Peter Price / Irving Gill Spec House #1

STAFF RECOMMENDATION

Date issued September 11, 2003

Designate the Peter Price/Irving Gill Spec House #1 as a Historical Resource Site under HRB CRITERIA C (Architecture) and D (Master Architect).

BACKGROUND

This item is being brought before the Historical Resources Board in conjunction with the owner's desire to have the site designated as a historical landmark. The bungalow was built in 1909 in the Prairie style with Mission Revival influences by Master Architect Irving Gill. The house is a single story stucco-over-wood frame structure on a concrete foundation. A historical report has been prepared by the owner. An analysis of the house and applicable criteria follows.

ANALYSIS

The site is a significant historical resource under HRB CRITERIA C (Architecture) and D (Master Architect) as follows:

CRITERION C - Embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period or method of construction or is a valuable example of the use of natural materials or craftsmanship.

The house is a single story Prairie style home built in 1909 by Irving Gill, one of three in a row along Granada. The house features a flat roof; parapet wall with symmetrical eyebrow curves along the Granada Avenue facade; stucco walls; and a brick chimney coated in stucco with terra cotta flues. Fenestration on the house consists of 2-over-l casement, 4-over-l fixed, single pane casement, single pane fixed, and 2-over-l fixed wood frame windows, as well as the wood entry door with a single pane of fixed glass and the original hardware. The porch can be accessed by a set of stairs at either side of the porch, which features a projecting flat roof element with exposed wood beams and wood brackets over the recessed entry door.

Existing modifications to the property include the application of a consistent stucco coat; and the removal of the original roof deck drains which had been filled with concrete and have since been replaced with new drains within the old drainage system.

Modifications to the property which have been reversed and/or restored include the addition of window screens, which have been removed; and the removal of all wood sashes (with the exception of those in the projecting bay to on the south side of the house), which were replaced with jalousie aluminum windows in the 1960's. The current owner has since removed the jalousie windows and has replaced them with historically accurate wood sash windows which were built to match the existing original wood frames. The restoration was completed with the assistance of historical photographs, and the house now appears as it originally did at the time of construction. The house remains in good condition with minor modifications. Staff, therefore, recommends designation under HRB CRITERION C (Architecture).

CRITERION D - Is representative of a notable work of a master builder, designer, architect, engineer, landscape architect, interior designer, artist or craftsman.

The house at 1345 Granada Avenue was one of three houses designed by Irving Gill for Peter M. Price. Irving Gill is an established Master Architect in San Diego responsible for many San Diego Landmarks and over 16 City of San Diego Historical Sites, including the La Jolla Women's Club, the La Jolla Recreational Center, the Bishops School and the Arthur Marston House. This house is one of three houses in a row along Granada Avenue designed by Gill for Peter Price. The first house, completed in 1908, was occupied by Price and designated by the HRB as site #485 in September of 2001. The house at 1345 Granada Avenue was built as a speculative house and sold by Price shortly after its completion. The home's scale and simplicity, with Mission Revival and Prairie influences, appears to be unique within Irving Gill's body of work and remains in good condition. Staff, therefore, recommends designation under HRB CRITERION D (Master Architect).

CONCLUSION

Based on the information submitted and staffs own field check, it is recommended that the Peter Price/Irvmg Gill Spec House #1 be designated under HRB CRITERIA C (Architecture) and D (Master Architect). Designation brings with it the responsibility of maintaining the building in accordance with U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards. The benefits of designation include the availability of the Mills Act Program for reduced property tax, the use of the more flexible Historical Building Code, flexibility in the application of other regulatory requirements, the use of the Historical Conditional Use Permit which allows flexibility of use, and other programs which vary depending on the specific site conditions and owner objectives.

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