Jul 23, 1997
Crank House ( Fair Oaks Ranch) - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance: Situated on a one-and-a-half-acre wooded lot, the Crank Residence is a two-and-one-half-story Colonial Revival style residence with Queen Anne style elements. The current design of the wood framed building primarily reflects two periods: the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The Queen Anne style elements include a variety of cladding materials, and narrow, double-hung sash windows. Much of the interior remains from the original design of the building which was completed in 1882. Between 1906 and 1910 the building was remodeled in the Colonial Revival style. A sense of symmetry was established by re-orienting the main entrance to the center of the front porch and by adding twenty feet to the west elevation. Classically inspired elements such as Tuscan columns and pilasters, plain and denticulated friezes, and cris-crossing and stick balusters added to the new Colonial Revival character of the house. A fire in 1944, and subsequent rehabilitation projects, primarily resulted in some changes to the upper half story and roof, as well as the addition to the 1906 design of further Colonial Revival elements. The side-facing gable roof has overhanging boxed eaves with narrow, notched brackets along the soffit. The composition also features a large front-facing gabled bay centered on the south elevation, which is a restoration of a gable present prior to 1944. A Palladian window, not present originally, was added within the gable. Also added were two semi-circular dormers facing south, and a square cupola on the crest of the roofline. The approach to the property is from Layton Street, which runs into the west side of the property. From this point, the driveway curves to the north. At the southwest comer of the porch, the driveway forks so that one branch heads west and runs parallel to the facade while the other continues north, passing under the porte cochere as it leads toward the garage. The basically rectangular plan of the residence is interrupted by various projects, most notably a one story porte cochere on the west elevation. The general horizontal orientation of the house is established by the different wood material which clads each story. The first story is clad with horizontal tongue and groove siding and trimmed with plain end boards. Fish scale shingles clad the second story which is distinguished by flat Tuscan pilasters along the corners. The second story is further differentiated from the first and upper half-story by a plain frieze along the top and a gentle bellcast on the bottom which creates a shallow overhang. The gable ends and the cupola are sheathed in clapboard. The front (south) elevation is dominated by a projecting porch which begins just short of the west comer and wraps around the east corner. Tuscan columns support the denticulated entablature of the low-pitched hipped roof Beginning at the west, the columns are distributed in regular intervals in a 3-2-2-3- 1-3 pattern which thereby creates five bays. The first three bays to the west project slightly from the two to the east. The main entrance is located in the central bay up a short flight offered brick step. The remaining bays are defined by a low railing of cris-crossing wood boards. Narrow double-hung sash windows overlook the porch and are arranged irregularly with two pairs and a single west of the main door and a group of three to the east. The windows are trimmed with plain wood molding and flanked by narrow shutters. The second story of the south elevation is dominated by a central gabled bay which projects slightly from the face of the house. A group of three double-hung sash windows flanked by shutters covers the eastern third of the bay. A sleeping porch sits in front of the east two-thirds of the bay atop the roof of the porch below. It was enclosed around 1910 with pairs of fixed, wood sash windows with pivoting transoms. There is one pair on the side and two on the front of the sleeping porch, each of which is divided by a square Tuscan column. Below the continuous window sill, the sleeping porch is sheathed with clapboard. Atop the plain frieze and boxed cornice, the flat roof is surrounded by a railing of turned wood baluster. Centered on the face of the gable end is a Palladian-style window composed of a pair of French doors topped by an arched header. This window was added in more recent rehabilitation of the property. On the south half of the west elevation, a gabled end bay project from the main portion of the house. A brick chimney runs up the middle of this bay and continues through the roofline. Pairs of double-hung sash windows are located to each side of the chimney on the first and second stories. A porte cochere, two bays wide, projects from this bay. Tuscan columns, identical to those used on the front porch, resting on low concrete pedestals, support the structure. Columns are distributed in a 1-1-1 pattern along the house and in a 3-1-3 pattern through the middle and at the end of the structure. The entire structure appears to be covered with a flat roof surround by a cornice similar, but slightly less ornate than the one along the front porch. However, only the bay along the house functions as a porte cochere in that the driveway passes through and it is roofed. In contrast, the outer bay is open to the sky and has a tree growing through the middle. The remaining portion of the west elevation has no window openings on the first story, but two double-hung sash windows on the second story. The northwest comer of the second story is cut away and filled