KFI founder's mansion now goes to Katy Perry

[Art Landing]

Back in the late twenties KFI founder and California Packard Distributor Earle C. Anthony built a complex in the Silverlake area. It included a splendid main mansion and several bungalows for guests. Ir was designed by famed architect Bernard Maybeck and used as a hideaway for those in the movie and broadcasting industries who were friends of Anthony, as well as for entertaining by his wife Irene. Because of prohibition it even had a concealed elevator, the top of whose cage appeared to be part of the drawing room rug. Its purpose was to to take those "in the know" to a private wine cellar under the residence. Unverified reports say that the cellar originally also had an entrance to a clandestine exit tunnel, later filled in, for use in case of raids. The mansion also had an organ, similar to the one later included in the KFI/KECA studios on Vermont.

After Irene's death in the fifties Anthony sold the complex to a European nobleman. He ultimately donated the property to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, who used it as a convent, with the elevaor still functional. Legend has it that the Tate/LaBianca murders (part of the Manson Family rampage) in the neighborhood had decimated the property's resale value, motivating the donation. As the order shrank a dispute arose over who had the right to ell the property - the surviving sisters or the Los Angeles diocese. Yesterday a Los Angeles judge ruled that it was the diocese, who already has a buyer - singer Katy Perry. The sisters, who don't care for the entertainer's music or diocese control of their funds, still disagree - but barring an appeal the case now appears settled.

KFI radio news has been covering current aspects of this story as it has been unfolding in the Los Angeles courts, but not the background and link to the station's founder.

http://www.fa-mag.com/news/pop-star...il&utm_term=0_1899ce8517-e1b6d7a741-228144833

 

[LKellerIII]

Being a radio nerd from an early age, any talk of Anthony makes my brain go immediately to KFI's top of the hour ID in my childhood - "50,000 watt clear channel Kay-Eff-EIIYYE, Los Angeles - An Earle C. Anthony station"

On a different, not very related note - I just watched the critically acclaimed firm Carol which takes place in 1953. Aside from the Cadillac driven by Carol's estranged husband, the other cars in the film were all Packards. Mr. Anthony would have been proud. But in terms of realism, it was a bit off - by the early 50s, the Packard Motor Car Company was already floundering. A couple of years later, they were bought out by American Motors and became merely re-badged Nashes, then dumped entirely as a brand by '58 or so.

Pardon my diversion, but I'm also a car nerd.

 

[DrAkbar]

But in terms of realism, it was a bit off - by the early 50s, the Packard Motor Car Company was already floundering. A couple of years later, they were bought out by American Motors and became merely re-badged Nashes, then dumped entirely as a brand by '58 or so.
Pardon my diversion, but I'm also a car nerd.

YIKES! It was Packard who purchased Studebaker, and after the run of '56 Packards, the once mighty line became nothing but rebadged Studebakers. They were called Packardbakers and sold as poorly as they looked. The 1958 line was the end of the line for Packard.

Getting back to the sale of the Anthony house, there's some talk that while the Diocese gave permission, it has be to approved by the Vatican. Not sure how they feel about California Gurls! And in addition to KFI, Earl Anthony owned what is known today as KABC 7~Ninety. When it was his, the call letters were his initials: K E.C.A.

Now we resume our regularly schedule program on real estate and Katy Perry's abundant.. errr....wealth.

 

[Art Landing]

Just a matter of historical accuracy:

1. Packard was never part of American Motors, which was exclusively Nash/Hudson/Kelvinator. There was discussion of merging AM with Studebaker Packard, but the death of AM's head, I believe his name was Mason, scuttled that idea because his successor George Romney didn't like it. Studebaker had concealed liabilities which dragged Packard down - the last vestiges were acquired by Curtiss Wright, which ultimately closed down all but its defense business, The Anthony dealerships in California shifted to other makes - including a Mercedes dealership in San Francisco which still uses the old Packard showroom.

2. KECA radio was sold by Anthony in 1944 due to the FCC outlawing multi-station ownership in the same market. Anthony never owned KECA-TV channel 7, but did have KFI-TV from 1948-1951 - it is KCAL today. The KECA call letters were retained for nearly a decade by new owner ABC because the KABC id was being used by a station in Texas until the early fifties.

