CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT REPORT · Update survey. Under that survey effort, the property was found...

CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT REPORT

J O H N P A R K I N S O N R E S I D E N C E 8 0 8 W O O D A C R E S R O A D S A N TA M O N I C A , C A L I F O R N I A

Prepared for:

City of Santa Monica City Planning Division 1685 Main Street, Room 212 Santa Monica, CA 90401

Prepared by: Jan Ostashay Principal Ostashay & Associates Consulting PO BOX 542 Long Beach, CA 90801

FEBRUARY 2019

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JOHN PARKINSON RESIDENCE, 808 WOODACRES ROAD City Landmark Assessment Report

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CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT REPORT

JOHN PARKINSON RESIDENCE 808 Woodacres Road Santa Monica, CA 90402

APN: 4280-002-005

INTRODUCTION

This landmark assessment and evaluation report, completed by Ostashay & Associates Consulting (OAC) for the City of Santa Monica, documents and evaluates the local landmark eligibility of the property located at 808 Woodacres Road, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County. This assessment report was prepared at the request of the City and includes a discussion of the survey methodology utilized, a concise description of the property, a summarized historical context of the property and related themes, evaluation for significance under the City of Santa Monica landmark criteria, photographs, and any applicable supporting materials.

OAC evaluated the subject property, the John Parkinson Residence, to determine whether it appears to satisfy one or more of the statutory criteria associated with City of Santa Monica Landmark eligibility, pursuant to Chapter 9.56 (Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance) of the Santa Monica Municipal Code. The assessment and this report were prepared by Jan Ostashay, principal with OAC, who satisfies the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for Architectural History and History.

In summary, OAC finds that the John Parkinson Residence, 808 Woodacres Road, appears eligible for local listing as a City Landmark under City of Santa Monica Landmark Criteria 9.56.100(A)(1), 9.56.100(A)(2), 9.56.100(A)(3), 9.56.100(A)(4), and 9.56.100(A)(5). The following sections of the report provide a contextual basis for the assessment analysis and a discussion of how this evaluation determination was made.

METHODOLOGY

The historical assessment was conducted by Jan Ostashay, principal with Ostashay & Associates Consulting. To help identify and evaluate the subject property as a potential local landmark, an intensive-level survey of the site was conducted. In order to determine if any previous evaluations or survey assessments of the property had been performed the assessment included a review of the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and its annual updates, the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register), the California Historic Resources Inventory System (CHRIS) maintained by the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), and the City’s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI).


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For this current assessment a site inspection and a review of building permits and tax assessor records were performed to document the property’s existing condition and assist in evaluating the property for historical significance. In researching the City files no building permits were found for the property. However, some relevant building permits were found within the City of Los Angeles online permit files. The City of Santa Monica landmark criteria were employed to evaluate the local significance of the property and its eligibility for designation by the City’s Landmark Commission.

In addition, the following tasks were performed for the study:

• Searched records of the National Register, California Register, Library of Congress archives, U.S. Census records, OHP CHRIS, and the local City of Santa Monica HRI.

• Conducted a site inspection of the subject property and its associated features; photographed the property, features, and adjacent area.

• Conducted site-specific and contextual research on the subject property utilizing Sanborn fire insurance maps, city directories, newspaper articles, historical photographs, aerial photographs, and associated archival, historical references and repositories.

• Reviewed and analyzed ordinances, statutes, regulations, bulletins, and technical materials relating to federal, state, and local historic preservation, designation assessment procedures, and related programs.

• Evaluated the potential historic resource based upon landmark criteria established by the City of Santa Monica and utilized the OHP survey methodology for conducting surveys. The property was not evaluated for National Register or California Register eligibility.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The John Parkinson Residence is located along Woodacres Road in the northern portion of the City near the intersection of San Vicente Boulevard and 14th Street. The property is set back from the street near the end of the Woodacres Road cul-de-sac. The legal description of the subject property is Lot 11 of Tract No. 12868; parcel number 4280-002-005. The two-story period revival style dwelling is located in a single-family residential neighborhood consisting primarily of one-story Ranch style homes from the 1950s as well as one- and two-story homes of varying styles erected decades later.

The subject property was previously identified in the City’s 2018 Historic Resources Inventory Update survey. Under that survey effort, the property was found to be individually eligible for National Register and California Register listing due to its architectural merit, associations with the early residential development of the area, and master architect John Parkinson. The property was also identified as individually eligible for local listing as a City of Santa Monica landmark for the same reasons.


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PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

Description. The two-story John Parkinson Residence was completed in 1921. However, according to permit history and the Southwest Builder and Contractor publication from March 1920 construction of the dwelling began in earnest in the spring of 1920. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with Italian Renaissance Revival influences the smooth, trowel-finish white stucco structure was built of hollow clay tile with an irregular “H” shape floor plan.

The rectangular shape central mass of the house, which contains the sun room, hall and stairs, and recessed open loggia on the first floor, fronts the street with two perpendicular wings set flanking either side. The roofing system consists of a series of medium pitched gabled roofs with minimal overhang all capped with red barrel clay tiles. The center mass of the house is capped with a side-facing gable and the two flanking wings are crowned by front-facing gables that are bracketed. Fenestration consists primarily of varying size elongated multi-pane, wood-frame casement windows deeply recessed within their openings. The front (east) window opening set at the first level of the north wing also features a decorative glazed terra cotta frame. Other window types punctuating the structure include square shape multi-pane casements, tripartite windows, decorative stained glass, and fixed-pane with bottle glazing. It appears that some of the window frames along the first and second floors of the large living room wing (north) have been replaced with either solid glazed casements or fixed pane glass windows. The window openings for these newer frames remain unaltered.

The asymmetrical front façade (east, primary) is dominated by the tall triple arches of the entrance loggia with the arcade set on ornate spiral fluted terra cotta columns and Corinthian capitals. The loggia floor, which extends out to the circular driveway is of a herringbone pattern set with varying size and hues of red tiles. This tile flooring also covers the back patio deck at the rear of the house. Full length wood-frame, multi-pane French type windows with exterior wood-frame screens are aligned within the arcade and open to the small patio. Offset to the right of the high vaulted loggia is the main entrance door to the residence. The entry is demarcated by a large, recessed wood panel double door with clear stained glass transom set within a monumental arched shaped opening. This opening is enframed by ornate glazed terra cotta chamfered textured tile blocks in addition to glazed terra cotta tiles with decorative scrollwork on the inset.

The rear (west) elevation is also asymmetrical in form and configuration. Varying fenestration type punctuate this exterior wall plane, though a small, low-rise wrought iron balconet set in front of a pair of French door windows hangs from the second floor of the central bedroom. Just below this balconet feature is an extended enclosed patio area that is capped with a tile covered shed roof. Within the enclosed patio area a pair of wood-frame, multi-pane French doors that open out to the enclosed patio deck. Pairs of elongated multi-pane, fixed metal-framed windows flank the slightly raised door opening.

