315 Palisades Avenue Santa Monica, California City Landmark Assessment Report

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1 Santa Monica, California Prepared for: City of Santa Monica Planning Division Prepared by: PCR Services Corporation Santa Monica, California November 2007

2 Santa Monica, California BACKGROUND INFORMATION Environmental Setting The subject property, the A.W. McPhearson House, is located on the north side of Palisades Avenue between 4th Street to the east and Ocean Avenue to the west. The legal description of the subject property is Block C, Lot 39, in the Palisades Tract. The residence is oriented to the south facing Palisades Avenue and is situated towards the south end of the lot. There is an alley to the north, single-family houses on the east and west sides, and Palisades Avenue to the south. The Spanish Colonial Revival residence is located in a largely single-family residential neighborhood. However, there are some multi-family properties in the area, mostly along Ocean Avenue. The building footprint is U-shaped and is oriented longitudinally from east to west with a small north wing at the east end, and a small south wing at the west end of the building. Regulatory Setting The large, two-story Spanish Colonial Revival single-family residence, known as the A.W. McPhearson House, was originally identified in the City s Historic Resources Inventory in 1983 during Phase 1 of the City s Historic Resources Survey. The subject property was determined to be a contributor to a potential historic district called the Palisades Tract Historic District, and was given a California Historical Resource (CHR) status code of 5D1, which is defined as a contributor to a district that is eligible for local listing or designation. The potential district includes the blocks of Georgina Avenue, plus small portions of 4th Street, 7th Street, Ocean Avenue, Marguerita Avenue, and Palisades Avenue. In addition, the Historic Resources Inventory Update: North of Montana Survey Area (2002) confirmed the property s status as a contributor to a potential historic district. According to the significance evaluation in the 1983 survey, the residence was described as having harmonious proportions and careful detailing, and that it contributes in terms of its age, style, and scale to the Palisades Tract district. 1 According to the original survey forms recorded in 1983, the proposed Palisades Tract Historic District includes 126 properties. Four of these properties were determined eligible for the National Register and 10 were determined eligible for listing as a local landmark. All 126 properties were listed in the City s Historic Resources Inventory as contributors to the potential district. Contributing properties to the proposed Palisades Tract Historic are predominantly one- and two-story single-family residential buildings. Architectural styles in the neighborhood include Craftsman and period revivals. The 1 Historic Resources Inventory Survey Form, page 2

3 neighborhood is characterized by its wide tree-lined streets and its large lots. The street facing facades are united by their common setbacks. This unity was made possible by alleys, which bisect each block and provide access to rear garages. A high degree of integrity characterizes the contributing buildings in the district. Architectural Description The subject property is a substantially altered example of what was originally a one-story "Hacienda-style" Spanish Colonial Revival residence constructed with wood stud-walls finished in stucco. 2 The existing two-story residence has a cross-gable redclay barrel tile mission roof with wide overhanging eaves on the ground floor. The ground floor is primarily side gabled except for the street-facing west bay which has a front gable roof, and the northeast addition which has a flat roof with a parapet. The west-bay of the second story addition is a high rounded attached tower. On the east bay of the second-story addition, the architecture is similar in form to the original groundfloor design, with a front gable roof considerably larger in scale than the original onestory gable. On the primary street-facing elevation, the soffit of the roof has decorative exposed wood framing and wood sheathing, while the eaves fascia is barrel mission tile. The wall surfaces are stucco with a white paint finish. There is a decorative red-clay tile vent on the west bay wall surface above the window. The original apertures on the ground floor of the primary (south) elevation appear to have a consistent large scale, which allows for a high degree of interaction between the outside spaces and interior of the residence. The ground floor windows appear to be casements that are fit between a wide sill and thick ornamental lintel composed of a thin wood board attached to the surface of the house. In the original survey forms, the reviewer interpreted the presence of the thick lintel to be evidence of adobe construction. 3 Based on the original City of Santa Monica building permits, which describe the load-bearing walls of the residence as being made with two inch by four inch wood studs finished with stucco combined with the presence of the faux lintels, it appears that the walls are not adobe construction. This is corroborated by the physical evidence. The primary street-facing entrance has an arched decorative archivolt with a wood paneled door. The paved walkway to the front door is red-clay tile with decorative green-patterned tile on the riser of the single stair. A small exterior patio on the east side of the primary (south) elevation also has red-clay tile pavers surrounded by a stucco covered knee-wall. There are similar green-patterned tiles on the vertical face of a small knee-wall. The materials on the second-story addition on the primary (south) elevation appear to be stucco over wood stud-walls. The ground floor of the east and west elevations have some original windows. However, the rear (north) elevation does not appear to have any original fabric. Most noticeably, the rear courtyard, which is a signature feature of the Hacienda-style, was enclosed during a later remodel of the ground floor. The two-story addition in the rear 2 3 City of Santa Monica Building Permit for. Historic Resources Inventory Survey Form, page 3

