May 29, 2009

PRESERVED STUDIO HOMES LISTED AS HISTORIC DISTRICT
 

Marguerita Lane, a charming cluster of 16 Spanish-Colonial Revival houses first conceived as studio houses for artists, has been listed by the National Park Service as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places—the 12th district in Pasadena to be listed as such.

In a private cul-de-sac off South Marengo Avenue, south of Allendale Park, the houses in Marguerita Lane were built between 1927 and 1930 on small lots enclosed by brick and stucco walls.

The district is locally significant as an outstanding collection of small-scale Spanish-Colonial Revival single-family houses that are relatively unchanged since their original construction.

The houses were originally conceived as studio houses for artists, an early example of what is now known as work-live housing. The artists’ colony never materialized, however, and the houses have been in continuous use as single-family dwellings since the early 1930s.

Although similar in style, scale and materials, each house is unique in design and composed of details and elements drawn from the buildings of the Mediterranean: white-washed stucco walls with ornamentation, multi-light casement windows, courtyards, tiled roofs, wrought-iron details, pierced stucco screens, fountains and decorative glazed tile.

Several property owners initiated the designation in 2006 by approaching the city with a request to create a landmark district or National Register district for their neighborhood.

Listing in the National Register protects the houses from inappropriate alterations, and exterior alterations that are visible to the public require design review by the Historic Preservation Commission or the Planning Director.

For more information visit www.cityofpasadena.net/preservation.