los angeles city planning departmentplanning.lacity.org/staffrpt/chc/08-06-15/9. henstell... ·...

Los Angeles Department of City Planning RECOMMENDATION REPORT

PROJECT: Historic-Cultural Monument Application for the

HENSTELL HOUSE

REQUEST: Declare the property a Historic-Cultural Monument OWNER: Westside Estates, LLC c/o Eli Tene 11728 San Vicente Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90049 APPLICANT: Cory Buckner 990 Hanley Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90049

RECOMMENDATION That the Cultural Heritage Commission:

1. Take the property under consideration as a Historic-Cultural Monument per Los Angeles Administrative Code Chapter 9, Division 22, Article 1, Section 22.171.10 because the application and accompanying photo documentation suggest the submittal warrants further investigation.

2. Adopt the report findings.

MICHAEL J. LOGRANDE Director of Planning [SIGN1907 [SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE] [SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE] Ken Bernstein, AICP, Manager Lambert M. Giessinger, Preservation Architect Office of Historic Resources Office of Historic Resources

[SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE]

Shannon Ryan, City Planning Associate Office of Historic Resources Attachments: Historic-Cultural Monument Application

CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION

HEARING DATE: August 6, 2015 TIME: 9:00 AM PLACE: City Hall, Room 1010 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

CASE NO.: CHC-2015-2780-HCM ENV-2015-2781-CE Location: 815 N. Tigertail Road Council District: 11 Community Plan Area: Brentwood- Pacific Palisades Area Planning Commission: West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council: None Legal Description: TR 14944, Block None, Lot 107

CHC-2015-2780-HCM 815 N. Tigertail Road of 3 SUMMARY The Henstell House, located at 815 N. Tigertail Road in Brentwood, was built in 1950 as part of the Mutual Housing Association (MHA) cooperative housing venture. Begun in 1946, the association was created by four returning WWII veterans and studio musicians as the Cooperative Housing Group who wished to provide homes for returning servicemen, like themselves, by pooling their resources during the postwar housing shortage. MHA is considered the only successful large-scale cooperative housing venture in California. The association chose 800 acres of undeveloped land in the Santa Monica Mountains above Brentwood and planned to construct 500 homes in addition to a medical building, plant nursery, gas station, co-op store, nursery school, and community park. Of the originally planned homes, only 80 were actually constructed and of the public structures, only the nursery school and park were completed. After initial attempts with architects Richard Neutra and John Lautner to design the community, the MHA members contracted with A. Quincy Jones and Whitney R. Smith to design the individual home plans and Garret Eckbo to design the modernist landscaping. The team eventually developed a brochure with 28 house designs from which to choose, and the Henstell House was developed under the model 108X plan. The 108X plan was also used for the Pilot House, HCM #717, in Mount Washington which served to demonstrate the experimental architecture proposed for the development to interested community members. Of the original 80 houses constructed, only 30 houses are known to exist in a coherent state, 16 of which are designated Historic-Cultural Monuments. Designed under MHA model 108X for a hillside lot, the Henstell House was originally 1,435 square feet with a carport of 560 square feet. Consistent with the site planning intent of the development, the Henstell House is positioned to respect the privacy of its neighbors and nestles into the hillside for all to have unimpeded views. The only visible portion of the house is a post and beam carport accessed by a circular driveway. The front door is accessed by a set of concrete stairs located to the north of the carport that lead down to the entrance level. Materials for the original development were chosen for their natural and undecorated value including concrete block, redwood siding, exposed Douglas fir plywood and tongue and groove interior ceiling planks. The Henstell House is composed of angled, rib-like post and beam construction with a modular spacing of seven feet. The low pitched roof and long exposed beams emphasize the structure’s horizontality. Where the house faces the view to the west, large plate glass panels dissolve the divide where the home ends and the exterior patio and landscape areas begin. Later additions to the home include a dining room on the southeast end of the structure, fireplaces in the master bedroom and bath, stone facing on the façade and the joining of the two smaller bedrooms into a family room. CRITERIA The criterion is the Cultural Heritage Ordinance which defines a historical or cultural monument as any site (including significant trees or other plant life located thereon) building or structure of particular historic or cultural significance to the City of Los Angeles, such as historic structures or sites in which the broad cultural, economic, or social history of the nation, State or community is reflected or exemplified, or which are identified with historic personages or with important events in the main currents of national, State or local history or which embody the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type specimen, inherently valuable for a study of a period style

CHC-2015-2780-HCM 815 N. Tigertail Road of 3 or method of construction, or a notable work of a master builder, designer or architect whose individual genius influenced his age.

