We are so proud of our Three decades of service in Highland Park, CA and we would like to share the historical richness and deep LA roots that this community offers to LA's interesting history & culture. The information below is extrapolated from the HPOZ preservation plan (see full report by clicking the link at the bottom of this post).
We will be sharing snippets of this report in a succession. Please enjoy the first installment which explains Highland Park's history as well as a wonderful explanation of a popular architectural style of home commonly found in Highland Park called "The Foursquare". Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback and comments below!
19th Century Styles: American Foursquare
History of Highland Park & Garvanza
Nestled between Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles, Highland Park,
and its various smaller neighborhoods, represents a direct link to the
developmental and cultural history of Southern California. A result
of the 1880’s land boom, it was one of the earliest L.A. subdivisions.
Bolstered through the years following its founding by easy access to
nearby rail transportation, the community would continue to grow up to the period after the Second World War. By the 1980s, new housing
developments were threatening to overrun the historic character of the neighborhood, generating a strong community interest in preserving and celebrating the history of the area. This would prompt the City of
Los Angeles to designate the area a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in 1994.
Highland Park-Garvanza Period of Significance
The Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ contains residential, educational, and commercial spaces built during the late 19th century and early to mid 20th century. It retains the character of these periods, and is host to many examples of styles including Craftsman, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, Victorian, and Spanish Mission revival. Due to the broad defi nitions, the period of signifi cance is considered to be between 1886 and 1961. Like in many other historic Los Angeles neighborhoods, the pre-turn of the century homes were often based on East-Coast homes, built from pattern books or plans based on European models. The practice of building many styles of homes within the same neighborhood would lead to a salt-and-pepper effect, with old styles standing next to newer ones, establishing an eclectic fl avor to Highland Park. There are however some concentrated areas of buildings in the same style, which are described by the fi eld study as being prime examples of their respective types.
Background
The American Foursquare style is a residential style frequently used in
Los Angeles from the turn of the last century through the 1910s. Popular
in American suburban development, the style lent itself to low-cost
design that maximized square footage on small lots while presenting a
dignifi ed appearance. A precursor to the Craftsman and Prairie styles,
Foursquare houses tended to avoid the ornate detail associated with
styles such as Queen Anne and Eastlake.
Common Components of the Foursquare Style
A Foursquare house is generally two stories, with a simple square or
rectangular footprint, a low-pitched, usually hipped, roof, a front hippeddormer,
and a substantial, though often asymmetrical front porch.
Columns suggestive of the classical orders, dentils, and traditional
moldings are also commonly found on Foursquare houses. Windows are
always rectangular and may be arranged singularly or in groups—often
the fi rst fl oor will have grouped windows and the upper-fl oor will have
singular windows. Doorways are also rectangular and tend to be wide,
often with large panes of glass in the door or as side lights. Cladding
may be masonry, clapboard or to a lesser extent stucco.
Elements of the Foursquare are often found mixed with the early
Colonial Revival and Prairie styles, though the simplicity of the basic
Foursquare house lent itself to being decorated with the features of
many other styles popular at the time.
General Characteristics:
• Simple floor plan
• Boxy, cubic shape
• Full width or off-set front porch with columnar supports and wide
stairs
• Offset front entry in an otherwise symmetrical facade
• Two to two-and-a-half stories
• Pyramidal, hipped roof, often with wide eaves
• Large central dormer
• Large single light windows in front, otherwise double hung
• Incorporated design elements from other contemporaneous styles,
but usually in simple applications
• Simple and restrained two-color and three-color paint schemes
highlighting body, trim and accents
Highland Park-Garvanza PP Ch1-Ch6.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Highland Park-Garvanza PP Ch1-Ch6.pdf (application/pdf Object)
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