Home > California > Claremont > Pitzer Ranch, Rock Wall, 4353 Towne Avenue, Claremont, Los Angeles County, CA
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Item Title
Pitzer Ranch, Rock Wall, 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-C
Building/structure dates:
1912 initial construction
Significance: The Pitzer-Peairs House Fieldstone Wall is part of the Pitzer Ranch Complex consisting of the Pitzer-Peairs House and garage on Towne Avenue and the Foreman's residence, water tower, shed, stone barn, concrete reservoir, pumphouse, and secondary house on Padua Avenue. The stone wall and decorative stone landscape border are associated with the Pitzer-Peairs House which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pitzer-Peairs fieldstone wall surrounds the property on the north and east. Low fieldstone decorative borders are located in the front yard of the Pitzer-Peairs House. The borders serve to delineate flower beds, landscape areas, walkways, and driveways. The Pitzer-Peairs House fieldstone wall and the decorative stone landscape border are both architecturally and historically significant. The wall is recognized in design due to the use of fieldstone and conformance to its surrounding rustic setting. The architect, Richard H. Orr and the original owner, Lee C. Pitzer, chose fieldstone to utilize local materials and to blend with the rustic environment. Claremont has an abundance of stone from the surrounding hills and mountains due to the City's location on an alluvial fan. Builders in early Claremont used fieldstone in the construction of housing and for decorative features. It was a convenient building material as fields had to be cleared of stone for cultivation. Most of the all stone structures are located in north Claremont. The Pitzer-Peairs House and associated garage, fieldstone wall, and decorative landscape border are associated with the agricultural heritage of the City of Claremont and Southern California. The wall 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 and associated features have strong ties to families important to the settlement of Claremont. Samuel Pitzer was a pioneer developer of the citrus industry. His sons, Grant, Lee C., and Russell Pitzer also helped to establish the citrus industry in the Pomona Valley, specifically 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. View of fieldstone wall at corner of Towne Avenue and Base Line road. Pitzer-Peairs House is in background.
2. Fieldstone wall along Towne Avenue. Decorative fieldstone landscape border is shown. Pitzer-Peairs House is in the background.
3. Middle section of fieldstone wall along Towne Avenue. Pitzer Peairs House is in background.
4. Fieldstone wall along Base Line Road facing southeast. Base Line Road is at the left edge of the photo. Intersection of Base Line Road and Towne Avenue is in background.
5. Fieldstone wall along Base Line Road. View from the front yard of the Pitzer-Peairs House. Decorative landscape border in foreground.
6. Corner of fieldstone wall at Towne Avenue (right side of photo) and Base Line Road (background). Decorative border is also shown.
7. Front yard of Pitzer-Peairs House. Fieldstone wall along Towne Avenue in the background. Decorative landscape border in the foreground.
8. Decorative landscape border and landscaping for the Pitzer Ranch Complex on Towne Avenue.
9. Detail of fieldstone wall. Pitzer-Peairs House is in background.
10. Corner of fieldstone wall on Towne Avenue and Base Line Road. Base Line Road is shown.
11. Detail of fieldstone wall on Base Line Road.
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