A modest Spanish retreat

Today I thought I'd head back to Valmonte and check out another nice original PV home - one of my Top 10 actually.  The Paull Residence.

(Source: Pritzkat & Johnson)

(Source: PV Library)


Originally designed and built for Robert G. Paull (yes, two "L"s) in 1927 by Kirtland Cutter (of Gard Residence fame) and Francis Schellenberg respectively, the home measures 4,195 square feet and sits on a wedge shaped 13,520 square foot lot .  I have to say I'm a big fan of Cutter's California work.

Quick aside: Kirtland Cutter was a prolific architect in the Pacific Northwest (notably Spokane) and designed a great many structures during his tenure there in a variety of styles (though predominated by Arts & Crafts).  Amid financial problems in the early 1920s, he moved to California at the young age of 63 (!) in 1923 and began exploring his fascination of the Mediterranean style until his death at age 79.  Cutter was an admirer of George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff and others, California contemporaries at the time, who had spearheaded the California interpretation of Spanish/Italian design.  His first design in PV was that of Lunada Bay Plaza (which never came to fruition, see below).

(Source: PV Library)


In total, Cutter designed 16 homes in Palos Verdes.  The Paull residence was actually one of the first "spec" homes (speculative) in PV - funded and built by Schellenberg and later sold to Paull.  It faces the golf course and was one of the first homes to incorporate a large garage on the primary facade.

(Source: PV Library)

(Source: PV Library)


Normally, I'm not a fan of garages facing the street.  In select cases (like the Contratto Residence), the front facing garage actually works very nicely, largely because there are other elements of the facade that distract and overpower the garage door.  Such is the case here.  There are numerous points of interest on the facade.

(Source: NJC)

(Source: NJC)

(Source: NJC)


From the 35 degree angled room and covered second-floor porch to the alternating protrusions of the facade, there's so much to visually enjoy.  The vegetation and semi-circular driveway also contribute to the grand yet understated feel of the home.  The current owners purchased the home in 2001 for $1.9M and then hired Pritzkat & Johnson to assist with a remodel and facelift.  Notice subtle changes to the front facade.  No shutters on the first floor window. The addition on the left including a small chimney.  Lights around the front door.  The additional window on the second floor.  New attic/chimney vents on the front. More prominent secondary chimney.  Etc.  And notably, the addition of a semi-circular driveway (which I admit, may have already been added in a 1954 remodel according to public records).

(Source: NJC)


If we go to the rear of the home,  you'll see a very nice terraced courtyard with what looks to be a paved patio with a central fountain and a lower garden that leads to the pool area.

 (Source: Bing Maps)

 (Source: Bing Maps)

(Source: Bing Maps)


Overall, I like the remodel.  Pritzkat kept the essence of the home and highlighted its strongest qualities - Cutter would have been proud! It feels elegant, timeless, and most of all, comfortable.

KEY STATS

Location: Valmonte, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: 1927 / 1954 / 2000s
Architect: Kirtland Cutter / unknown /  Pritzkat & Johnson
Square footage: 4,195
Lot size: 13,520 (98x184..tapering to width of 57 feet)

A special treat today! Oh what a lucky day...

So I was perusing through some of the architects' websites to see if any new material has been posted and I stumbled upon one of the original PVE homes which I posted on earlier - in fact, it was my very first home post!

The Gard Residence. Recall my original post here - A trip down memory lane .  As a refresher, here's the home (one of my personal favs!)

(Source: Palos Verdes library)

 (Source: Palos Verdes library)

 (Source: Palos Verdes library)




As you'll recall from my earlier post, this home underwent a remodel in 1993 by the owners.  A detailed description of the remodel is contained in that post.  As luck and fate would have it, I came across the architect's website responsible for the remodel - none other than the Ed Beall.  Here are some shots of the newly remodeled home.  Beautiful!