4 was constructed over the original building, and added substantially to the footprint of the building on the northeast side of the original plan. The design of the rear addition incorporated both the ornamental wood lintels and the red-clay tile air vents similar to the original building. The original garage (demolished) was on the northwest corner of the property, where a pool is located now. A guest house and garage was later constructed on the northeast corner of the property. Historical Background The significance of the subject property at was evaluated against two applicable associated historic contexts: The potential connection of the residence to the career of Santa Monica architect and builder, John Byers; and Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture in the Palisades Tract in the City of Santa Monica. John Byers John Byers was a self-trained architect and builder who worked primarily in the City of Santa Monica. The one-time French and Spanish teacher at Santa Monica High School was one of the most prominent designer of the Spanish Colonial Revival during the 1920s and 1930s in Santa Monica. According to Robert Winter and David Gebhard in their Los Angeles: An Architectural Guide, "though Byers was self-trained as an architect, he early developed an interest in and sensitivity to the Hispanic architecture tradition. His adobe, Spanish, English, French Norman, and American Colonial designs set an example which others followed to good effect, making northern Santa Monica an architectural monument of traditional images of the twenties and thirties." 4 In the City s Historic Resources Survey conducted in 1986, it was determined that six of his existing residences collectively comprised the "Byers Thematic Listing." 5 The six buildings that make up the thematic grouping are Spanish Colonial Revival and Norman Revival. His Spanish Colonial revival residences were either wood stud-framing covered in stucco, or adobe wall construction. Like many of the adherents of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, Byers use of adobe as a building material symbolizes his interest in reflecting a certain quality of authenticity in his revival of the style. For Spanish Colonial Revival architects, the style represented the mythic bucolic past of early Spanish California. Many of his residential designs were one-story Hacienda-style dwellings, much like the homes of the early Californios. It is unclear if Santa Monica's Spanish Colonial Revival architects formed professional or academic relationships. Based on similarities in their architecture, it appears that advocates like Byers and Frank Bivens were aware of each other s work and were most likely at least colleagues. Although no historical documents have provided conclusive evidence, many of the local builders who designed and constructed most of the Spanish Colonial Revival residences in Santa Monica may have learned the style by working with designers like Byers and Bivens. The A.W. McPhearson House was 4 David Gebhard, and Robert Winter, Los Angeles: An Architectural Guidebook, (Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2003) Byers Thematic Grouping Survey Forms, page 4

