Designs on a Showplace
Blithe spirits may or may not have been at play, but partisans of the theory that elderly mansions are entitled to a resident ghost or two took heart Friday when an electrical connection failed and drew a lid of darkness across the grounds of Point Loma’s Sefton-Clark residence.
The Italian Renaissance house and its lawns and gardens are the site of “Past to Present in Point Loma,” the 1989 version of the annual Designers Showcase sponsored by the San Diego Historical Society and the local chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. Nearly 400 supporters of the two groups turned out Friday for the gala preview of the newly redecorated 1914 mansion, which will be open to the public Sunday through May 31.
The loss of light was temporary and only mildly inconvenient--lamb and goat cheese pizza can be easily sniffed out in the dark--and the house itself was unaffected by the blackout.
Each year since 1974, the historical and designer societies have chosen a noteworthy or unusual residence for the “Past to Present” fund-raiser, which benefits the two groups’ preservation and educational programs.
The choice of the Sefton-Clark residence, built by Harriet Sefton Campbell and occupied from 1936 to 1959 by her daughter Lena Wakefield Clark (who was known as “San Diego’s first and only debutante” and led local society for decades), allowed designers to work on a structure that not only housed some of the city’s most prominent residents, but one that had never undergone a major remodeling.
Papered, Plastered, Painted
Thus, many original fixtures and design elements could be incorporated into the new decor coordinated by the 32 designers, who papered, plastered and painted nearly every square inch of the structure, from the grand portico to the hidden servants’ stairs.
“It’s a wonderful house, and it hasn’t been destroyed by remodeling,” said general chairwoman Carolyn Waggoner. “Some of the houses we’ve worked with have been so difficult, but this one was still in its original style. And the designers have cooperated and coordinated in a way no one expected--the rooms blend into one another.”
Waggoner said about 20,000 visitors are expected to view the residence, with proceeds exceeding $100,000.
A tour of the house, which occupies a Point Loma crest and looks south to downtown, San Diego Bay and Coronado, permits a look at the gracious manner in which a well-to-do family of the past was able to conduct its daily life. Among features left untouched is the original carved lintel in the foyer, which cautions visitors in a manner that was popular at the turn of the century: “Ye who enter here leave strife behind, Peace dwells within this portal.”
Another vintage fixture is the “wrap-around” shower in an upstairs bathroom, which envelopes a bather with jets directed from the dozen bars of the semi-circular metal cage. The shower may have been put to frequent use during World War II by the National Guard troops who lived nearby in tents while digging trenches. Lena Clark, noting that the men were filthy by the end of the day, instituted a shower program in which the three bathrooms in her house were turned over daily to the soldiers. Apparently this unusual hospitality became so fashionable that, according to a magazine account of the period, “showers for soldiers rivaled Bundles for Britain” as a cause in San Diego society.
Although some of the old remains, much has been added for the showcase that earlier occupants would have found whimsical, extravagant and even odd. A children’s bathroom has been given a balloon motif that includes a section of a hot air balloon draped across the ceiling, and the paint of the dining room ceiling appears to have been peeled back to admit a patch of blue sky and an inquisitive cherub.
Extravagance was in most cases the watchword of the designers, who will remove all non-fixed items when the showcase closes. The house is unoccupied and for sale for a mere $1,750,000.
The 1989 Designers Showcase, at 3850 Narragansett Ave., will be open Sunday through May 31. Admission is $10 per person, and amenities include a cafe and a shop stocked with handmade items from Southern California artisans. For further information, call the San Diego Historical Society.
