Transcription

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11 HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL EVALUATION OF TWO BUILDINGS ON THE PROPERTY AT 122 LAKEVIEW DRIVE WOODSIDE, SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared At the Request of: Harry Chung Cohesive Lake LLC 250 Cambridge Ave Suite 101 Palo Alto, CA Prepared by: Bonnie Bamburg Urban Programmers Ridgeview Ave. San Jose, CA Date: October 24, 2013 ATTACHMENT 5

12 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Page Table of Contents Executive Summary Report Preparation Introduction Historic Context- Town of Woodside Description of the Historic Resource General Setting Buildings and Landscaping Ralph K. Davies House Anshen + Allen Architects Lucien Labaout, Artist Thomas Church, Landscape Architect Photographs Evaluation of Significance Historical Context Evaluation National Register of Historic Places Evaluation California Register of Historical Resources Consideration- Town of Woodside General Plan CEQA Review Recommendations Sources Consulted Repositories Published and Unpublished Works 42 FIGURES, MAPS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS (inserted within the report) Figure 1 Vicinity Map Figure 2 Assessor s Map Photographs - Existing Buildings 2 P age

13 Figure #1: Vicinity Map Source: Google Earth Pro 3 P age

14 Figure #2: San Mateo County Assessor s Map (APN# ) 122 Lakeview Drive Woodside CA 4 P age

15 1. 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Town of Woodside requested that the owners of the property at 122 Lakeview Drive in Woodside have a historical and architectural evaluation report prepared for the Ralph K. Davies House on their property. The building is over 50 years old and therefore it is necessary to evaluate the property to determine if it is significant to the history of Woodside, the State, or the Nation. This independent evaluation of the history and architecture of the buildings on the parcel will provide the Town with information from which it may evaluate the future requests regarding this property according to the CEQA Guidelines and historic preservation policies of Woodside. The following report describes the research into the historic associations, architecture, and construction methods and materials of the property and buildings. The report and its conclusions pertain to the Ralph K. Davies House, swimming pool area, stables, and associated landscape plan. Research was conducted in the repositories of the San Mateo County Historical Museum, President Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, the Environmental Design Library at University of California Berkeley (Bay Area Architects files), the United States Census, San Mateo County Building Permit Files, County Assessor s Records, and Official Records maintained by the Town of Woodside. Site visits and photographs were also used to prepare the report and evaluation. Based upon the research and site visits, we conclude that the R.K. Davies House is a significant building eligible for the California Register of Historic Resources and the National Register of Historic Places. It also meets the following criteria, as set out in the Woodside General Plan, as the work of Master Architects, a work of extremely artistic design, and as a design that initiated the Bay Region architectural style. It is, of course, also associated with Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies who were important to business and philanthropy of the Bay Area. In 1941 the partnership of Bob Anshen and Steve Allen designed an artistically innovative house for R.K. Davies, a wealthy San Francisco businessman. Together with a stable, swimming pool, and greenhouse, the complex was constructed on land that had been subdivided as Woodside Heights San Mateo County California, and recorded on November 14, 1925 in the Official Records of San Mateo County, California. At the time of subdivision, the owner of the property appears to have been Atholl McBean, a successful businessman from San Francisco who invested in the land for an orchard. The subsequent land owner, Leonard C. Hammond, did not live on the property. Hammond sold it to Ralph K. Davies, after only about a year, in The house designed by Anshen and Allen was pivotal in the nascent residential design style that incepted the Bay Region Style. As an individual work it is one of, if not the, finest modern design on the Peninsula. The house is historically significant as the western office of Ralph. K. Davies while he served as the Deputy Petroleum Administrator for War , and as the place where the origins of American Independent Oil Companies were conceived. After his death, the home served as the office of Louise M. Davies who was known for her generous and extensive philanthropy. 5 P age

16 1. 2. REPORT PREPARATION The report was prepared by Urban Programmers and compiled by Bonnie Bamburg. Ms. Bamburg has over 35 years of experience preparing historic surveys and evaluation reports for cities, counties, and the federal government. She has prepared numerous National Register Nominations for individual sites and historic districts. Additionally, she has advised owners and architects on compliance with the Secretary of the Interior s Standards for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings and has prepared Certifications for historic properties in several states. She is a lecturer in historic preservation, a former instructor in Historic Preservation at SJSU, and a former San Jose Historical Landmark Commissioner ( ). Ms. Bamburg is an advisor to Preservation Action Council San Jose and a board member of the Western Region of Preservation Technology and History San Jose. Ms. Bamburg works with an experienced team of professionals. Linda Larson-Boston, B.A., has 17 years of experience as a researcher and is a published author of local history. Her clients include architects, attorneys, and land owners. She is a former San Jose Historical Landmarks Commissioner, a member of the Institute for Historical Study, and has served on the Board of Directors for Preservation Action Council of San Jose. William Zavlaris, B.A, MUP, received his education in art and architectural history at UCB and received his Masters Degree in Urban Planning from San Jose State University. Mr. Zavlaris has 28 years of experience evaluating architecture for local historical surveys and National Register Nominations for both private clients and government agencies. MBA Architects review existing conditions for buildings. Marvin Bamburg, AIA, has over 35 years of experience in historic preservation architecture for residential and commercial properties He is certified by the Office of Historic Preservation for historic architecture. Because of the extremely important nature of this building, Michael Pinkston AIA, former Director of Design Study for the California State Colleges in Florence Italy, also visited the site and consulted on this report. The preparation of the report followed standard methodology for research and site investigation. The information contained in the report was derived from a combination of interviews conducted with people knowledgeable about certain aspects of the property, city directories, historic maps, public records, and special collection materials at local repositories. The internet was used as a repository for research when applicable. Research was conducted in the repositories of the San Mateo County Historical Museum, the Environmental Design Library, University of California Berkeley (Bay Area Architects files), President Harry S. Truman Presidential Library (telephone and ), Bancroft Library University of California, United States Census, San Mateo County Building Permit Files, County Assessor s Records and Official Records, and building permit files maintained by the Town of Woodside. Site visits and photographs were also used for the report and evaluation. 6 P age

