AGENDA ITEM: 2-B
Design Review Subcommittee (DRSC) Meeting Date: May 29, 2019
PLANNER: Jonathan Lightfoot, Assistant Planner
SUBJECT: Staff Waiver 19-172, Goldschmidt House Exterior Paint Colors, a request to repaint the exterior of the historic Goldschmidt property at 243 Avenida La Cuesta.
BACKGROUND:
The property at 243 Avenida La Cuesta (“Goldschmidt House”) is a single family Spanish Colonial Revival (SCR) designed property on the local, state, and National Register of Historic Places. Figure 1 below illustrates the existing conditions of the home. The property has a Mills Act contract with the City to invest tax savings into continued maintenance and preservation of the property. The City’s 2006 Historic Resources Survey provides the following description of the property:
“This one-story single family residence was built for Adlai Goldschmidt in 1928…. The Goldschmidt Residence was designed by Los Angeles architect Paul R. Williams… Williams was one of Los Angeles’ premier architects from the 1920s to the 1950s, and undoubtedly the most successful black architect of his day….The Goldschmidt House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. It appears eligible at the local level under Criterion A for its association with the Ole Hanson/Spanish Village by the Sea period of development (1925-1936), and under Criterion C for its association with prominent architect Paul R. Williams and as a unique and elaborate interpretation of the Spanish Colonial Revival style in San Clemente.”
Figure 1 – Existing Conditions at 243 Ave. La Cuesta Goldschmidt House Colors Page 2
Why is DRSC Review Required?
Exterior painting of historic properties is eligible for a Staff Waiver of a Minor Cultural Heritage Permit (MCHP). Per Zoning Ordinance Section 17.12.025, the City Planner may refer applications to the Design Review Subcommittee (DRSC). This Staff Waiver was referred to DRSC, which serves as the Cultural Heritage Subcommittee, due to the significance of the property as a Landmark within the City and staff’s concern with the proposed colors. DRSC’s recommendation will be incorporated into the Staff Waiver.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Catherine Hall and Don Wentzel, the current property owners of the Goldschmidt House, propose to repaint the exterior with Benjamin Moore OC-15 (Baby Fawn) for the stucco, Benjamin Moore Historic Color HC-160 (Knoxville Gray) for the trim, and a wood stain, ZAR-135 (Charcoal), for the exterior exposed framing members and front door. See Attachment 1 for a color palette. Staff will provide color samples at the DRSC meeting. Attachment 2 includes the applicants’ rationale for their color choices, including a researched preference of architect Paul R. Williams for shades of green.
ANALYSIS:
White stucco is a prominent characteristic of all SCR properties in San Clemente. The proposed exterior stucco (Baby Fawn) is a darker off-white color with gray tint that is inconsistent with SCR architecture. The applicant is requesting DRSC input on the proposed stucco color.
For windows on historic properties, staff typically recommends trim colors to be consistent with colors used previously at the site. To determine appropriate window trim colors, owners are requested to sand windows to reveal previous layers of paint. The applicants sanded a window, shown in Figure 2a, to reveal the following color history: light green, dark green, strong yellow/gold, red, brown, dark blue, white, light blue, and turquoise (current).
Because of the difficulty of reading colors from brochures, staff visited the site on May 21, 2019, to observe color samples prepared by the applicant. The proposed Knoxville Gray color has a muted green tint in sunlight and a blue tint in shade. It blends well with the agave plants that are prominent on the site. Staff is supportive of this proposed window trim color as it is similar to previous trim colors used at the site. The proposed trim color is shown in Figure 2b on the arched window. The frames around the doors of the Juliette balcony are the existing turquoise color.
Most historic properties in San Clemente, including Casa Romantica and the Ole Hanson Beach Club, use an exterior brown paint for exterior framing elements. Staff supports the proposed dark brown stain as it will not significantly deviate from the traditional brown color for these elements. Goldschmidt House Colors Page 3
Figures 2a & 2b – Window Trim Color
a) Prior paint layers found on sanded window b) Proposed Knoxville Gray color
Design Guidelines and Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (SOI)
The application of paint is consistent with repair and preservation measures required for the preservation and restoration of historic properties. RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff is supportive of two of the three proposed exterior colors, but does recommend that the applicants use their second choice for the exterior stucco (Seapearl) instead of the proposed Baby Fawn color.
Staff recommends the following color palette:
Benjamin Moore Historic Color HC-160 (Knoxville Gray) or lighter for the trim
Benjamin Moore OC-19 (Seapearl) or lighter for the stucco
ZAR-135 Charcoal (brown) or Benjamin Moore Historic Color HC-186 (Charleston Brown) for the exposed framing members
Attachment 1 includes color swatches from Benjamin Moore’s website. Because the precise tones of these colors are lost when printing, staff will bring color samples from the manufacturer for review during the DRSC meeting. Staff seeks DRSC discussion of the above recommendations and will approve Staff Waiver 19-172 to allow for the repainting of the Goldschmidt House with colors determined to be appropriate by the DRSC. Staff also seeks discussion by DRSC on the appropriate flexibility of color schemes afforded Goldschmidt House Colors Page 4 to historic properties and whether Landmark properties should be held to an “original color” standard.
