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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: 1600 El Rito Avenue: Consideration of Glendale Register Nomination and Request for a Mills Act Historic Property Contract.
1. Resolution to designate the residential property at 1600 El Rito Avenue as a historic resource in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources 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 1600 El Rito Avenue as a historic resource in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Public Hearing
Approved for October 28, 2025 Calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owners of 1600 El Rito Avenue request that City Council list the property in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and authorize a Mills Act historical property contract. The two-story, single-family residence was built in 1930 and is an excellent example of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture.
On August 21, 2025, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) reviewed the nomination and voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend to the City Council that the property at 1600 El Rito Avenue be listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources. In keeping with the City’s naming protocol, HPC recommends that the property at 1600 El Rito Avenue be referred as Mason House. HPC also recommended 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. 210a
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RECOMMENDATION
That City Council list 1600 El Rito Avenue in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources under designation Criterion 3 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
1600 El Rito Avenue is a two-story, single-family Spanish Colonial Revival-style house built in 1930. It is situated on a rectangular parcel at the southeast corner of El Rito Avenue and Bonita Drive in the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood. The property was plated in 1909 from a portion of the Teodora and Catalina Verdugo allotment in Rancho San Rafael. The area was undeveloped land fronted by a seasonal stream and multiple sycamore and oak trees. The Verdugo Woodlands was subdivided in 1917, when the tract’s original name was “Selvas de Verdugo,” although the subject parcel was not included in the original subdivision. George and Grace Mason purchased a large lot in 1920 and built a garage and a garden shed while they worked on plans for their permanent residence.
The Mason’s original plans were for a “fairyland” estate, including a guest lodge and gardens. At that time, the Masons had constructed a tree house for their visitors in a sycamore tree, planted gardens, fruit trees, and hoped to build a Mission style residence. They did not follow through with this plan and, in December 1923, subdivided the land to create three separate lots. The home at 1600 El Rito Avenue was the last to be built on these lots.
The house was built by Claude Raymond Wardell, who worked as an automobile mechanic in Los Angeles prior to founding his construction company, Wardell Engineering & Construction, in 1922. The company focused on single-family residential design, and offered financing for the cost of building and necessary equipment. It also provided architectural plans and acted as designer-builder for the homes. It is possible that Wardell also designed the property at 1930 El Rito, although this is not confirmed.
After living in the house for three years, the Masons sold it to Harry Walton Renick and moved to the neighboring house to the south. The property went through several ownership changes until 1973, when it was bought by Aivars and Brigita Jerumanis, who lived there until 2023. Both of their families moved to the United States from Latvia after being displaced due to Soviet occupation during World War II. The couple married in Brooklyn in 1965 and were involved in activism promoting the Baltic States’ independence from the Soviet Union. Aivars co-founded the Baltic American Freedom League in 1981 and served as the Honorary Latvian Consul from 1987 to 1996. In 1993, he unsuccessfully ran for the presidency of the newly independent Latvia. 1600 El Rito was listed as a Latvian Consulate Office in the United States during his time as consul. 310a
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The Masons, Jerumanises, and other owners and tenants of 1600 El Rito do not appear to be individually significant in the history or development of the city of Glendale.
Therefore, the property is not eligible under Criterion 2.
Additional information about the history of the neighborhood and other owners and occupants can be found in the nomination attached to this report (Exhibit 1). Based on information provided in the nomination and referred to in this staff report, the Commission believes the property is eligible under Criterion 3 due to the quality of its architectural design, as detailed in the “Findings of Eligibility” section below.
Architectural Description
The house sits on a concrete foundation and the lot slopes downward from El Rito Avenue to the south towards the rear yard. The entry is at ground level from the north façade. The rear façade is elevated over a partial raised basement at the first floor and accessed by a series of exterior stairs and patios. The house has an irregularly shaped plan and is clad in textured stucco. It is capped by a multi-level hipped-and-gabled roof, with a conical roof at the entry turret, and a shed roof over the attached garage. The roofs are covered in two-piece barrel clay tiles and have exposed rafter tails and overhanging eaves.