 

[Bryan Simmons]

Just a matter of historical accuracy:

1. Packard was never part of American Motors, which was exclusively Nash/Hudson/Kelvinator. There was discussion of merging AM with Studebaker Packard, but the death of AM's head, I believe his name was Mason, scuttled that idea because his successor George Romney didn't like it. Studebaker had concealed liabilities which dragged Packard down - the last vestiges were acquired by Curtiss Wright, which ultimately closed down all but its defense business, The Anthony dealerships in California shifted to other makes - including a Mercedes dealership in San Francisco which still uses the old Packard showroom.

2. KECA radio was sold by Anthony in 1944 due to the FCC outlawing multi-station ownership in the same market. Anthony never owned KECA-TV channel 7, but did have KFI-TV from 1948-1951 - it is KCAL today. The KECA call letters were retained for nearly a decade by new owner ABC because the KABC id was being used by a station in Texas until the early fifties.

Don't forget that KFI Anthony put the 1st FM west of the Mississippi on the air in 1941. Later he had KFI-FM at 105.9 from 1946 to 51.

 

[DrAkbar]

Just a matter of historical accuracy:

1. Packard was never part of American Motors, which was exclusively Nash/Hudson/Kelvinator. There was discussion of merging AM with Studebaker Packard, but the death of AM's head, I believe his name was Mason, scuttled that idea because his successor George Romney didn't like it. Studebaker had concealed liabilities which dragged Packard down - the last vestiges were acquired by Curtiss Wright, which ultimately closed down all but its defense business, The Anthony dealerships in California shifted to other makes - including a Mercedes dealership in San Francisco which still uses the old Packard showroom.

Correct on Romney...he knew the addition of Packard and Studebaker to the Nash/Hudson merged company made no sense. Both Packard and Studebaker were in a hurry to merge, and neither bothered to really check each others' books. Packard lost it's Detroit assembly plant, so production was moved to South Bend. The problem was Studebaker's plant couldn't physically produce the much larger Packard cars and there was no cash. So Packards became rebadged Studebakers and were downright ugly. Curtiss-Wright never owned either company, but lent them enough money to get some of their parts plants and a voice on the board. By 1959, C-W was out and Studebaker-Packard was on its own, but no longer making Packards. They stopped manufacturing cars in the US in Dec of '63, moved production to Canada. By '66 Studebaker was completely out of the car bid-niss.

This is definitely way TMI...so back to topic. Los Buckeye Boyz think Ms Perry's purchase is a smokin' deal for eight acres in Los Feliz. In another ten years it will probably be worth double the $14.5m she's paying. The vetoed deal the nuns cut with Dana Hollister was a scam. And to think it all began with radio magnate Earl C Anthony...wonder if there's a Packard or two in the garage?!

 

[K.M. Richards]

The KECA call letters were retained for nearly a decade by new owner ABC because the KABC id was being used by a station in Texas until the early fifties.

One more addition to the off-topic portion of the thread and then I'll be quiet.

KABC was in San Antonio TX, and it was owned by George B. Storer, who changed the calls to KGBS on February 1, 1954. According to the Broadcasting article on the pending change in the December 14, 1953 issue, ABC paid $7,500 ... not to Storer, but to the station in Harlingen TX which had the KGBS calls to get them released.

Interestingly enough, Storer then sold KGBS in May of that year and its calls became KENS in November.

Fast forward to 1959, when Storer bought a 50kw daytimer called KPOP in Los Angeles, and the KGBS calls (miraculously not reassigned anywhere in the interim, else George would have had to pay another station off to get his initials back) ended up on 1020kc as of June 29, 1960. So a half-dozen years after the shuffling of call letters, both the KABC and KGBS calls ended up in L.A. at the same time.

Of course, KGBS became KTNQ in 1976.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Don't forget that KFI Anthony put the 1st FM west of the Mississippi on the air in 1941. Later he had KFI-FM at 105.9 from 1946 to 51.

Okay, one more piece before I shut up.

If ECA hadn't taken KFI-FM dark and returned the license, that would have been the longest continuously-operated FM in Los Angeles, rather than K45LA/KHJ-FM/KRTH.

 

[Ultimajock]

Both Packard and Studebaker were in a hurry to merge, and neither bothered to really check each others' books. Packard lost it's Detroit assembly plant, so production was moved to South Bend. The problem was Studebaker's plant couldn't physically produce the much larger Packard cars and there was no cash. So Packards became rebadged Studebakers and were downright ugly. Curtiss-Wright never owned either company, but lent them enough money to get some of their parts plants and a voice on the board. By 1959, C-W was out and Studebaker-Packard was on its own, but no longer making Packards. They stopped manufacturing cars in the US in Dec of '63, moved production to Canada. By '66 Studebaker was completely out of the car bid-niss.

