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September 8, 2015 Hon. Jose Huizar, Chair Honorable Members of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee Attn: Sharon Dickinson, Legislative Assistant CITY OF LOS ANGELES 200 N. Spring Street, Rm. 395 Los Angeles, CA 90012

RE: ITEM NO. 15-0914, HISTORIC-CULTURAL MONUMENT DESIGNATION

OF 1905 GRACE AVENUE; HEARING DATE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

Dear Chair Huizar and Honorable Members of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee:

PCR Services Corporation (PCR) was retained on June 8, 2015 by Dana Haynes and Michael Mossman, to conduct a preliminary assessment of the N. F. Stokes Residence, located at 1905 Grace Avenue (“subject residence”) in the Hollywood community of Los Angeles. PCR conducted a pedestrian survey of the property, reviewed SurveyLA records, and the California Office of Historic Preservation’s Historic Resources Inventory, and conducted a review of the construction history of the subject residence. PCR presented its findings at the Cultural Heritage Commission (“CHC”) meeting on July 16, 2015, recommending that the residence not be designated a Historic-Cultural Monument (“HCM”). However, the CHC voted in favor of designation. On August 28, 2015, PCR was again retained by Mr. Mossman to present its findings for your consideration, a brief summary of which is provided below.

PCR respectfully disagrees with the HCM Application filed by Hollywood Heritage recommending the N. F. Stokes residence eligible for designation, as well as the CHC’s decision to designate the property. Hollywood Heritage found the subject property eligible at the local level as a good example of the “American Colonial Revival” style (a misidentification) and a notable work of contractor Naldo F. Stokes.

A property must have both integrity and significance to meet the requirements for designation as an HCM. As a result of our site survey, PCR found that the subject residence, constructed by contractor Naldo F. Stokes in 1917, retains integrity as an example of the Neoclassical Revival style (not American Colonial Revival as misidentified in the HCM Application), representing an early phase of the style from 1900 to 1920. The residence has been previously identified by SurveyLA as eligible for local designation and listing on the National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historic Resources. However, PCR believes that the residence does not appear to rise to the threshold of significance for two main reasons.

Hon. Jose Huizar, Chair CITY OF LOS ANGELES September 8, 2015 - Page 2

First, and most importantly, the N. F. Stokes residence is not an outstanding example of the

Neoclassical Revival style. There are numerous other residences in the Los Angeles area that

appear to meet eligibility standards as significant representations of that style. PCR believes

that better examples of the Neoclassical Revival style include the residences at 930 South

Albany Street (1895), 1726 South New England Street (1902), and 1438 S. Magnolia Avenue

(1912). Photographs of these properties are provided below for your review (Exhibit A). The

façade compositions of these examples are well-balanced and convey an overall sense of

harmony, a characteristic that is of central importance to the Neoclassical Revival style.

Meanwhile, the façade of the N.F. Stokes Residence is awkwardly proportioned, especially due

to the over-dominating scale of the portico. Additionally, the ornamentation, which is limited

to the front façade (fronting Grace Avenue), is plain and not of outstanding quality in terms of

design and workmanship. This is apparent when the subject residence is compared to other

Neoclassical Revival examples in the area, such as the residence located at 820 Fedora Street

built one year earlier (1916) by contractor R. O. Young (Exhibit A). Unlike this

contemporaneous example, the subject residence does not have ornate Neoclassical detailing,

such as corner pilasters and paired columns with intricate Corinthian capitals and a balcony

balustrade. Other details, such as the subject property’s semicircular pediments surmounting

two ground floor windows flanking the front entrance, appear to be of stock grade.

Accordingly, PCR believes that the N. F. Stokes Residence is not eligible for designation as a

good example of the Neoclassical Revival style.

Furthermore, the Neoclassical Revival style is a nationally represented style which has

been substantially documented throughout the United States and is widely known. The

threshold of architectural significance for the style in Los Angeles must be examined on a

broader basis to understand the style’s fundamental qualities required for eligibility. Three

recognized examples, photographs of which are provided in Exhibit A, include the Goodwin

House in Raleigh, North Carolina designed by William P. Rose (architect) in 1903; the

Governor’s Mansion, in Montgomery, Alabama designed by Watherly Carter (architect) in

1907; and a Neoclassical Revival residence constructed c. 1910 by an unknown architect in

Taylor, Texas. In contrast to the subject residence, these examples communicate a thorough

knowledge and understanding of the Classical Orders and antique precedents, especially in

terms of scale and proportion. As such, they embody the essential qualities of the Neoclassical

Revival style and further illustrate how the N. F. Stokes Residence is not eligible for

designation as a good example of that style.

Hon. Jose Huizar, Chair CITY OF LOS ANGELES September 8, 2015 - Page 3

Second, having built only a few residences in the Los Angeles area, N. F. Stokes is not a

master builder, nor has he had a significant impact on the City’s early development. Moreover,

the contractor’s work does not appear to demonstrate the same level of innovation and

craftsmanship of other builders or trained architects active in the area in the early twentieth-

century. Furthermore, the 1905 Grace Avenue residence is not unique; it appears to be a copy

of an earlier residence. In 1916, the contractor erected a residence that is still in existence at

339 South Oxford Avenue, south of the subject property (Exhibit B); it is a virtual facsimile of

the N. F. Stokes Residence, built one year later.