17 2. 1. INTRODUCTION The following report provides a brief historical background of the Town of Woodside to set the context for history of the Ralph. K. and Louise M. Davies House, stable, swimming pool area, associated landscape plan, and ancillary buildings HISTORICAL CONTEXT-MID PENINSULA WOODSIDE AREA Early Settlement Era The first recorded inhabitants of the area now known as Woodside were the Coastanoan or Ohlone people. The first European discovery is attributed to Gaspar de Portola and the expedition of 1776, who passed through the area in search of the mouth of the Bay of San Francisco. In the 1830s English speaking settlers were attracted to the area for economic reasons, primarily the abundance of timber and furs. Divisions of land began in the Spanish period when Governor Diego de Borica gave a provisional grant of acres to Jose Dario Arguelo. 1 Grants to individuals were more common during the Mexican Period, which began when Mexico seceded from Spain in In 1835 Mexican Governor Jose Castro granted the four square league rancho, which contained the property at 122 Lakeview Drive, to Jose Dario Arguello's widow, Maria Soledad Ortega de Arguello and the heirs of Louis Antonio Arguello, Dario's son. 2 This period of Mexican rule and the division of land into Ranchos or other individual ownership ended when California became a territory of the United States in 1848, following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. When admitted as a state in 1850, California had 27 counties; six years later, San Mateo County was formed during a second round of county divisions. The land of the Rancho was patented on the request of Louis Antonio Arguello's heirs. This grant included the land that is the subject of this study was eventually patented by the United States as acres, almost eight leagues, to Maria de Soledad de Arguello ( ½ ), heirs of Jose Ramon Arguello (¼ ), Louis Antonio Arguello ( 1 / 10) and Attorney S. Mezes ( 3 / 20). 3 No physical evidence of the owners from this period exists on the property. American Period This period is known for the predominance of lumbering and trading and, later, for agriculture. By 1852, stage coach service to San Francisco was fairly regular. The forested hills provided the natural resources for the lumber industry to develop and to engage in trade which, in turn, contributed to residential and local economic growth. By 1855, there were several lumber mills flourishing in Woodside, including a shingle mill. In addition to those resources, Woodside, like much of the Peninsula, provided an attractive area with a comfortable climate and thus grew in population. The subject property was well east of Canada Road and is now east of Highway 280 and the center of Woodside. The area was, predictably, a wooded hillside. During the first fifty years of California s statehood, the coming of the railroad in 1869 is regarded as the development with the greatest impact on the San Francisco Bay Area. Although tracks were not laid through this section of San Mateo County, the railroad brought change and growth to the entire Bay Area. Other developments influential to Woodside history include former Governor of California 1 The Daily Journal: San Mateo County Home Page, Arguellos and Rancho de Las Pulgas, August 4, ibid 3 Report of the Surveyor -General of the State of California From August 1, 1884, to August 1, P age

18 and President of the Central Pacific Railroad Leland Stanford s purchase of land for his estate that began in 1876 and reached 8000 acres to the southeast of Woodside. The Spring Valley Water Company, to the north, conceived elaborate plans to transport water from the Sierra Mountains into the area to be stored for use by the citizens of San Francisco. Agricultural and Summer Home Expansion Era The climate and bucolic setting of Woodside has appealed to San Franciscans looking for a summer home since before the turn of the century. It was also a good climate for growing apples, grapes, and some citrus crops. By the 1920s subdivisions were filed to provide lots for summer homes. In this era the architectural style of the homes included late Victorian styles and encompassed the period revival styles as well as the utilitarian cabin in a multitude of variations that were constructed on smaller lots. Towards the end of the period residential construction was the dominant industry in Woodside. During this era, more full time residents moved from San Francisco and other cities to estate size properties in Woodside. Those who had second homes in the area and the new full time residents began to share business and civic ties. The new, larger houses were built in the International, First, and Second Bay Region Tradition as well as Modern and California Ranch style. Suburbanization and Incorporation Era The San Francisco Bay Area experienced a boom in population in the late 1940s and so did Woodside. The trend of subdivisions for part time residents continued until the early 1950s, at which point the neighborhoods transitioned to full time residences. The full-time resident population provided both cause and support for the move to incorporate the Town of Woodside in The architectural styles continued with International, First, and Second Bay Region Traditions as well as Modern and the more popular California Ranch styles. History of the property at 122 Lakeview Drive The entire parcel was part of the J.J. Moore Ranch. On November 14, 1925, a subdivision map for Woodside Heights San Mateo County, was filed and recorded in Book 13 of Maps page 7. A year later, the small house and utility shed (garage) were constructed on a portion of Lot 9, Block 5 of the subdivision. 4 At that time, the property was owned by Atholl McBean and his wife Margaret Newhall Mc Bean. McBean was a successful businessman in San Francisco. His wife was from southern California where her family owned extensive agricultural land. The McBean s home in Woodside was at 590 Albion Way. They did not live on the subject property. It appears that the land was an investment for an orchard, but may have been used to pasture horses. Mr. McBean became president of Gladding McBean in He held the position until 1938, when he became the chairman of the Board of Directors. In 1953, after fifteen years, he stepped down to a Director's position. Atholl McBean successfully lead the Gladding McBean Company from the time when it manufactured clay pipe until it became the nation s largest manufacturer of architectural terra-cotta (decorative fire glazed tile), the product that provides the artistic (stone) look on many of the buildings in San Francisco and around the world. The company remains in business in Lincoln, California. 4 San Mateo County Assessor's Records 8 P age

19 Like many wealthy businessmen, during his career Atholl McBean served in many capacities within the business community, civic organizations, and his social set. In 1917, he was appointed a Red Cross Commissioner to oversee the supplies and support for the American prisoners held in Germany. In 1919, he was elected President of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of several clubs and civic groups including the Pacific Union Club (President ), the Bohemian Club, the Burlingame Club, and the California Club. He was the founder of the St. Francis Riding Club and the Industrial Association of San Francisco. He was also a director of Firemen's Fund Insurance Co., Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company, and Standard Oil of California. These are many of the same organizations that other part time residents of Woodside enjoyed and likely constituted a close circle of friends. In recognition of his business ability, Atholl McBean was appointed by his grandfather-in-law to head the Newhall Farm and Land Company in As president he changed the name to Newhall Ranch and began planning for the development of the new cities: Valencia and Newhall. Beginning in 1937, he became one of the founder/promoters of the Golden Gate Exposition to be held on Treasure Island in His guidance was credited with making the project a success. From , Atholl McBean was a consulting professor of Industrial Management in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. During his professorship, he identified the concept for an integrated organization that could both conduct research and provide industrial management solutions. Atholl McBean, through his perseverance and financial support, is credited with founding the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). In 1952, Standard Oil named its largest tanker ship the Atholl McBean. 5 His long association with Standard Oil, as well as civic and social organizations in San Francisco, would have brought him in contact with Ralph K Davies, former President of Standard Oil. Atholl sold the property in February 1935 to Leonard C. and Dorothy Hammond, short-time owners and who also had a home on Albion Way in Woodside. Leonard C. Hammond was the son of the owner of a lumber company in Oregon. He rose in the industry from a salesman to president of his own company while a part-time resident of Woodside (c ) where the family had a home on Albion Avenue. 6 Their other residences were in San Francisco where Mr. Hammond headquartered his business and where he died in The Hammonds owned the property from February 4, 1935 until May 20, 1936 when it was sold to Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies. The acreage appears to have been planted with an orchard, remnants of which remained until the Davies house was constructed in The subject house is on a parcel that is approximately 2 acres and was part of a 21 acre parcel that was purchased by Ralph K. and Louise Davies, recorded on May 20, In short order the property increased to 43 acres. The current parcel ( ) contains a complex of the 1941 Davies' house, stable, swimming pool and dressing rooms, a green house, and landscaping walls. The Davies were full time residents of Woodside from 1941 until Ralph K. Davies died in Louise continued to live in the house until she moved to the Sequoias Community just before her death in Urban Programmers, Historical and Architectural Evaluation of the McBean Barn, 590 Albion Way, Woodside, U.S. Census, San Mateo County Official Records, Book 688 Page368 8 Woodside Almanac, Marjorie Mader, Louise M. Davies remembered for her generosity; longtime Woodside resident was benefactor of the symphony, July 1, P age

