National Register of Historic Places

Smith Estate

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Listed
October 29, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82000971

About this property

The Smith Estate, also known as El Mio (Spanish: "mine" or "my place"), is a historic Victorian house perched on a hilltop in the Highland Park section of Los Angeles, California. The street, El Mio, is named after the house, which is how the Smith family referred to it during their residence. Built in 1887, the house was designed in the Queen Anne style by Abram M. Edelman. It has been the residence of a judge who wrote books on occultism, the head of the Los Angeles Railway, and a deputy mayor; and as a shooting location for the cult films Spider Baby, Silent Scream and Insidious: Chapter 2. It has also been declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

5905 El Mio Dr.
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
34.11471, -118.19273

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Highland Park Masonic Temple
Industrial
0.4 mi
Highland Park Police Station
Industrial
0.4 mi
Pisgah Home Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Judson Studios
Industrial
0.8 mi
Southwest Museum
Industrial
1.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of San Gabriel (California 1847)
1847Mexican-American War
5.1 mi
Siege of Los Angeles
1846Mexican-American War
5.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Smith Estate listed on the National Register?

Smith Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Smith Estate?

Smith Estate is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Smith Estate?

The period of significance for Smith Estate is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Smith Estate?

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