Similar to the other elevations the south elevation is asymmetrical in design. This portion of the house is comprised of the south wing that includes a small living room area, kitchen, secondary


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stair access to the second floor, dining room, and laundry room all on the first level. Four bedrooms, bathroom, and stair access are directly above. The south elevation contains a pair of multi-pane, wood-frame French doors that open to the side yard and swimming pool area and multi-pane fixed windows upstairs. Off set to the west of the two doors is the extended kitchen that is features a tile covered shed roof, stucco sheathed walls but with a brick veneer skirt with extruded mortar, diamond paned tripartite fenestration, and panel wood doors with diamond glazed upper panels.

The house also includes a basement that is accessed from within the building and from the exterior at the rear. Three engaged stucco clad chimneys are additional features of the dwelling. The back yard directly behind the main house is below grade and was regarded by Parkinson as the “sunken garden.” This large area is enclosed by a stuccoed covered wall of hollow clay tile blocks. Besides steps and ramps from the raised rear patio deck, access to this backyard area is also provided through a wide opening with vertical wood plank door placed at the west side of the stucco wall and through an opening at the south side of the wall near the laundry room. Within this “sunken garden” are a variety of trees, shrubs, and plantings as well as a grassy lawn. On either side of the rear access point are two large ceramic urns that are original to the property’s period of significance.

To south of the main house is a landscaped side yard, swimming pool, tennis court, and two-story guest house with garage. These improvements were added to the grounds by the property’s second owner in 1970. This non-descript, vernacular structure has a rectangular plan, flat mansard roof, stucco walls, French doors, arched covered patio area, and an attached two car garage.

Access to the house is from Woodacres Road and is approached through a pair of brick piers with metal lanterns atop and a metal gate. An attached pedestrian gate of similar style and material is offset to the right (north) of the entry drive. A small bronze signage plate is attached to the center pier of the front gate and reads “Woodacres.” Upon approach the paved driveway forks right, center, and left. The path to the far left heads to the garage and guest house while the center fork leads you to the front of the house and then loops around a central landscaped island and back to the fork and street. The large front yard area features lush mature landscaping, a small decorative fountain lined at the base with soldier course colored brick set at the fork of the driveway, and a variety of mature tall trees (pine, eucalyptus, myrtle, cypress, etc.). The parcel is enclosed along the perimeter by a tall metal and wood picket fence.

Classic elements of the Italian Renaissance Revival style are evident in the arched shape arcade with recessed loggia, the use of glazed terra cotta tiles around the one window opening in the north wing and arched arcade, and the ornately glazed terra cotta frame of the main entry and door feature. The Spanish Colonial Revival idiom heralds to the smooth trowel-finish of the stucco, red barrel tile roof and overhang details, asymmetrical configuration and design of the dwelling, fenestration pattern and window frame type, and overall massing and varying height


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composition. An article in the Architectural Forum magazine from 1926 noted the house as a small Tuscan villa.

Alterations. A review of Los Angeles County Tax Assessor records and archival data indicates the subject property was completed in 1921. As the property was under the jurisdiction of the City of Los Angeles when it was constructed relevant building permits recorded prior to 1979 were found at the City’s Department of Building and Safety’s online building records search database. No associated permits were found filed with the City of Santa Monica. Permits recorded for exterior work on the subject property on file with the City of Los Angeles include the following. Citations to the Southwest Builder and Contractor are also included in the table below.

YEAR DESCRIPTION OF WORK

1920 Plans being prepared for a two-story hollow tile residence on San Vicente Bl. for himself 1920 Five room addition with two bathrooms, $6,000 1920 Add to brick residence, 1201 San Vicente Bl., Sawtelle Annex, $6,000 1947 Garage (detached), $850 1970 Accessory living quarters + two car garage (detached), $18,000 1970 Private swimming pool 1970 Add mansard roof to accessory living quarters and garage

No other building permits were located in the City of Los Angeles or City of Santa Monica building permit files. At some unspecified date, a small one-story brick and glass addition off the rear corner of the kitchen area was made by Howard Alphson (unspecified date). A one-story frame and glass patio enclosure with tile covered shed roof off the rear of the house as well as the remodel and extension of the back patio deck were also made by Alphson (unspecified date). In addition, a small extended closet was built out from the rear corner of the upstairs back bedroom (date unknown).

The changes noted above; however, do not adversely affect the property’s overall historic qualities or important character-defining features. A visual inspection of the exterior of the house and grounds confirms that no major alterations have been made to the property to compromise its overall historical integrity.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Santa Monica. In 1875, the original townsite of Santa Monica was surveyed, including all the land extending from Colorado Street on the south to Montana on the north, and from 26th Street on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west. Between 1893 and the 1920s, the community operated as a tourist attraction, visited by mostly wealthy patrons. Those areas just outside of the incorporated city limits were semi-rural in setting and were populated with scattered residences. After the advent of the automobile in the 1920s, Santa Monica experienced a significant building boom with homes being constructed in the tracts north of


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Montana and east of Seventh Street for year-round residents. A number of annexations occurred in later years that further expanded the City of Santa Monica.

Sawtelle Annex. The subject property was typically listed in the Santa Monica city directories after its completion. References in the local papers, architectural magazines and journals, etc. also stated that it was situated within the City of Santa Monica. However, the Parkinson residence was actually located in what was called the Sawtelle Annex. The Sawtelle area was incorporated in 1906 as a city, but was annexed to Los Angeles in 1922. It remained part of Los Angeles until homeowners of roughly 50 homes north of San Vicente Boulevard comprised of five cul-de-sac streets (Esparta Way, Ermont Place, Woodacres Road, Foxtail Drive, and Larkin Place) petitioned to become part of the City of Santa Monica in 1976 (there was an earlier effort in 1968, but it was denied by Los Angeles). The homeowners in this area claimed they were isolated from Los Angeles city services such as schools, police, and fire protection due to their remote location to the city. They also noted that their properties were only accessible by traveling through Santa Monica. Over the course of a few years with discussions between Los Angeles, Santa Monica, the property owners and others the land formally became part of the City of Santa Monica in 1979.

John Parkinson Residence. The subject property located at 808 Woodacres Road was designed and built in 1921 by master architect John Parkinson as his personal residence. It was his third and final residence built in Southern California. The Woodacres property has only had two property owners to date, John Parkinson and his family (1913-c1966) and Howard and Dru Alphson and their family (1966 to present).

John Parkinson was one of the most prolific, masterful, and influential architects of Los Angeles. Parkinson had purchased the subject property in early 1913 from the Santa Monica Land and Water Company for just under $100,000. According to the local newspapers, the land purchased, which was approximately 22 acres, extended from 14th Street east to 17th Street and stretched north to the southern rim of the Santa Monica Canyon from San Vicente Boulevard. Accounts in the San Monica Daily Outlook, Los Angeles Herald, and Los Angeles Times from 1913 all cite the preparation of plans for a large residential estate by owner, builder, and architect John Parkinson on the large acreage of land. These newspapers also noted the cost for the construction of the house from $25,000 to $50,000 to $100,000.