The building features two exterior balconies with wood railings, wood multi-light casement windows, several stained-glass windows, an entry turret with a highly- decorated wood door that features a speakeasy window with a stained glass panel, an enclosed west courtyard surrounded by loggia on two sides, and a landscaped front setback with mature sycamore and oak trees. The property is bounded by a low-lying stucco wall to the north and west. The rear yard contains a patio, rectangular pool, and lawn.
The immediate neighborhood is primarily residential, characterized by single-family residences that are similar in style and scale to the subject property. Most of the homes surrounding the subject property were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s.
Notable character-defining features of 1600 El Rito Avenue include:
Two-story massing
Asymmetrical plan
Exterior loggia, enclosed courtyard, and balconies
Low pitched, barrel clay tile roofs
Turret entryway with an arched wood primary entry door, arched stained glass casement window and painted details
Elaborate stencil painted wood entry door with stained glass speakeasy Arcaded loggia along courtyard on west and north facades Original wood-sash casement windows and openings
Original stained-glass windows
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Alterations and Integrity
The residence at 1600 El Rito Avenue has undergone some alterations since the building’s construction in 1930 but nonetheless retains most of its original features and possesses high integrity. The current owners indicate that the balcony at the front façade had previously been enclosed, but they restored it to its original open condition in 2023. A few windows on the second story of the west façade were replaced with stained glass windows salvaged from a neighboring property and a window at the east wall of the kitchen was replaced with a stained-glass window. A balcony or sleeping porch on the west façade was converted into a sunroom at some point, which is a common early alteration to houses of this style. HPC discussed conditioning reopening this area, but staff cautioned against this due to the lack of information about the original appearance of this area and the fact that the enclosure was well done and does not call attention to itself. A pool, spa, and a small deck and rear stairs were also constructed at the property. At some point, multi-light glazed doors and windows opening onto the courtyard loggia were replaced with decorative beveled glass doors and windows that are not appropriate to the style of the house. Finally, the current owners replaced non- original garage doors with new doors that are appropriate to the design of the house.
Although there have been some alterations, the property retains sufficient integrity to convey its significance as an excellent example of a Spanish Colonial Revival residence. Some of the earlier alterations impacting character defining features such as the balcony have been reversed by the current owners and the resulting massing better reflects the original design intent.
HPC and staff recommend the following Mills Act conditions:
1. Replace the two beveled glass windows and doors in living room with doors and windows more appropriate for a Spanish Colonial Revival style home.
2. Engage a professional architectural conservation consultant to study the painted stenciling of the front door and develop and conduct an appropriate course of treatment as approved by staff.
3. Repair the damaged wood rafters at the rear façade underneath the balcony.
4. Repaint the rafter at the rear façade that was painted white so that it matches the rest of the wood details.
ANALYSIS
Finding of Eligibility
After reviewing the nomination submitted by the owner and its supporting documentation, as well as visiting the site, Planning Division staff 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 510a
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architect whose genius influenced his or her profession; or possess high artistic values.”
1600 El Rito was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style at the height of the style’s popularity in Glendale’s Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood and throughout the city. The house fully expresses many of the character-defining features of the style, including a low-pitched clay tile roof, asymmetrical plan that emphasizes its three-dimensional massing, and arcaded loggia that establishes a porous boundary between exterior and interior. Features such as a turret, decorative tile details, balconies, stained glass windows and wrought iron details make 1600 El Rito an exemplary example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style.
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 restoration 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: Reject designation/listing of 1600 El Rito Avenue on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources, finding that the property does not meet Criterion 3 or any other criteria.
Alternative 2: Any other alternative chosen by City Council. 610a
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ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Prepared by:
Ani Mnatsakanyan, Planner
Reviewed by:
Bradley Calvert, Director of Community Development
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