20 Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies Ralph K. Davies, the self-made millionaire, oil man, and philanthropist, came from humble beginnings. He was born in Virginia in After finishing high school in Fresno, he became an office boy for Standard Oil of California in San Francisco. By the time he was thirty-two he was a director at the company and by thirty-eight Senior Vice President. 10 In 1925, when Mr. Davies was still striving for wealth and success, he married Louise M. Davies. Mrs. Davies was a conventeducated, devoutly Catholic stenographer and native of California. 11 She went on to become a prominent figure in her community and an active supporter of philanthropic causes for the arts, education, religion, and community leadership. The two were married for over forty-five years, until Mr. Davies death. In 1935 the couple bought twenty-one acres of property in Woodside, where they would build their home. 12 Their land subsequently grew to 43 acres. The auspicious beginning of their Woodside home has become, much like Mr. Davies personal biography, an emblem of successful American ambition and ingenuity. The home s architects, Bob Anshen and Steve Allen, were just finishing an international fellowship following their architectural education. They arrived in San Francisco with nothing not even their traveling bags. They happened to hear that Ralph K. Davies, then the VP of Standard Oil, wanted a Tudor style house for Woodside and was planning on dismantling, transporting, and reconstructing an English Tutor house for his property. They thought they could do better. Quickly, each acquired a fifty-dollar loan from their respective bosses and purchased a $100 cashier s check which was send with a carefully crafted letter to Mr. Davis asking to pay him for 30 minutes of his time. The check was returned but Mr. Davies secretary called to set up an appointment. Anshen and Allen was the 7 th architectural firm to try to understand what Mr. Davies wanted in his new home. With a well prepared presentation they explained a unique philosophy of design that would still encompass what he wanted in a house. As Davies had done with the previous firms, he offered the two architects 25% of the final fee for preliminary designs. In January 1940, the Anshen and Allen plan was accepted and construction in Woodside began. Anshen & Allen s gamble paid off and led them, through Davies continued patronage, to a prolific career as one of the foremost architectural firms of California. 13 That was just the beginning of Davies venerable career as well. He was asked to be Deputy Petroleum Administrator for War during WWII. He worked closely with some of the most important people in American government, including Harold Ickes, General Eisenhower, and President Truman, as part of a collaborative effort between industry professionals and government agencies to ensure that the Allies had all the petroleum they needed to win the war. It was not an easy task. He negotiated treaties, spearheaded campaigns, and put all his oil expertise to good use. He was an important proponent of the Rubber Stockpile Drive and efforts to rally the public to preserve fuel, with help from none other than Warner Brothers. His work during the war earned him a Presidential Medal for Merit on December 12, At the time it was the highest honor a civilian could receive. A letter from President Harry S. Truman accompanied the award that was presented at the white 9 Ralph K. Davies papers 10 A Chip at the Barnacles, Time, January 12, 1968, Vol. 91, Issue 2 11 Louise M. Davies, 98; Bay Area Arts Patron, Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1998, (accessed June 11, 2013). 12 Marjorie Mader, Davies' Woodside estate on market for $6.25 million, Almanac News, October 14, 1998, (accessed June 11, 2013). 13. Modernity in Healing and Learning the Architecture of Anshen and Allen, Edizioni Press, New York, New York, 2007 page P age

21 house. The glowing commendation praised Davies character and professional skill and specifically mentions several important achievements. While Deputy Petroleum Administrator, Davies, as part of the governmental and industry collaboration, vitally ensured that the United Nations had the petroleum to satisfy both military and essential civilian needs. Further, Mr. Davies played a large role in writing and negotiating an international oil agreement signed by the U.S. and Britain as part of the President s Committee on Oil. 14 The award acknowledges that Mr. Davies contributions to the war effort were crucial and exceptional. 15 After the war Davies returned to Standard Oil, but was not offered the presidency as he expected. Because he felt he could achieve no more at the company, Davies resigned. He returned to his home in Woodside and began putting together a new company. In 1947, with a group of independent American oilmen, the American Independent Oil Company, or Aminoil, was formed with Davies as chairman. It was the first American independent oil company to access the Middle East market. 16 Davies, through an Army Sergeant who had done some work in the Middle East and was very well connected, finagled an incredibly fortuitous opportunity. He bid on a concession for part of Kuwait s neutral zone from then ruler His Highness Shaikh Ahmad Al-Jabir as-subah in The company made what was considered an astoundingly large offer: seven and a half million dollars straightaway and a minimum annual royalty of over six hundred thousand dollars. 18 The major American oil companies were furious that Davies had inflated the market so drastically, but Davies stuck by his decision and his belief that many Middle East rulers were being taken advantage of. 19 It would take some time, and many expensive dry drills, but in in 1953 Aminoil struck oil and another risky gamble paid off. In 1952 Mr. Davies bought American President Lines, a worldwide maritime passenger and container transportation and shipping company with a huge fleet of ships. The company was formerly Dollar Steamship Lines, but in 1938, the failing company was seized by the United States Maritime Commission and renamed American President Lines. Soon after the U.S. entered WWII, they created the War Shipping Administration, to which APL was critical. APL not only aided the U.S. by repairing and manning their ships, APL s own ships were used to deliver crucial resources. During the war the government built sixteen additional ships for APL and by 1945 the company was valued at about forty million dollars. That same year the former owner of the Dollar Company sued the government for the company s return. Eventually, the case was settled and the company was sold to investors, chief among them Mr. Davies, for over eighteen million dollars Mr. Davies was thrilled to return the thriving company to private ownership and stressed its potential for growth and importance to the West Coast. Beyond his plans for modernization and expansion, Davies encouraged the Citation Accompanying the Medal for Merit Awarded to Ralph K. Davies. December 12, American Reference Library - Primary Source Documents, R.K. Davies had a close relationship with President Harry S. Truman, so much so that the Davies papers are archived in the Truman Presidential Library in Kansas. 16 tyh 17 From pg of Title: Done in Oil : An Autobiography Author: Marshall, J. Howard, Bradley, Robert L. Date: pg 420 The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power By Daniel Yergin 19 The House of Getty By Russell Miller P age

