Ann Dvorak’s Los Angeles Pt 17 – 12319 19th Helena Dr., Brentwood
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 288
When Ann Dvorak and Leslie Fenton split in 1944, they both ended up as far from ranch life as possible. Fenton quickly took up residence in Beverly Hills and once Ann subdivided the property and sold the actual house to singer Andy Russell and his wife Della, relocated to Brentwood. The house, located at 12319 19th Helena Dr. was actually much larger than the structure in Encino, though it resided on a fraction of the land. Ann would live here a handful of years, and when she tied the knot with husband #2 she did so in this house.
In 1946 photographer Maynard Parker shot the house for a small feature in Better Homes and Gardens entitled “Ann Dvorak Lives Simply.” Amazingly, when Parker’s archive was donated to the Huntington Library, the photos of 19th Helena were in the collection and can be viewed here. I’ve not been in this house, but I would be very surprised if the interior bears much resemblance to when Ann lived there.
If you’re thinking this address sounds oddly familiar for some reason, it may be that in the early 1960s, Marilyn Monroe purchased a house not too far away at 12305 5th Helena Dr. which is also where she passed away in 1962.