Last weekend it was Victorians, this weekend, Craftsman homes. Every November the Pasadena Historical society hosts a Craftsman weekend. Lectures, tours, modern craftsmen sharing their wares as well as people selling antiques. My only interest it the home tour.
I don’t go on this tour every year, I sort of pick and choose what kind of house tours I want. As much as I love Craftsman homes, I wouldn’t want to live in one and I find the darkness inside and the dark colors a little overbearing. So visiting these homes is fun. I have no interior pictures, we are only allowed to photograph from the street.
I managed to get a picture with no people. Its’ fun seeing the people milling around, sometimes you want to see the house. This one is smaller than I thought, the wrap around porch is deceiving. The second floor is just one large room. Most of the rooms are very small. The owner is an architect and he opened his garage/studio to let us see. He did a wonderful job renovating the house while staying within the parameters of Craftsman.
The next house was by far the most impressive. I have to say, on this tour we saw a number of houses that weren’t Craftsman, sure they were built in the correct period, that is not enough. More on them later. This beauty is by the famous Greene and Greene architects – the brothers who went on to build both the Gamble House (very near by here ), as well as the Blacker house, which in many ways is more impressive. Btw, the stained glass doors of the Blacker House were the home of Doc Brown, the mad scientist in Back to the Future.
This house was originally built as a bungalow in 1901 for a Katherine Duncan. She was a very successful seamstress. Ran her own business, built her own house. Yay for needlework! In 1906 she sold to the Irwins who hired the Green brothers to turn it into a true craftsman house. There have been changes and upgrades through the years, but in general, the interior is still very much Craftsman.
A side view of the house. The home is going on the market right after this tour. It is listed for under five million. For an original Greene and Greene, that is probably a very good price. This has happened before on a number of tours I’ve been on. We tour an interesting house, only to find out its’ for sale. I guess its’ a good way to have an open house with other people in charge for a day. Who knows, the people out today are probably the ones who would want to buy this.
I do love all of these details.
Right across the street is another Greene and Greene. Predates the remodel of the Duncan-Irwin house. It was because of this house that the Irwins hired the Greene brothers. The house wasn’t on the tour, I was a little surprised to see the gate ajar, so I snapped a picture, from the sidewalk of course!
From here on out, the homes weren’t really craftsman. This is the Childs-Torrance house. Yes, owned by the man who went on to develop the city of Torrance. Sorry, this isn’t Craftsman. It is that early 20th century house that has left the Victorian vibe behind, but doesn’t have a definite style. The home has historic designation, but, it’s a mess inside. Not falling apart, but no work has been done here in years. Most of the interior isn’t Craftsman either. I think the owner still lives upstairs, but mostly this is used for filming. There is so much work involved, I’m not sure anyone will ever want to restore it, even though it is eligible for major tax breaks. In my opinion, it’s ok to let this one go and build 3 or 4 newer houses here. Time does march on.
Right across the street is the Garfield house. This is also a real Craftsman Greene and Greene. Lo and behold, I find out that my friend Hillary grew up in this house! I need more information! The house was built for Lucretia Garfield, widow of President James Garfield. My friend probably lived there in the 60s and 70s. I knew she grew up in a Craftsman house in South Pasadena, but not that this is really an historic home.
Right next door, a very early Greene and Greene, they had yet to develop their signature style. So this one is pre-Craftsman by a team of brothers who were still finding their way. The little we saw of the inside was nice, but nothing amazing. Except there were Batchelder tiles around the two fire places. Just green/tan tiles, no design on them. But hey, these days, a Batchelder is a Batchelder.
I have no picture of the final house. A huge hedge greeted us on the street. Although the property is over an acre, you see nothing from the street. the grounds themselves are jungle like, very mature trees, a lot of greenery and water. The house was a converted carriage house. Rather small and the interior was 100% Victorian! Tchotskes everywhere, every inch of the walls covered with paintings. Very overwhelming. So the surroundings are lovely, but I couldn’t last in that house for more than a few minutes.
Another comment, this really bugs me. People now bring their dogs everywhere – into restaurants, markets and even on this tour. I don’t care that the dog is small and they are carrying it. Dogs do not belong on a home tour! The final house had a bird in a cage, what right do they have to march in with their dog??? Really, it steams me. But the same people who will complain about others breaking laws they approve of, have no compunction about breaking laws themselves. Don’t get me started on ‘service dogs’. These were pets and as such should stay home.
Leah