In actuality, the house was built in the spring of 1920, with an enlargement to the dwelling costing $6,000 added in June of that same year.1 John Parkinson sold his home on Wilshire Place in Los Angeles in March 1920 and it was at that time that he and his family, Meta his wife and son Donald (1895-1945), relocated to the “country” along San Vicente Boulevard. His daughter Mary Dorothea (Dorothy, 1890-1980) had married Goodwin Trent in 1917 and they were living in Los Angeles at that time (later they moved to San Marcos where Goodwin became a dairy farmer).

1 Southwest Builder and Contractor, March 12, 1920, p. 15; Southwest Builder and Contractor, June 11, 1920; Los Angeles building permit, June 5, 1920, #8117.


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At the time of its construction it was assigned an address of 1201 San Vicente Boulevard, which remained as such until the mid-1940s. Access to the property was via a long windy main driveway from San Vicente Boulevard. The large site that developed into Parkinson’s personal residence consisted of a large wedge shape piece of land that included an open air plunge (swimming pool), tennis courts, formal gardens, an enclosed sunken garden behind the house, a small chicken ranch for the raising of fancy prize poultry, a small private golf course, groves of trees, a service drive, and vast manicured lawns and landscaping. There were so many trees throughout the site and around the grounds perimeter that the Parkinsons called the estate “Woodacres.”

A sketch by Parkinson dating from the late 1910s shows a conceptual layout of the grounds, which at the time included a long windy “main” driveway from San Vicente Boulevard to a landscaped circular motor court and the house, a service driveway along the western side of the parcel, an enclosed chicken yard, formal gardens, lake, sunken garden with wall, and lots of trees throughout the site. Upon the actual completion of the house and grounds the property looked closely like the plan Parkinson had sketched. Many of those features are still evident today.

The Parkinson family lived and played at Woodacres; however, in the spring of 1922, Meta Parkinson became sick and was confined to bed. Diagnosed with an acute throat and ear infection, she passed away on March 10, 1922 at the age of fifty-five in their Santa Monica home. Months after this devastating loss, Parkinson began a brief courtship with a local bank teller, Florence Gumaer (1884-1966). Though twenty-three years younger than Parkinson, a romantic connection was sparked and they married on April 6, 1923.

The newly married Mr. and Mrs. John Parkinson continued to live at the Woodacres home. Though still overseeing the Parkinson architectural firm with his son, John Parkinson also allotted time to travel aboard with Florence. During the early 1930s, Parkinson along with his son Donald and fellow architects John Austin and Albert C. Martin were jointly commissioned as architects for the new Los Angeles Union Terminal building complex. While John Parkinson was working on the designs for the project he suffered what was later diagnosed as a mild heart attack at his office in the Title Insurance Building in downtown Los Angeles. He recuperated at his Santa Monica home and on December 9, 1935 the doctor visited for a check-up and found him “cheerful and happy.”2 However, only ten minutes after the doctor left he was quickly summoned back to the house where he found Parkinson dead from a heart attack.3 It was three days before what would have been his seventy-fourth birthday.

Following the death of John Parkinson, Florence remained at Woodacres for a number of years. Donald lived nearby as his home he had designed built just up the street at 1605 San Vicente Boulevard. Daughter Dorothy moved back to Santa Monica with her family in the late 1930s to

2 Ibid, p. 118-119. 3 Ibid, p. 119; Santa Monica Evening Outlook, “Notable Building Designer Dies,” December 10, 1935;


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be closer to Florence and her brother. They were listed in the 1940’s U.S. Census as residing at 900 San Vicente Boulevard.

Beginning in early 1945 Florence and Donald wanted to downsize the acreage upon which Woodacres was located. The idea of subdividing the land was nothing new as John Parkinson had sold off a portion of acreage to Donald Douglas back in 1922.4 On January 9, 1946, Tract Number 12868 with its newly created short winding cul-de-sac street called Woodacres Road and flanking 16 parcels was formally established with the City of Los Angeles. It was at this time that the address of the Parkinson Residence was changed to 808 Woodacres Road. Much of the landscaped grounds that extended to San Vicente and eastward were removed for potential residential development and the grounds of Woodacres were consolidated to a single smaller, reconfigured parcel covering just over an acre. The original long driveway approached from San Vicente Boulevard to the house was also reconfigured and shorten to stem off Woodacres Road.

Florence eventually moved to a nursing home in Pasadena, leaving the house vacant for a number of years. Often times while in Pasadena she would have someone drive her back to Santa Monica so she could visit her beloved Woodacres.5 In 1966, Florence Parkinson passed away at the age of 82 years. The house then passed on to its second owner, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Alphson. Howard Alphson (1919-2015) was an attorney and his wife Druscilla (1926-2018) worked in real estate. They raised their three children there, Miriam Lynn Alphson (1956-1974); Marcia Alphson (1958- ); and John N. Alphson (1960- ) at Woodacres.

During their residency at Woodacres, a number of improvements were made to the overall property by the Alphson family, including a two-story detached accessory dwelling and attached two car garage in July 1970, a swimming pool in September 1970, a small brick addition off the rear corner, and the addition of a one-story frame and glass patio enclosure with tile covered shed roof off the rear of the house. The back patio deck was also remodeled and extended at that time. Despite these changes the main house and grounds remain substantially intact. Today, ownership of the Woodacres property remains in the Alphson family.

John B. Parkinson, Architect. The subject property was designed by regionally significant architect John B. Parkinson, who designed more than 400 structures in the Los Angeles area, including, the Homer Laughlin Building (1897, Grand Central Market) in downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923), Los Angeles City Hall (1928), and Bullocks Wilshire (1928-1929), among other iconic works in the Southland area. John Parkinson’s son, Donald, later designed the Public Works Administration (PWA) Moderne inspired Santa Monica City Hall in collaboration with Joseph M. Estep (1938).

4 Los Angeles Times, “Large New Home Gets Under Way,” July 17, 1922, p. 1. 5 Interview with Stephen Gee, author of “Iconic Vision: John Parkinson Architect of Los Angeles,” January 24, 2019.


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John Parkinson began his prolific architectural career in Southern California when he opened an office in Los Angeles in 1894. In 1905, he formed a partnership with G. Edwin Bergstrom, and in 1920, he opened a joint firm, Parkinson & Parkinson, with his son Donald. John Parkinson is best known for his civic, commercial, and hotel projects; however, he also designed industrial buildings as well as some residential properties. His vocabulary of architectural styles included Art Deco, Spanish Colonial Revival, Italian Renaissance, Art Deco, Classicism, Romanesque, and Beaux Arts.

John Parkinson was born in Scorton, Lancashire, England in 1861 to a working-class family (Thomas and Mary Ann Parkinson) in an era when architects came from the building trades. As a young man he apprenticed with a local contractor, building stone houses, churches, and commercial buildings. During the winter months he enrolled in the Mechanics Institute of Boulton, where he studied building construction and design.6 He arrived in North America in 1883 with little more than five dollars and a toll box.7 As an adult he travelled to Winnipeg, Canada and Minneapolis, Minnesota working as a builder’s apprentice, building fences and stairs, and then serving as a mill foreman. Shortly thereafter, he returned to England intending to open an architectural practice. Lack of success; however, brought him back to the United States and after located in Napa, California. He eventually landed a commission to build the Bank of Napa, which elevated him to formally practicing architecture. In January 1889, Parkinson moved to Seattle where he made his mark as an architect. At the end of the year Parkinson returned to Napa where he married Meta C. Breckenfeld on Christmas day. He returned to Seattle with his new wife soon after.

