VERDUGO VIEWS:Ethel Street house has ties to history
In the midst of a row of Spanish-style houses on Ethel Street sits a wood-frame dwelling that is much different then the rest.
When the house was built in 1926, there were no neighbors on either side, according to Joanna Hovland and her husband, Erik, who purchased the home three years ago.
Hovland fell in love with the house, which an architect friend described as “folk-style gable with Craftsman details,” the first time she saw it.
“We want to preserve the house as much as possible,” said Hovland, referring to the original wood-frame windows and other intact features.
After they moved in, Hovland set out to discover her house’s history. She began with a tip from her husband’s parents, Berni and Larry Hovland, who live near Stan Phillips, a longtime Glendale resident.
“Dr. Phillips told them it was the caretaker’s cottage for the Markham estate on Mountain Street.”
William F. Markham made his fortune with the 1886 invention of the air rifle and manufactured thousands of them in his Plymouth, Mich., plant. In 1911, he disposed of his holdings and came to California, building a house at Hollywood and Vine, then far out in the country and just a short walk from the home of artist Paul de Longpre.
When Hollywood’s rapid growth engulfed his property, he looked further out; to the foothills of Glendale. He purchased a 7-acre estate in 1926 and set out to build an Italian-style, 20-room estate near the already-established Nibley Park. Later, the tree-covered property was elaborately landscaped with flowers and shrubs, and he also created an large aviary for birds.
During her research, Hovland found a building permit taken out in 1926 by W. F. Markham for a house on Ethel Street. The first owners/occupants were Henry Jenkins and his wife, Margaret. Jenkins gave his occupation as gardener, correlating with Phillips’ tip that the house was built for a Markham employee.
Hovland also visited the Special Collections Room, where George Ellison helped her find an old photo, taken from the hills across the wash, showing the three-gabled, craftsman-style dwelling with no other houses around it.
The house is just down La Zanja Drive from the Markham estate.
The Jenkins lived on Ethel Street for many years while Rossmoyne grew up around them.
“It is the only house in the original Rossmoyne area that is Craftsman-style,” Hovland said.
Jenkins cultivated camellias, which still line the property. A longtime neighbor told Hovland that he remembered Jenkins and that Jenkins came up with a new type of camellia, the Adolf Audusson Varigated.
The Hovlands contacted Nuccio’s Nursery in Altadena and spoke to Tom Nuccio, who looked up the variety in the Camellia Register and confirmed that it was developed by Jenkins. The Hovlands also learned that Jenkins was very active in the Pacific Camellia Society.
Margaret Jenkins lived in the Ethel Street house until 1966, when it was purchased by Charlotte and Robert Pearsons, who lived there until the 1990s.
Since then, other owners have come and gone.
“Two of the previous owners have come by since we purchased it,” said Hovland, who added that her pursuit of the house’s history is “fascinating and like a full-time job.”
READERS WRITE
A German television network is seeking information about Johann Bruecker, inventor of the first electric shaver.
He took out the patent in 1915 and the first “Sunbeam-Shavemaster” came out in 1937.
Bruecker lived in Glendale between 1950 and 1961, according to the network’s e-mail, and was head of the Committee for Glendale Memorial Center. He received a “Citation for Service” from the historical society.
If you have information about the invention or about Bruecker himself, contact me at Verdugo Views, c/o News-Press, 111 W. Wilson Ave., Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91203. Please include your name, address and phone number.