Additionally, the HCM Application filed by Hollywood Heritage makes a misleading claim

that “In the various news articles promoting his business…Stokes lists his address at 1905

Grace, indicating that the home was also used as an example of his quality of work.” PCR

reviewed period publications, including Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, finding that

builders and architects routinely listed their home or office addresses before providing the

addresses of project sites (Exhibit C). PCR was not able to find any evidence to substantiate

the claim made in the Application that Naldo F. Stokes listed 1905 Grace Avenue as his address

for promotional purposes. In Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, Stokes lists 1905 Grace

Avenue as his residence in July 1916. Only four years later (1920), however, he lists the

address of a nearby residence (6561 Franklin Avenue) that he constructed for his wife Minnie

in 1919. Based on the Los Angeles City directories and U.S. Census data, it appears that Stokes

lived at both of these residences during the early twentieth-century. The 1918 City directory

lists Stokes’ home address as 6561 Franklin Avenue. The 1920 Census also indicates this as

Stokes’ home address. However, the 1923 City directory shows Stokes as living back at 1905

Grace Avenue. Considering this data, PCR believes that Stokes was not listing 1905 Grace

Avenue to promote that building as a showpiece of his work in period publications, but rather

as his residence at various times during his career.

Hon. Jose Huizar, Chair CITY OF LOS ANGELES September 8, 2015 - Page 4

Conclusion

According to federal, state and local eligibility criteria for historical resources, a property must embody the distinctive characteristics of a style in order to be eligible for designation. The subject property retains integrity as an example of the Neoclassical Revival style. However, a property must have both integrity and significance to be eligible for designation. In this particular case, 1905 Grace Avenue does not possess sufficient architectural merit to meet the threshold of significance as a representative example of its style. The residence is not unique, and appears to be a copy of another similar residence built a year earlier by the same contractor. Moreover, it is the work of a local contractor, not a master builder, N. F. Stokes, how only constructed only a few residences in the Los Angeles area . As such, the contractor was not a prolific, influential, or important builder in Los Angeles, nor did he help to shape the architectural character of the City. The residence is a contractor designed and built example of the Neoclassical style which Stokes appears to have copied or devised from other buildings he knew and/or admired. The residence is not a distinctive or outstanding example, nor is it worthy of designation as a representative of the Neoclassical Revival style. Therefore, PCR concludes that 1905 Grace Avenue is not eligible for designation as a good example of the Neoclassical Revival style.

Sincerely,

PCR SERVICES CORPORATION Margarita Jerabek, Ph.D. Director of Historic Resources Exhibits A – Better examples of the Neoclassical Revival style B – 339 South Oxford Avenue, N. F. Stokes (contractor), 1916 C – Excepts from Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer and Los Angeles City directories

A – BETTER EXAMPLES OF THE NEOCLASSICAL REVIVAL STYLE

930 S. Albany St., Los Angeles, 1895 (Historic PlacesLA).

1726 S. New England St., Los Angeles, 1902 (Historic PlacesLA).

1438 S. Magnolia Ave., Los Angeles, 1912 (Historic PlacesLA).

820 Fedora St, R. O. Young (contractor), Los Angeles, 1916 (Google Maps).

B – 339 SOUTH OXFORD AVENUE, N. F. STOKES (CONTRACTOR), 1916

339 South Oxford Avenue and built by N. F. Stokes in 1916 (left) is a virtual facsimile of 1905 Grace Avenue (right), constructed by Stokes one year later in 1917 (Google Maps, left, and

PCR 2015, right).

Goodwin House, Raleigh, North Carolina, William P. Rose (architect), 1903 (Google Maps).

Governor’s Mansion, Montgomery, Alabama, Watherly Carter (architect), Alabama, 1907

(Library of Congress).

Neoclassical Revival residence, Taylor, Texas, architect unknown, c. 1910 (Google Maps).

C – EXCERPTS FROM SOUTHWEST CONTRACTOR AND MANUFACTURER AND LOS ANGELES

CITY DIRECTORIES

Excerpt from Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, vol. 17, July 1916, indicating Naldo F. Stokes’ address as 1905 Grace Avenue (highlighted). It appears that architects and builders

routinely listed home or office addresses, followed by the location of project sites, as evidenced by the subsequent listing (highlighted).

Excerpt from Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, vol. 56-57, January 1920, indicating Naldo F. Stokes’ address as 6561 Franklin Avenue (highlighted).

Excerpt from Los Angeles City Directory, 1918, indicating Naldo F. Stokes’ home address as 6561 Franklin Avenue (highlighted).

Excerpt from Los Angeles City Directory, 1923, indicating Naldo F. Stokes’ address as 1905 Grace Avenue (highlighted).