FINDINGS Based on the facts set forth in the summary and application, the Commission determines that the application is complete and that the property may be significant enough to warrant further investigation as a potential Historic-Cultural Monument.

Los Angeles Department of City Planning RECOMMENDATION REPORT

PROJECT: Historic-Cultural Monument Application for the

HENSTELL HOUSE

REQUEST: Declare the property a Historic-Cultural Monument OWNER: Westside Estates, LLC c/o Eli Tene 11728 San Vicente Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90049 APPLICANT: Cory Buckner 990 Hanley Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90049

RECOMMENDATION That the Cultural Heritage Commission:

1. Take the property under consideration as a Historic-Cultural Monument per Los Angeles Administrative Code Chapter 9, Division 22, Article 1, Section 22.171.10 because the application and accompanying photo documentation suggest the submittal warrants further investigation.

2. Adopt the report findings.

MICHAEL J. LOGRANDE Director of Planning [SIGN1907 [SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE] [SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE] Ken Bernstein, AICP, Manager Lambert M. Giessinger, Preservation Architect Office of Historic Resources Office of Historic Resources

[SIGNED ORIGINAL IN FILE]

Shannon Ryan, City Planning Associate Office of Historic Resources Attachments: Historic-Cultural Monument Application

CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION

HEARING DATE: August 6, 2015 TIME: 9:00 AM PLACE: City Hall, Room 1010 200 N. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

CASE NO.: CHC-2015-2780-HCM ENV-2015-2781-CE Location: 815 N. Tigertail Road Council District: 11 Community Plan Area: Brentwood- Pacific Palisades Area Planning Commission: West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council: None Legal Description: TR 14944, Block None, Lot 107

CHC-2015-2780-HCM 815 N. Tigertail Road Page 2 of 3 SUMMARY The Henstell House, located at 815 N. Tigertail Road in Brentwood, was built in 1950 as part of the Mutual Housing Association (MHA) cooperative housing venture. Begun in 1946, the association was created by four returning WWII veterans and studio musicians as the Cooperative Housing Group who wished to provide homes for returning servicemen, like themselves, by pooling their resources during the postwar housing shortage. MHA is considered the only successful large-scale cooperative housing venture in California. The association chose 800 acres of undeveloped land in the Santa Monica Mountains above Brentwood and planned to construct 500 homes in addition to a medical building, plant nursery, gas station, co-op store, nursery school, and community park. Of the originally planned homes, only 80 were actually constructed and of the public structures, only the nursery school and park were completed. After initial attempts with architects Richard Neutra and John Lautner to design the community, the MHA members contracted with A. Quincy Jones and Whitney R. Smith to design the individual home plans and Garret Eckbo to design the modernist landscaping. The team eventually developed a brochure with 28 house designs from which to choose, and the Henstell House was developed under the model 108X plan. The 108X plan was also used for the Pilot House, HCM #717, in Mount Washington which served to demonstrate the experimental architecture proposed for the development to interested community members. Of the original 80 houses constructed, only 30 houses are known to exist in a coherent state, 16 of which are designated Historic-Cultural Monuments. Designed under MHA model 108X for a hillside lot, the Henstell House was originally 1,435 square feet with a carport of 560 square feet. Consistent with the site planning intent of the development, the Henstell House is positioned to respect the privacy of its neighbors and nestles into the hillside for all to have unimpeded views. The only visible portion of the house is a post and beam carport accessed by a circular driveway. The front door is accessed by a set of concrete stairs located to the north of the carport that lead down to the entrance level. Materials for the original development were chosen for their natural and undecorated value including concrete block, redwood siding, exposed Douglas fir plywood and tongue and groove interior ceiling planks. The Henstell House is composed of angled, rib-like post and beam construction with a modular spacing of seven feet. The low pitched roof and long exposed beams emphasize the structure’s horizontality. Where the house faces the view to the west, large plate glass panels dissolve the divide where the home ends and the exterior patio and landscape areas begin. Later additions to the home include a dining room on the southeast end of the structure, fireplaces in the master bedroom and bath, stone facing on the façade and the joining of the two smaller bedrooms into a family room. CRITERIA The criterion is the Cultural Heritage Ordinance which defines a historical or cultural monument as any site (including significant trees or other plant life located thereon) building or structure of particular historic or cultural significance to the City of Los Angeles, such as historic structures or sites in which the broad cultural, economic, or social history of the nation, State or community is reflected or exemplified, or which are identified with historic personages or with important events in the main currents of national, State or local history or which embody the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type specimen, inherently valuable for a study of a period style

