A ful recovery for doctor’s house
This Colonial Revival house was built in 1922 for Grace Cahoon, an L.A. physician whose doctor’s shingle remained in the basement through three homeowners. The doctor’s office was never in the house.
But some things are worth preserving, says Bret Parsons, who owns the sign and the house. Parsons, a Century City mortgage broker, completely renovated the home, which had been neglected for years.
Now the house looks like it belongs in its Windsor Village neighborhood, an upscale area developed simultaneously in 1920 with the better-known Windsor Square nearby. Both feature custom-designed homes set back from palm-tree-lined streets. The difference is that Windsor Village has smaller homes and lots.
Parsons’ traditional house, with its formal look and symmetrical details, is on a street once informally called Professors’ Row because of the many USC professors who lived there. Geddes MacGregor, a former dean of the graduate School of Religion and author of 20 books, lived two doors away.
The enclave is filled with Tudors, Georgians and Spanish haciendas. Some face Harold A. Henry Park, which was the site of three mansions until they were razed in the ‘60s. A 130-unit condominium project was planned for the site, but a homeowner intervened, and the entire block was designated a city park.
About this house: Parsons installed air conditioning, three period-style bathrooms with modern updates and a black antique-pine kitchen with Carrara marble counters. “Black cabinets are very Colonial and fit the house,” Parsons said.
He removed a badminton court and landscaped the park-like grounds, featuring a central fountain and a large back lawn, flanked by formal brickwork.
Asking price: $1,495,000, and that includes the doctor’s sign.
Size: There are three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 2,011 square feet, plus a guesthouse.
Features: The house has refinished hardwood and marble floors and an original tile fireplace in the living room. Among other features are a den, eat-in kitchen and basement. Modern amenities include an energy-saving water heater, a security system and a built-in stereo system.
Where: Windsor Village, adjacent to Windsor Square and Hancock Park.
Listing agent: Mary Louise Burrell, Prudential California Realty, John Aaroe Division, Hancock Park, (323) 769-3344.
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos with caption information on a CD and a description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