with a double-hung sash window. Two adjoining jig-sawn brackets support the corner. The east elevation is difficult to view as it sits very close to the property and is surrounded by mature bushes and trees. In the middle of the east elevation, a flat roofed bay project from the middle of the main portion of the house. The second story of the bay is occupied by an enclosed sleeping porch which is similar in detail to the one on the front elevation. The comers of the sleeping porch are supported by square Doric columns while the spaces in between are filled with three fixed sash windows topped by pivoting transoms. The top of the roof is surrounded by a railing of turned wood balusters and stickwork, and is used as a terrace for the upper half-story. Due to nearby mature foliage, the rear elevation is also difficult to view. It appears as though, unlike the other elevations, most of the fenestration is comprised of casement type windows trimmed with plain wood molding. The door to the backyard is glazed in the upper half and topped by a semi-circular, cast plaster medallion set in beaded wood molding. Adjacent to the door is a pair of wood casement windows. A semi-circular, fixed, stained-glass window is centered above a bank of wood sash windows east of the door. The second story is distinguished by two balconies supported by simple wood brackets. The balconies are comprised of a pair of multi-paned French doors which open on to a shallow space surrounded by simple stickwork railings. As previously stated, the roof profile is not original, but highly compatible with the character of the house. Atop the original Colonial Revival side-facing gabled roof, the house is crowned by a square, two-tiered cupola which sits on the crest of the roofline. The first tier, or base, of the cupola is clad with tongue and groove siding with square Tuscan pilasters at the comers. A turned wood balustrade surrounds the top of the base. The second tier is set back from the base and is also clad with tongue and groove siding with square Doric pilasters on the corners. A turned wood balustrade surrounds the top of the base. The second tier is set back from the base and is also clad with tongue and groove siding with square Doric pilasters on the comers. Each side of the second tier has a rectangular opening flanked by wood shutters. A hipped roof sits atop a plain frieze and boxed comic. The cupola and balustrade were added in more recent times. Much of the historic interior in the first two stories of the house remains intact including oak floors, crown molding, paneled doors, French doors, wainscoting, fireplaces, and built-in cabinets. The Fair Oaks property historically included many outbuildings, all of which are still extant in the surrounding neighborhood but are no longer a part of this property. These include a bam, caretaker’s cottage in close proximity to the main residence, may be from an earlier period. The garage and the chauffeur’s residence retain a high degree of integrity. The only building remaining within the current boundaries of the property is the garage, located west of the house, which dates to approximately 1906. While the area during this period was still fairly rural, with few unimproved roads, most families of means kept both horses and automobiles for transportation purposes. The garage is a low-slung, horizontally-oriented structure framed in wood and covered by a low-pitched, gabled roof it with composition shingle. The ridgeline of the roof runs parallel to the garage’s main facade, and a gabled vent dormer punctuates the center of the roof Exposed rafter tails and plain verge boards also characterize the roof The exterior is clad in horizontal wood siding similar to that which clads the first story of the main residence. The garage is three bays wide, with each bay accessed through a sliding door of narrow, vertical, wood members cross-braced with larger members. Secondary facades of the garage are fenestrated with double-hung, single-pane, wood sash windows. Constructed in 1882, the Crank Residence is one ofthe oldest houses in Altadena. Originally designed in the Queen Anne style, the residence was remodeled about 1906 as a Colonial Revival style mansion. Many ofthe original Queen Anne elements survive, including cladding materials and narrow sash windows. Also surviving from that time are the very impressive interior elements. The residence was built as the house of a businessman who migrated to California and set himself up as a “gentleman farmer”, and such people defined the early history of Pasadena and Altadena. The residence continues to be set among extensive grounds with mature foliage and stands as a landmark within a neighborhood of small, one-story 1920s-1940s houses set on small lots. The Crank Residence is significant under National Register criterion A for its association with Altadena’s early development, and as one of the few remaining examples of turn-of-the-century residential construction of such substantial scale and quality extant in Altadena. In its scale, grandeur and siting on a large landscaped lot with much mature foliage, the Crank Residence is one of only two remaining properties that can be linked to Altadena’s “gentleman farmer” phenomenon of the 1880s. Because it retains much of its historic setting from that time, the Crank Residence appears unique within Altadena. The Crank Residence stands on the first parcel of land to be carved out of the vast San Pasqual Ranch which included most of what is now Pasadena. The parcel was first owned by Eliza Johnston who purchased it in 1862. The parcel extended over a territory now bounded by