Restoration of Historic Glendale House Takes Toll in Time, Money

The quaint redwood farmhouse with the wide porch shaded by a towering pine was the dream Anthony and Diane Fleitas had always imagined.

But it has been nearly seven years since they purchased the oldest wood-frame house in Glendale--the historic 127-year-old Taylor House--and they have yet to move in.

The couple hoped to restore and expand the house so they could one day sit on the porch to greet neighbors and watch their children and eventually grandchildren grow.

But the couple seriously underestimated the cost of restoring the house and expanding it from 1,256 square feet to nearly 2,800 square feet--not counting a garage, which they also added.

Fleitas budgeted the project at $150,000, but it will cost nearly $400,000. And the family is still living in a rental house four blocks away.

“We certainly have had an incredible journey,” said Anthony Fleitas, describing the delights of finding square nails and horsehair plaster within the walls--and the emotional upheaval of never-ending obstacles, including several deaths and illnesses within the family and changes among architects and contractors.

Fleitas also blames the cost overruns on work required by the city, such as replacing a fireplace and building shear walls and extra reinforcement to protect the structure in an earthquake.

But Fleitas also acknowledged code violations. He painted the house blue, when the plans approved by the city Design Review Board specified white. He demolished an old wall and built a new fence in its place without submitting plans. The new fence does not comply with the city’s setback rules and therefore requires a variance, Glendale officials said.

Old Home Falls Into Disrepair

City officials said they have repeatedly tried to counsel Fleitas but that he makes changes without following proper procedures. He demolished a sun room, for instance, without permission, said Gerald Wasser, city historic planner.

Fleitas counters that a wall of the room collapsed when he leaned against it. “I fell through the wall,” he said angrily. “It’s not like we went over there to sneak in and tear it down.”

Fleitas, a customer service manager for a plumbing supply store, said he had no qualms about doubling the size of the house, instead of trying to preserve the home as it was built in the 19th century.

“We have two kids and it only had two bedrooms and no bathroom,” he said. “The house was condemned.” He said the addition was designed to be historically compatible with the design of the original house and was approved by preservation commissioners and the City Council.

Neighbors such as Scott Hampton say the home was an eyesore for years and they are happy Fleitas is fixing it.

“It’s absolutely the most stunning thing,” Hampton said. “It’s breathtaking.”

Built in 1873, the farmhouse is nearly as old as the two earliest adobes built in the city.

Located on a double lot at 1027 Glenwood Road, it was moved about 1920 from a site six blocks east, at what is now Pacific Avenue. The house originally was part of a 26-acre ranch owned by Jesse and George Taylor, according to city records.

Dairyman James Conner gained possession of the house in 1908 and Conner family members eventually subdivided the land and built many of the homes in the surrounding neighborhood, where streets are shaded by umbrellas of giant magnolias.

But for decades the house fell into disrepair. Generations of kids grew up calling it “the haunted house.”

Fleitas, 36, and wife Diane, 34, both third-generation Glendale residents, were among those who played in the overgrowth and harassed the elderly occupant. “When I was going to Hoover High School, we used to run up there and ding-dong ditch him,” Fleitas said.

‘My Dreams Had Come True’

The couple had two children, now ages 11 and 7, when the house was put up for sale for land value alone in 1993. Fleitas said when he clawed through the vines to see the house, he immediately fell in love with the porch because it is a duplicate of one drawn on a friendship card given to him by his future wife. She had written on the card that “someday we will have a beautiful home, with a big front porch.”

“When I saw the porch on the house, I started crying,” Fleitas said in a 1993 interview. “My dreams had come true, a place for my family to grow up.”

Relatives helped the couple scrape together $135,000 in cash to purchase the property. Bank financing was not available because of the condition of the house, which also would require costly studies because of the historic status of the property.

Throughout construction, Fleitas has been aided by neighbors who pitch in and shout or honk encouragement. He has given tours to hundreds of curious visitors eager to see the work in progress.

Last Halloween, he won the city’s decorating prize by enhancing the house’s eerie reputation by renting machines to make fog, lightning and thunder. More than 1,000 came to see it.

“I’ve put my lifeblood into it, but we’ve done it right,” Fleitas said. “I would do it all over again; I wouldn’t change a thing.” Then he quickly added, “I won’t do it again though.”

Fleitas and Glendale city officials now agree that he has taken steps to satisfy their demands and that the house will be ready to move into this summer. Fleitas particularly credits Glendale Zoning Administrator Edith M. Fuentes for guiding him through the final stages and helping him comply with city regulations.

Fleitas talks with childlike glee about his next project--rebuilding the giant arbor on river rock pillars that will lead from the porch to the sidewalk and be covered with purple flowered wisteria.

“Can you just imagine that?” he shouted to a departing visitor, along with an open invitation to return.

“Come have some iced tea with us on our porch.”