5 constructed by general contractors, the Ostrandes Brothers. It appears that the Ostrandes brothers are credited with only one residence on the north side of Santa Monica, the A.W. McPhearson House. No examples of their work were found in other areas of Santa Monica. Based on City of Santa Monica city directory research, the Ostrandes Brothers were Earl and Ralph Ostrandes who lived at 1224 and 1224 Fifteenth Street in the City of Santa Monica. In the city directories from 1915 through the 1930s, Earl and Ralph were listed only in the and volumes. In the volume Earl Ostrander is listed as being a "building contractor," and in the volume Earl Ostrander is listed as being a "draftsman" and Ralph Ostrander is listed as a "carpenter." 6 Neither Earl Ostrander or Ralph Ostrander or their business entity, Ostrander Brothers, appears in the Historical Los Angeles Times Index. Therefore, it appears that the Ostrandes Brothers were only in Santa Monica for a brief period of time. Because of the high quality design and construction of the original sections of the A.W. McPhearson House, it appears that the Ostrandes Brothers learned about Spanish Colonial Revival, Hacienda architecture from either working for another builder such as Byers or Bivens, or as general contractors outside of Santa Monica. Therefore, although the original A.W. McPhearson House does resemble the Hacienda architecture of John Byers, no conclusive evidence was found that connected the Ostrandes Brothers to Byers. Spanish Colonial Revival in the Palisades Tract The A.W. McPhearson House is a substantially altered example of the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style. The period revival styles grew in popularity just after World War I, and were patterned after buildings of earlier stylistic periods associated with America and abroad. Throughout the Southwest, the most common style was the Spanish Colonial Revival. Inspired by the Panama California Exposition of 1915 hosted by the City of San Diego, many architects found Southern California the ideal setting for this architectural type. Numerous publications argued in favor of this style for the Mediterranean environment of California, including W. Sexton's Spanish Influence on American Architecture and Decoration (1926) and Rexford Newcomb's The Spanish House for America Its Design, Furnishing, and Garden (1927). Typical characterdefining features of this style include asymmetrical facades, courtyards, verandas, red clay tile roofs, stuccoed walls, wood framed windows with prominent lintels and sills, arched doorways, wrought-iron window grilles, canales, projecting vigas, decorative carvings, and mosaic tile. Because most of the original Spanish Colonial and Mexican California homes of the early to mid-nineteenth century were single-story residences with a courtyards and verandas, the Hacienda style Spanish Colonial Revival residences were meant to convey a sense of architectural authenticity. The original Palisades Tract neighborhood includes many extant examples of early twentieth-century architecture, primarily dating from the years 1906 to Opened as a tract in 1905, it was laid out with broad, tree-lined streets that open onto Ocean Avenue and the Palisades bluffs to the west, while the eastern border of the original tract ended at Seventh Street (the tract was extended further inland in 1912 and 6 City of Santa Monica Cross Referenced Directories. page 5

6 1913). Fourth Street with its landscaped median bisects the district and serves as the primary north-south circulation through the original Palisades Tract. In the middle of the 600 block of Palisades Avenue, a circular park forms an island in the development. It appears to have been intended by the developer to be one of a series of such spaces, although it is the only one that was realized. Shortly after the tract was opened, the area in which it was located, stretching from Montana to Adelaide, was annexed by the City of Santa Monica. Several prominent members of the community, as well as residents of Los Angeles and Pasadena in search of a seaside summer home, commissioned residences in the Palisades. During the first fifteen years of development homes were built in the Craftsman mode. The more intense period of construction in the twenties yielded numerous Spanish Colonial Revival homes, most of which were intended for year-round occupation. A.W. McPherson House The A.W. McPhearson House at was designed and constructed in 1924 for A.W. McPhearson by general contractor, Ostrandes Brothers. Ownership of the residence remained in the McPhearson family from the time of its construction until at least the 1950s. On the Sanborn maps, the original building footprint is shown with the garage in the rear, which was probably accessible from the alley. On May 21st, 1924, a building permit application for 315 Palisades Avenue was filed with the City of Santa Monica. A.W. McPhearson was described as the owner of the lot with both the general contractor and architect listed as the Ostrandes Brothers. The value of the proposed building was assessed at $9,000. Later alterations and additions include interior remodeling, filling in of the rear courtyard and veranda, and the addition of a second story which occurred over two phases. The first phase of the second story addition began in 1981 and the second phase began in Also, a new garage was constructed in the early 1990s. It appears that the A.W. McPhearson House was originally a good example of a Hacienda style Spanish Colonial Revival home. The small one-story house had a slender U-shaped plan that created a rear courtyard. It appears that the scale and materials of the subject residence represented the designer s intention to make an authentic hacienda that reminded one of the Spanish and Mexican era in California. Unfortunately, the building has undergone several additions and remodels over the years that seriously detract from the integrity and significance of the residence. Most of the negative impacts to the building are related to the second-story addition, which projects above the original residence and is clearly visible from the street. The west-bay of the second story addition is a high rounded tower that appears to be contrary and incompatible in design to the clearly orthogonal geometry of the original Hacienda design. The Hacienda style was originally characterized by simple geometric planes the use of verandas opening to the landscape, and courtyards. On the east bay of the second-story addition, the architecture is similar in form to the original ground-floor design. However, the front-gable vent dormer on top of the side-gable roof breaks the horizontality of the long side of the original L-shape design. Furthermore, it appears that the architectural detailing and window design of the second-story addition were intended to replicate some of the page 6

