The Colonial Revival Style Homes in Mission...

Inspiration September 2016Volume 11, Issue 2

Highlights

Annual Walking Tour 1

President’s Porch 1

Design Mistakes 3

The Jassoys’ SpanishEclectic House 4

Community PlanUpdate 6

Annual MembershipMeeting 7

Members-OnlyCoffee 7

Calendar 8

President’s PorchBy James Reily

A couple of nights ago, my spouse Patricia and I were taking our 14-year-old golden retriever, Gus, out for his nightly constitutional in our neighborhood. The night was balmy with a gentle cooling ocean breeze, the sky clear, and the air rich with the fragrances of the late summer blooms. We met several neighbors as we walked and stopped briefly to chat with them about the beauty of the evening and our great, good fortune to live in such a lovely neighborhood. Mission Hills is a unique jewel with its diverse architectural styles of homes, many historically

designated. So close to downtown San Diego yet it retains a “small town” feel, a community where folks wave and say hello to each other as they pass on the sidewalks or stop at one of our local businesses. It’s a community where many children still walk or bike to their local schools…who would have thought that in a big

city in 2016?

So how do we keep all of these great local neighborhood attributes while supporting “smart growth” to accommodate all of the folks who want to live in “America’s Finest City?” I think one of the best ways to

maintain the character of our beautiful Mission Hills neighborhood is to join and support Mission Hills Heritage. Please encourage your neighbors to join as well. Over the past months and years, we have been very engaged with the city and Uptown (Continued on next page)

. . .historic districts benefit home values and the appeal of designated neighborhoods.

A beautiful example of one of the many Colonial Revival homes that reside in Mission Hills. Photo by Stephanie Stewart

Is it not true that even the most insignificant or fleeting thought can sometimes birth great and lasting results? Who could have imagined that in the mid-1800s one man’s dream would forever transform a quiet and sleepy hillside that has grown to become the Mission Hills we know today.

The man was Henry Johnston, captain of the S.S. Orizaba. Captain Johnston purchased 65 acres at 25¢ an acre to build his dreamt-of retirement home but regretfully, he did not live long enough to put it into place. Incredibly, this

The Colonial Revival Style Homes in Mission Hills12th Annual Historic Home TourSeptember 24 • 11 am–4 pmBy Janet Worthey

one action was the catalyst sparking the area’s population growth, inspiring not only local architects and builders, but enticing new ones to Mission Hills. Together, they established the unique mixture of architectural styles found in the neighborhood. (Continued on next page)

September 24 - Saturday11 am-4 pm

PURCHASE TICKETSIn Advance

Online until September 23$20 for MHH members$25 for non-members

Day of the TourWill call & ticket office

opens at 10 amMission Hills United

Methodist Church4044 Lark Street

$25 for MHH members$30 for non-members

Our MissionTo preserve and protect the character, charm, and historic resources of Mission Hills, assuring that development projects harmonize with the established community and provide for community input into these projects.

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(President’s Porch continued) Planners in reviewing, and offering constructive criticism to the city’s proposed changes to the community plan. This is to ensure that we don’t overbuild and overwhelm our supporting infrastructure, including parks and streets, and that we maintain the character of our neighborhood. Barry Hager addresses the community plan status in his article in this edition of the newsletter. In addition, we have been active in debunking alarmist assertions about the impacts of historical districts, communicating with city planners and city council, and generating news media with accurate information on the advantages of historic districts. Short summary: historic districts benefit home values and the appeal

of designated neighborhoods. For individual homes, significant remodeling and expansions are permitted while maintaining historic designation.

Thank you for all of your support this year. We hope you enjoyed the lecture series in January and the walking tour in April.

We have several educational and social events planned for this fall, please read all about them in this newsletter. We look forward to seeing you at the September home tour, the October annual meeting, and the November coffee.

(Walking Tour continued)

The variety of styles built during the neighborhood’s rapid growth included Colonial Revival. Merely hearing the term Colonial Revival evokes visions of earlier east coast colonial white wooden structures or perfectly positioned often-grand red brick homes surrounded by graceful trees, manicured lawns, and foliage. In wintertime, the distinctive scent of wood burning fireplaces fills the air from the smoke swirling and billowing from chimneys atop snow covered roofs.

