MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS CA-2789 638 North Faring Road CA-2789 Los Angeles Los Angeles County California PHOTOGRAPHS WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA REDUCED COPIES OF MEASURED DRAWINGS HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY PACIFIC GREAT BASIN SUPPORT OFFICE National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior 600 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94103 HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY • Morris Landau House HABS No. CA-2789 Location: 638 North Faring Road, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. The property is situated on the southern slope of the Santa Monica Mountains, approximately 12 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles and approximately seven miles from the Pacific Ocean. Due to its location in the Santa Monica Mountains, the local topography is generalized by ridges and canyons in elevation to the north and descending in elevation to the south. Beverly Hills, California 7.5-minute USGS Quadrangle, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Coordinates: Zone 11, Easting 367689, Northing 3772835 Present Owner: Harvard-Westlake School 700 North Faring Road Los Angeles, CA 90077 • Original Use: Single-family residence. Present Use: The building is currently vacant. Significance Summary: Los Angeles based architect Paul R. Williams designed the two-and-one-half-story, single-family, Georgian Revival style residence for electrical engineer Morris Landau and his wife Mabel. Situated at 638 North Faring Road, the house was built in 1936, on Lot 8, Tract 8236 ofHolmby Hills, in the West Los Angeles District. The property physically manifests a particular phase in the development of Williams' architectural career: residential. His characteristic style and architectural quality is reflected in the overall design of the residence. William's design is effectively complemented by Edward Huntsman-Trout's landscape design . • MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 2) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Date of Erection: Original construction (main dwelling and pool): 1936 Significant alterations and additions: 1937 (pool house), 1954 (rear porch extension), 1992 (rear porch area built-out with roof modifications). 2. Architect: Paul Revere Williams, a Los Angeles based architect, is the architect of record for the main dwelling, pool, and pool house. Original landscape design of the property by Edward Huntsman-Trout, an accomplished Los Angeles based designer and plantsman. 3. Original and subsequent owners: Morris and Mabel Landau (1936-1954) Dr. E.E. Hassen (1954-1963) Barry Sterling (1964 - 1966) Budd Kessler (1967 -1982) • Bruce McNall (1982-1993) Harvard Westlake School (1994-present) 4. Builder(s), contractor(s), supplier(s): Main dwelling contractor (1936): Paddock Engineering Company, Hollywood, California. Swimming pool contractor (1936): Paddock Engineering Company, Hollywood, California. Pool house/pavilion contractor (1937): None listed. Swimming pool tile contractor (1937): Sunset Tile & Marble Company, Los Angeles, California. 5. Original plans and construction: No original plans were uncovered. However, original landscape plans of the site are on file at the UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library Department of Special Collections, Al 713 Young Research Library, P.O. Box 951575, Los Angeles, California 90095. 6. Alterations and additions: A number of alterations have occurred to the secondary elevations ofthe residence, including the replacement of windows, modifications to window openings, the infill of the rear porch • area with a two-story room addition, reconfiguration ofthe roofing system at the rear portion MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 3) of the dwelling, and change-out of original roofing materials (from shake/composition to slate shingles). The following is a list of permits on file with the City of Los Angeles Planning Division: 1936 Original permit for construction of dwelling not found in City of Los Angeles records. 09-25-1936 Swimming pool (50'-0" by 20'-0", concrete). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: Paul R. Williams. Contractor: Paddock Engineering Company (P.P. Paddock, engineer). Cost: $2,000. Permit No. 36LA26030. 04-12-1937 Bathing pavilion (at southern end of pool). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: Paul R. Williams. Cost: $2,500. Permit No. 37LA11540. 04-12-1937 Add reinforced concrete terrace (retaining wall, rear grounds area). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: None. Engineer: C.S. Stacey (Paddock Engineering Company, Hollywood, California). Cost: $650. Permit No~ 37LA11543. 06-18-1937 Tile swimming pool gutter (pool scupper). Property owner: Morris Landau. Architect: None. Contractor: Sunset Tile & Marble Company, Los Angeles, California. Cost: Tile setting order fee $1.00/Contract. Permit No. 37LA20376. • 03-16-1954 Erect 3 '-0" by 23 '-6" extension of existing roof over [rear] porch (exterior alteration). Property owner: Dr. E.E. Hassen. Architect: A. Godfrey Bailey. Contractor: owner. Cost: $200. Permit No. 54WL10960. 