No. 87 - Raphael House

Raphael House
1903 – Sumner P. Hunt and Wesley Eager
1353 Alvarado Terrace – map
Declared: 7/7/71

Los Angeles Cultural-Historic Monument No. 87 is a Tudor Revival house built by Sumner P. Hunt and Wesley Eager around 1902 or 1903. The duo also designed three more HCMs, the Kinney-Everhardy House next door (No. 88) as well as homes for Arthur Bent (1904) and Thomas W. Phillips (1905), numbers 482 and 551.

The home was built for Robert H. Raphael, who paid $3,500 for the plot to put up “a home that will cost about $16,000”, according to a Los Angeles Times article from the spring of 1902.

Raphael, who made his money in the glass business, requested skillful beveled glasswork be incorporated flanking the main entrance. Of course, I didn't get a good shot of the notable windows.

Now, talk about hard times. R.H. Raphael, at the age of 68, was arrested for bouncing a $50 check at a Hollywood gas station, not far from his home at 7470 Franklin Avenue. This was in the summer of 1932. In reporting the case, the L.A. Times added the coda that Raphael “once was rated as a millionaire.”

An R.H. Raphael Sr. was living on Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills at the end of 1941. I choose to believe this was the same man who built this house. Further confirmatory research for would be too tedious.

In 1984, the Raphael House was a five-bedroom bed and breakfast known as Terrace Manor. The five bedrooms were “decorated in period prints and colors” and featured “tiger oak and Philippine mahogany paneling”.

Sources:

“Doings of Builders and Architects.” Los Angeles Times; Apr 6, 1902, p. A1

“Ex-Business Man Faces Check Case” Los Angeles Times; Aug 24, 1932, p. A8

Up next: Kinney-Everhardy House