Doheny Home Was His Castle, Is Their Campus

"Chester Place was once the heart of old-money homes; it traces its beginnings to 1876, when Nathan Russell Vail bought 20 acres of land west of Figueroa Street between 23rd Street and West Adams Boulevard. Vail built a Victorian-style home, planted pepper trees and erected a pretentious gate that opened on West Adams Boulevard."

"The flagship residence on the premises is the 22-room Doheny mansion, where cardinals and a future king of England dined, and where one of the nation's biggest political scandals played out."

"For more than four decades, college leaders have carefully tended seven remaining century-old landmark homes that line the tree-shaded Chester Place, as well as two more mansions around the corner in St. James Park that are also part of the campus."

Chester Place represents one of Los Angeles' last Victorian-era enclaves, located on the southwest edge of downtown and now serving as Mount St. Mary's College's downtown campus. Founded in 1876 by Nathan Russell Vail, who purchased 20 acres and planted pepper trees, the gated community became a center for old-money homes. The flagship residence is the 22-room Doheny mansion, which hosted cardinals and dignitaries and witnessed significant political events. In 1885, Vail sold the estate to Charles Silent, a German immigrant and retired Arizona Supreme Court justice. Mount St. Mary's College has carefully preserved seven remaining century-old landmark homes along Chester Place and two additional mansions in St. James Park for over four decades.

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