7 decorative details and apertures of the ground floor. Although the stucco walls, the redclay barrel tile roofs, and the exterior finishes are all compatible materials on the addition, the massing, forms, and scale of the second-story addition, appears incompatible with the original design ideas of the one-story building. Also, use of similar architectural detailing on the two-story addition in order to mimic the original design, creates a false sense of history. Because the building was designed as a one-story Hacienda style residence, the second-story addition rising above the original ground-floor detracts substantially from the integrity of the original design. CONCLUSION In summary, based on current research and the above assessment, the subject residence at, does not appear to meet any of the City of Santa Monica Landmark criteria. The property was evaluated according to statutory criteria as follows: Landmark Criteria: (a)(1) It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history of the City. The original portion of the subject residence at is a good example of the one-story Hacienda type. The residence symbolizes the intention of some Spanish Colonial Revival architects to create an authentic architecture of the Spanish and Mexican period in California. Unfortunately, the building has been altered to such a degree that the architecture of the original design has been significantly compromised. Specifically, the second-story addition, the filling in of the courtyard, the incompatible tower, the incompatible dormer, and the false sense of history engendered by mimicry of the architectural detailing makes the subject residence not eligible under this criterion (a)(2) It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value. The residence does not appear to meet this criterion (a)(3) It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state or national history. A.W. McPhearson was a manager of the Edison Company. Although he was a prominent member of his community his career does not rise to the threshold of importance to be eligible under this criterion. Therefore, the subject residence fails to meet the requirements for eligibility under this criterion (a)(4) It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a period, style, method of construction, or the use of indigenous materials or page 7

8 craftsmanship, or is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type valuable to such a study. The original portion of the subject residence at was a good example of the one-story Hacienda type prior to the construction of the additions. The subject residence was altered by an incompatible addition and remodeling. The alterations detract from the integrity and significance of the residence and obscure the architecture of the original Hacienda design. Specifically, the secondstory addition, the filling in of the courtyard, the incompatible tower, the incompatible dormer, and the false sense of history engendered by the architectural detailing makes the subject residence not eligible under this criterion (a)(5) It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer or architect. The A.W. McPhearson House was constructed by general contractors, the Ostrandes Brothers. It appears that the Ostrandes brothers are credited with only one residence on the north side of Santa Monica, the A.W. McPhearson House. They worked and lived in Santa Monica for a short period of time ( ). Because of the high quality design and construction of the original portions of the A.W. McPhearson House, it appears that the Ostrandes Brothers learned about Spanish Colonial Revival architecture either working for another builder or as general contractors outside of Santa Monica. Therefore, although the original A.W. McPhearson House does resemble the Hacienda architecture of John Byers, no conclusive evidence was found that directly connected the Ostrandes Brothers to Byers. Furthermore, no archival evidence was found that could elevate the Ostrandes Brothers to the level of master builders (a)(6) It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City. The residence does not appear to meet this criterion. page 8

9 BIBLIOGRAPHY Los Angeles Times Santa Monica Mirror The Evening Outlook. California Historical Resource Status Codes. Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory Final Report. Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory Phase 3 Final Report. Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory Update, September City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory, Phases 1 and 2 and City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory (Merged Inventories as of December 2003), and, Parkinson Field Associates, Historic Resources Inventory Update, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, City of Santa Monica. Klein, Jake. Santa Monica Then and Now, Layton: Gibbs Smith Publisher, Historic Resources Inventory Survey Form, Gebhard, David, and Winter, Robert. Los Angeles: An Architectural Guidebook, Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publisher, Byers Thematic Grouping Survey Forms, City of Santa Monica Cross Referenced Directories. page 9

10 ATTACHMENTS Aerial Photograph Sanborn Maps Tax Assessor Map Current Photographs

11 Scale 1:460 City of Santa Monica GIS Printed: Nov 20, :21:47 AM

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15 Primary (South) Elevation, View North Rear (North) Elevation, View Southeast page 16

16 Front Door with Decorative Door Surround Exposed Roof Framing, Ground Floor page 17

17 Window, Red-Clay Barrel Tile Roof, and Decorative Vent Ornamental Lintel Board page 18

18 Enclosed Rear Courtyard Enclosed Rear Courtyard page 19

19 Second Story Addition Linear Plan of Original Ground Floor page 20