On October 17, 1890, Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson welcomed a baby daughter, Mary Dorothea. Parkinson’s architectural portfolio continued to grow in Seattle particularly with the commission for the design of the Seattle National Bank Building. The Butler Block project (1891) also earned praise and led to a commission for the design of a schoolhouse, which in turn led to his designing 32 schools in the Pacific Northwest. He soon built his own house within the Seattle neighborhood of Renton Hill and emerged as the City’s first Schools Architect and Superintendent of Construction.

As his business grew, Parkinson also invested in numerous real estate ventures. However, only a few years later Seattle was hit by a serious economic depression in the winter of 1893. Parkinson struggled to offset his investments as the real estate market collapsed. He was forced to resign from his position as the architect and Superintendent of Construction for the Seattle schools or faced the idea of being fired. Unemployed and nearly broke he eventually headed to Los Angeles with his family in March 1894 to begin anew.

He had announced his arrival in Los Angeles in the “Personals” section of the Los Angeles Times on May 9, 1894. By initially teaming with a former colleague from Seattle, Weymouth Crowell, they won a large contract for an addition to a hotel in Pasadena. He later partnered with J. Lee 6 Gee, Stephen. Iconic Vision: John Parkinson, Architect of Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Angel City Press, p.20. 7 Ibid, p. 14.


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Burton, which lasted a year (1894-1895). He then established his own practice under his own name for the next ten years. His first important commission was the Currier Block on Third Street between Spring Street and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. It was followed shortly after by the design of the Homer Laughlin Building, which included the Grand Central Market on the first floor. On a personal note, he became a father for the second time when Meta gave birth to a baby boy, Donald Berthold Parkinson, August 10, 1895.

In 1902, Parkinson was commissioned to design a new bank building at the corner of Fourth and Spring streets by a consortium of investors led by John Hyde Braly, president of the Southern California Savings Bank. The multi-story building was designed as a classical Beaux Arts style structure twelve stories high. Called the Braly Block building it was the first high-rise in the downtown Los Angeles area.8 It remained the tallest building in Los Angeles for more than two decades until 1928, when it would be surpassed by yet another Parkinson landmark, the new Los Angeles City Hall.9 At the time, no single structure did more to enhance John Parkinson’s reputation than the Braly Block.10

In 1905, Parkinson established a partnership with George Edwin Bergstrom (1876-1955). He hired Bergstrom initially as a draftsman, but soon realized his design skills potential. Their ten year collaboration resulted in some of Parkinson’s finest Beaux Arts, Italian Renaissance, and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture created in the Los Angeles downtown business district. These well-designed buildings changed the City’s skyline forever.11 The Parkinson & Bergstrom partnership began with making plans for the most palatial hotel in Los Angeles history: Hotel Alexandria (the lavish Biltmore Hotel in downtown later opened as the largest hotel west of Chicago in 1923).12 Other notable commercial improvements soon followed, including the King Edward Hotel (1905), Bullock’s Department Store #1 (1906-07), the Pacific Mutual Insurance Company building (1908), the reorganization of Central Park (Pershing Square, 1911), the Union Oil Company office building (1911), the Ford Motor Company Factory (1912), and Hotel Rosslyn (1914). The extraordinary success of the Parkinson & Bergstrom partnership resulted in numerous other commissions all designed in a variety of classically crafted architectural styles. The alliance; however, did not extend beyond the agreed upon ten year term and was dissolved in 1915. Parkinson returned to conducting business under his own name and Bergstrom eventually established his own practice.

John Parkinson continued his solo work for five more years before inviting his son Donald to partner with him in the firm. Donald Parkinson graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture in 1920 and had also spent a year as a special student at the American Academy in Rome studying architecture before returning to Los Angeles. It was

8 Ibid, p. 74. 9 Ibid, p. 77. 10 Ibid, p. 77. 11 Ibid, p. 79. 12 Ibid, p. 80.


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at that time that the architectural firm of John and Donald B. Parkinson Architects (Parkinson & Parkinson) was formally established.

It wasn’t much later that the two drew plans for their own personal homes located along San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica. Prior to that time John Parkinson and family were living in a home he designed in Los Angeles on Wilshire Place. John Parkinson designed a two-story Spanish Colonial Revival style residence with Italian Renaissance Revival influences for his abode at 1201 San Vicente Boulevard (later changed to 808 Woodacres Road). Donald designed for himself (and his wife he married in the fall of 1921) a one-story Spanish Colonial Revival dwelling, which was located at 1605 San Vicente Boulevard (now demolished). Both structures were set back from the street and approached by long tree-lined winding driveways.

In the ensuing years, father and son would work together to design a number of iconic landmarks. They worked collaboratively on the design of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that ultimately played a role in the bid to bring the 1932 Olympics to the city. The team of Parkinson & Parkinson incorporated the latest architectural techniques and trends and quickly expanded by the acquisition of more commissions. Their portfolio of work grew to include masterful works such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1921-1923); County of Los Angeles Hall of Justice Building (1925); Mira Mar Hotel, Santa Monica (1921); the Evening Outlook Newspaper Building, Santa Monica (nd); Los Angeles City Hall (1928); Pacific Coast Stock Exchange (1929-1931); Title Guaranty and Trust Company office building (1929-1931); United States Government Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco branch #1, Los Angeles (1929-1930); University of Southern California campus classroom buildings (1928); Bullock’s Wilshire Department Store (1928-1929); Bullock’s Westwood (1932); Security Trust and Saving Bank office building (1933); and the Los Angeles Unified School District Manual Arts High School (1934-1935); among many others in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the southland and out of state.

In addition to his professional work, John Parkinson took an active interest in Los Angeles civic affairs. He was a member of the commission that drafted a new building code for the city in 1900, and after 1902 served for a number of years on the City’s Municipal Art Commission. He was a member after 1901 of the Southern California Chapter, AIA, and served two years (1904-1905) as vice-president and continued his chapter affiliations throughout his career.13 From 1919 to 1933 Parkinson served on the State Board of Architects. He was also a member of the California Club, the B.P.O.E., and the Los Angeles Country Club.

At the time of John Parkinson’s death in late 1935, he and Donald had together designed more than two hundred buildings and the firm was responsible for roughly four hundred, representing a considerable collection of work.14 Thereafter, Donald Parkinson assumed control of the design firm business after his father’s passing and continued to operate the firm as John

13 Withey, Henry and Elsie Rathburn Withey. “Biographical Dictionary of American Architects, Deceased,” 1956, pgs. 456-457. 14 Ibid, p. 119.


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and Donald B. Parkinson out of respect for his father. He went on to complete the Union Passenger Terminal complex and restaurant, as well as the Saks Fifth Avenue store building in Beverly Hills; the Art Deco remodel of the Pacific Mutual Insurance building; Lockheed Administration building; California Bank, Hollywood; and the Santa Monica City Hall with architect Joseph M. Estep.