Since San Diego rarely encounters true winter weather, duplicating the feel of an east coast winter during colonial times would be a challenge! However, Mission Hills was fortunate to have had talented local architects and builders as well as those who migrated to design and build approximately seventy-five Colonial Revival homes. Between 1922 and 1925, a need for veteran housing provided incentive for building most of the smaller Colonial examples. Soon after, the passing of the War Preparedness Act of 1935 allocated millions to restore and expand San Diego’s military facilities, creating thousands of jobs and spawning a patriotic fervor. Many larger, more impressive examples of Colonial Revival were built during this second boom, which lasted through 1942. A few notable characteristics of a classic Colonial include paired chimneys, bay windows, and Greek columns framing a centralized entry door.

Mission Hills Heritage warmly welcomes you to the Mission Hills Twelfth Annual Home Tour to view both the exterior and interior beauty of this historic American style. The tour is self-paced and the homes can be visited in any order. Please note that the distances between the homes will likely require driving.

As an additional feature to the tour, there will be a special showing of the 1915 historic Mission Hills United Methodist Church, 4044 Lark Street, a highly substantial landmark in Mission Hills. Ticket sales begin at 10:00 am. The tour begins at 11 am and concludes at 4 pm. The will call and ticket sales tables will be at the church and refreshments will be served in the social hall of the church from 2:00–4:30 pm.

Advance tickets may be purchased online at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2589193. For further information regarding will call, on-site ticket sales, and times, please visit www.MissionHillsHeritage.org, email [email protected], or phone (619) 497-1193.

Mission Hills Heritage is looking forward to sharing with you this year’s fall home tour, Colonial Revival Style Homes in Mission Hills.

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Design Mistakes Create a False Senseof History; a Tale From Mount VernonBy Ron May, Advisory DirectorOne tale left untold at the January 30, 2016 Mission Hills Heritage annual lecture is how a 19th century reconstruction mistake at the National Historic Landmark Mount Vernon got repeated in 20th century Mission Hills house construction. This is an excellent lesson on how bad historical research can create a false sense of history that is then perpetuated over time.

One tale that did get told is that architects, designers, and builders wishing to erect Colonial Revival style houses researched architectural plan books created by mail order companies, such as Sears & Roebuck, Aladdin, Montgomery Ward, and Whiting Mead. The authors of those plan books examined historical photographs or visited 18th and 19th century buildings to obtain design concepts for building plans they then sold for as low as one dollar

George Washington’s Mount Vernon mansion; the estate interprets life in 1799, the year prior to George Washington’s death. Photo by Erin Holmes

through the catalogs. But those authors probably assumed the reconstruction of something as famous as Mount Vernon was 100% accurate, so copied what they saw, including the mistakes.

But the Colonial Dames who financed reconstruction of the rotted second floor balcony at Mount Vernon did not replicate the vertical slat balustrade. Instead, the carpenters changed the design to a geometric crisscross structure that was totally inaccurate. Once plan books repeated that design mistake, homebuilders across America replicated the error and homeowners believed in a false sense of history.

One good example of the Mount Vernon Colonial Revival balustrade error can be found on Presidio Drive in Mission Hills. But since all 20th century Colonial Revival style houses can be distinguished from 19th century styles by modern building materials, concrete foundations, and building code changes, we are forced to accept what once had been the Mount Vernon design mistake as a historical element of 20th century Mission Hills history.

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Top Front view showing pitched tiled roof, arched tripartite picture window, yucca trees, medieval styled front door with Mills Act designation plaque below the house numbers and stacked box construction. Facing page clockwise from left Living room showing the Batchelder tile fireplace and extraordinary textured plasterwork; tripartite picture window and barrel vault living room ceiling; vestibule staircase showing the exposed beams and textured plasterwork. Photos by Stephanie Stewart

“We knew it was ‘the one’ when we walked in the house,” Robert and Karen Jassoy remark, as we tour their 1925 Spanish Eclectic style house. The house was historically designated in 2009, and the Jassoys purchased it in 2013.

“We set our sights on Mission Hills a long time ago. We were attracted to its history, convenient location, beautiful residences, and urban surroundings.”

