Two great mansions survive, both in Beverly Hills and only a short distance apart as a tribute to the flamboyance and uniqueness of the twenties.
Greenacres was built in the late twenties by Harold Lloyd, the famous glass eyed comedian and about the same time, the oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny constructed his edifice, the Greystone. Both survive today, except that the now severely truncated Greenacres has now been reduced to the main house, the rest sold off to land developers and even the house is, for the most part, off limits to most people.
Greystone Mansion and its immediate grounds and gardens, even though most of the original land adjacent to it has also been sacrificed to the developers, remains accessible to the public to be admired by all.
For the fourth year, the Concours d’Elegance has taken place with its magnificent collection of vintage automobiles. This has been made possible by the Friends of Greystone, a dedicated group of individuals who are in the process of preserving and updating the mansion. All funds collected by this event will go toward this goal.
The Concours event presented approximately 150 of the most exceptional examples of vintages automobiles and motorcycles to be found anywhere in the world. As you walked around, you would see a 1911 Mercer, a 1929 completely original Packard, a 1937 Cord, a 1933 16 cylinder Cadillac, a 1956 Lincoln Mark 11, a 1914 Ford Model T Speedster and one of my favorites a 1959 Corvette. Also let us not forget the 1947 Delahaye Cabriolet and the 1929 Bugatti.
The list was endless. There was really too much to take in only day and many were reluctant to leave with such wealth of vehicles in evidence.
Along with the show, there were tours of the mansion and an abundance of food and drink of almost every variety. The addition of Lawry’s as the primary caterer guaranteed victuals of an epicurean delight for all.
In addition, this Concours has been selected by the Lee Iacocca Foundation as the recipient of its annual philanthropy award.
It is hoped that a public event of this importance will give the Greystone Mansion the luminosity it so richly deserves!
BOB TINSLEY
eeworldnews
