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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: 1524 Ridgeview Drive: Consideration of Glendale Register Nomination and Request for a Mills Act Historic Property Contract.
1. Resolution to designate the residential property at 1524 Ridgeview Drive 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 1524 Ridgeview Drive as a historic resource in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Public Hearing
Approved for August 11, 2026 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owner of 1524 Ridgeview Drive requests that City Council list the property in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources and authorize a Mills Act historical property contract. The one-story, single-family residence was built in 1959 and is an excellent example of a Modern-style residence employing post-and-beam construction.
On April 16, 2026, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) reviewed the nomination and voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend to the City Council that the property at 1524 Ridgeview Drive be listed in the Glendale Register of Historic Resources as the William and Jane Conway 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.
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RECOMMENDATION
That City Council list the property 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
The house was designed by Bissel & Duquette and built for William J. Conway, an aeronautical engineer, and his wife Jane. The Conways and their six children lived there until 1983 (additional information about the family is provided in Exhibit A). The property was purchased by Benoit G. Malphettes, a photographer who exhibited in a number of galleries, and his wife Kathy. The Malphettes had the front and rear additions built in 1986-87. The third and present owner, Thomas McIntyre, has owned the house since 2006. He is a car collector and automobile parts manufacturer, who also collects modern furnishings that complement the design of the house.
None of the people associated with the property appear to have gained significance in the history of the city, state, region, or nation and the property does not appear to be eligible under Criterion 2 for listing in the Glendale Register.
Architect William Duquette (1924-2010) grew up in Southern California and served in the army during World War II. He attended Pasadena City College and transferred to USC during the period when the “USC School” of design was beginning to take hold, with many professors and students creating a distinctive architecture that merged social and environmental concepts with modernist design principles that led to distinctive designs throughout the region. Ultimately, Duquette obtained his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley in 1951. After graduating, he opened his own firm and in 1957 entered into a partnership with architect George Bissell (1927-2010). Before the new partnership, Duquette designed several projects, including an excellent house built for his family that still stands in Pasadena.
Bissell was also a native of the area, earning his bachelor’s from USC in 1953 and opened his own firm, which focused on water systems, immediately after graduation and continuing until the formation of Bissell & Duquette. In addition to the Conway House, the firm designed the San Jose Medical Center (1957), the Saga Inn near Disneyland (1958 and recipient of an AIA Award of Merit), and several other projects in California. The partnership was short lived, dissolving in 1961. Duquette moved to northern California and opened new practice. Bissell opened a new office in Newport Beach and became active with the AIA, from which he received a lifetime achievement award in 2002. Additional biographical information about both designers is available in the application attached to this staff report as Exhibit 1.
Though Duquette and Bissell were clearly talented architects, not enough information is available to suggest that their designs influence the architectural profession, which is 311b
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one of the subsets for eligibility findings under Glendale Register designation Criterion
3. Architectural Description
1524 Ridgeview Drive is a Modern-style single-family house with post-and-beam construction that was built in 1959. The single-family house is located in the foothills to the north of the Casa Verdugo neighborhood. It is quite simple in form and materials, but very dramatic in its visual impact which results from the dynamic composition of roof and walls that exploit the possibilities of post-and-beam construction.
The short driveway terminates at a carport, which is tucked under the west side of the house. The single-story living area and the yard sit above the street, with the carport giving the appearance of a two-story house. An open-riser stairway with an interesting railing leads up to the front entry. The material palette is simple, with floor-to-roof window walls alternating with solid panels of vertical tongue-and-groove siding.
The dominant feature of the house is its massive shallow-pitched, front-gabled roof, which spans most of the interior on either side of a high central ridge beam. This beam projects further toward the street (south) than the corners of the front façade, creating a prow shape that emphasizes the extremely deep eaves that wrap the front and sides.
The glazed wall at the entry is set back considerably, allowing the post-and-beam construction to read clearly at the underside of the roof, which is composed of more exposed tongue-and-groove siding. The window walls at the front façade follow the roof line, creating sloping upper panes that rise in height toward the ridge and are set above taller rectangular glass panels. This glazing is divided into upper and lower panels that are divided by horizontal wood mullions that create a datum line reflecting the roof plate line at the side facades, creating a visual flow that wraps the house and unifies the design elements. The room above the carport and to the left side of the entry porch is a 1987 addition that occupies an area that was originally an open deck, of which a portion remains.