22 notoriously stalwart industry in the direction of the containerization shipping method now the standard. 22 In 1956, Davies merged the Natomas Company, a gold-dredging business that, under Davies leadership, became an oil and gas exploration business, with APL Associates. 23 Then, in 1966, Davies decided on an even bigger merger of his business interests. At the time the Natomas Company was a holding company that owned thirty-nine percent of the Pacific Far East Lines and fifty-four percent of APL. Further, APL owned ninety-three percent of American Mail Lines. The merger would combine the three major West Coast shipping companies and unite all forty seven ships under APL. The consolidation was intended to increase profits and to compete with increasingly monopolizing Japanese shipping companies. The three companies collectively earned one hundred and fifty million dollars the previous year, and profits were expected to grow. 24 The Davies were not only extremely wealthy but community minded and generous. Their name is connected to institutions all over the bay area due to their transformative donations. After Mr. Davies death in 1971, Franklin Hospital was renamed Ralph K. Davies Medical Center because Davies was a longtime trustee and contributor to the hospital. 25 Louise Davies was born in Plumas County one of five children when her parents divorced and she was sent to a Catholic boarding school. After she completed high school she went to work planning to be a nun or an actress. Neither occurred because she met Ralph Davies and married the young but promising employee of Standard Oil. Upon his death, Louise Davies was made aware of her great wealth. Fearing that too great an inheritance would not be good for their children or grandchildren, Mrs. Davies began donating substantial amounts of money to community causes. Until just before her death at age 98, she controlled and personally took care of all solicitations and donations. Her contributions were not only to give money but to participate and bring a strong sense of stability and grass roots thinking to the various boards of directors, and committees on which she served. Donations made by Mrs. Davies were large and small, almost whatever it took to complete a worthwhile project. The San Francisco Symphony Hall, or the Davies Symphony Hall, was named in honor of Mrs. Davies in 1980, whose generous contributions made it possible. Mrs. Davies commitment to philanthropy is extraordinary. According to Mrs. Davies, her theory of charity came from Mr. Davies, who advised to limit oneself to the few things that interest you. However, the breadth and scope of her donations was anything but limited. She has made bequests and donations to organizations including Stanford University, Catholic Youth Organization, the Exploratorium, San Francisco Opera, the Conservatory of Music, College of Notre Dame, and Franklin Hospital, the site of the Ralph K. Davies Medical Center in San Francisco. Additionally, Mrs. Davies donated her time and her home to others. The Davies Woodside house and gardens hosted numerous benefits including the first for the Woodside Priory School and fundraisers for the San Francisco Symphony. But she primarily delighted in entertaining at her home whether it was local clergy for her annual Christmas party or a fashion show to inaugurate the first female students at the Priory School. She even had an orchid named for her: the Louise M. Davies Lady Slipper. 26 Although she died in 1998, her legacy of charitable giving continues through the Louise M. Davies Foundation, incorporated in 1974, which gives annually to the Asian Art Museum, Catholic Charities, and the California Historic Society among many others Three or Four from One & One. Time, X, 5/13/1966, Vol. 87, Issue on 6/11/13 12 P age

23 3.0. DESCRIPTION OF THE IMPROVEMENTS 3.1. GENERAL SETTING 122 Lakeview Drive is located in the rolling hills east of I-280, in an area known as Woodside Heights where the houses and lots are a variety of architectural styles and sizes, dating from the 1920s to very recent reconstructions. The area is bounded by the Woodside town limits on the south and Redwood City on the west. The subject property is located on Lakeview Drive off Eleanor Avenue, a loop street, south of Woodside Road. The lot is approximately 2 acres, and is in the center of, and was sectioned from, a larger almost 12 acre parcel. The Woodside Heights area is wooded with second growth, mature trees, and native bushes in addition to landscaped yards BUILDINGS AND LANDSCAPING The site is accessed by a long driveway off Lakeview Drive that passes through stone pillars with a low wall on each side of a gate and follows the hillside and slopes to the northeast. The driveway separates and one fork goes to a small house and garage. 27 The other side of the driveway goes to the Ralph K. Davies (main) house that is on a relatively flat site. The main house is in the center of the parcel. The other structures on the parcel are a swimming pool, a severely deteriorated pool shelter, a changing room, green house, and stable, all associated with the Davies complex centered by the main house. The stable is located to the south and at a slightly higher elevation. This, too, is severely deteriorated, although it retains elements of the original design. The site contains large trees and native plants amid rock walls and flagstone-lined walk ways. Few of the plants from the original Thomas Church 1939 landscape plan appear to remain. Prior to 1938, it appears from the USGS aerial maps that the site was an orchard. By 1948, of the remaining trees, many appear to have died and not been replaced Ralph K. Davies House (Anshen & Allen) The Davies house was designed by Ashen and Allen, one of the most prominent mid-20 th Century firms in Northern California, with a landscape plan by Thomas Church, a foremost landscape architect of the mid-century era. The design by Anshen & Allen was their first commission and it appears that the design by Thomas Church was one of his first commissions. The subject house is set on the slope with views of the San Francisco Bay to the north and east and Interstate 280 to the west. The lot is defined by its landscape designed by Thomas Church, but is very overgrown and now includes natural oaks and bays as well as planted sycamores and various ground covers including ivy. The entry drive consists of a paved road that angles first up the rise and then left, where it flattens out onto very large, level asphalt parking area completed by the strong 27 Urban Programmers, Historic and Architectural Evaluation of a Small House and Garage at 122 Lakeview Drive, USGS Woodside aerial photograph 9/25/ P age

24 horizontal lines of the garage. The residence is 6000 square feet and is constructed on multilevels and with various wings jutting out from a central cross, low-hipped roof. The main entry to the residence is located on the south facing side of the structure at the juncture where the two main wings of the structure cross. The irregular floor plan covers a significant space in its attempt to fit into the naturally undulating landscape. Because Thomas Church had begun the siting and landscape plan prior to Anshen and Allen s design, they fit the house and its openings into the Church landscaping. The structure is set on a natural ridge and commands a grand view of not only the surrounding wooded hills but also of the Peninsula cities and San Francisco Bay to the east and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west. The parcel is very hilly and the drive to the house from Lakeview Road places the residence out of the sight of those passing below. Currently, the property still contains the natural trees and shrubs of the area and includes some remnants of what had been the more formal landscape around the house planned by Thomas Church. The Ralph K. Davies House is a large, rambling wooden structure constructed on an irregular floor plan upon a concrete pad and varying in height for 2 stories, albeit on a northward sloping hill. Wood shingles sheath the multi-planar roofs which are very low hipped and exhibit pronounced eaves with very prominent end boards. Certain façades include wooden rafters under the eaves and two very large wooden trellises project from both the southfacing main entrance façade toward the pool area and the north-facing back-yard façade just outside the large living room. The roofs are punctuated with large fireplaces. The fireplace located at the front entry has a distinctive cap on the roof, while the major stone fireplace found on the north side of the massive living room is of beautifully cut stone in a large rectangular shape that comprises a significant part of the north-facing elevation projecting wing. Exterior walls are wide horizontal board and batten that are elegantly stained brown. There is rectangular fenestration both in horizontal and vertical bands that exhibit pronounced window surrounds painted an eye-catching stark white. The color scheme reinforces the high style of the original house. The placement of these windows is particularly fine and further reinforces the fact that this is not a run-of-the-mill standard design but rather something quite special. The front entrance to the residence is located at the juncture of the two major wings of the building and faces south. An over-sized wooden door marks the entry, as do low stone planters. An open loggia, comprised of three stone square pillars, connects this area with the secondary entrance of the garage space to the east. The landscape of the main entrance is overgrown and has been allowed to revert to the plants, grasses, and weeds indigenous to the site. This secondary entrance, which is actually the main entry by car, is located by the open carport space at the eastern façade of the residence. Here the residence is dominated by the covered parking area which leads directly into the service area of the house. 14 P age

