Villa d'Este was designed by pioneering architect brothers Walter S. Davis and F. Pierpont Davis in 1928. The Davis brothers are widely recognized as the founding fathers of the L.A. courtyard apartment typology, while they drew inspiration from rural Tuscan villas for this complex. Originally named "Court of the Fountains," the project was later renamed Villa d'Este after the renowned Renaissance villa in Tivoli, Italy.
The complex arranges small clusters of two-story apartment units around a lush garden courtyard, with each residence featuring its own secluded private patio. The sophisticated geometric brickwork creates diamond and rectangular motifs in the facade, executed in a running bond pattern with decorative insertions. At the heart of the property, water cascades from the mouths of carved lions into multiple interconnected pools and waterways, creating the oasis that inspired the building's original name. Villa d'Este continues to serve as residential apartments, preserving both its architectural character and its fountained courtyard nearly a century after construction.
