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318 East 48th Street, New York, NY
This parking garage the building which formerly housed the studios run by Joseph Schenck. The Norma Talmadge Film Corporation was on the bottom floor, the Constance Talmadge Film Corporation was on the second floor, and occupying the top floor was Comique, where Roscoe Arbuckle and later Buster Keaton worked. The studios were at 318 East 48th Street, New York City. Though the present address does not show from the street, the license posted near the office inside the garage does give that address. Comique operated here in 1917 but moved to California in 1918, Norma and Constance moved to Hollywood in 1922, though apparently their offices stayed in New York, moving to the State Theater Building, while Selznick rented the studio building.
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This view also shows the adjoining building which is now part of the garage. I do not know if they ran continuously in the 1920s. The building is across the street from the present building housing the Libyan mission to the U.N.
United Studios. Norma and Constance rented space at the United Studios on 5341 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, and Photoplay magazine gave this as the address of the Norma and Constance Talmadge Studios. The studio was purchased in 1925 by Famous Players-Lasky and became the home of Paramount Studios.
United Artists Studios. By 1926 Norma and Constance were filming at the United Artists Studio, also known as the Pickford-Fairbanks Studio, at 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood. They were still releasing films through First National at that time, but Norma's husband Joseph Schenck had become a partner and chairman of the board of United Artists in 1924, so it seemed the logical place to set up shop. Apparently the address is later given as 1041 North Formosa Avenue.
On East 15th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Vitagraph Studios. Talmadge came to this studio on the streetcar from her Flatbush home. The studio is just south of Avenue M. in the Midwood section of Brooklyn (formerly the village of Greenfield in Flatbush), bounded north and south by Locust Avenue and Elm Avenue, on the west is East 15th Street. The smokestack can be seen to this day from Locust Ave.; until recently the letters VITAGRAPH were still visible, but they have been painted over. The site is now a girl's school.
258 59th Street, Brooklyn, New York. The Talmadge family was living here in 1900.
231 Fenimore Street, Brooklyn, New York. The Talmadge family was living here in April 1910, about the time Norma went to work for Vitagraph.
3515 223rd Street, Bayside, Long Island, New York. This lovely large 2.5 story colonial house with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, with a large enclosed porch, was built around 1905 and is still standing. It has a fine view of Little Neck Bay. It was here that sister Natalie married Buster Keaton; the wedding of Anita Loos John Emerson was also at this home. In 1917 she was reported to have an ocean view home in Beechhurst. I don't know if she moved or if there is some confusion about the location.
649 West Adams Street, Los Angeles, a house with other famous occupants (courtesy of Silents Are Golden) (early 1920s). This is now called Randolph Huntington Miner House and is a L.A. Historic Cultural Monument.
1805 Pass-A-Grille Way, St. Pete Beach, FL (1928)
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7269 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood (scroll down to Cudahay Mansion.) Contrary to the legend printed here, I don't think this house was the reason for the Schenck's divorce! A 1925 report said that Norma and her husband had "reopened their home on Hollywood Blvd.", and she was reported as living on Hollywood Blvd. in 1927. It was torn down in 1933. Click thumbnail for a larger view.
1038 Ocean Front Avenue, Santa Monica, CA (Formerly 1018 Pacific Coast Highway, now Palisades Beach Road) (late 1920s). This house was featured in the Architectural Digest April 1996 issue. Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, as well Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, later lived here.
1336 North Harper Ave. Harper House, in the Harper district of West Hollywood. Norma and Gilbert Roland are reported to have lived here. It was designed in 1929 by architect Leland Bryant
9514 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills. This is the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Norma had an apartment her according to maps of 1932 and 1937. Constance was living here at the time of her death.
1716 Angelo Drive, Beverly Hills. This is probably the house that George Jessel was referring to in his autobiography, were he said that Norma "had built a tremendous estate just off Benedict Canyon, six minutes from Beverly Hills by car." They still lived there near the end of their marriage, and Hedda Hopper reported in 1945 that Norma had sold it to Cornel Wilde.
1416 Havenhurst Drive, West Hollywood (1935). This is the Colonial House Apartments (currently condos)
704 North Arden Drive, Beverly Hills (purchased 1946, Talmadge and Dr. James lived here until in 1952) This home was built in 1927 and designed by architect Wallace Neff. This home was featured on an AMC program on the homes of the stars.
4320 Cedarhurst Drive, Los Feliz district of Los Angeles, CA. 90027. (and more here) Now known as "Villa Talmadge," it is sometimes used as a film location. It is not clear when she may have lived here, so it apparently was not for long.
603 North Alpine Drive - Beverly Hills (1940s?)
439 Roosevelt Way in San Francisco. This house is between Buena Vista Park and Twin Peaks. I do not know if this is the Twin Peaks house which a newspaper article reported was sold in 1959, perhaps it was the San Francisco property left to nephew Robert Talmadge in her will. It is said to have had a large ballroom downstairs, but the building is now divided into 3 apartments.
2047 W. Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas. This is where she was living at the time of her death. This building no longer exists, but the site is now the headquarters of the Nevada Dental Association.
A house, apparently in Palm Beach, given to her by George Jessel in 1933. After her death, he complains in his autobiography that Carvel James inherited it, but in her will it states that that house was in Fort Lauderdale. I don't know if this is the same house with some confusion about the location or two different houses.
Villa Riviera in Long Beach (and more here) She owned this for less than a year.
The Talmadge Apartments. This lavish apartment building is aat 3278 Wilshire Boulevard, and was an anniversary present from her husband Joseph Schenck in 1924. They are said to have used the penthouse apartment. The front of the building served as Buster Keaton's mansion in Battling Butler.
Residential property at 1413-1421 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. Norma left this property to Natalie in her will.
The Norma Talmadge Building on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, a 3-story French-Norman style office building, built circa 1937, torn down in 1963. If this is the address 9000-9006 Sunset Blvd., this property was inherited by her nephew Joseph Talmadge.
Erasmus Hall High School, Flatbush and Church Avenues, Brooklyn, New York. This school has many famous alumni, and even has a page on the Talmadges
The community of Talmadge, in San Diego, was also named for the sisters. Here is another Talmadge, San Diego link.
Pierce Bros. Mortuary, Beverly Hills, 714 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Norma Talmadge's funeral was held here. Among the 30 or so attendees at the private service were husband Dr. Carvel James, Constance and Natalie Talmage, Gilbert Roland, George Jessel, Marion Davies and her husband Horace Brown, Mae Murray, Orry Kelly, Antonio Moreno, Ed Brophy. Dr. William S. Meyer of the Emmanuel Presbyterian Church delivered the funeral sermon. The building is now L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 574
Norma Talmadge's grave is in the Talmadge family alcove at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (formerly Hollywood Memorial Cemetery) in Hollywood
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Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. (Now Mann's Chinese Theatre) Norma Talmadge turned the first spade of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony in 1926 (which was captured for newsreel cameras), and legend has it that she accidentally stepped in some wet cement. That gave Sid Grauman the idea for the stars' footprint that have been the theatre's hallmark ever since. Norma's formal footprints and signature were the third official footprints, after Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Click thumbnail for a larger view of Norma's footprints and signature (shown for comparison with a size 7 1/2 shoe from the 1930s).
Thanks to Tony Scott, Larry, Bryan Tinlin, Ronald Spayde, Lynn, Chris Snowden, Shannon Lyn, Allen Ellenberger, Lisa Burks, and Todd Miller for most of these addresses.
©1999, by Greta de Groat . All Rights Reserved
Last revised, January 7, 2007