25 The north facing façade exhibits the main living areas including the family room and the formal living room on the ground floor and the master bedroom and wing of secondary bedrooms on the second floor. This elevation also includes a third entrance which is located both on the second floor fronting a covered porch with stairs heading eastward toward the parking area and also on a tall rectangular double glass doors on the ground floor. These two doors lead to the level back yard that also takes advantage of the bay and city views to the north and east. This elevation is also defined by the aforementioned beautiful wooden horizontal board punctuated by the horizontal bands of rectangular windows on the second floor and the larger rectangular vertical banding on the main floor. These window bands are further defined by their wide window surrounds which are painted white in contrast with the wooden stained siding. The effect is very artful and hints at the excellence of the original design scheme. The north-facing façade is further dominated by a rectangular, two-story wing that continues the basic design of a very low-hipped roof with a pronounced eave and over-scaled end boards. It is punctuated by a massive stone chimney on the north side which wraps around to the northwest side of the residence on the first floor and is repeated on the first floor where this wing joins the main body of the house along the wing s east façade. Adjacent to the fireplace are three tall, rectangular, horizontally oriented casement windows that wrap around the northeast corner of the house and connect with four similarly-constructed windows running along the east side on the first floor. The second floor repeats the placement of windows, but they are smaller in size. There are five along the north side and two running down the east façade. Smaller rectangular windows continue along the second story elevation to the juncture with the main portion of the structure. A wooden, enclosed, second story porch and stair connects with the driveway to the east. A similarly designed enclosed wooden balcony projects from the master bedroom on the western façade directly above the large living room. The tall horizontal window bands let natural light into the house and provide views of magnificent oaks and the bay and mountains in the distance. The north-facing patio contains a single, planted sycamore tree. Hardscape fills this patio area but it appears to have been the home s primary outdoor space. It extends onto a large lawn area surrounded by trees. The other outdoor area surrounds the large, rectangular pool. It is located somewhat above the house on a flat area southwest of the structure. The pool area is currently in very poor condition, as are the paths and landscaping that lead from the house to the pool area. The interior of the house has beautiful wood paneled walls. There is stunning detailing, especially in the beautiful grand staircase that flows from the front entry space to the second floor. The dining room walls are covered in a fresco. The fresco is the last one painted by Lucien Labaudt before his death. He was a foremost artist during the 1920s- 15 P age

26 1930s in San Francisco. 29 The fresco s design of the rolling hills of San Mateo County is reminiscent of the style of Gottardo Piazzoni, another famous artist from San Francisco. Mrs. Davies was particularly fond of his style The living room is designed to look out into the woods and the lawn area. However, the room s focal point is the beautifully crafted stone fireplace and chimney wall. The room also features unusual sliding sunshade screens that retreat into a pocket in the wall. The section of wall can be opened to allow the patio to become part of the room. This patio has (although deteriorated) planters constructed as part of the stone wall. Even in its current condition, the elegance of the interior spaces in both design and materials is obvious. The design of the house is extraordinary in its elegant massing and detailing. It is a gorgeous example of mid-century Second Bay Region architecture that well exceeds the norm. The house s artistry and quality attest to its provenance as the first design commission of the highly regarded and talented architects Ashen and Allen. The house was featured by Progressive Architecture in the October 1943 issue. When designed the architects also designed the furniture for the house, none of which remains with the house. However there are built-in cabinets in the dressing rooms of the master bedroom and in the hallway. The landscaping and house show deterioration that has occurred over the years the house has been vacant. While considered in good condition the deterioration of the house is accelerating and much of the landscaping plan has been lost. Other buildings associated with the Davies property The two areas separate from the house, the stable and swimming pool, are not considered individually significant nor do they contribute to the significance of the Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies House. The stable was constructed to house horses. The building continues some of the horizontal board used in design elements of the main house. The wood structure is divided between horse stalls, a tack room, feed storage, and a grooming area. The structure is severely deteriorated and is not a candidate for preservation. The swimming pool terrace area consists of a rectangular concrete swimming pool, a cabana style cover, and a changing room. There is no defined architectural style to the pool or to the structures. The structures are severely deteriorated, some even collapsed. 29 An oral interview with Marcelle, widow of Lucien Labaudt 30 An oral interview with Lucian Labaudt s widow P age

27 3.3 Anshen & Allen Architects S. Robert Anshen ( ) and William Stephen Allen ( ) were students together at the University of Pennsylvania. The two had distinctly different personalities. Anshen was from Boston and was gregarious and extroverted while Allen, from a small town in New Jersey, was reserved with a detail oriented background that may have stemmed from his training as a draftsman before college. Upon graduation both received traveling fellowships that allowed them to explore Europe and Japan. Somewhere in their travels they joined and completed the journey together in San Francisco. They found themselves in debt to the shipping company, which kept their luggage until the debt was paid. Both were hired by local architectural firms, but by then seemed to have developed not only a friendship but respect for their respective abilities. During WWII Bob Anshen worked in San Francisco for Allen and Lutzi, Architects while Steve Allen became a Lieutenant Commander serving in the U.S. Navy. After release from the Navy, Allen returned to San Francisco and the formed an architectural partnership, Anshen + Allen Architects. 32 After they designed his house, Mr. Davies continued to work with them. Prior to the beginning of WWII they designed interiors for the Standard Oil ships. In the late 1940s the firm had designed a penthouse for Sarah Lloyd, the Mills House in Danville, and the Stiavelli Flat in San Francisco which, together with the Davies House, were exhibited in the San Francisco Museum of Art s Domestic Architecture on the San Francisco Bay Region. The show was the origin of the term- Bay Region Style. In 1949, the firm received quite a bit of publicity for the Silverstone House which was designed to use the available materials and craftsmen in Texco Mexico. The unusual design, primarily of concrete with arching columns, rock, and glass, was featured in several magazines and newspapers. The 1950s brought more clients and award winning designs for homes and commercial buildings. Their work was sometimes mistaken for that of the Master Frank Lloyd Wright. The accolades led them to Joseph Eichler, who commissioned them to design homes for his Eichler Development Company. Steve Allen said, We adopted the ideas of the Davies house to housing for middle-class people. The Typical builder s house had a living room in front and a kitchen in back. When you approach the Davies House, all the important rooms are in the back, accessible through a courtyard. 33 The years brought a number of important commissions that stand today as landmarks, including the Chemistry Building at UC Berkeley and the International Building (at California & Kerney St.) in San Francisco. The International Building broke with tradition with its 22 floor tower with a steel structure and precast concrete spandrel floors. Referrals and new commissions from this building led the firm to design the Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose (1965) with many more hospital and health 32 Pacific Coast Architecture Database 33. Modernity in Healing and Learning the Architecture of Anshen and Allen, Edizioni Press, New York, New York, 2007 page P age

28 related building commissions to follow. Bob Anshen died unexpectedly in The 1970s was a decade of recession. Commissions for architects, even those as talented as Anshen & Allen, were hard to come by and often small. The firm missed the public leadership of Bob Anshen. Steve Allen retired in The firm continued with longtime partner Derik Parkers Clearance Tantau in charge. With Steve Allen s retirement the firm concluded its first phase of development and continued as a major innovator in primarily hospital design until acquired in 2010 by Santec, Inc. While the firm operated it continued to follow many of the founding principles established by Bob Anshen and Steve Allen. 34 The list of awards and principal buildings designed by the firm is extensive. 3.4 Lucien Labaudt, Artist Lucien Labaudt was born May 14, 1880 in Paris, France. His mother was the owner of a fashion dress company where he learned fashion design and began to sketch. After 2 years in the French Army, he moved to London where he was head designer for a branch of a French fashion house. He left for New York in c There he created fashion sketches for Harpers Bazar magazine before moving to Nashville with his wife who was a dressmaker. They opened a dressmaking shop. At the same time, Lucien began painting. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake they decided to relocate to the damaged city with the belief that during the reconstruction there would be a need for decorative arts. Not finding much decorating work, he became the designer at City of Paris. Lucien left City of Paris to open his own design studio and dressmaking business where he designed theater sets as well as costumes and dresses. His clients encouraged him to open a design and dressmaking school for their children, which became the California School of Design. It was located at Powell and Sutter, in part of the shop. After the depression, the school curriculum grew to include painting and other art forms. In San Francisco he became one of the most well-known artists in the bay area. His most famous work is his Beach Chalet mural located at the western end of Golden Gate Park. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. He also designed frescoes for Coit Tower and Washington High School s library. The last mural he painted is the rolling hills scene in the dining room of the Ralph K. Davies house in Woodside. After WWII started Lucien went to MarinShip (a shipyard in Sausalito) where he organized other artists. He was given credentials as artist correspondent by for the War Department and later Life Magazine. He was killed in a plane crash in India in A liberty ship constructed at MarinShip was commissioned the USS Lucien A. Labaudt in his honor. Paintings by the artist are in the permanent collections of several museums. 3.5 Thomas Church, Landscape Architect. Thomas Church was educated in landscape architecture at the University of California Berkeley for his undergraduate degree and at Harvard University for his master s degree in After graduating he received a traveling scholarship to study Mediterranean gardens in Italy and Spain with the intent to create better use of water and maintenance in California 34. Modernity in Healing and Learning the Architecture of Anshen and Allen, Edizioni Press, New York, New York, 2007 page P age