While the business was prospering, it was in November 1945, that the fifty year old Donald Parkinson passed away unexpectedly due to a heart attack at his Santa Monica home. After Donald Parkinson’s death the architectural firm became known as Parkinson, Powelson, Briney, Bernard & Woodford.15 In 1955, it became Woodford & Bernard Architects until 1984; then changed names again to Woodford, Parkinson, Wynn & Partners Architects. In 1992, the Arizona based DWL Architects acquired the firm and renamed their California operation DWL Parkinson Architects (Los Angeles and San Diego offices). Later that same year, architect Scott Field Associates became the sole owner of the firm, which he renamed Parkinson Field Associates. Today, Field retains much of the Parkinson firm’s archives, which are located in Galveston, Texas.

The legacy of master architect John Parkinson, along with his son Donald, prevails and is quite evident by the number of extraordinary, iconic buildings that still stand throughout Los Angeles and nearby communities. Parkinson helped to define the look and feel of Los Angeles during a period of unparalleled expansion and helped transformed the city into a major metropolis. John Parkinson is considered one of most influential designers of his time and his buildings are distinctively intertwined with the city’s visual and physical identity. His Santa Monica home is a powerful extant example of that legacy.

Spanish Colonial Revival.16 Period Revival styles grew in popularity just after World War I and were patterned after buildings of earlier periods in American and European architecture. Throughout the Southwest, the most common style was the Spanish Colonial Revival. Inspired by the Panama California Exposition of 1915, hosted by the City of San Diego, many architects found Southern California the ideal setting for this particular architectural style that idealized and romanticized the Spanish colonial of California, including W. Sexton’s Spanish Influence on American Architecture and Furnishing, and Garden, published in 1927. The Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style as applied to residential buildings such as the subject dwelling became especially popular in Santa Monica in the years between the two World Wars.

Typical character-defining features of this style include asymmetrical facades; courtyards; verandas and arcaded porches; red clay tile roofs; exterior/interior chimneys, sometimes with decorative chimney pots; stucco or plaster finished walls; wood-frame, multi-pane casement windows with prominent lintels and sills (on some occasions metal frames were used); arched shape doorways and window openings; wrought iron window grilles and balconets; projecting

15 Ibid, p. 124. 16 Adapted from the historic context within the “Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Final Report” by ICF, 2010.


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vigas (rough-hewn roof beams/timbers); decorative carvings, glazed tiles, and fountains; and enriched main doorways with carved, plank, or other ornate wood doors and hardware.

Italian Renaissance Revival.17 Closely associated with the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the Italian Renaissance Revival style is a derivative of renaissance-era Italian domestic architecture that differs from Spanish-inspired designs in several identifiable ways. The term “renaissance” translates to “rebirth” and refers to the artistic movements in Europe that flourished from roughly the 14th century to the 16th century. The Italian Renaissance Revival style is based on Italian architecture with ancient Greek and Roman stylistic elements. Buildings of this style often imitate Italian palazzos. In Southern California, this style often incorporates elements of the Mediterranean style, which is similar to the Spanish Colonial Revival idiom, but includes such elements as bell towers. Key features of the Renaissance Revival style include a symmetrical primary façade; low-pitched, hipped roof; roof typically covered by ceramic tiles; deep overhanging boxed eaves with decorative carved brackets; stucco sheathing; upper-story windows smaller and less elaborate than windows below; extensive use of arches for first story entries and windows; and entrances accented by classical columns or pilasters.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Santa Monica Landmark Designation Criteria. Historic preservation in Santa Monica is governed by Chapter 9.56 (Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance) of the City of Santa Monica Municipal Code. The Ordinance includes criteria and procedures for designating City of Santa Monica Landmarks, Structures of Merit, and Historic Districts. Landmarks may include structures, natural features, or any type of improvement to a property that is found to have particular architectural or historical significance to the City.

Pursuant to Section 9.56.100(A) of the Ordinance, a property merits consideration as a City Landmark if it satisfies one or more of the following six criteria:

1) It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history of the City.

2) It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.

3) It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state, or national history.

4) It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a period, style, method of construction or the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship, or is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail, or historical style valuable to such a study.

17 Ibid.


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5) It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer, or architect.

6) It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City.

Historical Integrity. “Integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance.”18 Both the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources recognize seven aspects of qualities that, in various combinations, define integrity. According to National Register Bulletin 15, the seven qualities that define integrity are location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Integrity is the authenticity of a property’s physical identity clearly indicated by the retention of characteristics that existed during the property’s period of significance. In addition to meeting the criteria of significance, a property must have integrity.

Properties eligible for local landmark designation must meet at least two of the local landmark designation criteria and retain enough of their historic character or appearance to be recognizable as historical resources and to convey the reasons for their historical significance. To retain historic integrity a property should possess several, and usually most, of these seven aspects. Thus, the retention of the specific aspects of integrity is paramount for a property to convey its significance.19 The following is excerpted from National Register Bulletin 15, which provides guidance on the interpretation and application of the seven qualities or aspects of historical integrity:

• Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred.

• Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property.

• Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.

• Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property.

• Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory.

• Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time.

18 U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, (Washington, DC, 1995), p. 44. 19 Ibid.


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Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property.

In assessing a property’s integrity, the National Register criteria recognize that properties change over time, therefore, it is not necessary for a property to retain all its historic physical features or characteristics. The property must retain, however, the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic identity.20

Period of Significance. The NPS defines the period of significance as “the length of time when a property was associated with important events, activities or persons, or attained the characteristics which qualify it for…listing” in the national, state, or local registers. The period of significance usually begins with the date “when significant activities or events began giving the property its historic significance;” the period of significance can be “as brief as a single year…[or] span many years.” It is based on “specific events directly related to the significance of the property,” for example the date of construction, years of ownership, or length of operation as a particular entity.”21 For the John Parkinson Residence property the period of significance is 1921 to 1935, the date of construction and the period during which John Parkinson lived there.

EVALUATION FOR LOCAL LANDMARK DESIGNATION

Application of City Landmark (Significance) Criteria. In summary, based on current research and the above assessment the John Parkinson property appears to satisfy the necessary City of Santa Monica Landmark significance criteria for formal landmark consideration. The property was evaluated according to statutory criteria, as follows.

SMMC 9.56.100(a)(1). It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history of the City.