CHC-2015-2780-HCM 815 N. Tigertail Road Page 3 of 3 or method of construction, or a notable work of a master builder, designer or architect whose individual genius influenced his age.

FINDINGS Based on the facts set forth in the summary and application, the Commission determines that the application is complete and that the property may be significant enough to warrant further investigation as a potential Historic-Cultural Monument.

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NOMINATION FORM

4. ALTERATION HISTORY • tkt d.llt' and wtit, ., b(ttf deso iption of anv mal« al tetarlons or addit1ons.. Thi$ st'Cdon miV a.l$0 be completed on a u-p.;wah• dO(Uml"nt tndudfl cople~ of pe,mits il'l th<! oominl'ltiol'l po<ket. Mab sure to fist "¥IY majot ~lte•~tlons for whkh there are no permits, .u wl!ll.

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S. EXISTING HtSTORIC RESOURCE IDfHT1ACATION (if known)

U«ed In dw: california Rqi$ter of~ Resources

Form~lty deterrrutted f!liSib't f01 the Nl'liONI and/or California Registers

LOCated In an HiStMc Pu~serv;~tion Ov~rt.av let~e (HPOZ)

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6. A.PI'1JCA8Lf HISTOfUC-CULTURAl. MONUM(NT OUTERIA

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• aeneas Lhe brO<Jd cutt~.Jrfl, tcOnomk. or sodal history of tM nation, st•u:,,or community

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1~ i6entified with hlstOtic personlJfl Of with important eve•'U i l'l tht mJin currenu of narlon~. $tate, or locM hiStory

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NOMINATION FORM

7. WRimN SfATEMENT5 ~

This stcrion allows yov to discvss at lenoth thl significance of the proposed monument and why it should be designottd an Historic-Cultural Monumtnt. l')tpe your response on seporott documents and ottech them to this form.

A. Proposed Monument Description • Otscribe the proposed monui'T'N!flt's physkaJ chinteteristics jncf rdarionshfp to its surroundinc enVIronment. fx~nd on sections 2 and l wtth a mort dttaLied description of the sM. Expand 0t1 st<bOn 4 •nd dbcus.s the constnJCDOn/altem1cln t~atory in deUil if thit i$

n«<SSIt'f to explain the P<OPC>S<d ,_urnent's current lotm.ldenbfy >nd- •nv characterdtfin.nc eCements. structu~ int~ spac-es. « landscape features.

8.. State~t of Significance- Addrt-ss tkf' proposed monumtnt's historic, c.ultura,l. Jnd/or J~rchitcc tu(al s.gnificance by discussing how rt Sldsf1e-s the HCM Cr'ill!ria you ~eJf'Cted in Section 6. You must ) UptiO(t yOur' argument with substantial t'vidence and analy$is.. The Statcml!nt of Significance is your main argum~nt for dcsfenation so it is imporunt to substantit~ te 01ny daim$ you make w ith SUPQOr'ting documentation and ~search.

