| State of California - The Resource Agency |
| DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION |
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| *Resource Name or #: |
Spencer House; Culbertson Accessory Structures
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Survey Title: |
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| B1. |
| Historic Name: |
Spencer House; Culbertson Accessory Structures
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| B2. |
| Common Name: |
Spencer House; Culbertson Accessory Structures
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| B3. |
| Original Use: |
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE
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| B4. |
Present Use: |
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE
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| *B5a. |
| Primary Architectural Style: |
International /Modern Style
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| B5b. |
| Secondary Architectural Style: |
Craftsman (Arts and Crafts)
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| *B6. |
| Construction History: |
Date Built: |
1952
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A permit was issued for a 340-square-foot addition and kitchen remodel in 1965 (no architect was indicated on permit). This addition was at the rear, perpendicular to the house and adjacent to the western side of the lath house. A permit was issued in 1980 to rebuild the carport. The roof was replaced in 2004.
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| *B7. |
| Moved?: |
 Yes
 No
Unknown
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Date: |
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Original Location: |
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| *B8. |
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| *B9a. |
| Architect: |
Greene & Greene; Smith & Williams
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| b. |
Builder: |
Peter Hall (1911); Unknown (1952)
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| *B10. |
| Significance: |
Theme: |
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Area: |
City
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| Period of Significance: |
1920-1952
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Property Type: |
Single Family Residence
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| Applicable Criteria: |
| National Register Criteria: |
C
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California Register: |
3
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Local Register: |
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The house at 875 Cañon Drive is significant as an intact example of Mid-Century Modern residential architecture and design and as an important representation of the work of architects Smith & Williams. The registration requirements in the City’s 2009 study of the Mid-Century Modern period indicate that in order for a resource to be eligible under this context, it must exhibit a high quality of design in a style indicated in the report, be constructed within the period of significance, and/or be the work of a significant architect or builder. Further, it must retain its original appearance to a high degree, including character-defining features of the style it represents. Integrity of design, workmanship, materials and setting are essential.
The house meets all of these criteria. It is a high quality example of the Mid-Century Modern Style built in 1952 and designed by significant architects Smith & Williams. It is fully intact and exhibits all of the character-defining features of its style. It has architectural integrity (its ability to demonstrate why it is significant) through its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling, as follows:
• Location: The building is in its original location.
• Design: The building retains its form, plan, space, structure, and style, as described above.
• Setting: The immediate setting of the property has changed minimally since its original construction. In the rear yard, a greenhouse was demolished and a fountain installed. Some of the rear paving material is not original. These changes are minimal; the setting retains the important characteristics that exemplify the relationship between structure and surroundings, which is an important aspect of Mid-Century Modern design.
• Materials: The building retains all of the original materials used in its construction.
• Workmanship: The building demonstrates the defining characteristics of a distinct architectural movement and the craft of the architectural practitioners, Smith & Williams.
• Feeling: The property clearly expresses the characteristics of Mid-Century Modern period architecture, as detailed above.
Integrity of association does not apply to the house because it is not associated with a significant event or the life of a significant person. Based on the above, the property retains sufficient integrity to qualify for designation as a landmark under criterion C.
As a work of Smith & Williams, the house is distinct in its representation of their understanding of the Arts & Crafts movement and of the importance of the work of Greene & Greene. The thoughtful connection between the house and the preserved and repositioned Greene & Greene-designed structures that preceded it is a literal example of the “Pasadena School” of Modernism that was heavily influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement.
In 2009, as part of the City’s study of Cultural Resources of the Recent Past, the property was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property to an eligible historic district of six houses on Cañon Drive (National Register of Historic Places status code 3D). The house is the oldest of the houses in the eligible district; all of the others were built between 1960 and 1963. As detailed above, the distinctive features of the house also warrant designation of the house individually as a landmark.
Contributing structures to this designation include the main house and carport, the retaining walls and fountain in the front yard and the spatial relationships between the house, lath house, potting shed and wall/steps designed by Greene & Greene.
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| B11. |
| Additional Resource Attributes: |
HP02
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| *B12. |
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| B13. |
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| *B14. |
| Date of Evaluation: |
07/18/2011
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