09-26-1961 Wet sandblast. Property owner: Dr. E.E. Hassen. Architect: None. Contractor: Ross Sadler. Cost: $175. Permit No. 61LA98340. 12-21-1964 Interior alterations - no structural changes. Property owner: Barry Sterling. Architect: None. Contractor: Robert Stephen, Encino, California. Cost: $4,000. Permit No. 64WL54954. 07-17-1967 Interior alterations - cab. No structural changes. Property owner: Budd Kessler. Architect: None. Contractor: Robert Stephan;' Encino. Cost: $4,500. Permit No. 67WL68729. 09-12-1980 Building permit, work unspecified. Permit No. 80WL32007. 08-24-1982 Addition of private game room in basement ( 450 square feet, interior alteration only). Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: Cetindis, Santa Monica, California. Contractor: Eastside Construction Company Incorporated, Bell Gardens, California. Cost: $15,000. Permit No. 82WL42156. 10-19-1982 Structural alteration in game room (interior alteration only). Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: None. Engineer: Turhan J. Kasar . • Contractor: Eastside Construction Company (Eugene La Porte), Bell MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE HABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 4) Gardens, California. Cost: $1,000 (BP), $10,000(P.C.). Permit No. 82WL42796. 12-01-1982 Change of contractor on Permit No. 42796. Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: None. Engineer: Turban J. Kasar. Contractor: Wilshire Awning & Furniture Company, Incorporate. Cost: $101. Permit No. 82WL43541. 01-17-1983 Change store room to bathroom (interior alteration only). Property owner: Bruce McNall. Architect: None. Engineer: Turhan J. Kasar. Contractor: Wilshire Awning & Furniture Company, Incorporated. Cost: $10,000. Permit No. 83WL44013. 05-17-1990 Grading pre-inspection permit (work unspecified). Permit No. None. 06-05-1990 Soils report. Permit No. None. 03-28-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL95247. 06-04-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91WL96398. 06-18-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91LA76629. 06-18-1991 Plan maintenance (work unspecified). Permit No. 91LA76629. 06-27-1991 Grading Pre-inspection. Permit No. None. 07-12-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL97009. 07-12-1991 Plan maintenance (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL97009. 07-23-1991 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 91 WL97196. 10-07-1991 Grading oversize document. Permit No. None. • 10-07-1991 Grading oversize document. Permit No. None. 10-29-1991 Grading pre-inspection. Permit No. None. 11-01-1991 Soils report. Permit No. None. 01-09-1992 Administrative Approval. 01-10-1992 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 92WL99891. 01-10-1992 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 92WL99892. 01-10-1992 Plan maintenance (work unspecified). Permit No. 92WL99891. 05-01-1992 Certificate of Occupancy. Permit No. 91LA76629. 06-16-1992 Compaction report. Permit No. None. 08-12-1992 Certificate of Occupancy. Permit No. 91 WL97009. 09-09-1993 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 93WL09514. 09-09-1993 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 93WL09515. 12-13-1993 Compaction report. Permit No. None. 02-07-1994 Building permit (work unspecified). Permit No. 94WL12210. 08-18-1995 Building permit (earthquake damage, chimney repair). Permit No. 95WL30970. Post-1992 Infill of rear porch area to add formal dining room at first floor and additional bedroom/office on second floor. This work also included the reconfiguration of the roofing system at rear of house from hip to mansard • and change-out of roofing materials from shingle (composition/shake) to MORRIS LANDAU HOUSE BABS No. CA-2789 • (PAGE 5) slate. Rear elevation configuration (with 1954 built-out porch area visible) is illustrated on a 1992 aerial photograph. B. Historical Context: Los Angeles Holmby Hills Area Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in California, the Los Angeles area was inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians. The earliest explorers to the region arrived in 1769, with the Gaspar de Portola Expedition. In 1781, Mexican settlers under the direction of Spanish Governor Felipe de Neve founded El Pueblo de La Reina de Los Angeles. 1 Land to the west of the pueblo comprised four large ranchos. The largest of these was Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica, encompassing most of the Santa Monica Mountains, Brentwood, west Los Angeles, and the City of Santa Monica. Rancho Boca de Santa Monica comprised the Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica Canyon areas. The present-day Palms area was situated within Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes while Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres