1539 El Rito Avenue on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and Authorize a Mills Act Contract Between the Owner and the City
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gLenda[~%° california CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA REPORT TO THE: Joint fl City Council ~ Housing Authority U Successor Agency fl Oversight Board U August 14, 2018 AGENDA ITEM Report: 1539 El Rito Avenue — Glendale Register Nomination 1) Resolution to list 1539 El Rito Avenue on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and authorize a Mills Act contract between the owner and the City 2) Resolution to not list 1539 El Rito Avenue on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and not authorize a Mills Act contract between the owner and the City COUNCIL ACTION Public Hearing ~ Ordinance fl Consent Calendar ~ Action Item ~J Report Only fl Approved for calendar ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION Signature Submitted by: Bradley Calvert, Assistant Director of Community Development Prepared by: Deepeaka Dhaliwal, Planning Assistant Approved by: Ya~min Beers, City Manager Reviewed by: Michael J. Garcia, City Attorney Erik Krause, Deputy Director of Community Development Jay Platt, Senior Urban Designer gAl RECOMMENDATION The Historic Preservation Commission recommends that City Council approve the designation of 1539 El Rito Avenue as a historic resource, place it on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources as property number 125 (GR-125), to be known as the Joy House, and authorize a Mills Act contract for the property. Planning staff’s recommendation to the City Council is consistent with that of the Commission. BACKGROUNDIANALYSIS On April 19, 2018 the Glendale Historic Preservation Commission unanimously adopted (5-0) a motion recommending that the City Council approve the designation of 1539 El Rito Avenue as a historic resource, place it on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources, and authorize a Mills Act contract for the property. 1539 El Rito Avenue is a Monterey Revival single-family residence located in the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood. Built in 1932, the original building permit lists Edward L. Mayberry Jr. as the architect and Floyd R. Fisher as the builder. Mayberry was an active architect throughout Southern California, especially in the Santa Barbara area. He was born in Sacramento in 1871 and his family eventually moved to Santa Barbara in 1876. His father, Edward Mayberry Sr., also worked as an architect and it is likely his son was first exposed to architecture through his father’s projects. Edward Mayberry Jr. went to USC for one year and then attended a local business college. He then worked for Seholder, Johnson, & Company in 1890 and two years later, he earned his BL at UC Berkeley. After graduating in 1896, he worked at Carl Leonardt’s firm as a design engineer. By 1907, Mayberry began an architectural firm known as Mayberry & Parker with his partner Llewellyn A. Parker. They would become known for their design of steel structures that incorporated modern materials such as reinforced concrete. Mayberry designed a variety of buildings and structures ranging from residential designs to municipal structures. He was knowledgeable in engineering earthquake safe buildings as well. Some notable projects done by Mayberry during his time at Mayberry & Parker include the Prospect Boulevard Bridge in Pasadena, the Playhouse Theater in Pasadena, and the Zaca Creek Bridge (no longer extant) in Santa Barbara. Mayberry & Parker operated as an active firm until 1918 due to Mayberry serving as a captain for the Army Corps of Engineers during World War I. Following the war, he established his own architectural firm in Los Angeles in 1919. Notable projects designed by Mayberry during his time as an individual practitioner include the St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara, the Daily News Building in Santa Barbara, and the Paden-Pelton Building in Los Angeles. A handful of Mayberry’s work both during his partnership with Parker and during his time working independently are designated historic resources including the Loboreo Theatre in Santa Barbara, the Blackstone Hotel in Long Beach, the Parker-Mayberry Bridge in Pasadena, and the J.W. Robinson Co. store in Los Angeles among others. He would continue to work as an architect until 1937 when he retired following the death of his wife, Ada S. Phillips. Mayberry died on October 23, 1957. The original owner of the house was Hollis Lyons Joy, also listed on the original building permit. Mr. Joy was born in 1902 to a family of clergy and landowners. His mother died shortly after he was born and his father eventually remarried and moved out of Ohio. Mr. Joy would go on to marry Deborah Wilkes and have two daughters and a son. The Joy family moved from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles around 1929 and were residents