8. CONTACT INFORMATION -..... CbA.Y <BVc.l::l'f..f.P-

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Whon you have completed pte-pa.fins your nomlnation$ compi'e all materi iiiS In the o•der spcdficd bebw. Althou&h the tndte packet mus.t not el((eed 100 pa&Qs, you mi)l send addition~! material on a CO or Rash dnve.

APPliCATION O<ECKUST

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10. RELEASE

Nomination fOfl'lll

Wrtnen SUt.etnoetru A Midi

l"WO Primary Photos of Ult1101/~n FKidt" (&10, the main photo of~ proposed monumtnt. Also ~mail a digitial copv of the main photo to: [email protected])

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Cq>otsol~-,...--1-fint amtruction-1

Hls.tcOcll Photos

ZlmM PMtel RepOC't fot <'Ill Nomin<~ttd Parcels (lnclu(l.n! m3p)

Pltm rtc~d e:dCh l!3ttment iOCI theck tht cOtrfSPO"din& bOxes to indic::au! th'it you acr~ with tht statement tMn Sit.n btlow in m. pt<Mdtd ~-lither the -icant or pt~ret m;)V sill'!.

X I ~Br thin all documents SUIJmlnect Wil tle<Ome pWiiC tt<OtCIS ""*' lht Caflfomaa Putlk Recotds Act. and u~ lNt tM doo#nents will be ~ JY'IIbblf WIOft t'f'qUeSl lO nwtnbfn of tN oubk tor in:spfaion ..:1 CJ::IP'tlfiC..

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Majl your Historic:-Cultul'lll Monument Submittal to lM ~of Hiuoric. ~u.rces.

Office of Histori-c Res.ovrces Df.partment o f Cit y Pla nning

200 N. Spring Street Room 620

LOs Mgeles, CA 90012

Phone: 213-973-1200 W~!-bsite: pc-esetv.rtion.bcity.orJ

City of Los AngelesDepartment of City Planning

7/29/2015

PARCEL PROFILE REPORT Address/Legal Information

PIN Number 138B141 207

Lot/Parcel Area (Calculated) 8,074.4 (sq ft)

Thomas Brothers Grid PAGE 631 - GRID F1

Assessor Parcel No. (APN) 4494008021

Tract TR 14944

Map Reference M B 346-39/45

Block None

Lot 107

Arb (Lot Cut Reference) None

Map Sheet 138B141

Jurisdictional Information

Community Plan Area Brentwood - Pacific Palisades

Area Planning Commission West Los Angeles

Neighborhood Council None

Council District CD 11 - Mike Bonin

Census Tract # 2623.03

LADBS District Office West Los Angeles

Planning and Zoning Information

Special Notes None

Zoning RE15-1-H

Zoning Information (ZI) None

General Plan Land Use Very Low II Residential

General Plan Footnote(s) Yes

Hillside Area (Zoning Code) Yes

Baseline Hillside Ordinance Yes

Baseline Mansionization Ordinance No

Specific Plan Area None

Special Land Use / Zoning None

Design Review Board No

Historic Preservation Review No

Historic Preservation Overlay Zone None

Other Historic Designations None

Other Historic Survey Information None

Mills Act Contract None

POD - Pedestrian Oriented Districts None

CDO - Community Design Overlay None

NSO - Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay No

Streetscape No

Sign District No

Adaptive Reuse Incentive Area None

CRA - Community Redevelopment Agency None

Central City Parking No

Downtown Parking No

Building Line None

500 Ft School Zone No

500 Ft Park Zone No

PROPERTY ADDRESSES

815 N TIGERTAIL ROAD

ZIP CODES

90049

RECENT ACTIVITY

None

CASE NUMBERS

CPC-2005-8252-CA

CPC-16829-F

ORD-131264

ZAI-1234

ENV-2005-8253-ND

This report is subject to the terms and conditions as set forth on the website. For more details, please refer to the terms and conditions at zimas.lacity.org(*) - APN Area is provided "as is" from the Los Angeles County's Public Works, Flood Control, Benefit Assessment.

