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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: 3235 Cornwall Drive: Consideration of Glendale Register Nomination and Request for a Mills Act Historic Property Contract.
1. Resolution to designate the residential property at 3235 Cornwall Drive as a historic resource in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources, as the Porter House, and authorize the City Manager to enter into a Mills Act Historical Property Contract with the property owner.
2. Motion to deny the request of the property owner to designate the residential property at 3235 Cornwall Drive as a historic resource in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Public Hearing
Approved for November 12, 2024 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owner of 3235 Cornwall Drive requests that the City Council designate/list the property in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and authorize a Mills Act historical property contract. The Midcentury Modern post-and-beam house was built in 1961 for Mrs. Sylvia Porter. Based on a field visit to the property, information on the property obtained from City records, staff research, and the nomination and historical documentation submitted by the owners (Exhibit 1), the property appears to meet the criteria for eligibility to the Glendale Register of Historic Resources under Criterion 3.
On June 20, 2024, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) reviewed the nomination and voted unanimously (4-0) to recommend to the City Council that the property at 3235 Cornwall Drive be listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources as the “Porter House,” and that the City Manager be authorized to enter into a Mills Act historic property contract with the property owner, including the work conditions approved by the commission, under Section 15.20.070A of the Glendale Municipal Code.
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RECOMMENDATION
That City Council vote to list the property in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and authorize the City Manager to enter into a Mills Act historic property contract, with the conditions approved by HPC, between the City and the property owner under Section 15.20.070A of the Glendale Municipal Code.
BACKGROUND
Historical Background
3235 Cornwall Drive is a one-story, single-family residence, located in the Chevy Chase Canyon neighborhood. The residence is located in the Sicomoro Cañon Tract, which was recorded in 1927. The property is an excellent example of Modern-style post-and- beam construction that gained popularity in postwar WWII era. 3235 Cornwall Drive was designed by Frank B. Wilson in 1961 for Mrs. Sylvia C. Porter.
Frank Burton Wilson was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1919. By 1920, his family moved to Illinois, where he eventually became a well-known building contractor. After serving as a staff sergeant in the US Army in World War II, he returned to the United States and became a building draftsman. By 1950, Wilson, his wife Harryette, and daughter Susan were living in South Pasadena. Wilson established a private practice at 2655 Mission Street and in 1961 he joined the Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Wilson’s other work includes the 1965 residence of film director Herschel Daugherty at 3346 Beverly Ranch in Beverly Hills, the Howard Caterson residence at 1508 Paseo del Mar in Palos Verdes Estates, and the 1970 design of the 517-apartment Miraleste development in San Pedro Hills. Per the application, the architect also designed a post office in Beverly Hills in 1948, but staff research did not corroborate this information. The application notes that Frank Wilson is said to have designed two other similar houses in Glendale; 3160 Linda Vista Road (1948), which was lost to a fire in 2011, and 3161 Buckingham Road (1955). However, the identity of the architect is missing from the permits and staff has not found additional research to verify this information. Staff research discovered that Wilson also designed the 1961 Plaza Motor Hotel in San Pedro in the Modern style.
The postwar era was characterized by economic growth and development, and a focus on the importance of housing, as the overwhelming number of returning veterans resulted in a housing shortage. Contemporary post-and-beam construction became popularized by a group of young architects from the USC School of Architecture as a response to this housing crisis since post-and-beam structural systems were simple to build and inexpensive. The integration of expansive panels of glass and open plans made small houses appear larger and blurred the lines between indoor and outdoor to take advantage of California’s climate. While the residence’s architectural style is indicative of the broader architectural style and cultural movements of postwar America, the information provided by the application and additional staff research does not indicate that the residence is associated with any important events in national, state, or city history, and does not exemplify significant contributions to the broad cultural, political, economic, social, or historic heritage of the nation, state, or city. Therefore, the residence does not appear eligible under Criterion 1.
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Sylvia Porter was born in New York in 1911 to Aaron Mitchel Porter, a self-employed printer who immigrated to the United Stated from Odessa, Russia. She briefly attended the University of California, Berkley in 1929. Porter married at least three times and had a son with her second husband. Her third husband, Robert B. Conover, was employed in Glendale as a mechanic for the Packer Motor Company. By the time she moved into her residence at 3235 Cornwell Drive, she was already divorced from Mr. Conover.