of Glendale by 1932, the year 1539 El Rito 2 Avenue was built. Mr. Joy worked as a manager, salesman, and builder. The family lived at 1539 El Rito until 1940 when they moved to another house in Glendale and eventually retired to San Diego. George Washington Polk and Blanche Linton, a military family, rented the house from 1940-1941. Roy Lowey Sawyer and Dorothy A. McDonald bought the house in 1942. Mr. Sawyer worked as a telephone company manager. The Sawyer family lived in the house until 1949. In 1950, Richard Boblett and Marie Ann Griggs purchased the property. Both worked as school teachers and lived in the house until 1972 when it changed hands to the Stanley family. Curtis Stanley works as an architect and Mirna Stanley was very active in the Glendale community, including serving as the president of the Verdugo Woodlands West Homeowners Association for many years. The current owners bought the property in 2017. The applicants have proposed the joint name of the “Joy-Stanley House” for the property to honor the Stanley’s longtime stewardship and Mrs. Stanley’s community work. According to the current HPC naming policy for Glendale Register properties, buildings are named after the first occupants unless they are eligible under Criterion 2 for an association with a person that has made significant contributions to history. While indicating its respect for Mrs. Stanley’s work, the Commission recommends the property be named the “Joy House” in accordance with its policy. Although Mayberry designed several notable buildings and bridges in the Southern California region, the research provided in the application does not suggest that his work is that of a master architect at the local or regional level. Furthermore, the application does not suggest any of the former or current residents played a significant role in the history of the city, state, or nation. Architectural Description Designed in the Monterey Revival style, the house faces south onto El Rito Drive. It is set slightly above street level with various shrubs, an olive tree, and purple wisteria decorating the front yard. The house has rectangular-shaped plan and is symmetrical overall. It is two stories in height and has an attached below-grade garage at the southeast corner. The house has an overall horizontal emphasis with a side-gabled roof covering the entire house. The roof is composed of red clay tile and its eaves have very little overhang. Characteristic of the Monterey Revival style, a large second-story balcony dominates the front façade with columns running from the roof run down to the entry porch. The entire house is clad in stucco. The main entrance is slightly offset from the center of the front façade. Curving flagstone steps lead to the front door, which is set within a slightly recessed entry. The door is composed of wood panels and two glass panels at the top. The patio area at the first level is composed of brick payers, which were added at a later date. Double-hung wood windows flanked by operable shutters are found along the first-story of the front façade. Similar windows are found at the second-story in addition to two French doors that open onto the balcony. A large chimney, rebuilt after earthquake damage, is located at the east (side) façade. A series of various sized double-hung wood windows, mostly with operable shutters are also found at this façade. A secondary, utilitarian door provides access to this side of the house. The west (side) façade also has double-hung wood windows at the first and second story. Most of the windows at the second-story have awnings added at a later date that provide shade. A portion of the second-story at the southwest corner of this façade cantilevers over the first-story. A 3 small, shed roof composed of clay tile is found at the northwest corner of this façade at the first- story level. A gate at the southwest corner leads to the backyard. A smaller second-story balcony is found at the rear façade, accessed by a pair of French doors from the master bedroom. An original awning window is found at the east side of the balcony. Directly underneath the balcony is another pair of French doors. The original service porch and kitchen door are also found at the rear facade. Various trees and planters decorate this area. A tri-partite replacement window is found at the northwest corner in the kitchen. Located in the area closest to the house is an outdoor sifting area composed of bricks. A small gardener’s shed added at a later date is located at the southeast corner of the backyard. The remainder of the backyard is composed of an expansive lawn, retaining walls, and various landscape beds. Alterations and Integrity 1539 El Rito Avenue retains a high degree of material and design integrity. The majority of the changes to the house consist of interior alterations and changes to the landscaping. However, none of these changes have compromised a significant amount of the historic character of the house.