Curb appeal -- in abundance
They didn’t call it the Roaring ‘20s for nothing. Pasadena was a lively place in 1925. The city paraded its New Year’s finery with 200 floats leading the way. In the Rose Bowl game, legendary football coach Knute Rockne led Notre Dame to victory over Stanford. And the Pasadena Playhouse held its first production in its present building.
That same year, Canadian George Bovett, a well digger and water department worker, and his wife, Agnes, had a home built on Whitefield Road. The charming house was a blend of bungalow, Colonial Revival and Arts and Crafts styles.
But time and a succession of owners left some of the original highlights tarnished.
In stepped Catherine Bauknight, a native of South Carolina who was attracted by the white columns and porch that give the house its Colonial Revival touch. The house also reminded her of homes in the South.
A photojournalist and art history buff, she spent seven months of late nights, early mornings and long weekends restoring the house to its original luster. Restoration began last year and was finished in January.
“To me, it’s like telling a story,” she said. “You have the questions, and you find the answers there within the walls of the historical buildings.”
A few cracked siding shingles clued her to the original fir clapboards beneath. She asked a paint store to match the original exterior color, which she described as a kind of khaki sage.
Because the double-hung Craftsman windows were damaged, artisans worked on-site to mill the wood and complete the restoration.
Asking price: $995,000
Size: Three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 1,500 square feet, plus a cellar and a double garage.
Features: The home has built-in cabinets in the living room and kitchen, Douglas fir floors, ceiling moldings, a fireplace and handmade tiles in both bathrooms.
Where: It is in the proposed historic North Pasadena Heights district, a designation the Pasadena City Council is scheduled to consider in March.
Contact: Dustin Anderson, Keller Williams, Pasadena, (626) 204-3364. To see a virtual tour of the home, visit www.dustinandersongroup.com.
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To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send color interior and exterior photos on a CD with caption information and a description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012, or e-mail homeoftheweeklatimes.com.