The Hobbit’s House

Yes people live here. No it has nothing to do with the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.
I drove by here because I randomly came across all the Unilocal reviews for «the Hobbit’s House.» Some of the other reviewers did a great job highlighting the history and the architecture of this place; I do recommend reading them for your own entertainment. However, I think reading all the Unilocal reviews built up a sort of magical expectation for what this place will look like. And sure, it is neat. Nevertheless, it still feels weird intruding on people’s property since this is a regular residential area with very regular folks driving regular cars and living regular lives.
I think if you live on the West side of LA, it may be fun to drive by and take some photos but this is not one of those places where you should make a trip across town to explore or even spend more than 30 minutes walking around. I was in and out of there in 15 minutes!

Did you know that there are a series of beautiful and fantastical houses in Los Angeles? If you look close enough you will find them and be transported into fairy tales! The Hobbit House is one of these homes and it is truly a sight to see. I was really disappointed that that we couldn’t go in but you have to understand that people actually live in these homes! You can actually rent them and live in your own personal hobbit house. Very cool in my opinion. Anyways, there are a couple of ponds in the front that holds turtles which are very cute to look at. Behind these ponds are cottages that are stunning to look at. They have the kind of roof and chimneys that you read about in story books!
You can sort of peak in through the windows and honestly even the furniture looks like something from a movie set. The whole place is pretty magical down to the cobble stone drive way and the rounded, old fashioned looking windows. I’m determined to find the other homes now in Los Angeles! The only down side is that you have to find parking to view this house and it is hard to find in this area but well worth a visit. ⁴⁄₅

Pretty neat place to visit. I’ve lived in LA for 10 years now and didn’t even know this was here! It’s tucked away in a side street in West LA.

I don’t think many people know about this place, but I drove by the Hobbit’s House in March 2015, while I was in LA, and decided to stop by and visit the place. Of course you can’t go inside, since people actually live there, but you’re welcome to take photos of the house itself from the outside. :)
You have to park on the street, or use a small parking lot nearby. Make sure you don’t get towed! haha…
The house is incredibly outrageous in terms of décor. It does seem like a house they would make for a movie set or something, or straight out of «Lord of the Rings» trilogy.
More photos here:

If you are into architecture this is the place to visit. This is definitely a stop to see if you are in the neighborhood for a quick 10 – 15 minute stop. A nice picture! Don’t get too carried away and go into the yard… Keep in mind people live there and in the back.
No one said anything to us to check out the historical decree and the turtles (from behind the gate). This place reminds you of being at theme park and leaves you wanting more… Who lives in there? What does the inside look like? Wish they could post pictures and put them outside for curious people like myself. If you google Storybook Houses you will be able to get some history on the famous apartments for the industry. It is right behind Sony Pictures lot… Well on a small street behind.
It’s a small street and you have to find parking on the street. It’s hard to see all of it and the rest of the apartments, but you can still see a great deal of the front.

You’ve got to love the whimsical fun of this property!
Thanks to the prior reviewers who gave us all the nice history & details, I bookmarked it for whenever we’d be in the area.
I’ll just chime in on what a neighborhood treasure The Hobbit’s House (s) is!

The main house is now listed on Craigslist for sublet/​lease. $ 2595/​month. What a great deal for such a unique piece of L.A. architectural history, and in a great location to boot!

I’m giving it 5 stars because it was a nice surprise to run into this place. i grew up near the «witch’s house» in BH. I had heard there was a similar house in culver city. imagine my surprise when I was on a walk and there it was before me… i had parked a couple blocks away from a medical building I was visiting and there it was… one of those places that you are happy to see remains in a city where lots of old things disappear.

I first heard about the storybook houses in the LA Times and have been wanting to see them for awhile. From the article, «‘Storybook houses are an outgrowth of the blurred line of fantasy and reality that is particular to Los Angeles,» says Trudi Sandmeier, a preservationist at the Los Angeles Conservancy. The style pops up across the country, she notes, but nowhere did it attain the popularity it enjoyed in L.A.”
Christine A’s review is pretty awesome so I recommend reading her review for more history about this house. I couldn’t believe that this storybook house was just tucked away in Culver City. Not going to lie, my bf and I totally played shire music in the car before we took off to find this place lol. Anyways, I wish I could’ve gone inside to look around some more as the driveway was open and inviting, but my bf didn’t want me to trespass. Little did he know that the other storybook house in Beverly Hills was the one where «no trespassing» signs were posted everywhere. A guy riding his moped had just pulled in to the driveway too, but alas the opportunity to ask him some questions had escaped me as when I finally decided not to listen to my bf, the moped guy had disappeared.
It’s worth a quick pit stop if you’re in the area for sure, but I think the name of this storybook house is a bit deceiving. Not enough greenery surrounding the place and I feel like it needs a circle door. Not sure if there were any turtles in Middle Earth either. ;P

Little more than a stone’s throw from Sony Studios is this series of fantastical houses and apartments, on Dunn Drive, designed by one-​time Disney artist Joseph Lawrence.
The Hobbit Houses, officially known as the Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments Historic-​Cultural Monument No. 624, are these charming little structures that were built from 1946 to 1970.
A couple of green ponds lie in front of the two cottages that face the street, groups of turtles are sunning themselves beside the water.
As we stood on the sidewalk, staring in awe of the houses (specifically the gorgeous chimney on the shorter structure), an SUV pulled up and a short woman with an In-​N-​Out bag and drink climbed out and headed toward the rear apartments.
«You can come into the yard, if you want,» she said with a smile.
We walked up the cobble stone-​like brick driveway just to get a better look at the place. Where the Spadena/​Witch House in Beverly Hills looks so pristine yet uninhabited, like a movie set or Disney attraction, the Hobbit House is more rustic, hearty, and lived in.
You can see and hear someone in the building with the rounded-​off roof, watching TV. Neighbors in the back are talking and packing up their cars to go somewhere. Cars are parked on the driveway and you can see the pumps for the algae-​infested ponds and watch turtles disappear into the murky water.