Brian U.
Yelp
Located on the campus of Mount St. Mary's College near USC (not on Doheny Drive), a monthly tour of the Doheny Mansion is offered which starts inside the neighboring Chester Place residence.
The tour is supposed to last 2.5 hours, but ours lasted 2 hours which was plenty of time. Although they suggest comfortable walking shoes, there isn't that much walking. Registration and $25 payment is required in advance. Parking is available on the campus in front of the houses. Children under 12 are not allowed - not that this is something a child would want to do.
The tour inside the Doheny Mansion only covers the guest areas on the main floor. The kitchen, servant areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, and basement were off-limits. If you don't take the tour, it's also possible to see parts of the Doheny Mansion during DaCamera concerts.
Designed by Theodore Augustus Eisen and Sumner P. Hunt in 1899, the Doheny Mansion has the indulgence of turn-of-the-century oil money, but doesn't have the artistry. I guess the Doheny's had an eye for the ostentatious (along with the enormous Greystone Mansion), but not the elegant unlike the Huntington's in San Marino who had good taste. Basically, the outside of the house is big and ugly like a decorated concrete bunker. The inside is better with the sitting room and music room as the best rooms, but still largely replicates European decorative arts.
The floor plan lacks a clean flow and the decoration lacks cohesion. This is was most evident in the splashy ballroom with a Tiffany glass themed ceiling called the Pompeian Room. Although the room was ornate and had an initial wow factor, it was an artistic mess. Sid Graumann's bombastic theaters had more decorative unity than the Pompeian Room. I'm sure my opposing view will not please the many fans of this popular space, but I grew anxious while sitting in the schizophrenic room with its erratic multi-themed decor.
I know that the docents are volunteers and don't want to say anything negative, but they were the worst part of the tour.