zimas.lacity.org | cityplanning.lacity.org

Assessor Information

Assessor Parcel No. (APN) 4494008021

APN Area (Co. Public Works)* 0.167 (ac)

Use Code 0100 - Single Residence

Assessed Land Val. $1,468,800

Assessed Improvement Val. $367,200

Last Owner Change 12/16/14

Last Sale Amount $1,836,018

Tax Rate Area 67

Deed Ref No. (City Clerk) 7-244

628739

613202

2468554

1633591

0-172

Building 1

Year Built 1950

Building Class D65B

Number of Units 1

Number of Bedrooms 4

Number of Bathrooms 2

Building Square Footage 2,057.0 (sq ft)

Building 2 No data for building 2




Additional Information

Airport Hazard 1040' Height Limit Above Elevation 747

Coastal Zone None

Farmland Area Not Mapped

Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Yes

Fire District No. 1 No

Flood Zone None

Watercourse No

Hazardous Waste / Border Zone Properties No

Methane Hazard Site None

High Wind Velocity Areas No

Special Grading Area (BOE Basic Grid Map A-13372)

Yes

Oil Wells None

Seismic Hazards

Active Fault Near-Source Zone

Nearest Fault (Distance in km) 1.45167096

Nearest Fault (Name) Santa Monica Fault

Region Transverse Ranges and Los Angeles Basin

Fault Type B

Slip Rate (mm/year) 1.00000000

Slip Geometry Left Lateral - Reverse - Oblique

Slip Type Moderately / Poorly Constrained

Down Dip Width (km) 13.00000000

Rupture Top 0.00000000

Rupture Bottom 13.00000000

Dip Angle (degrees) -75.00000000

Maximum Magnitude 6.60000000

Alquist-Priolo Fault Zone No



Landslide No

Liquefaction No

Preliminary Fault Rupture Study Area No

Tsunami Inundation Zone No

Economic Development Areas

Business Improvement District None

Promise Zone No

Renewal Community No

Revitalization Zone None

State Enterprise Zone None

Targeted Neighborhood Initiative None

Public Safety

Police Information

Bureau West

Division / Station West Los Angeles

Reporting District 812

Fire Information

Division 3

Batallion 9

District / Fire Station 19

Red Flag Restricted Parking YES

YES

YES

YES



CASE SUMMARIESNote: Information for case summaries is retrieved from the Planning Department's Plan Case Tracking System (PCTS) database.

Case Number: CPC-2005-8252-CA

Required Action(s): CA-CODE AMENDMENT

Project Descriptions(s): AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING PERMANENT REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING THE MELLO ACT IN THE COASTAL ZONE.

Case Number: CPC-16829-F

Required Action(s): F-FENCE HEIGHT

Project Descriptions(s): Data Not Available

Case Number: ENV-2005-8253-ND

Required Action(s): ND-NEGATIVE DECLARATION

Project Descriptions(s): AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING PERMANENT REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING THE MELLO ACT IN THE COASTAL ZONE.

DATA NOT AVAILABLEORD-131264

ZAI-1234



ZIMAS PUBLIC Generalized Zoning 07/29/2015City of Los Angeles

Department of City Planning

Address: 815 N TIGERTAIL ROAD Tract: TR 14944 Zoning: RE15-1-H

APN: 4494008021 Block: None General Plan: Very Low II Residential

PIN #: 138B141 207 Lot: 107

Arb: None

Streets Copyright (c) Thomas Brothers Maps, Inc.

PROPOSED MONUMENT DESCRIPTION

"The Hcnstcll House is part of the Crestwood Hills community, fonnerly known as the Mutual I lousing ~ssociation, a cooperative housing venture begun in 1946 by four returning veterans and studio musicians. It was to be the only successful large-scale cooperative housing development in California. Originally planned to provide 500 houses and community facilities on a hillside site at the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. Crestwood Hills is one of the few fully realized modernist projectS In the state. The joint venrure of A. Quincy jones, Whitney R. Smith, and structu ral engineer Edgardo Contini designed the modernist community with a flair a nd a n inventiveness that helped LO establish all of their separate careers.