Built by the architect Richard M. Hathaway in 1925, the house’s defining architectural features include its stacked box design, gabled Spanish red clay tile roofing, arched tripartite picture window, medieval style front door, artistic plaster work, and molded panels in the family and dining rooms. Noteworthy too are the barrel vault living room ceiling, the “witch hat” or “storybook” porch lamp, ornate door knobs, and the pitched tile roof over the living room of an otherwise flat-roofed structure.

The provenance of a house is its biography, and the history of the residence provides an intriguing trail of prior ownership. Mysteriously, the house was vacant for its first ten years, even though it was purchased in 1926, perhaps a casualty of the Great

Robert & Karen Jassoy’s1925 Spanish Eclectic Style HouseA Cherished Home with an Intriguing PastBy Jacque Lynn Foltyn, PhDChair, Mission Hills Heritage Oral History project

Depression. According to Ron V. May’s 2007 nomination paperwork for historic designation, US Navy renters occupied the house from 1935-1942. The house was owner-occupied by the Stowell family from 1942-1957, and may have been used as a setting for Corpus of Joe Bailey, a 1984 novel written by the onetime Mission Hills resident and award-winning writer Oakley M. Hall, a nephew of the Stowells. In 1957, the Buchanan family purchased the property and lived there for the next 53 years, meticulously preserving it. In 1962, C. Frederick Buchanan saved important historical documents from Fort Rosecrans during the transfer of ownership between army and navy. Prior to the Jassoy’s purchase, the house was briefly owned by a couple.

Among the characteristics specified for preservation by the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board is the extraordinary textured plasterwork in the living room, entry vestibule, and staircase, which was created, a Buchanan granddaughter told the Jassoys, by whipping the wet walls with horsetails. The exposed beams above the stairwell, the Batchelder tile fireplace, front hardscape, concrete steps, and two symmetrically placed yucca trees are also specified for historical preservation.

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While the Jassoys have updated their house to make it more functional for a twenty-first century couple, their remodeling honors the integrity of Hathaway’s design and its 2010 Mills Act approval. They turned a maid’s room into a study, added a large pantry by capturing some unused area outside the kitchen, and modernized the bathroom at the top of the stairs. They built a master bathroom and closet above the old maid’s quarters, adding three hundred square feet to the original 2299 square feet of the house.

“We love living in Mission Hills. It’s an established, stable community where there is pride of ownership and block parties,” they say.

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so that modifications to potential contributing properties do not continue to erode the potential historic districts. However, these proposed regulations appear to be inadequate and simply do not substitute for implementing the proposed historic districts.

At the same time that the City released the May draft of the plan, they also released a draft environmental impact report (EIR) to analyze the impacts of the proposed CPU on various factors, including traffic, noise and historical resources. Not surprisingly, the EIR concludes that the plan would result in numerous significant environmental impacts and that many of these impacts cannot be “mitigated”. We disagree with many of the conclusions of the EIR and have recently submitted a detailed comment letter to the City, along with several other community organizations.

One glimmer of possible good news in the EIR is that the City analyzed several alternatives to the proposed plan, including a so-called “Density Redistribution Alternative” which would move some of the additional proposed density that was dumped onto the heart of Hillcrest and Reynard Way over to Park Boulevard, which has better public transportation. Uptown Planners supported this alternative and we have indicated our concurrence. Whether the City will move forward with the alternative in lieu of the proposed plan remains to be seen.

The storm clouds are forming for the coming battle at City Council over the Uptown CPU. We will continue to push for the best plan possible that will preserve and protect our irreplaceable community.

The Uptown Community Plan Update (CPU) is now moving toward the approval process at City Council—for better or worse. The City released yet another draft of the plan this May, which still mostly respects the land use and density recommendations we submitted in 2013, based on our compromise with the Mission Hills Town Council.

As with the draft released back in January, the latest draft includes the land uses and densities for the West Lewis commercial district and the commercial core area around Goldfinch and Washington that we had requested. It should be noted that these density designations—while lower than the 1988 community plan—still allow for plenty of new development. The mostly single-family residential area just south of University Avenue also kept the “low residential” designation consistent with a single-family neighborhood. This should be a relief for residents in that area. However, all of Reynard Way is still shown with the higher density from the old 1988 community plan—contrary to our recommendation. And again, Hillcrest has been clobbered with higher density, apparently due to lobbying efforts by commercial property owners in that area and the Hillcrest Business Association.

