Hazel Watrous

Hazel Watrous (February 12, 1888 – October 2, 1954) was an American writer who was co-founder of Denny-Watrous Management. The company presented performances in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. She and Dene Denny played roles in founding the Carmel Music Society, the Carmel Bach Festival, and Monterey's First Theater. They hosted musical concerts and lectures from their home. In addition, they established the Denny-Watrous Gallery.

Early life
Watrous was born on February 12, 1888, in Visalia, California. Her father was Stephen Watrous, a professional landscape photographer who settled in San Francisco in 1852. Watrous completed her art major at San Jose State College.

Career
Watrous spent numerous years working for the Fisher Studio in Los Angeles, California, where she served as a theater critic for their productions and roadshow vaudeville acts. Additionally, she designed costumes and sets for the Moroni Olson Players in Los Angeles. While living in San Francisco, Watrous assumed the position of Art Supervisor for the Alameda City elementary and high schools located in the East Bay.

Carmel-by-the-Sea
In 1922, Watrous and Dene first encountered each other at a party held in the studio of a mutual friend in San Francisco and quickly became a couple. They came to Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1923 for a vacation and remained to make it her home. To generate income, Watrous and Dene took on the task of designing residential houses, completing a total of 36 homes. Among these projects were Johan Hagemeyer home and studio (1923) and plant biologist Fremont Ballou's board-and-batten cottage located on Carmel's Upper Trail, along with several others in Carmel Woods.

Denny-Watrous Studio (Harmony House)
Watrous and Dene had purchased a lot from Frank Davendorf in 1922, and temporarily resided above a garage while Watrou designed and built a two-story American Craftsman-style home, now called "Denny-Watrous Studio" or commonly known as "Harmony House." They expanded it into a studio in 1926.

The studio became a gathering place for musical performances and lectures. Composer Henry Cowell and architect Richard Neutra gave a lecture and courses. Recitals led to the establishment of the Carmel Music Society in 1926.

The Denny-Watrous Studio was registered with the California Register of Historical Resources on April 8, 2002. It holds significance as a representation of Watrous's architectural expertise. The distinct style of Watrous is clear in the house, characterized by her trademark use of round arches. The interior concert space features an early cantilevered balcony that provides an unrestricted view of the musical performances held within.

In 2017, the Harmony House was almost destroyed by fire. The rebuilding of Harmony House took over a year.

Denny-Watrous gallery


In 1929, Denny and Watrous established the town's first fine arts gallery, Denny-Watrous gallery, in the De Yoe Building, located on Dolores Street, and 7th Avenue. In 1931, they added a stage for theatrical performances and sponsored chamber-music recitals. They presented paintings by Galka Scheyer's Blue Four, and the first rehearsals of the amateur orchestra took place as well as the first known American performance of Bach's composition The Art of Fugue.

In April 1935, opera singer Maria Montana performed at the Denny-Watrous Gallery. The Denny-Watrous gallery later moved to the Murphy Building on San Carlos Street.

Carmel Music Society
In 1927, Watrous and Dene took the initiative to assemble a group of music enthusiasts from the local community, leading to the inception of the Carmel Music Society. They collaborated effort with Henry F. Dickinson and his wife Edith, who became the organization's inaugural treasurer and one of its first presidents respectively.

Denny-Watrous Management


In 1928, the official partnership of Denny-Watrous Management was launched. They secured a lease for the Theatre of the Golden Bough from Edward Kuster, and in 1937 leased California's First Theater in Monterey. On June 3, 1937 the theater reopened as a playhouse where the Troupers of the Gold Coast performed. Over twelve months, they produced a total of twelve concerts and eighteen plays, among them Ferenc Molnár's Liliom, Eugene O'Neill's  The Emperor Jones, and Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts. Denny-Watrous Management brought top musical attractions to the San Jose Civic Auditorium. In 1932, Watrous and Denny brought the Neah-Kah-Nie String Quartet, with Michel Penha as its director and cellist to Carmel.

In 1935, Watrous and Denny established the Carmel Bach Festival as a four-day series of concerts.

Politics
In 1938, Watrous was appointed by Mayor Herbert Heron to serve on the Carmel City Council from 1938 to 1940, during the unexpired term of Gordon Campbell who resigned from the council to accept an appointment to the United States Marshal's office at Shanghai.

Death
Watrous died on October 2, 1954, in San Jose, California.

Notable work

 * Johan Hagemeyer House (1923)
 * Zanetta Catlett Cottage (1924)
 * Fremont Ballou House (1925)