New York Drive, Washington Street, Allen Avenue, and Altadena Drive. Johnston named it the Fair Oaks Ranch after her childhood home in Virginia. The residence she commissioned was completed in the spring of 1863. In 1876, James Fillmore Crank purchased the property, which included approximately 250 acres, from Benjamin Eaton who had taken title in 1865. Crank, who was originally from New York where he had made a considerable fortune in manufacturing, had just moved to the area from Colorado Springs with his wife, Mary Agnes Brigden Crank. The existing house on the property apparently proved to be too small and modest for his family. In 1882, a two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style residence was erected on the site. The original house was moved to a site near the northern boundary of the property and is now identified as 2072 Oakwood. The house still stands at this location and has the distinction of being the oldest frame house in the San Gabriel Valley. The new residence was 6,000 square feet and included fourteen rooms, six fireplaces, and three baths upstairs and two downstairs. San Francisco architect William Curlett is credited with designing the house; however, no reliable primary sources verity it as fact. Crank quickly established himself as one of the leading figures in the economic development of Pasadena. He is not only credited with introducing the navel orange to Los Angeles County, but is widely regarded as the prime mover in building the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad, the first railroad ever brought into Pasadena. Despite the loss of financial backers and the objections of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the first train rolled into Pasadena in 1885. Unfortunately, the fortune Crank invested in the railroad was never recovered. The railroad was sold to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1887. Crank also lost his beloved ranch which was subdivided under the name Fair Oaks Park in 1910. The precise date Crank lost possession of the house is less clear. It appears as though he and his wife moved out of the house in 1898, after which time a bank took control of the property. A sales brochure from 1904 indicates that the house and forty acres were sold shortly thereafter. The house was probably remodeled in 1906 as records indicate that several improvements were made including new electrical and heating systems. County Tax Assessor records indicate that the property may have been owned by Laurence B. Burck from 1914 through 1920 and by John F. Powers from 1921 through 1923. Mr. And Mrs. John McKnight Storrow lived in the house from 1924 through 1945. After it was damaged by fire it was sold to William C. Ruge, an engineer at the jet propulsion laboratory of the California Institute of Technology. Between 1947 and 1949, Ruge and his family restored the house. After a brief period, 1860 through 1880, when it was subdivided into large ranches which were planted with citrus, olives, and grapes, Altadena became primarily a residential community for the retired and those who worked in Pasadena. Consequently, most of the historic resources in Altadena are residential buildings. The residential development of Altadena began in the 1860s with the construction of wood frame farm and ranch houses scattered throughout the area. The area continued to be sparsely settled until the boom of the 1880s. However, outlying areas continued to be used for agricultural purposes until the 1930s and 40s. Constructed in 1862 on the Fair Oaks Ranch, Eliza Johnston’s house at 2072 Oakwood Street is the oldest extant frame residence in Altadena, if not the San Gabriel Valley. As the population of the area began to mushroom in the 1880s, larger homes were constructed by gentleman farmers and prominent businessmen. In addition to the Crank Residence, there is only one important example of such houses remaining: the Woodbury house, at 2606 Madison Avenue, erected in 1882 in the Italianate style. The Woodbury house, listed in the National Register, is hemmed in by the surrounding subdivision and retains very little land around it. The Crank Residence, however, retains much greater integrity of setting. When the Crank Residence was remodeled at the turn of the century, numerous Queen Anne elements were retained, including the fish scale shingles on the second story, and original double-hung sash windows throughout, resulting in a blend of the two styles. The most important features to be changed were the south (front) and west facades, detailing, and later the roof profile. The asymmetrical massing of the house became more balanced with a twenty-foot addition to the west facade. The front porch was the other major Queen Anne style feature which was changed. A similarly detailed porte cochere was added to the west facade and extended to surround an historic oak tree (which still remains). The second story balcony on the front facade was enclosed with fixed sash windows. The roof profile was altered after the upper story was destroyed by fire in 1944. Added to the side-facing gabled roof over the front portion of the house was a cupola straddling the ridge line of the roof and two semi-circular dormers. In 1978 the front-facing gable which originally sat above the second story was restored in terms of dimensions but not details. A Palladian window was added within the gable. Despite its alterations, the house and its grounds retain sufficient integrity to convey importance as a rare representative of Altadena’s “gentleman farmer” era, before the 1920s growth of the city resulted in much smaller houses and lot sizes.
