Did Los Angeles poet and novelist Charles Bukowski ever have a childhood?
Well, he was small here, in this Spanish style house in the West Adams district, where his brute of a father made him mow the lawn with a precision that no human boy could master, then beat him into unconsciousness in the tiny bathroom at the end of the hall.
Jeff Markey is a Bukowski fan who recently purchased the house at 2122 Longwood Avenue, with an aim to restore it to its 1920s appearance and make it available as a short-term AirBnB rental.
We’ve been advising him about historic preservation options, based on our having helped to get Bukowski’s East Hollywood bungalow named an L.A. landmark.
The experience of standing alone in “that” bathroom is not something any Bukowski fan will soon forget.
You can hear an interview with Jeff and our Richard Schave done by Anna Scott of Press Play/ KCRW.
And the house has a website.
And our Charles Bukowski bus tour is scheduled four times a year.
See more of our photos of the house on Longwood Avenue below.