3537 Griffin Avenue
c. 1886
3537 Griffin Avenue, Lincoln Heights – map
Declared: 5/21/75
Designated an official city landmark thirty-three years ago this week, 3537 Griffin Avenue doesn’t have much of a notable history, or, rather, much of a notable history researchable without me leaving my couch.
Most resources say this home was built around 1886, although ZIMAS says 1910. That latter date is crazy, especially if it’s the work of architect Joseph Cather Newsom (1858 - 1930) to whom some attribute it. Cather designed HCM No. 258, the Fitzgerald Residence (1903), and No. 565, the Greenshaw Residence (1906), in the styles of “Italian Gothic” and Mission Revival respectively, so his reversion to this earlier Queen Anne style at the very end of the Victorian age is unlikely. Not to mention the late 19th-century development time frame of the development of Lincoln Heights. Am I right, America?
Gebhard and Winter tell us 3537 is a “two-story Queen Anne dwelling” with a “double-gabled dormer on the third floor.” Note not only the dormer but also the continuity gaffe in G&W’s entry.
One final thing. While I choose not to believe ZIMAS’s given year of construction, I'll go along with the site's saying this old house is made up of more than 2,300 square feet. Roomy!
(Oh. Whose idea was it to have a sky-colored roof?)
Source:
Gleye, Paul The Architecture of Los Angeles Rosebud Books 1981 Los Angeles
Up next: Municipal Ferry Building
2 comments:
They apparently want to have a sky-colored chimney, too.
Floyd, I’d love to see this when restored. Structurally, it appears in good shape, but the exterior is ready for restoration. The tarp around the chimney suggests water seepage when it rains. My guess would be that the chimney was damaged in one of our more recent earthquakes. From the look of the façade, it appears some siding covers the exterior. My guess is there are some wonderful shingles and gingerbread under this siding. Looks like the roof is getting rather worn too. Yes, with the siding removed and the wood repainted and a new roof and restored chimney, what a showplace this would be. I wonder where one could find an earlier photo to see just what is underneath that siding. Some ornamentation may have also been removed. Regarding the year built, I’d agree with your assessment of the earlier circa 1886.
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