 (Source: ECB & Associates)

(Source: ECB & Associates)


I'm generally not a fan when folks remodel historic homes but in this case, I think Beall did a fantastic job.  The rear facade (first image) looks seamless, including the new addition above the former terrace and the addition of the second floor walkway.  On the front facade (second image), subtle changes have been made including the arching of the windows on the first floor, north side, and the addition of a symmetric set of stairs on the right side of the image.  Other changes include the addition of two windows on the lower right, in place of the previous, large window and the addition of two windows on the second floor (including one on the rotunda).  According to several records I found online, the owners of the home bought the property in 1992 for $2.3M (cash, no mortgage!) then originally planned to spend $1.05M on the remodel.  When all was said and done, the owners spent approximately $2.7M on the remodel - over $5M invested into the home!  Money and time well spent in my opinion.  Kudos!

KEY STATS (REVISED!)

Location: Valmonte, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: 1927 / 1993
Architect: Kirtland Cutter / Ed Beall
Square footage: 13,041
Lot size: 1.3 acres

Something new

So I started my first actual home blog post with something old - something timeless and classic.  Now I'm switching gears and talking about something (relatively) new and one of my personal favorites.  The Contratto Residence, located in the sylvan landscape of the Valmonte neighborhood of Palos Verdes Estates, is one of the best examples of new construction in the Spanish style.

(Source: NJC)

Designed by Don Thursby and built in 2006 by Baldwin Construction, I nearly fell off my chair when I realized it wasn't technically a new build but rather a remodel of a single-story ranch style home.  The current owners bought the property in 1988 for $895,000 and lived with the previous one story home for nearly 20 years before deciding to remodel.  The original modest home is shown below, as flagged during the PVE neighborhood compatibility process before the final design was approved for construction.

(Source: Don Thursby)

As you can see from the photo above, the previous home was a very modest single story structure on a very nice, flat, wooded lot.  The lot itself totals 12,614 square feet (0.3 acres) and spans two legal parcels, measuring an estate-sized 105x119.  What I love about this house are the proportions - very rare to get a double-wide lot especially in a tony neighborhood a stone's throw away from the coast.  When you look at the nearby beach towns of Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, for example, the name of the game is maximum interior square footage and "zero-lot line" builds - a perversion of nature that results in a crowded streetscape, full of cars, an absence of trees, and houses so close together you can touch your neighbor's window.  Another side effect of the densification of these once comfortable areas is that you also lose stylistic variety - there is only so many ways to design a home for a 50-foot wide lot, especially when you factor in two 5-to 8-foot side yard setbacks and a 16-foot wide garage door.  With this home, there's ample lot width to really let the architect design something special and authentic, something unique.  Similarly, the home itself is set back from the street, probably about 30-35 feet or 2 car lengths, while in most of the South Bay, homes are set back between 15-20 feet from the street.

(Source: NJC)

The house has a classic, timeless feel.  Charming.  Appropriate.  Comfortable.  A house that makes you feel warm and that sits well within its natural landscape.  Harmonious.  A house that you can see a family playing in the yard, or having a holiday meal.   This one is on my short list of 'dream homes' of PV.  The arches, the window placements, even the placement of the garage doors are all well thought out and retain a strong fidelity to the historic Spanish style.

(Source: NJC)

If we turn to our trusty Bing Maps for further insight into the home, we see a rear paved patio with what appears to be a central fountain.  A perfect place to entertain family and friends, or just relax and enjoy the Southern California sun.

 (Source: Bing Maps)

(Source: Bing Maps)

This house is definitely in my top 10 homes of PV.  Thursby did an absolutely fantastic job capturing the essence of the warm, familiar and comfortable Spanish style in stucco and tile.  When I see homes like this, it makes me want to jump into real estate development and start adjoining parcels to create the right sized lot to accommodate truly spectacular home designs.  If only I had the money.  Any financial supporters out there?

KEY STATS

Location: Valmonte, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: unknown / 2006
Architect: Don Thursby
Square footage: 4,901
Lot size: 12,614 (105x119)