Dec 14, 1978
Ernest A. Batchelder House - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance: Ernest A. Batchelder was born in Nashua, New Hampshire (1875), and was educated at the Boston Normal School (grad. 1899) and at the Birmingham (England) School of Arts and Crafts. Under the Influence of Professor Denman W. Ross of Harvard, he wrote two books—The Principles of Design (1904) and Design in Theory and Practice (1910). The former book, first published as articles in The Inland Architect, seems to have attracted the attention of The Throop Polytechnic Institute (now The California Institute of Technology) in Pasadena. He was engaged as head of the design department in 1904 where he taught theory and practice until 1909 when, as he saw Throop moving more and more to the sciences and engineering, he decided to set up a school of arts and crafts on property he had bought on the Arroyo Seco. In 1909 he built a shed to house his school and also his kilns. By 1910 he was turning out ornamental tile of great quality. For instance, Charles and Henry Greene used it extensively in their Cordelia Culbertson House (1911). Shortly after beginning work in his kiln house (he called it "The Birthplace"), he got a permit to build a house on the front of the property. The work seems to have progressed slowly. In 1913 he married Alice Coleman whose logo appears on the fireplace. By this time the house seems to have reached its present configuration, though a number of additions were made through the years. The style of the house has affinities to the Swiss Chalet and certain oriental forms. As recognized in The Craftsman (July, 1916), its woodsy exterior was Intended to harmonize with the natural beauty of the Arroyo Seco. The famous houses of Charles and Henry Greene are elaborate examples of this style, but whatever their extraordinary merit, they are the work of architects and not clients. The Batchelder House, like many others near it, was designed and built by the original owner with the cooperation of carpenters and other artisans. It is, moreover, a very personal house which, with the addition of garden ornament and the guest house, is a museum of the ideas and works of its builder. It reflects Ernest's taste but also that of his wife, Alice. She was the founder of the Coleman Chamber Music concerts which along with the Pasadena Playhouse (of which Ernest was president for twenty years) were cultural monuments for Pasadena. The back yard has a stage, designed by Ernest in beautiful tiles, where Alice presented Informal concerts under a large oak tree. The house and gardens reflect a style of life which was unique to Pasadena in the early twentieth century.
Ernest A. Batchelder House - National Register of Historic Places
Statement of Significance: Ernest A. Batchelder was born in Nashua, New Hampshire (1875), and was educated at the Boston Normal School (grad. 1899) and at the Birmingham (England) School of Arts and Crafts. Under the Influence of Professor Denman W. Ross of Harvard, he wrote two books—The Principles of Design (1904) and Design in Theory and Practice (1910). The former book, first published as articles in The Inland Architect, seems to have attracted the attention of The Throop Polytechnic Institute (now The California Institute of Technology) in Pasadena. He was engaged as head of the design department in 1904 where he taught theory and practice until 1909 when, as he saw Throop moving more and more to the sciences and engineering, he decided to set up a school of arts and crafts on property he had bought on the Arroyo Seco. In 1909 he built a shed to house his school and also his kilns. By 1910 he was turning out ornamental tile of great quality. For instance, Charles and Henry Greene used it extensively in their Cordelia Culbertson House (1911). Shortly after beginning work in his kiln house (he called it "The Birthplace"), he got a permit to build a house on the front of the property. The work seems to have progressed slowly. In 1913 he married Alice Coleman whose logo appears on the fireplace. By this time the house seems to have reached its present configuration, though a number of additions were made through the years. The style of the house has affinities to the Swiss Chalet and certain oriental forms. As recognized in The Craftsman (July, 1916), its woodsy exterior was Intended to harmonize with the natural beauty of the Arroyo Seco. The famous houses of Charles and Henry Greene are elaborate examples of this style, but whatever their extraordinary merit, they are the work of architects and not clients. The Batchelder House, like many others near it, was designed and built by the original owner with the cooperation of carpenters and other artisans. It is, moreover, a very personal house which, with the addition of garden ornament and the guest house, is a museum of the ideas and works of its builder. It reflects Ernest's taste but also that of his wife, Alice. She was the founder of the Coleman Chamber Music concerts which along with the Pasadena Playhouse (of which Ernest was president for twenty years) were cultural monuments for Pasadena. The back yard has a stage, designed by Ernest in beautiful tiles, where Alice presented Informal concerts under a large oak tree. The house and gardens reflect a style of life which was unique to Pasadena in the early twentieth century.
Dec 14, 1978
Posted Date
Mar 14, 2022
Historical Record Date
Dec 14, 1978
Source Name
United States Department of Interior - National Park Service
