Canfield-Wright House
Encyclopedia
The Canfield-Wright House, known alternatively as Wrightland and The Pink Lady, is a historic structure in Del Mar, California
. The private home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) on May 14, 2004.
The house was built in 1910 for Charles A. Canfield. Canfield, alongside business partner Edward L. Doheny
, became an oil
tycoon after drilling the first successful oil well in Los Angeles
in 1892. The two would go on to also drill the first oil well in Mexico
, using the resulting asphalt
to pave Mexican roads and standing as a precursor to Pemex
. The partners' work became part of the basis of Upton Sinclair
's Oil!
and related film There Will Be Blood
. Canfield convinced the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
to switch from coal
to oil-burning locomotives. He ultimately invested his wealth in real estate. Forming the South Coast Land Company with Henry E. Huntington
and other partners, he helped establish both Beverly Hills, California
and Del Mar.
Intending the house as a second home, Canfield chose architect John C. Austin
, who would also design the Southern Land Company's Hotel Del Mar and go on to design major Southern California landmarks such as Los Angeles City Hall
and the Griffith Observatory
. The house was designed in the Mission
and Spanish Revival styles with influences of an Italian villa and sited with a view of the Pacific Ocean
.
Canfield sold the house after only a few years, and it was purchased by the Wright family. The structure was only minimally altered: small additions were made to the main residence and outbuildings, and a large retaining wall was added to the property. By the end of the twentieth century, the structure was being rented and had been painted a bright pink. In 2002, a developer requested permission to treat the property as a teardown to replace it with a contemporary structure. The proposal galvanized local residents to try to preserve the structure; their actions included filing a nomination for the building to be placed on the NRHP.
Helped by groups such as the Save Our Heritage Organisation
, citizens pressured the City of Del Mar, which previously had no preservation ordinances or incentives for preservation, in city council and design review board meetings, delaying the permit. Within six months of the house's being threatened with demolition, a new owner stepped forward to purchase the property and restore it. The new owner, a developer who lived nearby, presented development plans that were judged to be in compliance with historic-preservation guidelines. The home was restored over a four year period from 2004-08. It remains a private residence.
Del Mar, California
Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...
. The private home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) on May 14, 2004.
The house was built in 1910 for Charles A. Canfield. Canfield, alongside business partner Edward L. Doheny
Edward L. Doheny
Edward Laurence Doheny was an American oil tycoon, who in 1892, along with business partner Charles A. Canfield, drilled the first successful oil well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field, setting off the petroleum boom in Southern California.At first he was an unsuccessful prospector in the state of...
, became an oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
tycoon after drilling the first successful oil well in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1892. The two would go on to also drill the first oil well in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, using the resulting asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
to pave Mexican roads and standing as a precursor to Pemex
Pemex
Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. As of 2010, with a total asset worth of $415.75 billion, it is the second non-publicly listed largest company in the world by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009...
. The partners' work became part of the basis of Upton Sinclair
Upton Sinclair
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
's Oil!
Oil!
Oil! is a novel by Upton Sinclair published in 1927 told as a third person narrative. The book was written in the context of the Harding administration's Teapot Dome Scandal and takes place in Southern California. It is a social and political satire skewering the human foibles of all its...
and related film There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood is a 2007 drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is based on Upton Sinclair's 1927 novel Oil!. It tells the story of a silver miner-turned-oilman on a ruthless quest for wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the late 19th and...
. Canfield convinced the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
to switch from coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
to oil-burning locomotives. He ultimately invested his wealth in real estate. Forming the South Coast Land Company with Henry E. Huntington
Henry E. Huntington
Henry Edwards Huntington was a railroad magnate and collector of art and rare books. Born in Oneonta, New York, Huntington settled in Los Angeles, where he owned the Pacific Electric Railway as well as substantial real estate interests...
and other partners, he helped establish both Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
and Del Mar.
Intending the house as a second home, Canfield chose architect John C. Austin
John C. Austin
John Corneby Wilson Austin was an architect and civic leader who participated in the design of several landmark buildings in Southern California, including the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles City Hall, and the Shrine Auditorium.- Life :Born in Bodicote, Oxfordshire, England, Austin was an...
, who would also design the Southern Land Company's Hotel Del Mar and go on to design major Southern California landmarks such as Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
and the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...
. The house was designed in the Mission
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
and Spanish Revival styles with influences of an Italian villa and sited with a view of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Canfield sold the house after only a few years, and it was purchased by the Wright family. The structure was only minimally altered: small additions were made to the main residence and outbuildings, and a large retaining wall was added to the property. By the end of the twentieth century, the structure was being rented and had been painted a bright pink. In 2002, a developer requested permission to treat the property as a teardown to replace it with a contemporary structure. The proposal galvanized local residents to try to preserve the structure; their actions included filing a nomination for the building to be placed on the NRHP.
Helped by groups such as the Save Our Heritage Organisation
Save Our Heritage Organisation
Founded in 1969, Save Our Heritage Organisation is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of the historic architecture and landmarks around the San Diego, California area. Currently Save Our Heritage Organisation maintains several historic buildings including the Whaley House and...
, citizens pressured the City of Del Mar, which previously had no preservation ordinances or incentives for preservation, in city council and design review board meetings, delaying the permit. Within six months of the house's being threatened with demolition, a new owner stepped forward to purchase the property and restore it. The new owner, a developer who lived nearby, presented development plans that were judged to be in compliance with historic-preservation guidelines. The home was restored over a four year period from 2004-08. It remains a private residence.