The mnslcr plan uses the rugged terrain to provide a balance of single-fam ily homes, communal facilities~ and a public park. The MHA chose 800 acres of undeveloped land in the Santa Mon ica Mountains. in an area of Brentwood that they named Crestwood Hills. The houses are arranged on the hills. each one at an angle to the street to give a primary view and a private open space secluded from the street and the neighbors. The community facilities. the park. nursery school, and community center. were planned for the best flat land at the center of the tract. The plan originally was to include a neighborhood co-op store, medical building. plant nursery. and gas station. but afler several members pulled out of the effon due to rising costs and remaining members moved into their houses the impetus to develop the other communal fucilitics dwindled. The nursery school continues to thrive to this day and is still run on a cooperative basis. The park they created was been deeded to the City in 1960.

Of the 28 house models available for selection, the Henry Hcnstell family chose MilA 108X, a house designed for a hillside lot. It is one of eighty M IIA houses built in a community of 350 lots on 800 acres. Only a handful oflhe MHA 108X were built and only four arc extant. Only 30 houses remain intact today, having lost 45 in the Bel Air Fire of 1961 .

The experimental forms of the MHA houses set a standard for excellence in postwar tract-home development. With thoughtful p lanning and the usc o f level changes, the original structures housed a family quite comfortably. The houses range from just under 1000 square feet to just over 1500 square feet and were built with materials left exposed; concrete block, plywood, a nd redwood tongue and groove siding. Glass walls dissolve the boundary between indoor and outdoor space, giving each structure the sense of extending beyond the limits of the house to the property lines.

"The Henstell House is the first MHA house seen as one enters the community of Crestwood Hills from Tigenail Road. The MHA 108 is one of the more dynamic designs and despite the unfonunate addition of a rock fayade the soaring roof and angled posts still provide a hint of the experimental architecture that carries through the rest of the bouse.

The house has suffered several remodels including an added dining room to the southeast of the structure, which, by the Department of the Interior standards, could be removed to leave the original house intact. Other alterations include the addition of:~. stone fa¢adc fireplace in the mao;ter bedroom, n kil"chen remodel, an added master bathroom f~replacc, and the two smaller bedrooms have been made into a family room. Despite the changes, the overall structural e legance of the house and unique features such ns the horizontal light shel f and double slanted structural posts remain intact.

The house sold December 16, 2014 for S 1.836.000. There are excellent pictures on Red fin nt http!>J/w'"' .redfin.com 'CA 'Los-Am:eJe, 81 ~-N-llgenail-Rd-9004Whome'6860&61 #. The Crestwood ~I ills AMC>Ciarion Board was notified by the Crestwood Hills Architecture Committee that a large house has been proposed for this site. which would ent:lil demolishing the current house. The Architecture Committee rejected the plan but is working with the designer/architect suggesting ways to make the project more compatible to the neighborhood by reducing the size but the proposal will destroy the character of the existing house if not demolish it completely. llle committee has final say over construCtion approvals in an effort to keep with the spirit of the community. but they have no legal basis for stopping demolition nor do they come forward to save the original MHA houses.

STATE!MENT OF SIGNIFIGANCE

• The Henstell House is significant as pan of Crestwood Hi Us (fonnerly Mutual Housing Association), the only successful large-scale cooperative housing venture in California. Planned to provide 500 houses and community facilit.ics on a hillside s ite at the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains, Crestwood Hills was founded and became a Oagship for modem architecture.

