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Oct

Los Angeles’s Chester Place
By Tidings Online Staff Writer - 02/02/2007

Tidings Online

More Info on This Book: Los Angeles's Chester Place

The Doheny Campus of Mount St. Mary's College embraces not only a rich heritage but also a remarkable legacy of an early historic era in Los Angeles. In Don Sloper's "photo album" history, the reader gleans a view of what was the enclave of the wealthy and powerful in the early 1900s. Chester Place --- the oldest gated community in the city --- was once home to the "movers and shakers of politics, industry and entertainment." The present college campus was also the home of the oil-industry pioneer, Edward Doheny.

A sharply edited three-page introduction succinctly forms the link between the memorable past and the ever-changing, rapid growth of the present. Sloper, a regent of the college and an active walking tour docent, has incorporated remarkable archival photographs with detailed poignant captions. The progression of photos and brief explanations enables the reader to absorb an interesting course by tracing colorful history that combines vivid text and outstanding chronological images.

The author used a number of archives for this unusual story, particularly the unique material obtained from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet who moved into the Doheny Mansion at 10 Chester Place in 1954, then into the mansion at 8 Chester Place when it became a convent after Mrs. (Estelle) Doheny's death in 1958. Besides describing the famous and sumptuous Doheny mansion, many other aspects of the area and historical data are included. The Dohenys resided at Chester Place for 57 years wielding political and financial power, but were also incredibly generous people in many areas.

They endowed three local libraries. Edward paid for St. Vincent's Church; his son, Ned, was a major contributor to St. John's Episcopal Church; and of course, Estelle donated her extensive art and book collection to St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. Sloper uses his extensive research to dispel the many inaccurate stories of the family but also presents a vivid image of the life and times of a very bygone era.

Los Angeles' Chester Place is available at area bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing: www.arcadiapublishing.com or (888) 313-2665.

Buy It Now: Los Angeles's Chester Place $19.99

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