The subject property, a single‐family residence, exemplifies special elements of the City’s early architectural history in that it manifests elements of both Spanish Colonial Revival design principles and stylistic influences of the Italian Renaissance Revival. The residence was constructed in 1921, and physically and visually memorializes an important aspect of the community’s residential development history and architectural heritage. At the time, the property was one of the first purchased (in 1913) and developed east of Adelaide Drive (and beyond the Palisades Tract) and north of San Vicente Boulevard along the southern rim of Santa Monica Canyon. It was the “so to speak” prototype for residential development in this area, which evolved a number of years later after the construction of the Parkinson property. Initially, located in the City of Los Angeles (until 1979 with the annexation to Santa Monica) it was generally referred to in city directories and other publications as a property situated in Santa Monica because of its location, siting, and access. The 22‐acres of land that Parkinson

20 Ibid, p. 46. 21 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Nomination Form. (Washington, DC, 1997).


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initial purchased in 1913 was eventually subdivided, sold off, and became part of a new residential tract in 1946. The Woodacres property was the impetus for this subdivision and creation of a new post-World War II residential neighborhood. As one of the few extant residences from the earliest phase of residential development in the neighborhood, the property is significant as an increasingly rare example of early residential development in Santa Monica. Overall, it retains a strong sense of time and place from the first quarter of the twentieth century because of its still rather large property size and layout amongst the vast, irregular shaped parcel. Though the property has undergone some modifications over time, most of the alterations are along secondary elevations or at the rear. Despite these minor changes, the house as well as the grounds and site retain a strong sense of time, place, and spatial relationships that continue to collective convey their historic association and character as a sizable estate property within the City of Santa Monica. Therefore, the subject property has direct ties to the City of Santa Monica’s early residential development history and architectural heritage on many levels, and as such appears to satisfy this criterion.

• SMMC 9.56.100(a)(2). It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.

The subject property is an excellent example of its type, design, and style. The design of this dwelling fully articulates Parkinson’s design principles of Period Revival architecture and fully expresses his aesthetic and artistic ideals of the period and style so masterfully for his own personal use. The dwelling’s pleasing balance of horizontal massing, multi-level dynamics, and successful interpretation of a Period Revival style small villa is attained both visually and physically because of its design. The deeply recessed openings around the doors and windows, trowel-finish stucco exterior walls, barrel clay roof tiles, arched shaped openings, the crafted use of glazed terra cotta tiles, and the integration of a loggia and arcade enclosed by ornate spiral fluted terra cotta decorative columns with Corinthian capitals further epitomizes the design theories of an architectural style and clearly expresses an aesthetic ideal of noteworthiness and value. Therefore, the John Parkinson Residence appears to possess high aesthetic and artistic qualities necessary to satisfy this criterion.

• SMMC 9.56.100(a)(3). It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state, or national history.

The subject property, Woodacres, was John Parkinson’s third and last residence where he lived with his wife Florence for roughly fifteen years before his death in late 1935. The other two homes were located in Los Angeles closer to downtown and his office. The Woodacres estate was rather different from the other Parkinson residences in its rural location, siting, use, and overall vastness. It was expressively designed by and for John Parkinson as his “retreat” home, and included many “creature” comforts that he had personally planned for his use and interests, such as a small chicken ranch, formal gardens, groves of trees, small private golf course, wall-enclosed sunken garden, and an open air plunge. By the time Woodacres was completed John Parkinson was already a well-established architect in the Los Angeles area with several large commissions to his name. It was around the time that the Santa Monica house


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was completed that he partnered with his son Donald to form the architectural practice of John and Donald B. Parkinson (Parkinson & Parkinson). Together they went on to design some of the most notable and influential buildings in Los Angeles; further solidifying his name as an important, prominent person. John Parkinson is considered an important person at the local, state, and national levels for his masterful architectural work and the design of extraordinary, iconic buildings that influenced and defined the look and feel of Los Angeles during a period of unparalleled expansion during the first half of the twentieth century. John Parkinson’s design work is also highly recognized and valued in Seattle, Washington and elsewhere. Therefore, the 808 Woodacres Road property appears to qualify under this particular criterion.

• SMMC 9.56.100(a)(4). It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a period, style, method of construction or the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship, or is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail, or historical style valuable to such a study.

The 808 Woodacres Road property is an excellent example of a combined stylistic endeavor that reflects the Spanish Colonial Revival style with influences from the Italian Renaissance Revival idiom. The property is a “classic, quintessential” John Parkinson designed residence with its smooth trowel-textured stucco sheathing, asymmetrical composition, varying roof planes, red tile roof, varied balconet element, multi-pane fenestration, arched shaped openings, integration of a loggia and columned arcade, and crafted use of glazed terra cotta tiles. Other elements associated with his work are evident on the house and include the horizontal emphasis of the property’s overall design and the aesthetically pleasing composition and massing of the façade through a sequence of volumes and interplay of solids to voids. The skillful use of these elements makes the subject property a valuable example of its type and style. Hence, the John Parkinson Residence appears to satisfy this criterion.

• SMMC 9.56.100(a)(5). It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer, or architect.

The subject property is directly associated with master architect John Parkinson, an architect of recognized greatness. Parkinson, a self-trained architect, helped to define the look and feel of Los Angeles during a period of unparalleled expansion and helped transform the city into a major metropolis. John Parkinson is considered one of most influential designers of his time and his buildings are distinctively intertwined with Los Angeles’ visual and physical identity. His portfolio work is recognized throughout the Southern California region. The subject property, designed and built by Parkinson as his personal residence, is a rare and outstanding example of his residential design philosophy constructed within the City of Santa Monica. It is the only known single-family residence of its type designed, built, and lived-in by master architect John Parkinson within the City of Santa Monica. Therefore, it appears the subject property satisfies this criterion.


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• SMMC 9.56.100(a)(6). It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City.

The John Parkinson Residence is located along Woodacres Road, a small cul-de-sec street accessed from the busy thoroughfare of San Vicente Boulevard. Because of its remote and secluded location adjacent the Santa Monica Canyon southern rim it has not become a unique, established or familiar visual feature of the area or City. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to satisfy this criterion.

Evaluation of Historical Integrity. As discussed above, historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its historical significance and is defined as the “authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic period.22 The NPS defines seven aspects of integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.

The changes referenced earlier in the report are not visible from the public right-of-way nor do they adversely affect the property’s historic qualities or important character-defining features. A visual inspection of the exterior of the house and grounds confirms that no major alterations have been made to the property to compromise its overall historical integrity. Therefore, the John Parkinson Residence appears to substantially retain all seven aspects of integrity from its period of significance.

Character-defining Features. Every historic property is unique, with its own identity and its own distinguishing character. A property’s form and detailing are important in defining its visual historic character and significance. It is a property’s tangible features or elements that embody its significance for association with specific historical events, important personages, or distinctive architecture and it is those tangible elements; therefore, that should be retained and preserved.

Character refers to all those visual aspects and physical features that comprise the appearance of every historic property. According to National Park Service Brief 17, Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character, character-defining features include the overall shape of a property (building, structure, etc.), its material, craftsmanship, decorative details, interior spaces and features (as applicable), as well as the various aspects of its site and immediate environment (form, configuration and orientation).

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties defines historic character by the form and detailing of materials, such as masonry, wood, stucco, plaster, terra cotta, metal, etc.; specific features, such as roofs, porches, windows and window elements, moldings, staircases, chimneys, driveways, garages, landscape and hardscape elements, etc.; as well as spatial relationships between buildings, structures, and features; room configurations;

22 National Register Bulletin 16A.


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and archaic structural and mechanical systems.