29 gardens. A year later he visited and learned from the Finnish master architect Alvar Aalto how to incorporate rounded forms in his gardens. Thomas Church is credited with founding the modern California Landscape movement and becoming the first true modern landscape architect 35 His protégés and employees include Gordon Eckbo and Lawrence Halprin who went on to become two of the four modern landscape architects whose influence spanned not only Northern California but the Nation. Thomas Church treated the house and garden is if they were visually and spatially part of the same continuum and believed that maintenance was part of the design. Church was an innovator, one of the first to consider environmentally sensitive design and maintenance. He is known as the Father of the Modern California Landscape, a style that has been carried across the Nation. Following Thomas Church, Garrett Eckbo, Lawrence Halprin, and Dan Kiley were the most influential landscape architects of the mid-century period in Northern California. Of these, three studied at Harvard and were influenced by modernist architect Walter Gropius P age

30 3.6 Photographs: Note: the building was difficult to photograph due to the growth of trees, bushes and vines. Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside Historic photograph c View: Rear façade, dining room is under the pergola, Living room on the right, Master bedroom on second level over the living room. Guest rooms on second level above the dinning wing. 20 P age

31 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Front façade at the entry door Camera pointing: NW Date: 6/ P age

32 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Interior entry hall with staircase to second floor. Dining room and living room to the right. Date: 6/ P age

33 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Interior entry hall with staircase to second floor. View to the rear patio. Date: 6/ P age

34 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: East façade, stairs and entry beside garage (kitchen) Camera pointing: NW Date: 6/ P age

35 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Rear façade; dining room and living room Camera pointing: SW Date: 6/ P age

36 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Dining room looking out to the patio Date: 6/ P age

37 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Dining Room mural by Lucian Labaudt Date: 6/ P age

38 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Rear façade; living room end with master bedroom above Camera pointing: SE Date: 6/ P age

39 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: living room with fireplace. Note the artistic stone placement. Date: 6/ P age

40 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Living room west facing window with sunscreen that slides into the wall pocket Camera pointing: SW Date: 6/ P age

41 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Rear façade; Living room with Master Bedroom above Camera pointing: S Date: 6/ P age

42 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Interior Master dressing room Date: 6/ P age

43 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Interior Upper utility room (east end of second story. Date: 6/ P age

44 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Looking back across the lawn area toward the house. Camera Facing: SE Date: 6/ P age

45 Photograph Lakeview Drive, Woodside View: Swimming pool terrace with shade structure Camera Facing: SE Date: 6/ P age

46 4.0. EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE For the purposes of this report the criteria used to evaluate the property are those of the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and the Woodside Town General Plan HISTORICAL CONTEXT The area of San Mateo County that became Woodside was developed in the mid-1800s through the turn of the century in response to the natural resources that were harvested, which included lumber, fur, water, and agriculture. This activity brought awareness of the attractiveness of the area and the lure of a resort stay or of a country home to those primarily from the San Francisco metropolitan area who spent the summer months surrounded by fog. Subdivision of the land began shortly after San Mateo County was established. Within the second quarter of the new century, several tracts of land were subdivided for second homes. Their construction and sale marked a new era for Woodside. The period from , the Agricultural and Summer Home Expansion Era, is defined by the division of land for second homes and agricultural estates. In the early half of the era, small orchards and vineyards were popular. After WWII the subdivisions started to attract permanent residents to the Woodside area. Woodside Heights was a popular subdivision established in the mid-1920s with further lot divisions after WWII. The lots were close to Woodside Road with access to Redwood City and the business corridor of El Camino. They also offer relative convenience for travel to San Francisco. With the hope to retain the lifestyle of a pseudo-country village, the citizens of Woodside began the process of incorporation which was completed November 7, Woodside Heights is at the border of Woodside at the western edge of Redwood City. The Ralph K. Davies House at 122 Lakeview Drive was evaluated within the historical context of the Agricultural and Summer Home Expansion Era The primary theme is residential architecture, the secondary theme is the association with Ralph K. Davies and American Independent Oil Company, and later with Louise M. Davis, philanthropy. The association with the Woodside Heights San Mateo County California subdivision was part of a broad pattern of early to mid-century homes that marked the increase in development of Woodside from the 1920s through the 1950s. The subdivision was only a minor part of a large pattern of suburbanization and does not individually represent the pattern in a significant way. After a brief and preliminary survey of the area, it does not appear to have sufficient original architecture to be considered for a historic district. The Ralph K. Davies house was constructed between 1938 and 1940 as the permanent residence of the family and appears to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (Criterion B & C) and the California Register of Historic Resources (Criterion 2 & 3) and, further, meets the Woodside General Plan criteria for historic significance due to the architecture (Anshen & Allen architects, Thomas Church, landscape architect, and Lucien Labaudt, artist), and for the association with Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies who were important in business and philanthropy. 36 P age

47 4.2. EVALUATION - NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES National Register of Historic Places Standards (Criteria) The National Register of Historic Places has established standards for evaluating the significance of resources that are important in the heritage of the Nation. Historic resources may be considered important at the local, state, or national level. To apply the standards the resource must be considered within significant historical contexts. The standards, age, and integrity statements follow: 1. A property must be fifty years old or meet additional criteria. 2. The resource must retain architectural and historical integrity from the period of significance. 3. The resources must meet at least one of the following four criteria: a. are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or b. are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or c. embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method that possess high artistic values, or that represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or d. have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history Criterion of age: The house was constructed in 1941 and is therefore over fifty years old. Evaluation of Integrity: The building retains a high degree of integrity, as defined by the seven elements established by National Register of Historic Places. The integrity criteria are location, the place where the buildings were originally constructed; Design, the combination of elements that create the original form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property; setting, the physical environment at the time the building was constructed; materials, the physical element that were combined during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern; workmanship, the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period of history; feeling, the expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period; and association, the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. Criterion a: The resources are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. The era of development and expansion within San Mateo County in the area of Woodside that occurred in the 1940s is represented by this property. However, the National Register further qualifies the broad events with the word significant. The subdivision and subsequent development of this individual property, without other events associated with the property, is not considered significant at the level required by the National Register of Historic Places. A second consideration is the association with the founding of American Independent Oil Company. While this company is a substantial element in the economic history of the United States, most of the history of the company is found in other locations and the documentation for what happened in the house is fragmentary. It does not appear that the association exhibits significance at the level required for the National Register (additional research may provide information that would qualify under Criterion a). 37 P age

48 Criterion b: The resources are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. The home s association with Ralph K. Davies and Louise M. Davies is significant as their home and as a place of origin and execution for most of the Davies philanthropic work. Also considered is the association to Ralph K. Davies as the Deputy Director of Petroleum during WWII and for his business positions that had wide ranging effects on national history in the oil and shipping industries. The property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Criterion c: The resources embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method that possess high artistic values, or that represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. The Ralph K. Davies House is a significant example of the Bay Region style and is credited with initiating the style. Created by master architects Bob Anshen and Steve Allen as their first commission, it is a very artistic and an excellent example of mid-20 th Century residential architecture that was purposefully, exquisitely designed. The landscape plan by master landscape architect Thomas Church, although overgrown and untended, also exhibits artistic design value as does the mural by Lucien Labaudt in the dining room. The house meets the criterion of embodying the distinctive characteristics of a type and period with high artistic values. Criterion d: The resources have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. The property has been extensively redeveloped, which disturbed the shallow soil cover. Therefore, it is unlikely that the property will yield additional information about history or prehistory. Conclusion: Considering the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places, criterion c best fits the Ralph K. Davies House. The building is a defining element in the architectural history of Woodside and the region. Criterion b is also achieved by the lives of the Davies family while living in the house. They are associated with events significant to the history of Woodside, California, and the Nation EVALUATION - CALIFORNIA REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES The criteria for listing resources in the California Register of Historical Resources are consistent with those for listing resources in the National Register of Historic Places, but modified to include a range of historical resources which better reflect the history of California. The California Register also accepts 50 years as the age threshold for most historic resources. A historical resource must retain integrity and be significant at the local, state, or national level under one or more of four criteria. Additionally, the resource must retain enough of its historic character or appearance to be recognizable as a historic property and convey the reason for its significance. Criterion 1: It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the United States. Although there is evidence that the Ralph K. Davies House was the location for a substantial number of philanthropic events, this does not appear to meet the criterion. The property does not appear eligible under Criteria 1. Criterion 2: It is associated with the lives of persons important to local, California, or national history. 38 P age

49 The history of the property from 1941 until vacated by Louise M. Davies was associated with the life of Ralph K. Davies, an important businessman and Deputy Director of Petroleum during WWII. After achieving great wealth, he became one of the largest regional philanthropists whose contributions are directly responsible for significant cultural, medical, and social institutions. Therefore, the property has a direct and significant association with persons important to the history of the region, State, and the Nation. The building is eligible under Criterion 2. Criterion 3: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of a master or possesses high artistic values. As previously stated, the Ralph K. Davies House exemplifies innovative and distinctive architecture by master architects Anshen & Allen, master landscape architect Thomas Church, and artist Lucien Labaudt. The house exhibits characteristics significant to local and state architectural history. The property is eligible for individual listing in the California Register of Historic Resources under Criterion 3. Criterion 4: It has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important to the prehistory or history of the local area, California, or the nations. The soils have been disturbed during years of agricultural use and residential development. It is unlikely that significant information important to prehistory or history would be found on the immediate site. Conclusion: Considering the criteria of the California Register of Historical Resources, the property is eligible for listing in the Register. The resource exhibits associations to significant people, distinctive architecture of high artistic value, and the work of a master architect WOODSIDE GENERAL PLAN REGARDING HISTORIC PROPERTIES Policy 11 of the Woodside General Plan states, Structures of historic or architectural significance shall be identified and documented and efforts shall be made to preserve them. Historic Preservation Element, Woodside Town General Plan: 36 B. Purpose This Historic Preservation Element of the General Plan articulates Woodside's goals and policies on historic preservation. It serves as a source of information regarding Woodside s development, resources, and character-defining features. It is also a guide for the identification, recognition, and retention of those historic and cultural resources. The continued preservation of the historic environment is dependent upon the continued stewardship by its citizens. By understanding its history, the Town of Woodside can preserve its unique sense of place and quality of life. Preservation celebrates the historic and cultural resources that define the community and ensures historic Woodside will survive to enrich lives for generations to come. 36 Italics denote the General Plan Element 39 P age

50 C: HISTORIC RESOURCES 1. DEFINITION Historic Resources: Man-made or natural physical features which are of value because they document the history of the Town and represent an architectural, cultural, archaeological, community, or aesthetic value and possess one or more of the following attributes: Yield or be likely to yield information that is important in pre-history or history. Be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the patterns of life in the Town. Be associated with lives and cultures significant with the Town's past. Embody the distinctive characteristics of the time, period, or method of construction, especially if it is one of the last remaining such structures, represents the work of a master, and/or possesses high artistic value. Possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and feeling of its original nature. The Ralph K. Davies House is associated with the lives of people important in the Region s past. The house embodies the distinctive characteristics, innovative and artistic, in the design created by Anshen & Allen architects and Thomas Church landscape architecture as well as the interior mural by artist Lucien Labaudt. Evaluation of the historical and architectural characteristics and values of the house concludes that the property is an important resource in the history and architectural heritage of the Town of Woodside CEQA REVIEW Under the CEQA Guidelines, [a] project with an effect that may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of an historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on the environment (14 California Code of Regulations [CCR], Section [b]). Substantial adverse change is defined as physical demolition, destruction, relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate surroundings such that the significance of an historical resource would be materially impaired (14 CCR [b][1]). CEQA has established statutory requirements for the formal review and analysis of projects that fall under its jurisdiction. The CEQA statutes maintain that any property listed in, determined, or found eligible for listing in the CRHR is considered to be a historical resource and shall be considered historically significant. A project has not been proposed for the Ralph K. Davies House. The stables and swimming pool on the property are not considered eligible for the CRHR due to extreme deterioration and lack of individual historical significance. 40 P age

51 5.1. Recommendations The Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies house is vacant and shows accelerating deterioration. All efforts should be made to stabilize it in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Property or for regular maintenance and care until it is rehabilitated and occupied. Encouraging its rehabilitation could include a Mills Act Contract and if listed in the National Register a Façade charitable easement or other incentives. 41 P age

52 6.0. SOURCES CONSULTED 6.1. REPOSITORIES USED INCLUDE: College of San Mateo Library, College of San Mateo Harry S. Truman Library- Ralph K. Davies Collection San Mateo County Building and Planning Dept. Records, Redwood City San Mateo County Official Records, Redwood City San Mateo County Historical Society Archives- Redwood City Stanford University, Green Library Archives Town of Woodside Building Permit records University of California Environmental Design Library 6.2. PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED WORKS. Modernity in Healing and Learning the Architecture of Anshen and Allen, Edizioni Press, New York, New York, 2007 Coughey, John W., CALIFORNIA, Prentice Hall Inc. Englewood NY, 1953 Davies, Louise M., Ralph K. Davies, As We Knew Him: Biographical Recollections and Remembrances of R.K.D. as Man and Businessman, 1976 McAlester, Virginia and Lee, A Field Guide to American Houses, Alfred Knoff, NY 2000 Palmer, E; Sul, N (editors) Modernity in Healing and learning-the Architecture of Anshen + Allen Edizioni Press, New York New York,2007 Polk, R.M., San Francisco, Redwood City, and San Mateo County Directories, published in San Francisco, Richards, Gilbert, Crossroads People and Events of the Redwoods of San Mateo County, Gilbert Richards Publications, Woodside 1973 Rifkind, C., A Field Guide to American Architecture, Times Mirror, New York 1980 San Mateo Times, articles cited in footnotes State of California, Office of Historic Preservation, Instructions for Nominating Historical Resources to the California Register of Historical Resources, 1997 State of California, California Register of Historical Resources (data listing) Stanger, Frank M. Sawmills In the Redwoods, San Mateo County Historical Society, Peninsula Lithograph Co. Menlo Park, P age

