Eben Smith by David Forsyth

Author:David Forsyth [Forsyth, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Colorado

7

“I Cannot Pass a Good Mining Scheme By”

In April 1901, Eben Smith made one of the biggest financial moves of his life, buying $1,124,000 in US government bonds, which he then deposited at the First National Bank of Denver. Smith also interviewed a number of architects during the month as he toyed with the possibility of building a new house in Los Angeles instead of buying an existing one, but he finally settled on a slightly run-down house on 4 acres at 1130 West Seventh Avenue in Los Angeles. He purchased the house in May, but Mrs. J. W. Winston, the owner, had until July 4 to move out. On June 1, Smith wrote to M. Welsh, his agent in Los Angeles, that he wanted to enlarge the library, living room, and dining room by adding on to the house in addition to building a separate structure to house a “billiard room and other amusement arrangements.”1

As soon as Mrs. Winston vacated the Smiths’ new house on July 4, workers redecorated, installed new floors, and built a stone-faced wall around the entire property. On August 6, shortly after work on the wall began, Welsh reported to Smith that the house would be ready by October and shortly after that wrote “you have one of the handsomest places in Los Angeles.” He went on to say that people who could see the house from the train as it passed were amazed at the transformation. The private casino, the building that housed Smith’s billiard table and other games, was also finished by then. To furnish the casino, Smith bought a Carom table and a pool table from the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. There was also a conservatory, a large pond, and a Japanese tea house on the grounds of Smith’s new estate. The Los Angeles Times called it a “palatial mansion.”2

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