Identifying those features or elements that give a historic property visual character and which should be taken into account and preserved to the maximum extent possible is important in order for the property to maintain its historical significance. Distinctive and important character-defining features associated with the subject property include its overall setting, immediate environment, materials and design, and any contributive out-features that aid in defining the property’s association with its respective architectural style.

The character-defining features associated with the 808 Woodacres Road residence are those exterior elements on the property that reflect and define its architectural style and association with the property’s designer and initial owner master architect John Parkinson. Such features include, but are not limited to the following:

• Location, height, massing, scale and proportion, building form; and siting of the main residence, circular driveway and landscaped island, and enclosed “sunken garden” on the parcel

• Building configuration as a modified “H” shape plan with central core and flanking wings

• Multi-level, asymmetrical composition of residence

• Substantial landscaped setback from Woodacres Road

• Circulation pattern of front motor court with circular driveway off Woodacres Road

• Front yard area with circular driveway around landscaped island and grounds landscaped with mature trees

• Physical attributes that help define the Spanish Colonial Revival and Italian Renaissance Revival styles of the dwelling

• Multi-level complex gable roof with red hue barrel clay tiles, medium pitch, and bracketed under eave details

• Stucco engaged chimneys with decorative tile caps (three chimneys, location, height and size, material, form)

• Smooth trowel-finish stucco covered exterior walls of residence and “sunken garden” hollow clay tile block perimeter wall with vertical plank wood door and ceramic urns

• Asymmetrical composition of window placement and associated features (fenestration pattern and shape and size)

• Fenestration (recessed) of wood-frame and metal, multi-pane casements; French type


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windows and doors; square shape multi-pane windows; tripartite windows, decorataive stained glass; and fixed-pane bottle glass windows (including their size, material, type, shape, location/placement, mullion profile, individual panes, balconet, and glazed terra cotta framing)

• Triple arched recessed entrance loggia with arcade set on ornate spiral fluted terra cotta glazed columns and Corinthian capitals

• Loggia floor and extended tiled flooring to driveway and front door entry (herringbone pattern of varying size and hue red tiles)

• Full length wood-frame, multi-pane French windows with exterior screens within arched shape arcade (east elevation)

• Enframed glazed terra cotta chamfered block tile main entry with large double wood panel door, clear stained glass transom, and glazed terra cotta tiles with decorative scrollwork insets set within an arched shape recessed opening

• Wood-frame, multi-pane French doors

• Mature landscaping features, including trees (pine, eucalyptus, myrtle, varietal palms, and cypress, etc.)

• Wrought iron hanging pendent light fixtures along front (east) facade

• Small bronze signage plate attached to the center pier of the front gate that reads “Woodacres”

CONCLUSION

As discussed herein, the John Parkinson Residence appears to satisfy the City of Santa Monica’s criteria for individual designation as a local Landmark. Upon conclusion of the assessment and evaluation process, the property retains sufficient historical integrity and appears to meet several of the local landmark criteria because of its association with important historical patterns of early residential development; notable architectural merit; association with a master architect, John Parkinson; and recognition for its unique location within the city. Therefore, the property appears eligible for Santa Monica Landmark designation as it satisfies five significance criteria 9.56.100(A)(1) through 9.56.100(A)(5), pursuant to the Santa Monica Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance, SMMC 9.56.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

American Institute of Architects. Pacific Coast Architect (The Building Review). Los Angeles: Arts & Architecture, Inc., 1926, p. 26.

Architectural Forum. Boston, Massachusetts: Rogers and Manson Company, August 1926, p.111-112.

Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, City of Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update: Downtown Community Plan Area, prepared for the City of Santa Monica, April 10, 2017.

Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, Draft Historic Resources Inventory Update: Historic Context Statement, prepared for the City of Santa Monica, March 2018.

Basten, Fred E. Santa Monica – The First 100 Years. Los Angeles: Douglas-West Publishers, 1974

Basten, Fred E. Santa Monica Bay: Paradise by the Sea: A Pictorial History of Santa Monica, Venice, Marina del Rey, Ocean Park, Pacific Palisades, Topanga Canyon & Malibu. Santa Monica: Hennessey & Ingalls, 2001.

Bernstein, Sid. “Santa Monica Annexation OK’D.” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 1978, p. E15.

California State Office of Historic Preservation, Department of Parks & Recreation. “Technical Assistance Bulletin #8: Users’ Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory,” November 2004.

City of Santa Monica. Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory, Phase I: 1983. Prepared by Paul Gleye and Leslie Heumann, 1986.

City of Santa Monica. Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory, Phase II: 1985-1986. Prepared by Johnson Heumann Research Associates, 1986.

City of Santa Monica. Historic Resources Inventory Update, Post Northridge Earthquake. Prepared by Parkinson Field Associates and Janet Tearnen, 1995.

City of Santa Monica. Historic Resources Inventory Update – North of Montana Area 2002. Prepared by Historic Resources Group, 2002.

City of Santa Monica. Historic Resources Inventory Update. Prepared by ICF Jones & Stokes, 2009.


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City of Santa Monica. Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Final Report. Prepared by ICF Jones & Stokes, 2010.

City of Santa Monica. City of Santa Monica General Plan, “Historic Preservation Element,” prepared by PCR Services Corporation and Historic Resources Group, September 2002.

City of Santa Monica. City of Santa Monica General Plan, “Open Space Element,” prepared by Roma Design Group, March 1997.

City of Santa Monica Building and Safety Department, Building Permits.

Clark, Denny A. John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson, Architects, Los Angeles. Columbus, Ohio: D.A. Clark, c1922.

Engineers and Architects Association of Southern California and Building Industries Association of Los Angeles. Southwest Builder and Contractor. Los Angeles: Iles-Ayars Publishing Company, 1922.

Forster, Mark. “Committee Votes to Allow Santa Monica to Annex 28 Acres, 58 Homes From L.A.” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 1978, p. WS2.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles; revised edition. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, Publishers, 2003.

Heckman, Marlin L. Santa Monica in Vintage Postcards. Chicago, Illinois: Arcade Press, 2002.

Ingersoll, Luther A. Ingersoll’s Century History: Santa Monica Bay Cities, 1542 to 1908. Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll, 1908.

Loomis, Jan. Westside Chronicles: Historic Stories of West Los Angeles. Charleston, South Carolina: History Press, 2012.

Los Angeles County Tax Assessor. Property Specific Information Records.

Los Angeles Public Library, Online historical and image archives.

Los Angeles Herald. “Architect to Build at Santa Monica.” January 25, 1913, p. I7.

Los Angeles Herald. “John Parkinson to Build $25,000 Home.” March 8, 1913, p. 7.

Los Angeles Herald. “$350,000 Paid For San Vicente Tract.” June 21, 1913.

Los Angeles Herald. “$100,000 Estate is to Feature Golf, Tennis.” October 15, 1913, p. 1.

Los Angeles Herald. “$50,000 Residence For L.A. Architect.” October 18, 1913, p. 1.


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Los Angeles Herald. “Architect Sells His Wilshire Home.” March 13, 1920, p. 1.

Los Angeles Times. “Plans Palatial Home: Los Angeles Architect to Erect Superb Italian Villa.” January 26, 1913, p. V1.