Attachments:
1. Proposed Color Palette 2. Correspondence from Applicant with photos Attachment 1
Color Palette:
Knoxville Gray (trim):
Baby Fawn (stucco, applicant’s preference):
Seapearl (stucco, applicant’s 2nd choice):
ZAR-135 Charcoal Wood Stain (Framing Members and Door):
Exterior Trim Proposed: Knoxville Gray
Stucco Proposed: Baby Fawn (upper) or Seapearl (lower) Lightfoot, Jonathan Attachment 2
From: Catherine Hall
Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged
Hello again,
I have spoken with Cecilia Gallardo‐Daly and she suggested that we restate our case regarding the color choices for my home at 243 Avenida La Cuesta. My husband (Don Wentzel) and I have done considerable research on the architect, Paul Revere Williams, and have relied on evidence found in the home. We are absolutely convinced that the original color of the trim was green. We would still like to paint the trim green. As I mentioned with the initial request, we selected our colors after doing research (including visits to other cities with similar homes) and working with a color specialist that works on historic homes. The following outlines our reasons:
1. The first photograph shows the paint history from one of the living room windows. Since we are working on restoring the windows, I asked the painter to sand so that the paint was revealed to show changes over time. The color closest to the bare wood is a medium green. In sequence, there is medium green, light green, yellow, red, brown, medium blue, white, medium blue, light blue, and (finally) the current turquoise. Again, the first color found was a medium green. The balcony wood has been most often brown but many other colors. 2. Paul Revere Williams was known to prefer green; a. From the book The Will and the Way, by Karen E. Hudson. Afterword by his grandson Paul Claude Hudson: "When selecting the color scheme, we remembered your telling us to always choose green ... You taught us that green comes in thousands of shades, and one has only to look at the leaves on a tree to understand the limitless possibilities." b. From the book Paul R. Williams Classic Hollywood Style by Karen E Hudson. "Though smaller than the large residential commission on which Williams built his career, the house meets the same key criterion as those mansions. It is the home his client wanted. The predominant color is green, Williams's favorite color, and it appears not only on the walls but also in the stone in the living room, the finishes on the custom‐designed furniture and of course on the slate floor." From the same book: "It has been noted that Williams was reluctant to take suggestions, particularly when it came to the proposed color palette for a home..." 3. We removed wood veneer painted wainscoting from the dining room. (We believed this to be a later addition and proved this by finding plaster walls under the wainscoting.) Along with evidence of a serious plumbing problem and an empty rats nest in the wall, we found wallpaper we believe to date from the completion of the home. The second photo provides a picture of the wallpaper revealed under the wainscoting. It depicts colonial homes, sailing ships, and trees. All done in various greens and grey. This find is consistent with an initial green overall color scheme. I was able to preserve a small
1 piece of the paper if you wish to see it in person. Restoration of the paper was not possible as it was plaster skim coated over on the top part of the wall and damaged with water on the bottom on 2 walls. 4. Spanish Colonial Revival homes were not done in a restricted palette. The body of the homes varied as do the inspiration buildings of the Mediterranean. The trim colors also vary widely. Most common would probably be a light tan with brown trim. Other popular trim colors include green and blue. But not exclusively blue. a. The fourth picture shows a 1928 Jekel home in Riverside with green trim. b. The fifth picture is from the book Paul R. Williams Classic Hollywood Style, by Karen E. Hudson. It shows the restored Ford residence in Ojai. Green trim. c. The sixth picture is from the book The California House, by Kathryn Mason. It shows the 1925 William D Edwards Home in San Marino with dark green trim. Notice how in this and in the 5th picture the landscaping and the house are enhanced by the green trim. 5. This home was built as a ranch house, not a beach house. We are away from the ocean and eth ocean is behind you when looking at the home. The backdrop when viewing the home is rolling hills. The house stretches across the hilltop (originally the only home on the hill). It is designed to blend in rather than being tall and prominent on the hill. 6. We were told to look at other historic properties in San Clemente for paint guidance. The historic City Hall has green trim. 7. I have many books with examples of Spanish Colonial Revival homes with green trim. It is not unusual.
OPTION 1: Our number one color combination request remains Benjamin Moore OC‐15 (Baby Fawn) for the stucco with Benjamin Moore Historic Color HC‐160 (Knoxville Gray) for trim.
OPTION 2: Since the stucco color was deemed too dark, our second choice is Benjamin Moore OC‐19 (Seapearl) for the stucco with HC‐160 for the trim
OPTION 3: Our last choice is to accept the Van Duessen Blue you said you would support. We would tell anyone that asks that this color was selected by the city, not by us. The third picture shows a window (not an original window‐‐one added by the last owner on the back of the garage space.) You can see the current stucco color (recently painted by the previous owner) which matches Dunn Edwards cottage white. It is very yellow in sunlight. To the right of the window is a sample of Seapearl (Benjamin Moore OC‐ 19). Most of the trim is painted in Knoxville Gray. On the right side Van Deussen Blue has been applied.
In every case, we intend to use the dark stain for the eaves and balcony. Our stain color was selected to match the ceiling in the hallways. it is similar to that shown in the last picture (number 7) from the book Paul R. WIlliams Architect, A Legacy of Style, by Karen E. Hudson. It is a photo of the restored W. D. Hallett residence in Hollywood. Note the dark stain on the balcony (and white window trim.)
We look forward to hearing from you soon. As you know, we have painters working on windows now and are using tinted primer until we finalize the colors. If you would like to visit let us know.
Thank you, Catherine Hall (949‐436‐2347) Don Wentzel (310‐463‐6212
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