thank you to The LA Historical Society, SoCal Landmarks, and Fancy Notions for all of their wonderful research, photos and contributions to preserving the history of Los Angeles!

To book a tour, art viewing or wellness services, please visit our bookings page.

Help preserve a piece of Los Angeles history

The Cozy Cottage is more than a home. It is part of a rare architectural story worth protecting.

Donations support ongoing historical preservation efforts and help maintain this special place for future generations.

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