675 N El Molino Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101, USA

Newcomb House ( Melsek House) - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance

The Newcomb House is a "rare example of a late, mature development in the craftsman bungalow style...as well as being a stand-out example of the 'airplane' style craftsman bungalow, never numerous and now relatively rare."

The bungalow was a popular architectural style in Southern California and developed in Pasadena primarily during the years 1901-1920. It was a style well-suited to the warm climate. Emphasis was on harmony with nature, and floorplans were often irregular in order to better embrace the landscape. The buttressing of walls and columns gave an organic feel to a structure as if it grew on the site. Natural building materials were used extensively, such as wooden shingles for siding and cobblestones from the nearby arroyo creek bed for foundations. As the bungalow style matured, it became a form further characterized by its horizontality and informality. Horizontality was achieved through low-pitched, broad gables with extending eaves. Informality and outdoor living were achieved through the use of large porches, the multiplicity of doors and windows, and open spaces in the interior. These typical and mature bungalow features are well exemplified in the Newcomb House.

The Newcomb House, so known for its original owner and builder. Dr. R. H. Newcomb, also exhibits typical craftsman features. The Arts and Crafts movement was strong in Pasadena and was closely associated with the bungalow and its development. In fact, the craftsman bungalow is a recognized style in Pasadena. In architecture, the craftsman movement made popular the extensive use of wood and the exposure and enhancement of structural forms, such as rafter tails. Craftsmanship was usually emphasized in exterior construction, particularly in and around porches. Detailed craftsmanship was carried through to the interior with such features as beamed ceilings and almost always with some built-in furniture. The epitome of the movement can be found in homes designed by Charles and Henry Greene. Few homes attained the high art of the Greenes, but the brothers popularized oriental motifs and the use of clinker bricks—two features found in the Newcomb House.

The airplane bungalow is a somewhat rare tangent of the craftsman movement. Those eccentricities which distinguish this particular style were derived from a new machine of the time, the airplane. The Newcomb House obviously belongs to the craftsman genre with its craftsmanship and attention to detail, but it is also a classic example of an airplane bungalow. The second story is smaller than the first and merges into the roof of the first story emphasizing the low horizontality of the structure. When viewed from the eastern second story window, the broad wing-like expanse of the first story roof is waist level and produces the effect of being in a cockpit. The most obvious airplane design feature in the Newcomb House is the intricate strut and fretwork in the gables of the porch roof. This design is reminiscent of the struts and frets of a biplane.

"Although the structure has more than minor significance alone, its relationship to the neighborhood is of great importance." The neighborhood in which the Newcomb House is situated has structures dating back to the late 1800's and the beginnings of development in Pasadena. There are also numerous earlier examples of some of the many variations of the popular bungalow theme tracing the development of the bungalow in Pasadena. Built in 1914, the Newcomb House is one of the later houses on the block and it is a culmination of earlier development of the bungalow. "The dwelling is particularly well suited for its prominent corner location. It is sited in a graceful, but dominant manner so as to create a focal point for the surrounding neighborhood. Well related to its background neighborhood and sited to fit the corner, the house sums up the district and the mature bungalow style."

The Newcomb House situated in one of Pasadena's oldest neighborhoods and on display from its prominent location, deserves recognition as a fine example of an intact craftsman bungalow and especially for its rarity as an "airplane" style bungalow.