MYSTERY LIBRARY OWNER: HOWARD R. NEWCOMB

Mystery Library Owner: Howard R. Newcomb

The May 24 issue of The E-Sylum included a photo of a numismatic library and asked readers if they might identify the owner.

The photo appeared in the Volume 7, No. 4 issue of Architectural Digest published in 1930. The house at 256 Copa De Oro Road, in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, was built for Mr. and Mrs. Howard R. Newcomb in 1928 for the cost of $40.000. This was described as their "winter residence" suggesting that they still maintained a home in the Detroit area.

The house is described as 8,932 square feet with nine bedrooms and eight bathrooms on a .89 acre lot. It has been called "Mi Patria" since 2011. More recent owners include Robert and Nancy Daly. He was chairman and CEO at Warner Brothers. They sold the house in 2001 to Freddy DeMann, founder of Maverick Records and manager for Michael Jackson and Madonna. The house was acquired by real estate developer H. Ross Perot, Jr. for $18 million on March 27, 2013. Most recently, the house was sold to George Lucas for $33.9 million on May 25, 2017.

In 1906, Newcomb reported his address as 625 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. This was the home of his parents. In 1908 to 1912 his address was 24 Marston Street (or Avenue) in Detroit. Then in 1913 he moved to 59 Burlingame Avenue (Street) where he remained until 1920 or later. This was a modest house of just 4093 square feet built in 1913. It has seven bedrooms and four baths.

David Silverman is a house historian who is researching the Newcomb house. Silverman contacted me after reading of my discovery of a photo of Newcomb that was published in Penny-Wise in 1994.

Silverman is looking for any photos taken in the house while Newcomb lived there or stories about Newcomb while he lived there. We have exchanged comments about Newcomb's unique hand written text for his book on the U. S. Cents of 1816-1857. What happened to Newcomb's library after his death in 1945? Any material provided to me will be passed on to Silverman.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MAY 24, 2020 : Quiz: Whose Library is This? (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n21a14.html)

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