Crank House ( Fair Oaks Ranch) - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance: Situated on a one-and-a-half-acre wooded lot, the Crank Residence is a two-and-one-half-story Colonial Revival style residence with Queen Anne style elements. The current design of the wood framed building primarily reflects two periods: the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The Queen Anne style elements include a variety of cladding materials, and narrow, double-hung sash windows. Much of the interior remains from the original design of the building which was completed in 1882. Between 1906 and 1910 the building was remodeled in the Colonial Revival style. A sense of symmetry was established by re-orienting the main entrance to the center of the front porch and by adding twenty feet to the west elevation. Classically inspired elements such as Tuscan columns and pilasters, plain and denticulated friezes, and cris-crossing and stick balusters added to the new Colonial Revival character of the house. A fire in 1944, and subsequent rehabilitation projects, primarily resulted in some changes to the upper half story and roof, as well as the addition to the 1906 design of further Colonial Revival elements. The side-facing gable roof has overhanging boxed eaves with narrow, notched brackets along the soffit. The composition also features a large front-facing gabled bay centered on the south elevation, which is a restoration of a gable present prior to 1944. A Palladian window, not present originally, was added within the gable. Also added were two semi-circular dormers facing south, and a square cupola on the crest of the roofline. The approach to the property is from Layton Street, which runs into the west side of the property. From this point, the driveway curves to the north. At the southwest comer of the porch, the driveway forks so that one branch heads west and runs parallel to the facade while the other continues north, passing under the porte cochere as it leads toward the garage. The basically rectangular plan of the residence is interrupted by various projects, most notably a one story porte cochere on the west elevation. The general horizontal orientation of the house is established by the different wood material which clads each story. The first story is clad with horizontal tongue and groove siding and trimmed with plain end boards. Fish scale shingles clad the second story which is distinguished by flat Tuscan pilasters along the corners. The second story is further differentiated from the first and upper half-story by a plain frieze along the top and a gentle bellcast on the bottom which creates a shallow overhang. The gable ends and the cupola are sheathed in clapboard. The front (south) elevation is dominated by a projecting porch which begins just short of the west comer and wraps around the east corner. Tuscan columns support the denticulated entablature of the low-pitched hipped roof Beginning at the west, the columns are distributed in regular intervals in a 3-2-2-3- 1-3 pattern which thereby creates five bays. The first three bays to the west project slightly from the two to the east. The main entrance is located in the central bay up a short flight offered brick step. The remaining bays are defined by a low railing of cris-crossing wood boards. Narrow double-hung sash windows overlook the porch and are arranged irregularly with two pairs and a single west of the main door and a group of three to the east. The windows are trimmed with plain wood molding and flanked by narrow shutters. The second story of the south elevation is dominated by a central gabled bay which projects slightly from the face of the house. A group of three double-hung sash windows flanked by shutters covers the eastern third of the bay. A sleeping porch sits in front of the east two-thirds of the bay atop the roof of the porch below. It was enclosed around 1910 with pairs of fixed, wood sash windows with pivoting transoms. There is one pair on the side and two on the front of the sleeping porch, each of which is divided by a square Tuscan column. Below the continuous window sill, the sleeping porch is sheathed with clapboard. Atop the plain frieze and boxed cornice, the flat roof is surrounded by a railing of turned wood baluster. Centered on the face of the gable end is a Palladian-style window composed of a pair of French doors topped by an arched header. This window was added in more recent rehabilitation of the property. On the south half of the west elevation, a gabled end bay project from the main portion of the house. A brick chimney runs up the middle of this bay and continues through the roofline. Pairs of double-hung sash windows are located to each side of the chimney on the first and second stories. A porte cochere, two bays wide, projects from this bay. Tuscan columns, identical to those used on the front porch, resting on low concrete pedestals, support the structure. Columns are distributed in a 1-1-1 pattern along the house and in a 3-1-3 pattern through the middle and at the end of the structure. The entire structure appears to be covered with a flat roof surround by a cornice similar, but slightly less ornate than the one along the front porch. However, only the bay along the house functions as a porte cochere in that the driveway passes through and it is roofed. In contrast, the outer bay is open to the sky and has a tree growing through the middle. The remaining portion of the west elevation has no window openings on the first story, but two double-hung sash windows on the second story. The northwest comer of the second story is cut away and filled with a double-hung sash window. Two adjoining