Los Angeles Times. “Many Fine Homes Now Going Ahead.” July 13, 1919, p. V1.

Los Angeles Times. “Banker Acquires Fine Beverly Home.” March 14, 1920, p. V2.

Los Angeles Times. “Hunt in Vain Here for Wealthy Woman.” October 23, 1920, p. I8.

Los Angeles Times. “Large New Home Gets Under Way.” July 17, 1922, p. 14.

Los Angeles Times. “Parkinson Rites Said: Noted Architect Laid to Rest.” December 11, 1935, p. A1.

Los Angeles Times. “John Parkinson.” December 12, 1935, p. A4.

Los Angeles Times. “D.B. Parkinson, Architect and Designer, Dies.” November 19, 1945, p. 2.

Los Angeles Times. “Sieroty to Weight Plan to Annex to Santa Monica.” August 7, 1977, p. WS2.

Los Angeles Times. “Canyon Group Told To Seek Annex Help.” October 6, 1977, p.WS1.

Los Angeles Times. “Landmark Cases, Santa Monica Tried to Preserve Historic Homes, Owners Rights.” November 10, 1985, p. WS1.

Marquez, Ernest. Santa Monica Beach: A Collector’s Pictorial History. Los Angeles: Angel City Press, 2004.

McWilliams, Carey. Southern California: An Island on the Land. Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1946, Revised 1988.

Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. “John Parkinson,” in Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects (ed. Jeffery Karl Ochsner). Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1994.

Office of Historic Preservation. Instructions for Recording Historic Resources. Sacramento, California: State of California, 1995.

Pioneer Financial Authority of the Southwest. American Globe. Los Angeles: William J. Schaefle Publisher, 1917.

Polk & Company. Polk’s Santa Monica City Directory. Los Angeles County (various years).

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times (1881-1988).


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Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, City of Santa Monica.

San Bernardino Sun. “Residents Enjoy Varied Vacations.” July 22, 1937.

Santa Monica Daily Outlook. “Three Magnificent Places Are Planned.” January 25, 1913, p. 1.

Santa Monica Daily Outlook. “Things Are Going Ahead Rapidly Along Santa Monica Bay.” February 5, 1913, p. 8.

Santa Monica Daily Outlook. “Gillette’s Regent Square Opening.” March 15, 1913, p. 7.

Santa Monica Evening Outlook. “John Parkinson, 74, Noted Architect Taken by Death.” December 10, 1935, p. 1.

Santa Monica Public Library, Santa Monica Index, online historical archives and photographs.

Santa Monica Public Library, Santa Monica Image Archives.

Scott, Paul A. Santa Monica: A History on the Edge. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.

Stern, Robert A.M. David Fishman and Jacob Tilove. Paradise Planned: The Garden Suburb and the Modern City. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2013.

Storrs, Les. Santa Monica, Portrait of a City, 1875-1975. Santa Monica: Santa Monica Bank, 1874.

United States Department of the Interior. Recreation in the United States: National Historic Landmark Theme Study. Washington, DC: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1986.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 15. “How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.” Washington, DC: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1997.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 16A. “How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.” Washington, DC: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1997.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 24, “Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 30. “How to Evaluate and Document Rural Historic Landscapes.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1989.


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United States Department of the Interior. Preservation Brief 17. “Architectural Character – Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1982 rev.

Vitacco-Robles, Gary. Cursum Perficio: Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda, the Story of Her Final Months. San Jose, California: Writers Club Press, 2000.

Warren, Charles S. ed. History of the Santa Monica Bay Region. Santa Monica: Cawston, 1934.

Warren, Charles S. ed. Santa Monica Blue Book. Santa Monica: Cawston, 1941.

Warren, Charles S. ed. Santa Monica Community Book. Santa Monica: Cawston, 1944.

Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture since 1780: A Guide to the Styles. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999.

White, Col. Carl F. ed. Santa Monica Community Book (Fifth Edition). Santa Monica: Cawston, 1953.

Withey, Henry F., and Elsie Rathburn Withey. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased). Los Angeles: New Age Publishing, Co., 1956.


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APPENDIX

Vicinity Map

Location Map

Assessor Map

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map

Ephemeral Material

Current Photographs


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Draft sketch of Woodacres by John Parkinson, c1920 (courtesy Parkinson family; Stephen Gee)

Aerial view of Woodacres, 1928 (University of Santa Barbara)

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Aerial view of Woodacres, detail, 1928 (University of Santa Barbara)

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Aerial view of Woodacres, c1924 – North

Aerial view of Woodacres, c1926 – North

Front arcade and loggia (Florence Parkinson, far left, Donald Parkinson, far right, late 1920s

(courtesy Parkinson family; Stephen Gee)

Woodacres, rear patio deck, Florence Parkinson left, Grace Parkinson center, Donald Parkinson right, c. late 1920s

(courtesy Parkinson family; Stephen Gee)

John Parkinson along southern wall adjacent rear patio deck, c. late 1920s (courtesy Parkinson family; Stephen Gee)

John Parkinson in foreground within the sunken garden at rear of house, c. late 1920s (courtesy Parkinson family; Stephen Gee)

Woodacres, John Parkinson Residence, looking southwest, c. 1926 (The Architectural Forum)

Floor plans of Woodacres, John Parkinson Residence (The Architectural Forum 1926)

LATIN TILESGLADDING,McBEAN & CO.

JOHN PARKINSON HOUSE JOHN PARKINSONSantaMonica,California Architect

SAN FRANCISCO,CROCKER BUILDING

LOSANGELES,TRUST & SAVINGS BANK BUILDING

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PHOTOGRAPHS 808 Woodacres Road, Santa Monica, CA

Front (east) façade from landscaped island

Oblique view of northeast corner of house from circular driveway

Front (east) elevations, looking northwest

Front (east) elevations, looking southwest

Recessed loggia and columned arcade on east elevation

Main front entry into residence, east elevation


South wing, north elevation, looking southeast

South wing, south elevation with pool in foreground

Guest house, north elevation, and side yard of main residence

Two-car garage attached onto east side of guest house

Northeast corner of north wing, looking southwest

North elevation of north wing


Rear, west elevation, of residence - sunken garden in foreground

Rear, west elevation, looking southeast-sunken garden in foreground

Rear enclosed patio deck along west elevation

French doors with flanking windows within enclosed rear patio deck

Sunken garden with stuccoed perimeter wall, looking northwest

Vertical plank door and flanking ceramic urns at west end of sunken

garden perimeter wall


Main entry into property from Woodacres Road

Driveway approach past front entry (garage left)

Driveway split with fountain in foreground

“Woodacres” bronze signage plate on front gate brick pier

Contextual neighborhood view (Woodacres Road), looking north Contextual neighborhood view of front gate, looking southwest

OSTASHAY & ASSOC IATES CONSULT ING

PO BOX 542 LONG BEACH, CA 90801 562.500.9451

CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT REPORT · Update survey. Under that survey effort, the property was found...

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Transcript of CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT REPORT · Update survey. Under that survey effort, the property was found...