The east façade facing the yard has large, fixed glass panels alternating with opaque sections of wood siding and sliding glass doors. This façade provides an excellent example of the indoor/outdoor living concept promoted by modernist architects during the mid-20th century. The fireplace is remarkable, with a stout, stucco-clad firebox that is surrounded by glass, projecting both inward and outward from the glazed wall. The cylindrical metal flue extends up from the firebox and through the eave, visible from the living room. The entire assembly provides a very literal expression of the mid-century attempt to dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior spaces. The roof eaves at the sides are extremely deep and the rafters, which project beyond the roof, each have an interesting notched detail. The west side of the house is close to the property line and features more wall area and less glass to provide privacy for the bedrooms and other more private spaces. At the rear, a lower gabled roof covers another bedroom and features a somewhat simpler appearance than the main portion. An addition with a flat roof was made at the rear in 1986 to provide an additional bathroom. 411b
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Character-defining features of the property include:
Low-pitched, front gable roof with
very wide eaves
Decorative notes at ends of roof
rafters
Vertical tongue-and-groove wood
siding at various wall sections
and at carport
Large expanses of window walls
Sliding glass doors
Horizontal wood mullions at gable
ends
Open-riser stair and decorative
railing at entry
Slatted wood front door
Fireplace and chimney flue at
east façade
Wood decks and slatted railings
Slatted wood gate and fence at
carport
White globe light fixtures
Stone retaining wall at front and
driveway
Alterations and Historic Integrity
Most portions of the Conway House feature a high level of integrity, and it continues to reflect key aspects of its style and construction period. The two additions have some impact on the overall historic integrity, but the Historic Preservation Commission found them to be thoughtfully designed and architecturally compatible. The small addition above the carport was built in 1987 and designed by engineer Bruce Resnick. It is almost seamless in its design, matching the materials and window patterns found at the rest of the house. A narrow section of the original deck and railing remains, helping recall the appearance of the earlier configuration of this area. The addition at the rear was designed by notable Los Angeles Modernist architect Frederick Fisher. It is tucked at the far rear corner of the house, has little impact on the overall design conception, and is in keeping with other modest additions found at other designated properties in the city. In its consideration of the nomination, HPC found that the two alterations to the otherwise completely intact house did not detract from its historic character or diminish its eligibility for designation.
HPC recommends the following work condition be included as part of the Mills Act contract:
1. Repair the wood deck and railing at the east yard.
ANALYSIS
Finding of Eligibility
After reviewing the nomination submitted by the owner and its supporting documentation, as well as visiting the site, HPC found that the property appears to meet Criterion 3 of the eligibility criteria for listing on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.
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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.”
1524 Ridgeview Drive is an excellent example of mid-20th century Modern architectural design utilizing post-and-beam construction. The residence was designed by Bissell & Duquette, whose educational backgrounds and other known works indicate a high fluency with the Modern style prevalent in Southern California at the time. The residence includes many characteristic features of the architectural style, such as the use of large expanses of glass, wood posts, exposed beams, vertical tongue and groove siding. The house is especially noteworthy for its dramatic roof form and very deep eaves with decorative rafters, as well as its masterful fireplace design. The front addition is well designed and represents a thoughtful extension of Bissell & Duquette’s design and the overall property retains a high level of historic integrity in terms of its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and feeling. In addition, the preliminary findings included in the Draft East-West Glendale Historic Resources Survey also find the property to be eligible for listing under Criterion 3.
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 review as a Class 8 “Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment” exemption pursuant to Section 15308 of the State CEQA Guidelines because it involves the designation and protection of a historic resources, and as Class 31 “Historic Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation” exemption pursuant to Section 15331 of the State CEQA Guidelines because any work required in the future will need to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
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.
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ALTERNATIVES
1: Reject designation/listing of 1524 Ridgeview Drive on the Glendale Register of Historic Resources, finding that the property does not meet Criterion 3 or any other criteria.
2: Any other alternative chosen by City Council.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Prepared by:
Jay Platt, Principal Planner
Reviewed by:
Jack Wong, Interim 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 Form