In 1946, four musicians formed the Cooperative Housing Group as a viable way 10 obtain inexpensive houses by pooling their rcsourct:s. The housing shortage for returning servicemen and the excitement of creating a model community through cooperative methods was forctront in the minds of the original tOundcrs. Luxuries such as a swimming pool, was something they could not afford on their own but together it became a possibility. With added interest and membership among their friends, the assoei•tion become Mutual Housing Association. Articles ran in the Hollywood Citizen-News and other newspapers bringing the membership up to 500 members. Out of the eight-hundred acres purchased from Alphonso Bell in the Sama Monica Mountains. land was to be designated as public and private with :>ere3ge set a.•ide for a cooperative park. nursery school, gas station and grocery stO£c with discussions of a food and plant nursery coop. Still thriving. the nursery school is the only remnant of the once idealistic hopes for a cooperati'-e community.

After interviewing such architectS as Richard Neutra and beginning work with Doug Honnold with John Lautner, the MHA members signed a contract with architects A. Quincy Jones, Whitney R. Sm ith, and structural engineer Edgardo Contini. Added to this joint venture was modernist landscape designer Garret Eckbo.

Aller presenting ten sets of plans, the architects were sent back to the dmwing board by the Association who determined that the plans were too modern. Soon after, ti ftcen more plans of modeslly priced homes still in the modem language were accepted. Eventually, the cooperative members had a brochure with 28 house designs from which they could choose. The Henstell House, MHA model 108X. is designed for a hillside lot with a house of 1435 sq. ft. and a carport of560 sq. ft. It is one of the more dranlatic house designs. It is the same model the joint venture built with their own funds in Mt. Woshington as the Pilot House (an histO£ic monument with the City of Los Angeles). in order to show the community members first-hand the experimental architecture they proposed.

Synthesizing the new materials and methods available after the war with tbe organic expressiveness of Frank Lloyd Wright. the individual houses were positioned at various angles to the street and oriented to respect the privacy of nei&(lboring houses. Finished with unadorned materials in their natural state; concrete block, redwood siding, exposed Douglas fir plywood, and tongue and groove ceiling planks, with no applied plaster or paint. each house was designed to be built simply on a modular beam spacing of7 feet. The post and beam construction became the rhythmic theme as beams marched across the structure like a series of ribs, which combined with a low-pitched roof, emphasized the horiwntality of the structures; something Jones had admired in Wright's work.

Featured in the September 1948 issue of A(!,S_and Architecture. Julius Shulman captured the essence ofMHA houses with his early photographs. Capturing the simplicity and drama of C3ch structure, he photographed the few houses that had been completed a few years later.

Of the original SO houses. only 30 houses e•i<t that have oot been demolished or remodeled beyond recognirion. The Henstell House is the first of the remaining MHA bouses to greet visitors to the community entering from Tigcrtail Rood. The dynamic sloping support postS and angled carport roof introduce a visitor to a unique community where modem architecture is controlled and respected.

HEN SELL HOUSE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Archives:

Crestwood Hills Association Archive located in Crestwood Hills, Brentwood area of Los Angeles, Calirornia

Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, Julius Shulman

A. Quincy )ones Archive, UCLA Special Collections in Los Angeles

Publications:

Arts and Architecture, "Mutual Housing Association", September 1948

Brentwood Post. "Couple Earns Honor", january 25, 1979

Buckner, Cory, Crestwood Hills, The Chronicle of a Modern Utopia, Santa Monica: Angel City Press, 2015

Buckner, Cory, "Crestwood Hills", LA Architect. january, February 2002

Bulletin of the Mutual Housing Association, Inc., Volume 2, No. 1, january 25, 1947

"Evolution of a 50s Dream", Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2000

Hollywood Citizen-News, Hollywood, Cal ifornia, December 28,1946

Hollywood Citizen-News, Hollywood, California.. June 1, 1950

)ones, A. Quincy and Frederick E. Emmons, Builders Homes for Berur Living, New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation. 1957

Kaplan, Sam Hall LA Lost& Found, New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1987

Looking for Los Angeles. Edited by Charles G. Sales and MichaelS. Roth, Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2001

Los Angeles Times Home Magazine, "Five Hundred Building Bees" May 8,1948

Mutual Housing Association, Inc., brochure published by Mutual Housing Association 1947