Some other problems with the latest draft of the plan include that the City wants to end a special ordinance that regulates development in the West Lewis commercial district, but not carry over the review process to ensure that new projects are compatible with the existing area. Also, the proposed new zoning ordinance that will regulate building heights in the commercial core area around Goldfinch and Washington has a “ministerial” limit of 50’, but may still include a “discretionary” process to exceed that limit—without any apparent cap! We have presented our objections to the City, but have not received any feedback as of yet.

The City has also prepared an historic survey of Uptown which identifies 19 potential historic districts, including several in Mission Hills. However, the City is not planning to do the research and prepare the reports necessary to bring the potential districts forward for designation and instead is proposing to rely on residents to do that work. As part of the CPU, the City has proposed some “supplemental development regulations” to provide additional protections for potential historic districts

Community Plan UpdateBy Barry E. Hager

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Annual Membership Meeting - October 16 • 4-6 pm2293 Juan Street

Members-Only CoffeeNovember 12 • 10 am–12 noon4405 Trias Street

Please join us at the Ranglas’ home for this year’s membership meeting in the magnificent historically designated, Monterey Revival C. Arnholt Smith/Ralph Frank House. Come help us celebrate our achievements of the past year and cast your vote for the leadership of the coming year. Walk in the footsteps of previous owner C. Arnholt Smith and enjoy the spectacular views of San Diego Bay and the downtown skyline. This event is open to all Mission Hills Heritage members. Please note that only voting members in good standing can vote for directors. There is no charge for this event and wine and light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP only affirmative responses by October 10, 2016 by calling (619) 497-1193.

We are in for a wonderful treat! Jim and Rusty Reily are hosting our coffee this fall in their most iconic Mission Hills residence, the Frank and Mary Ricker House. My guess is that you have driven by this house thinking it would be gorgeous inside, and you are correct.

This unusual presentation of a Prairie Craftsman style home was built in 1912 by Frank Ricker for a cost of $6000. Although no documentary proof has yet been found, it is thought to have been designed by Master Architect Henry Harms Preibisius who also designed the St. James Hotel on 6th Avenue.

Take time to appreciate the interesting exterior before going inside. Notice the first floor gable roofed “pop-out” sections that reveal window seats inside the house. There are wood shingles on the dormer windows of the attic, and stucco with wood accents on the main part of the house, accented beautifully by the

dramatic paint. The interior original woodwork features live up to the high expectations formed before entering the house.

If the house seems familiar to you, perhaps it’s because you attended the 2003 Designer Showcase here.

Photo by James Reily

Photo by James Reily

325 W. Washington Street, Suite 2 - Box 221San Diego, CA 92103

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325 W. Washington Street, Suite 2 - Box 221San Diego, CA 92103Phone - 619.497.1193email - [email protected] meetings are held the fourth Thursdayof each month. Call for the meeting location.

OfficersPresident - James Reily

Chairman of the Board - Barry E. HagerTreasurer - Lynne FletcherSecretary - Sharon Lieder

Board of DirectorsKirk Burgamy • Lynne Fletcher • Barry E. Hager Sanford Lakoff • Laura Largey • Ron Lehman

Jane Ligon • James Reily • Robert SelfAdvisory Director - Ronald V. May

Oral History Chair - Jacque Lynn Foltyn, PhD.Membership Manager - Sandé Lollis

Newsletter CommitteeBarry Hager • Laura Largey

Ronald V. May • James Reily • Janet WortheyEvent Chair - Ronald V. May

Senior Editor, Graphic Design - Sandé LollisFacebook Administrators

Krista Lombardi • Victor ZunigaWebmaster - Sandé Lollis

Visit us on the web!www.MissionHillsHeritage.org

2016 MHH Upcoming EventsSeptember 24 • Saturday • Annual Historic Home TourOctober 15 • Saturday • Annual Membership MeetingNovember 12 • Saturday • Annual Members-Only Coffee

The Colonial Revival Style Homes in Mission...

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