After the divorce, she worked as a secretary for Bown & Bowen, Inc, a Los Angeles- based professional engineering firm and continued to own the home until 1980, selling it to D.A. Mackinson. The current owner, Graeme Whifler, bought the house in 1994. He is a retired filmmaker and photographer who worked closely with the art rock band The Residents during the 1970s and 80s. Neither Sylvia C. Porter nor the other owners appear to have made many significant contributions to the history of Glendale or the region, and therefore the property does not appear eligible under Criterion 2. Mrs.
Porter’s biographical information of interest is included in the nomination.
Based on information in the nomination, attached to this report as Exhibit 1 and incorporated by reference, HPC found the property eligible under Criterion 3 as detailed in the “Findings of Eligibility” section below. HPC recommends that, in accordance with the City’s naming protocol, the house be called the Porter House.
Architectural Description
The residence is located at the northwest side of Cornwall Drive, a curvilinear street located in Chevy Chase Canyon. The property is accessed by a down-sloped driveway accessed off Cornwall Drive neighboring single-family residential properties. It is surrounded by mature landscaping and is only somewhat visible from Cornwall Drive and Linda Vista Drive. A seasonal stream runs along the low side of the lot along Linda Vista.
The single-story residence is designed using post-and-beam wood construction, which is clearly expressed at all façades. A layer of complexity is added to the rectilinear volumes of the house by the roof. The primary roof has a dual-pitch form, with a very steep pitch and short run at the north establishing the ridgeline from which the remaining roof gently slopes downward. This form is reminiscent of some Googie-style roofs around Los Angeles, as well as the designs of some of the area’s noted mid- century architects. This roof covers the primary living spaces while two flat roofs cover the bedroom areas to the north. All of these feature wide overhanging eaves supported by exposed beams. Exterior wall finishes include full-height glass panels, often shaped to follow the sloping roofline, large-scale concrete blocks that are integrated in the interior space at several locations, and vertical tongue-and-groove wood siding. The concrete blocks include a solid style and one with a repetitive ornamental pattern that is a dominating feature of the residence. In 1963, the Los Angeles County Assessor visited the property and recorded a one-story single-family residence with a carport, a covered entry porch, and a trellised area in front of the original carport. The original carport located at the second bay of the west elevation has been enclosed using black frame sliding doors and vertical tongue and groove siding at the south and west 4{{section.number}}b
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elevations to create an office and the trellised portion was roofed over to create a new two-car carport. The date of this work is uncertain, but it meshes well with the original building forms and materials, as seen at the original exterior storage cabinets, which were retained and are now accessed from the office at the original carport location.
The primary entrance located at the west elevation is a recessed double wood slab door with sidelights on either side. It is accessed by a flagstone porch entry that continues into the interior space. Similarly, the ornamental concrete block located to the west of the primary entrance also continues into the interior space. A low flagstone planter wraps around the west and south elevations and extends into the carport. This stone is different than the entry area’s and may reflect a later alteration. A wood slab door provides access to the carport from the living room at the south interior elevation. A wood slab door and clear anodized steel frame sliding doors located under an exposed outrigger beam at the rear (east) elevation provide access to the rear yard from the open concept living room and kitchen. Clear anodized steel frame sliding doors also provide views and access to the rear yard at the east elevation from the primary bedroom.
