Pasadena has new listings in the National Register of Historic Places

Pasadena can boast three new listings in the National Register of Historic Places that will pave the way for preserving noteworthy homes.

The National Park Service recently notified the city of Pasadena that the Poppy Peak and Pegfair Estates historic districts and the Gill House were added to its national register.

These properties have regulatory protections through the city’s historic preservation ordinance and owners are eligible for benefits that include historic property contracts and use of the state historical building code.

The announcement brings to 31 the number of districts that have historic designations in Pasadena: 14 in the National Register and 17 landmark districts locally designated by the city council.

A hillside district accessed from La Loma Road, Poppy Peak is a grouping of 52 single-family homes built between 1935 and 1968, the majority of which are designed in the Mid-century Modern style. Several significant architects including Richard Neutra; Buff, Straub & Hensman; James Pulliam; Leland Evison; Harwell Hamilton Harris; and Lyman Ennis have designs in the district, which also includes Modern Ranch and California Ranch styles.

Adjacent to Art Center College of Design’s hillside campus, Pegfair Estates is a grouping of 25 custom-designed single-family houses built between 1961 and 1967. All of the houses are designed in the Modern Ranch style and many have Asiatic features. The district also has distinctive landscaping and site features.

The Gill House, designed by architects Buff, Straub & Hensman, is a significant example of mid-century modernism practiced by the Pasadena-based firm. Built in 1964, the house is located at 1385 El Mirador Dr. Conrad Buff III (1926-1988) and Donald Hensman (1924-2002) were USC-trained architects whose firm designed 44 projects in Pasadena from 1954 to 1997 and continues to operate under the direction of partner Dennis Smith. The firm is known for its meticulous attention to detail and holistic approach to design, integrating indoor and outdoor environments. With the listing of this house and the Poppy Peak Historic District, a total of 12 Buff, Straub & Hensman homes in Pasadena now have historic designations.

These properties were nominated as part of a historic resources survey of Cultural Resources of the Recent Past. More information is available in the city’s online database of historic resources at www.cityofpasadena.net/chrid or by calling (626) 744-7806.


www.cityofpasadena.net/publicaffairs
www.pasadenapio.blogspot.com
Facebook: Pasadena PIO
Twitter: pasadenapio