jig-sawn brackets support the corner. The east elevation is difficult to view as it sits very close to the property and is surrounded by mature bushes and trees. In the middle of the east elevation, a flat roofed bay project from the middle of the main portion of the house. The second story of the bay is occupied by an enclosed sleeping porch which is similar in detail to the one on the front elevation. The comers of the sleeping porch are supported by square Doric columns while the spaces in between are filled with three fixed sash windows topped by pivoting transoms. The top of the roof is surrounded by a railing of turned wood balusters and stickwork, and is used as a terrace for the upper half-story. Due to nearby mature foliage, the rear elevation is also difficult to view. It appears as though, unlike the other elevations, most of the fenestration is comprised of casement type windows trimmed with plain wood molding. The door to the backyard is glazed in the upper half and topped by a semi-circular, cast plaster medallion set in beaded wood molding. Adjacent to the door is a pair of wood casement windows. A semi-circular, fixed, stained-glass window is centered above a bank of wood sash windows east of the door. The second story is distinguished by two balconies supported by simple wood brackets. The balconies are comprised of a pair of multi-paned French doors which open on to a shallow space surrounded by simple stickwork railings. As previously stated, the roof profile is not original, but highly compatible with the character of the house. Atop the original Colonial Revival side-facing gabled roof, the house is crowned by a square, two-tiered cupola which sits on the crest of the roofline. The first tier, or base, of the cupola is clad with tongue and groove siding with square Tuscan pilasters at the comers. A turned wood balustrade surrounds the top of the base. The second tier is set back from the base and is also clad with tongue and groove siding with square Doric pilasters on the corners. A turned wood balustrade surrounds the top of the base. The second tier is set back from the base and is also clad with tongue and groove siding with square Doric pilasters on the comers. Each side of the second tier has a rectangular opening flanked by wood shutters. A hipped roof sits atop a plain frieze and boxed comic. The cupola and balustrade were added in more recent times. Much of the historic interior in the first two stories of the house remains intact including oak floors, crown molding, paneled doors, French doors, wainscoting, fireplaces, and built-in cabinets. The Fair Oaks property historically included many outbuildings, all of which are still extant in the surrounding neighborhood but are no longer a part of this property. These include a bam, caretaker’s cottage in close proximity to the main residence, may be from an earlier period. The garage and the chauffeur’s residence retain a high degree of integrity. The only building remaining within the current boundaries of the property is the garage, located west of the house, which dates to approximately 1906. While the area during this period was still fairly rural, with few unimproved roads, most families of means kept both horses and automobiles for transportation purposes. The garage is a low-slung, horizontally-oriented structure framed in wood and covered by a low-pitched, gabled roof it with composition shingle. The ridgeline of the roof runs parallel to the garage’s main facade, and a gabled vent dormer punctuates the center of the roof Exposed rafter tails and plain verge boards also characterize the roof The exterior is clad in horizontal wood siding similar to that which clads the first story of the main residence. The garage is three bays wide, with each bay accessed through a sliding door of narrow, vertical, wood members cross-braced with larger members. Secondary facades of the garage are fenestrated with double-hung, single-pane, wood sash windows. Constructed in 1882, the Crank Residence is one ofthe oldest houses in Altadena. Originally designed in the Queen Anne style, the residence was remodeled about 1906 as a Colonial Revival style mansion. Many ofthe original Queen Anne elements survive, including cladding materials and narrow sash windows. Also surviving from that time are the very impressive interior elements. The residence was built as the house of a businessman who migrated to California and set himself up as a “gentleman farmer”, and such people defined the early history of Pasadena and Altadena. The residence continues to be set among extensive grounds with mature foliage and stands as a landmark within a neighborhood of small, one-story 1920s-1940s houses set on small lots. The Crank Residence is significant under National Register criterion A for its association with Altadena’s early development, and as one of the few remaining examples of turn-of-the-century residential construction of such substantial scale and quality extant in Altadena. In its scale, grandeur and siting on a large landscaped lot with much mature foliage, the Crank Residence is one of only two remaining properties that can be linked to Altadena’s “gentleman farmer” phenomenon of the 1880s. Because it retains much of its historic setting from that time, the Crank Residence appears unique within Altadena. The Crank Residence stands on the first parcel of land to be carved out of the vast San Pasqual Ranch which included most of what is now Pasadena. The parcel was first owned by Eliza Johnston who purchased it in 1862. The parcel extended over a territory now bounded by New York Drive, Washington Street, Allen Avenue, and Altadena Drive. Johnston named it