91 Fremont Place
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WILSHIRE BOULEVARD ADAMS BOULEVARD WINDSOR SQUAREBERKELEY SQUARE ST. JAMES PARK WESTMORELAND PLACE
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Born in Canton, South Dakota, in 1882, Philip Benjamin Kennedy rose to serve in the diplomatic corps under Woodrow Wilson; posted to Australia in 1916 for two years, he was then sent to London as the U. S. Embassy's commercial attaché. His résumé considerable, Kennedy's prospects after the change in administrations no doubt led to more than a few important offers. By 1924, Kennedy, still a bachelor, had been installed as a vice president of the Security Trust & Savings Bank and was living temporarily at the Los Angeles Country Club. It wouldn't be until he met Ethelyn Wallace and married her that he'd settle down in a proper burgher's house. While living briefly on Irving Boulevard, the Kennedys bought the southerly 75 feet of Lot 89 in Fremont Place—still developing at a leisurely pace in the mid-'20s—and commissioned an extremely staid brick house from architect Claude K. Smithley. The Department of Building and Safety issued a permit to begin construction of 91 Fremont Place on August 30, 1927. The Kennedys remained in the house for at least two decades; the full story of the house will appear in due course.
Illustration: Plan A Locations
