Villa Aurora
   Tracing German-Hollywood Connections

   “In 1943 Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta moved into
    this Spanish-style palatial home with over 20 rooms...”
      — from Hollywood Haven by Cornelius Schnauber

A Home Away from Home

Where Hollywood's German Exiles Gathered

Today it's a library and artists center. But nestled in the hills above Sunset Boulevard overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Villa Aurora is also an historic landmark and a shrine to the German exiles who once made up a vital part of the Hollywood film community.

It's not an easy place to get to, which was the main reason that the German writer Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta were able to purchase the house for a mere $9,000 in 1943. During the war years, gasoline was a rationed commodity. Few Los Angeles residents wanted to live in a house that was an hour's drive away from most of the city. But soon after the Feuchtwangers moved in, the Villa became a magnet for German and other European exiles and their friends who lived in the area.

The Feuchtwangers had been forced to leave Nazi Germany and made their way to Southern California in 1942. Lion (1884-1958) and Marta (1891-1987) both lived at Villa Aurora until their deaths. The social gatherings at the Feuchtwanger residence became legendary, as did Marta's witty library tours, even in her advanced years. However, that did not mean that the participants always got along well together. Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht, both frequent visitors, were often at odds over various political issues. Other frequent guests at the Feuchtwangers in the 1940s and '50s included Fritz Lang, Peter Lorre, Vicki Baum, Bruno Frank, Arnold Schönberg, Kurt Weill, and Franz Werfel (whose desk is now at Villa Aurora). Charles Chaplin and his wife Oona also spent time at Villa Aurora.

These plaques, located at the front entrance, commemorate
the restoration of the Villa Aurora completed in 1996. The plaque
on the left reads in part: “Feuchtwanger House - Spanish colonial
revivial style - Architect Mark Daniels - Built 1927 - Declared 1994 -
City of Los Angeles.” PHOTO © Hyde Flippo

The house at 520 Paseo Miramar in Pacific Palisades (home to many Hollywood people, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Percy Adlon) started out as a demonstration house sponsored by The Los Angeles Times in 1927. Designed by architect Mark Daniels, the house is modeled after a castle in Seville, Spain. It was intended to showcase the latest technology for the home of the late 1920s: a gas range, an electric refrigerator and dishwasher, plus a three-car garage with electric door openers. Thousands of people toured the house during the display period. The Feuchtwangers were the second owners to live in the house. The first residents were a judge and his wife.

It is a minor miracle that the Villa Aurora still stands today. As is often the case in Hollywood, the historic house in the toney community of Pacific Palisades came very close to being torn down. By 1987, the year of Marta Feuchtwanger's death, the house had fallen into disrepair. Thanks to the efforts of people in Germany and the U.S., the Berlin-based “Friends of Villa Aurora” foundation was able to raise money for the purchase of the house from the University of Southern California and the restoration of the property.

Villa Aurora today is a vibrant, living memorial to the Feuchtwangers and the emigrés of the West Coast. An artist-in-residence program annually brings up to 16 artists in many fields from Europe to work for three months in the quiet but inspiring atmosphere of the former residence. The Villa also hosts various cultural events, including readings, symposia, film screenings, and musical performances. During the Academy Awards, the Villa Aurora has become the traditional location for a reception for German Oscar nominees and German filmmakers.

To learn more about the Villa Aurora today and its fascinating history, see the photos on the next page and the Web links below.

WEB > Villa-Aurora.org (in German or English)

WEB > Feuchtwanger's Villa Aurora (Feuchtwanger Memorial Library, USC)

N E X T > Villa Aurora Photos

Hollywood Haven: Homes and Haunts of the European Émigrés and Exiles in Los Angeles
by Cornelius Schnauber, Copyright © 1997 Ariadne Press, Riverside, Calif.
> BUY THIS BOOK

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