53 Stanger, Frank M., South of San Francisco-The life Story of San Mateo County, San Mateo County Historical Society, Times Printing, San Mateo, 1963 Thomson & West, 1868 Historical Atlas of San Mateo County. California, Town of Woodside General Plan (March 2009) United States Bureau of the Census, years United States Department of the Interior, National Register Bulletin How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, 1997 Urban Programmers, Historical and Architectural Evaluation of the McBean Barn, 590 Albion Way Woodside, September 19, 2008 Urban Programmers, Historical and Architectural Evaluation of the Small House and Garage at 122 Lake Street Woodside, October 2011 Appendix: Exhibit A Partial List of the buildings designed by Anshen + Allen Architects Vallejo Street Apartment House, San Francisco, CA (5689) 3801 East Fairhaven Avenue House, Orange, CA (3943) American President Lines, Limited, Passenger Accommodations, San Francisco, CA (6755) Beach House at Yankee Point, Carmel, CA (11433) Boyer House, Sacramento, CA (8636) Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona, AZ (4240) Joseph De Jesus, House, Santa Clara, CA (17959) Fairhaven Tract, Orange, CA - None (938) Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation (FMC), Research and Engineering Center, Santa Clara, CA (6757) (demolished) Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose 1965 International Building, San Francisco, CA (5984) Ernest N. Moore, House, Yankee Point, Carmel, CA (17960) Dr. Jonas Salk, Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA (2873) Herschel and Sonya Silverstone, House, Taxco, Mexico (6754) Sunnyvale Manor Addition Housing Tract, Sunnyvale, CA (4718) Sunshine Glen Housing Tract, Palo Alto, CA (11426) Sunshine Glen Housing Tract, Paone, Frank D., House, Palo Alto, CA (17958) Sunshine Meadows Housing Tract, Santa Clara, CA (11431) Terra Linda Housing Tract, San Rafael, CA (11388) 37 Pacific Coast Architure Database. Library, University of Washington. 43 P age

54 Tract House Development, Santa Clara, CA (11419) Union Bank of California, Office Building, Portland, OR (13783) United States Government, Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), Dinosaur National Monument, Visitor's Center, Vernal, UT (6756) University of California, Berkeley, Parking Structure, Berkeley, CA - (7396) University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, CA (5961) University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Science and Laboratory Building, Santa Cruz, CA (7407) University of Washington, Seattle (UW), Dr. William H.Foge, Bioengineering and Genome Sciences Building, Seattle, WA (3830) 44 P age

55 Study and Findings regarding the proposed development of a new residence on the former property of the Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies House, a property eligible for listing in the California Register of Historic Resources and the National Register of Historic Places. Prepared for: Harry Cheung Cohesive Lake LLC 250 Cambridge Ave Suite 101 Palo Alto, CA Prepared by: Bonnie Bamburg Urban Programmers Ridgeview Ave San Jose CA BBamburg@usa.net Date: November 8, 2013 ATTACHMENT 6

56 Urban Programmers 1. Introduction and Purpose of this study: The purpose of this study is to consider the potential diminution of character defining features as a result of the proposed new residence on a parcel split from the Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies property at 122 Lakeview Drive in Woodside. The Davies House is a significant historical and architectural resource in Woodside that is eligible for the California Register of Historic Resources and the National Register of Historic Places. The house was the first commission of Anshen + Allen Architects a firm that had transformative influence in the architecture of the San Francisco Bay Area. The landscaping plan was designed by noted landscape architect Thomas D. Church. The house retains a high degree of integrity and is the first design of the architectural style that became known as the Second Bay Region Tradition. The house served for a period as the office of Ralph K. Davies when he formed American Independent Oil Companies- a major oil, transport and later shipping company. The house served as the office of Louise M. Davies as she administered her philanthropic work with many of charities that serve primarily children or music. The proposed location and construction of the new residence were studied to provide the Town of Woodside with an understanding of how this new building and its siting might adversely impact the historic Davies House and landscaping. 2. Proposed New Residential Development: When new development is proposed in close proximity to an existing historic property is it necessary to consider the siting and how the use may detract from the historic building. The Ralph K. and Louise M. Davies property, after some decrease in size over the years was approximately 12 acres when purchased in A recent subdivision of this property placed the Davies House in the northern half of the property. The parcel designated for the new development is to the southeast, closer to Moore Road, and is approximately 35 feet higher in Page 2

57 Urban Programmers elevation than the Davies House. The parcel of the proposed development includes the location of the deteriorated Davies stable and swimming pool area that are not considered a significant historic structures and their removal does not diminish the characteristics for which the Davies House is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historic Resources or the criteria of the Woodside General Plan. Site: The proposed new development is set apart from the Davies House with a 100 foot setback on the new parcel and a 50 foot setback on the Davies House parcel. The proposed new development is to be more than 150 feet away from the historic house and at an elevation considerably above the Davies House. The location proposed for a new house does not intrude into the primary landscaping of the Davies House or its visual presence. It appears that the new development will not be highly visible from the Davies House. Landscaping along the property line, particularly native trees and bushes will further shield the new residence from the Davies House without diminishing the views from the new house. Orientation: The Davies House is orientated to the northwest with the main living spaces and large expanses of glass openings toward a large flat area that was previously lawn and is defined by a low rock wall that includes a semicircular rock wall at the edge of the flat area. The southeast side of the house facing the proposed new development includes the formal entry and some second story windows placed high in the walls, but the dramatic and public spaces are on the other side of the Davies House and face away from the proposed new development. From most vantage points the proposed development will not be visible from the outside area extending north from the Davies House. Thus, the proposed development will not intrude into the outside space of the Davies House. The siting of the proposed new development is found to be appropriate with sufficient space between the two developments. The site plan provides a spatial distinction between the proposed new building and the historic one and does not detract from the character defining features of the Davies House, particularly the primary façade (north east) and landscaping plan. The difference in elevation will allow the proposed new house to enjoy the views to the northeast from the higher elevation that appears to provide privacy to the Davies House, and a majority of the outside area. As mentioned above, sensitive landscaping along the property line of the proposed development will further aid in maintaining privacy for the historic property. Retaining the driveway to the Davies House and providing the required emergency vehicle turnaround as a T on the parcel of the proposed development will further provide for the privacy of the Davies House Use: The proposed residential use is compatible with the Davies House. Page 3

58 Urban Programmers Figure 1 Site plan showing the location of the proposed new development and the Davies House. Source: Marmol Radziner,12210 Nebraska Avenue,Los Angeles, CA 90025, 11/4/2013 (A larger print is included with this study) Page 4