Welcome to my Tour de Disney homes!  Walt Disney lived in several different places throughout his lifetime in Los Angeles.  All but one still exist today (although not necessarily in their original condition). So I thought it would be fun to take a little drive around the area to see these places for myself and, of course, share with you!  So without further ado, let’s go visit Walt Disney’s 7 Los Angeles homes.

 

Walt’s 1st Home

Address: 4406 Kingswell Ave.

When Walt and Roy moved to Los Angeles in 1923, they moved in with their Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Robert at their home on Kingswell Avenue in Los Feliz.  Uncle Robert charged them $5/week for rent and another $1/week to use the back shed as an animation studio.  (The original shed can still be seen today at the Stanley Ranch Museum & Historical Village).

 

This house has been listed as a Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument and is currently undergoing a massive renovation by the Disney family to restore the exterior to its 1920s condition.  There is also talk of building a replica of the shed in the backyard where it used to be.  For more on this conservancy project, check out the LA Conservancy.

 

Walt’s 2nd Home

Address: 4409 Kingswell Ave.

Not long after being in Los Angeles did Walt and Roy move out of their aunt and uncle’s home and into a boardinghouse across the street.  Today this is a private residence, so please be respectful if driving by.

 

Walt’s 3rd Home

Address: 4637 Melbourne Ave.

A couple of years later, Walt married Lillian Bounds and the two moved into their first apartment together. It was located just 1 block from Walt and Roy’s new studio. Rumor has it that their unit overlooked the alley. This alley, perhaps?

 

Walt’s 4th Home

Address: 1307 N. Commonwealth Ave.

A year later, Walt and Lillian moved into a slightly larger apartment.  Lillian was not a fan of apartment living and did not enjoy her time at Melbourne Ave. Their new apartment served as a transitional unit before moving into their first house.  Sadly the apartment building was demolished in 1962 but you can still visit the street where the original once stood.

 

Walt’s 5th Home

Address: 2495 Lyric Ave.

In 1928, Walt and Roy moved into their first homes – right next door to one another!  Walt’s was on the corner of St. George & Lyric and Roy’s was to the left. These matching homes were quite small with only 2 bedrooms each but a huge step up from where they had started just 5 short years earlier.

 

Walt’s 6th Home

Address: 4053 Woking Way

By 1932, Walt was seeing incredible success with Mickey Mouse and Lillian was pregnant.  So he purchased a 5-acre lot and commissioned Fran Crowhurst (who had previously designed a tower at Hyperion Studios for he and Roy) to design his first mansion.  Walt and his family lived in this 12-room home for nearly 20 years.

 

Walt’s Last Home

Address: 355 Carolwood Dr.

Walt purchased the plot of land for his last (and arguably most famous) home in 1948. Construction of the house took over a year and Walt and his family finally moved in in 1950.  The house had 17-rooms, a swimming pool, ice cream soda fountain, and in-home movie room (which for the 1950s was a BIG deal). But the biggest draw to the house was the Carolwood Pacific, Walt’s miniature railroad, that ran along the perimeter of the property and included tunnels and tracks at different elevations. This mini railroad can still be viewed today at “Walt’s Barn” which is a Disney museum dedicated to Walt’s love of trains.

 

That concludes our tour of Walt Disney’s 7 Los Angeles homes.  I hope you learned something fun today.  If you do decide to visit these houses yourself, please be respectful and refrain from trespassing onto the properties.

 

For more fun “Disney in LA” ideas, check out these related posts:

How Accurate Is Hollywood Land In Disney California Adventure Park?

These 3 Places In Los Angeles Inspired The Design Of Disney’s Tower Of Terror