..."Right ahead of KBLA News, brought to you by the Car of the Future---STUDEBAKER!!!"~~~Humble Harve Miller in the 1980 comedy movie The Hollywood Knights, set on Halloween Night of 1965. There, THAT gets us somewhat back on general topic with this thread ;-) ...

 

[Art Landing]

Curtiss-Wright never owned either company, but lent them enough money to get some of their parts plants and a voice on the board. By 1959, C-W was out and Studebaker-Packard was on its own, but no longer making Packards. They stopped manufacturing cars in the US in Dec of '63, moved production to Canada. By '66 Studebaker was completely out of the car bid-niss.

C-W effectively controlled S-P according to the article below, but never exercised its stock options to merge with the company. They may not have technically "owned" rhe company but they were calling the shots.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AAIBAJ&sjid=ZeIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6736,366772&hl=en

According to Wikipedia, the relationship was technically a "management agreement" from which C-W elected to withdraw in 1959. Research I did back in the nineties noted that "C-W decided to quash talk of resurrecting the Packard nameplate by the simple expedient of abandoning the trademarked Packard logos - both script and crest - as they applied to vehicles. The decision, however, did not extend to usage relative to boats as these had previously been granted to a one-time affiliate no longer owned by the Corporation."

I have tried to research the exact date of this abandonment to verify C-W culpability (as opposed to the S-P Corporation which, as Dr. Akbar notes, continued into the sixties) but to date have been unsuccessful.
Here is a dramatic picture (with elated comments) of the abandoned Packard complex in Detroit – it is the largest single abandoned manufacturing site of its type in the world and owned for over sixty years by the City of Detroit.

http://sometimes-interesting.com/20...ory-in-the-world-the-packard-factory-detroit/

 

[landtuna]

And, of course, everyone knows what the brand name "STP" stands for, right?

 

[Yabadabado1]

And, of course, everyone knows what the brand name "STP" stands for, right?

Stop Teenage Pregnancy? Someone Totally Pooted? Stereo Transmission Perfected? Soiled Tops Pulverized? Super Toga Protector? Silly Times Possible?

 

[davideduardo]

And, of course, everyone knows what the brand name "STP" stands for, right?

Today? Stone Temple Pilots.

Back in the Day? Scientifically Treated Petroleum or something like that.

 

[DrAkbar]

And, of course, everyone knows what the brand name "STP" stands for, right?

Stupid Topic, People? Studebakers, Nuns owning a mansion, Packards, Curtiss-Wright, etc. But hey, this thread has life so we'll milk it for all its worth!

 

[Art Landing]

STP began as an acronym for Scientifically treated Petroleum, NOT Studebaker Tested Product - although the latter was used as a slogan at time when Studebaker owned the company!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STP_(motor_oil_company)

As for the topical birdwalking of this thread, it is easily explained. It reflects the diversity of interests of the original subject's builder and first owner. Earle C Anthony built the mansion as part of his involvement with the motion picture industry, which related to both his broadcast and automotive interests. One of the latter was definitely Packard - one out of every seven ever sold was by Anthony's dealerships and network of dealers. This is why the Sister's idea of selling it to a buyer who would majke it an historically relevant lodging facility has an appeal to those familiar with its relation to local history. They prefer this over selling it for use as a private residence.

If that gives this thread a "life of its own" I, as the thread's instigator, have no objection as long as it stays interesting and free of rancor. ECA would I think feel the same way. .

 

[TheBigA]

This is why the Sister's idea of selling it to a buyer who would majke it an historically relevant lodging facility has an appeal to those familiar with its relation to local history. They prefer this over selling it for use as a private residence.

Several things not stated in the article. One is the price offered by the developer. Another is would the zoning in the neighborhood allow for a boutique hotel. Third is what demolition or changes would the developer make to the property. Hard to reach the conclusions you've reached regarding the history of the place without answers to those questions and more. Also not sure if the money from the sale will now be used to take care of the Sisters, or simply go to the Archdiocese general fund.

 

[Art Landing]

All valid points.

