The Spiderpool (Los Angeles, California)

USA / California / West Hollywood / Los Angeles, California / Vale Vista Trail, 3041
 ruins, mural, interesting place
The iconic Spiderpool mural is the largest remnant of screenplay writer and director John W. "Jack" McDermott's (1892-1946) estate, which was razed in 1962, and a popular backdrop for cheesecake and nude photography. Nude photography, including photos of cult favorite Tura Satana taken by silent film star Harold Lloyd, started here in the late 1940s after McDermott's death. Other models photographed here included Dolores Del Monte, Donna “Busty” Brown, Dixie Evans, Jacquelyn Prescott, Marguerite Empey (a.k.a. Diane Webber), Melody Ward, Candy Paige, Thelma Montgomery, and more.

The minaret-studded house itself was cobbled together by McDermott from former movie sets. As a writer for Famous Players-Lasky and Universal, he was used to seeing exquisitely-built movie sets discarded after only hours of use and decided to build his home from these discarded sets and pieces. The earliest mention of The House was in 1923 when McDermott purchased “six Algerian rooms used in Norma Talmadge’s recently completed picture, ‘The Song of Love’” and reassembled on his property. Other set pieces included palace girders from The Thief of Baghdad, tombstones from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, roofing from The Phantom of the Opera, a plaster goddess from Nazimova's Salome, and a table from Robin Hood. It also featured pricey tile imported from places such as Italy and France due to McDermott, posing as a tile dealer, contacting tile companies for samples. In this manner, he was able to acquire thousands of dollars worth of free tile.

The house was partially destroyed by fire in 1947, demolished piecemeal by Darrell Gregory in response to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety's demands, and eventually razed in 1962. Only the spider mural, parts of the pool, the remnants of a structure that predates McDermott's estate constructed no later than 1900, and other scattered remnants remain.

The site is located on private property and has been tagged in the interest of "describing the world" rather than as an encouragement to trespass. The below URLs provide more information but contain images that are not safe for viewing at work.

www.findinglostangeles.com/all-content/2017/10/10/the-s...
groups.google.com/forum/#%21topic/alt.movies.silent/jyu...
www.backdrop.net/sm-201/index.php?title=Spiderpool
deepspacedaguerreotype.blogspot.com/2011/02/spiderpool-...
Pioneering LA deathrock band 45 Grave lurking in front of the iconic mural, photographed by Ed Colver: store.lethalamounts.com/products/45-grave-in-color-by-e...
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   34°7'22"N   118°20'50"W

Comments

  • The house had an initial address of 3000 Grandview Trail (later changed to Grandview Trail) ca. 1940 and later 3041 Vale Vista Trail. McDermott took his life here in his "Crazy House" on July 21, 1946. The year following his death, the house caught fire and was severely damaged. It changed hands several times over the next few years and finally razed in 1962 when it did not meet building safety codes.
  • *later changed to "Goodview Trail"
This article was last modified 5 years ago