Site of prized Craftsman in Wilton Place District was once a farm, chicken ranch
The “Emma Wood House” at 245 S. Wilton Pl. is among 11 locations that were recently designated Historic-Cultural Monuments by the city Cultural Heritage Commission and City Council.
Located in the Wilton Place National Register District, the single-family residence built in 1912 combines Craftsman and Classical style architecture. “Of particular note is the full-width pergola supported by Classical-style columns on the main facade,” according to the city Office of Historic Resources.
The house was designed on a 10,000 square foot lot by architect Thomas Franklin Power, credited with many ecclesiastical, institutional and parochial buildings in Southern California.
The two-story residence has a side-gabled roof and front entry topped by a gently arched overhang. The second story extends over a porte-cochere.
Windows are fixed pane with leaded glass transoms and double hung.
Significant interior features include a fireplace decorated with foliate frieze, wood moldings, built-in cabinetry and original hardwood floors.
Named after the first owner of record, by the 1916s new owners had moved in.
The home was in the residential subdivision of Ridgewood Park, developed by John L. Plummer, whose family had previously used the land as a vegetable garden and chicken ranch to provide food for their restaurant in downtown’s historic plaza.
Designed as an upper middle class suburb, Wilton’s large, well-designed homes attracted many upper middle class residents, often mentioned in the society pages of the “Los Angeles Times” during the 1910s and 1920s.
The Craftsman style grew out of the English Arts and Crafts Movement.
The Emma Wood House is listed as HCM #1032.
Other buildings to make the honor were the Union Bank and Trust, 760 S. Hill St., and the Stowell Hotel, 416 S. Spring St.
Category: Real Estate