The developer's offer was $15.5 as opposed to $14.5 from Katy Perry; however the latter is all cash while the former was a down payment plus note. These figures plus some nice pictures are in the link below.

http://la.curbed.com/2015/6/29/9944960/katy-perry-los-feliz-convent

Zoning changes would be a matter between the developer and the city - and either way the property goes back on the tax roll at current value, not exempt or Prop. 13. If the zoning can't be done the developer could resell the property.

Neither buyer is restricted in changes they could make post-purchase - there are several buildings involved.

The immediate issues have been who chooses the buyer and gets to control the proceeds. You could be right about the general fund use of the proceeds with the diocese prevailing.

This whole controversy reflects an underlying split that occurred some years ago between the Sisters and the Diocese; this involved issues I'm not fully cognizant of. Apparently the Sisters were more aggressive in implementing Vatican II liberalization efforts than was appreciated by the local diocese administration at the time. 300 left and set up shop elsewhere, leaving a small but diminishing group in control of the convent property.

Here are further details from the Los Angeles Times.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-06-28-lopez-nuntoohappy-20150628-column.html

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Just a matter of historical accuracy:

1. Packard was never part of American Motors, which was exclusively Nash/Hudson/Kelvinator. There was discussion of merging AM with Studebaker Packard, but the death of AM's head, I believe his name was Mason, scuttled that idea because his successor George Romney didn't like it. Studebaker had concealed liabilities which dragged Packard down - the last vestiges were acquired by Curtiss Wright, which ultimately closed down all but its defense business, The Anthony dealerships in California shifted to other makes - including a Mercedes dealership in San Francisco which still uses the old Packard showroom.

2. KECA radio was sold by Anthony in 1944 due to the FCC outlawing multi-station ownership in the same market. Anthony never owned KECA-TV channel 7, but did have KFI-TV from 1948-1951 - it is KCAL today. The KECA call letters were retained for nearly a decade by new owner ABC because the KABC id was being used by a station in Texas until the early fifties.

And now KECA-TV call letters are used in Eureka, CA for a MyTV affiliate.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/KRVU-LD

 

[LKellerIII]

Just a matter of historical accuracy:

1. Packard was never part of American Motors, which was exclusively Nash/Hudson/Kelvinator. There was discussion of merging AM with Studebaker Packard, but the death of AM's head, I believe his name was Mason, scuttled that idea because his successor George Romney didn't like it. Studebaker had concealed liabilities which dragged Packard down - the last vestiges were acquired by Curtiss Wright, which ultimately closed down all but its defense business, The Anthony dealerships in California shifted to other makes - including a Mercedes dealership in San Francisco which still uses the old Packard showroom.

2. KECA radio was sold by Anthony in 1944 due to the FCC outlawing multi-station ownership in the same market. Anthony never owned KECA-TV channel 7, but did have KFI-TV from 1948-1951 - it is KCAL today. The KECA call letters were retained for nearly a decade by new owner ABC because the KABC id was being used by a station in Texas until the early fifties.

Yes - you're right. I should have done my homework. It was Hudson that merged with Nash to form American Motors in 1954. Interestingly, there was a 4 way merger discussed between Nash, Hudson, Packard, and Studebaker, but it never happened.

 

[DrAkbar]

This is why the Sister's idea of selling it to a buyer who would majke it an historically relevant lodging facility has an appeal to those familiar with its relation to local history. They prefer this over selling it for use as a private residence.

Really? I thought it was because the Sisters didn't care for Ms Perry and her music, videos, lifestyle, etc.

If that gives this thread a "life of its own" I, as the thread's instigator, have no objection as long as it stays interesting and free of rancor. ECA would I think feel the same way. .

Rancor on this board? Shirley you jest!

...an insignificant aside on C-W's involvement in Studebaker. It'd be pretty hard to make the case they instigated the decline of Studebaker-Packard as an automobile manufacturing concern. All Roy Hurley wanted was some of Studebaker's manufacturing plants for his aerospace business, controlling interest on the board, and a bunch of stock options in the event SP turned around. He was not a car guy...just a lender of last resorts. SP's mismanagement over the years, coupled with declining market share and high costs, contributed to their downfall. When the '59 Lark produced SP's first profit in years, the Board wisely invested the money in other areas...like STP, Onan Generators, Gravely Tractors, etc. But the same board couldn't stop their new President from sinking even more money into the losing auto division. When he stepped down in Nov 1963 due to health problems, his replacement (a former Packard exec) pulled the plug on automobile production at South Bend.

So you see it was Earl C Anthony's beloved Packard Corporation that eventually killed off Studebaker. Full circle, I'd say.