the Fair Oaks Ranch after her childhood home in Virginia. The residence she commissioned was completed in the spring of 1863. In 1876, James Fillmore Crank purchased the property, which included approximately 250 acres, from Benjamin Eaton who had taken title in 1865. Crank, who was originally from New York where he had made a considerable fortune in manufacturing, had just moved to the area from Colorado Springs with his wife, Mary Agnes Brigden Crank. The existing house on the property apparently proved to be too small and modest for his family. In 1882, a two-and-a-half story Queen Anne style residence was erected on the site. The original house was moved to a site near the northern boundary of the property and is now identified as 2072 Oakwood. The house still stands at this location and has the distinction of being the oldest frame house in the San Gabriel Valley. The new residence was 6,000 square feet and included fourteen rooms, six fireplaces, and three baths upstairs and two downstairs. San Francisco architect William Curlett is credited with designing the house; however, no reliable primary sources verity it as fact. Crank quickly established himself as one of the leading figures in the economic development of Pasadena. He is not only credited with introducing the navel orange to Los Angeles County, but is widely regarded as the prime mover in building the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad, the first railroad ever brought into Pasadena. Despite the loss of financial backers and the objections of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the first train rolled into Pasadena in 1885. Unfortunately, the fortune Crank invested in the railroad was never recovered. The railroad was sold to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1887. Crank also lost his beloved ranch which was subdivided under the name Fair Oaks Park in 1910. The precise date Crank lost possession of the house is less clear. It appears as though he and his wife moved out of the house in 1898, after which time a bank took control of the property. A sales brochure from 1904 indicates that the house and forty acres were sold shortly thereafter. The house was probably remodeled in 1906 as records indicate that several improvements were made including new electrical and heating systems. County Tax Assessor records indicate that the property may have been owned by Laurence B. Burck from 1914 through 1920 and by John F. Powers from 1921 through 1923. Mr. And Mrs. John McKnight Storrow lived in the house from 1924 through 1945. After it was damaged by fire it was sold to William C. Ruge, an engineer at the jet propulsion laboratory of the California Institute of Technology. Between 1947 and 1949, Ruge and his family restored the house. After a brief period, 1860 through 1880, when it was subdivided into large ranches which were planted with citrus, olives, and grapes, Altadena became primarily a residential community for the retired and those who worked in Pasadena. Consequently, most of the historic resources in Altadena are residential buildings. The residential development of Altadena began in the 1860s with the construction of wood frame farm and ranch houses scattered throughout the area. The area continued to be sparsely settled until the boom of the 1880s. However, outlying areas continued to be used for agricultural purposes until the 1930s and 40s. Constructed in 1862 on the Fair Oaks Ranch, Eliza Johnston’s house at 2072 Oakwood Street is the oldest extant frame residence in Altadena, if not the San Gabriel Valley. As the population of the area began to mushroom in the 1880s, larger homes were constructed by gentleman farmers and prominent businessmen. In addition to the Crank Residence, there is only one important example of such houses remaining: the Woodbury house, at 2606 Madison Avenue, erected in 1882 in the Italianate style. The Woodbury house, listed in the National Register, is hemmed in by the surrounding subdivision and retains very little land around it. The Crank Residence, however, retains much greater integrity of setting. When the Crank Residence was remodeled at the turn of the century, numerous Queen Anne elements were retained, including the fish scale shingles on the second story, and original double-hung sash windows throughout, resulting in a blend of the two styles. The most important features to be changed were the south (front) and west facades, detailing, and later the roof profile. The asymmetrical massing of the house became more balanced with a twenty-foot addition to the west facade. The front porch was the other major Queen Anne style feature which was changed. A similarly detailed porte cochere was added to the west facade and extended to surround an historic oak tree (which still remains). The second story balcony on the front facade was enclosed with fixed sash windows. The roof profile was altered after the upper story was destroyed by fire in 1944. Added to the side-facing gabled roof over the front portion of the house was a cupola straddling the ridge line of the roof and two semi-circular dormers. In 1978 the front-facing gable which originally sat above the second story was restored in terms of dimensions but not details. A Palladian window was added within the gable. Despite its alterations, the house and its grounds retain sufficient integrity to convey importance as a rare representative of Altadena’s “gentleman farmer” era, before the 1920s growth of the city resulted in much smaller houses and lot sizes.
Jul 23, 1997
Posted Date
Mar 15, 2022
Historical Record Date
Jul 23, 1997
Source Name
United States Department of Interior - National Park Service