Pilot 1/ouse, brochure published by Mutua.! Housing Association, Inc. 1948 The Brentwood Bel-Air Piper, "Recreation Center Planned for Kenter Canyon, Aprill, 1955

"Residents Seek Historic Monument Designation for Homes", Los Angeles Times, October 9, 1996

"Residents Work to Save Modernist-Style Homes", Westsider, October 23, 1996

MUTUAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION. INCORPORATED

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Historic Resources Survey Report

Brentwood – Pacific Palisades Community Plan Area

Prepared for:

City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning Office of Historic Resources Prepared by:

November 2013

SurveyLA 58 Brentwood – Pacific Palisades Community Plan Area

Context: Architecture & Engineering, 1850-1980 Sub-Context: L.A. Modernism, 1919-1980 Theme: Post-War Modernism, 1946-1976 Sub-Theme: Mid-Century Modernism, 1945-1970 A substantial number of significant examples of Mid-Century Modern architecture were identified in this survey area and evaluated using this Context/Theme. Primarily single-family residences, examples are often located in hillside neighborhoods where they take advantage of sweeping canyon and city views. Many represented the work of noted architects, including Richard Neutra, Lloyd Wright, Buff & Hensman, Ain Johnson & Day, Raymond Kappe, Rex Lotery, Craig Ellwood, Rodney Walker, Palmer & Krisel, A. Quincy Jones, Harry Gesner, Thornton Abell, Wurster Bernardi & Emmons, Paul Laszlo, Douglas Honnold, Pierre Koenig, Richard Dorman, and Paul Sterling Hoag. An apartment house was identified for the mosaic mural on its façade by noted artist Evelyn Ackerman.

Address: 680 N. Brooktree Road Address: 1095 N. Kenter Avenue Date: 1966 Date: 1958 Architect: Raymond Kappe Architect: Craig Ellwood

Address: 834 N. Leonard Road Address: 1249 N. Tigertail Road Date: 1959 Date: 1966 Architect: Raul Garduno


Address: 1892 N. Kimberly Lane Address: 1036 N. Tigertail Road Date: 1960 Date: 1952 Architect: Hilyard M. Brown Architect: Craig Ellwood

Address: 11957 W. Kiowa Avenue Address: 15777 Bowdoin Street Date: 1956 Name: Palisades High School Muralist: Evelyn Ackerman Date: 1961

In addition to individual residences identified as excellent example of the Mid-Century Modern style, this Context/Theme was also used to identify sixteen residences designed for the Mutual Housing Association (MHA), designed by A. Quincy Jones and Whitney R. Smith. The MHA was a housing cooperative formed in 1946 in the upper Kenter Canyon area of Brentwood, known as Crestwood Hills. The design team of Jones, Smith and structural engineer Edgardo Contini developed a plan for a community of 500 houses, with limited grading to preserve views and maximize privacy. House designs feature concrete block foundations and chimneys, exposed redwood exterior siding, crushed green slate roofs, and broad expanses of plate glass. While never fully built out, the project is a signature achievement in postwar Modern architecture, and is the only successful large-scale cooperative housing development in postwar California.


Of the 160 houses that were built, approximately 60 of these were destroyed by the Brentwood fire of 1961, with many more lost over time by demolition and extensive alterations. Seventeen original MHA residences are designated Historic-Cultural Monuments. This survey identified an additional sixteen MHA properties as individually significant.19

Address: 941 N. Stonehill Lane Address: 12354 W. Rochedale Lane Date: 1950 Date: 1950

Address: 12408 W. Rochedale Lane Address: 12450 W. Rochedale Lane Date: 1951 Date: 1950

19 In the absence of a definitive list of all extant MHA houses, the survey identified intact examples

previously noted as having been built as part of the original MHA development. Sources included Gebhard & Winter’s “Los Angeles: An Architectural Guide,” as well as a list provided by area architect Cory Buckner. Many of these were subsequently confirmed as the work of Jones & Smith through permit research.

los angeles city planning departmentplanning.lacity.org/staffrpt/chc/08-06-15/9. henstell... ·...

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