Notable character-defining features of 3235 Cornwall Drive include:
•Single-story horizontal massing
•Rectangular plan comprised of three offset rectilinear forms •Flat and sloped roof forms with wide eave overhangs, exposed beams, exposed roof decks, and clerestory windows
•Recessed entryway with double slab entry doors, fixed sidelights and step-up flagstone porch supported by single beam
•Concrete slab foundation
•Vast expanses of full-height single-pane glass panels
•Clear anodized aluminum sliding doors and windows
•Jalousie windows
•Solid concrete block walls
•Concrete block walls with repetitive geographic elements integrated between interior and exterior spaces
•Vertical tongue-and-groove siding
•Open carport with exposed beams, square wood posts
•Numerous oak trees throughout the property
Alterations and Integrity
The residence at 3235 Cornwall Drive retains a high degree of integrity with only a few generally compatible alterations since 1961. Permits were issued in 1980 for the construction of a spa and deck, which have since been removed. In 1995, seven skylights were installed. Skylights are often found on post-and-beam residences, either as original or added features to provide more natural lighting without significantly 5{{section.number}}b
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altering the overall form of the residence. At an unknown time, the original two-car carport was apparently enclosed to create an office space and the original trellised cover in front of the carport was roofed over to create a two-car carport in front of the original carport. This work was done in a manner that is slightly differentiated from the original structure with the use of a slightly lighter stained vertical tongue and groove siding and black sliding doors. The enclosure of the carport and addition do not impact the integrity of the property because the massing, structure, materials, workmanship, and design of the residence are retained. At some point, siding that emulates vertical wood siding was added at the west (front) elevation to box out the eaves above the entry area. This work is inappropriate and should be removed. Finally, the current owner recently had roof insulation installed on top of the roof deck. The use of exterior insulation on post-and-beam roofs has become common and, in this case, the material is tapered over the eaves to limit its visibility from the ground.
HPC therefore recommends the following Mills Act conditions:
1. Remove siding box under the eave at the west (front) elevation above the recessed entry.
2. Reglaze the fixed window openings that were covered by this work to bring the area closer to its original appearance.
3. Repair/replace broken stones at the flagstone planter at west and south elevations.
4. Repair the deteriorated outrigger beam at the east (rear) elevation near the rear door.
ANALYSIS
Finding of Eligibility
After reviewing the nomination submitted by the owner and its supporting documentation, as well as visiting the site, HPC concludes that the property appears to meet Criterion 3 of the eligibility criteria for listing on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.
Architectural Significance [Criterion 3]
To meet Criterion 3, a property must “embody the distinctive and exemplary characteristics of an architectural style, architectural type, period, or method of construction; or represent a notable work of a master designer, builder or architect whose genius influenced his or her profession; or possess high artistic values.”
3235 Cornwall Drive is an excellent example of mid-20th century Modern architectural design utilizing post-and-beam construction. The residence was designed by Frank B. Wilson, whose other known Modern-style residential designs suggest he was an architect of some interest. The residence includes many characteristic features of the architectural style, such as the use of large expanses of full-height glass panels, wood posts, exposed beams, vertical tongue and groove siding, and concrete block. The concrete block that runs 6{{section.number}}b
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continuously from the exterior to the interior has an unusual, repetitive ornamental pattern. In addition, the dual-slope form of the primary roof is consistent with the flair and expressive quality of some higher-design buildings of the era but is not something found at most other Modern-style homes in Glendale. The property retains high integrity of materials, design, workmanship, location, setting, association, and feeling.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
There are no stakeholders other than the property owner.
FISCAL IMPACT
Listing historic properties in the Glendale Register has no fiscal impact. However, future property tax savings to private owners of listed historic properties under Mills Act contracts will slightly reduce City property tax revenues from the general County tax levy received from each Mills Act property.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The project is exempt from CEQA as a Class 8 “Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment” exemption and a Class 31 “Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation” exemption pursuant to Sections 15308 and 15331 of the State CEQA Guidelines because it involves the designation and protection/preservation of a historic resource.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
The names and business addresses of the members of the board of directors, the chairperson, CEO, COO, CFO, Subcontractors and any person or entity with more than 10% interest in the company proposed for contract in this Agenda Item Report are attached in Exhibit 4, in accordance with the City Campaign Finance Ordinance No. 5744.
ALTERNATIVES
Alternative 1: Not designate/list 3235 Cornwall Drive on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources, finding that the property does not meet Criterion 3 or any other criteria and not authorize a Mills Act contract.
Alternative 2: Any other alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Prepared by:
Ani Mnatsakanyan, Planner
Reviewed by:
Bradley Calvert, Director of Community Development
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Approved By:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Glendale Register Nomination
Exhibit 2: Photographs
Exhibit 3: Mills Act Application
Exhibit 4: Campaign Disclosure