Home > California > Claremont > Pitzer Ranch, Pitzer-Peairs House, 4353 Towne Avenue, Claremont, Los Angeles County, CA
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Item Title
Pitzer Ranch, Pitzer-Peairs House, 4353 Towne Avenue, Claremont, Los Angeles County, CA
Location4353 Towne Avenue,
Claremont, CA
Find maps of Claremont, CA
Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1933.
Notes
Survey number HABS CA-2267-A
Building/structure dates:
1912 initial construction
Significance: The Pitzer-Peairs House is part of the Pitzer Ranch Complex consisting of the Foreman's Residence, water tower, shed, stone barn, concrete reservoir, pump-house, and secondary house on Padua Avenue and the Pitzer-Peairs garage and stone wall on Towne Avenue. The Pitzer-Peairs House is both architecturally and historically significant. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 1986. The house was recognized at the time of construction as unique in design due to the use of fieldstone, its informal arrangement, and conformance to its surrounding rustic setting. The floor plan of the Pitzer-Peairs House is reflective of the philosophy behind bungalow architecture. Circulation between rooms is clear of obstruction. Each room leads to the next room through doorways or extended halls. Overall design reveals an arrangement of the interior doors making the entire house accessible without entering the originally open courtyard. The structure is significant part of the bungalow tradition, unique because of its superior stone facades, and according to Robert Winter, architectural historian "...the finest stone house in Southern California." The Pitzer-Peairs House is one of the finest examples of bungalow architecture. At the turn of the century, bungalows were attractive for several reasons. Bungalows were affordable housing priced between $500 to $5,000 to construct, they were simple, and they were artistic dwellings. Relatively inexpensive property in the warm climate of Southern California permitted builders to economize on materials and construction so that the bungalow's appeal reached many. "...the bungalow contributed to the privacy considered sacred to the middle class." In its economy, practicality, and efficiency, the California bungalow grew to encompass individualistic traits. According to Gustav Stickley, father of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, "More significantly, the bungalow reflected specific Southern California qualities that have, over time, developed into recognizable traits of the region." The Pitzer-Peairs House is a fine example of the Bungalow style. It is also a fine example of the fieldstone structures built along the "Foothill Belt" in the Los Angeles area. The house has influenced architecture in the area. The Pflueger house on Foothill Boulevard in the City of Glendora was constructed in 1937 utilizing the same general contractor and stone mason. The Pitzer-Peairs House is associated with the agricultural heritage of the City of Claremont and Southern California. The house was constructed during the period of early settlement and exploration of the citrus-producing land on Base Line Road and changing use of natural resources in the region. The Pitzer-Peairs House has strong ties to families important to the settlement of Claremont. The house has had only three owners: Lee C. and Blanche Becket Pitzer, Maurice and Adele Peairs, and John and Patricia Hodges (current owners).
Collection
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
1. Font (east) facade.
2. Side (north) and rear (west) facades.
3. Rear (west) facade.
4. Side (south) facade.
5. Detail of front porch.
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