Heritage Square Museum
Encyclopedia
Heritage Square Museum is a living history museum located in the Montecito Heights
neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
, that tells the story of the development of Southern California
through architecture. Eight historic structures, a train car, and a trolly car were all saved from demolition and moved to the site between 1969 to 2005. The museum focuses its efforts on interpreting the years 1850 to 1950, a period of unprecedented growth in Los Angeles. Volunteer interpreters give thorough tours that incorporate the history, architecture, and culture of the region. Other specialized living history events, lectures, and items of historical interest are given on a periodic basis.
Built circa 1875, the Palms Depot
was built for Los Angeles and Independence Railroad
and was absorbed into the Pacific Electric Railway
in 1911. It continued to provide service until 1953. The Palms Depot was declared a historical monument in 1963 and transported to the museum to avoid demolition.
Longfellow-Hastings Octagon House
One of only about 500 octagonal buildings remaining in the United States, this building has a story all its own. Based on a philosophy of eight-sided homes being preferable to the standard four-sided variety, the builders of Octagonal structures believe that having windows on all sides offered more light and better air circulation which, in turn, lowers heating and cooling expenses and were easier and cheaper to construct. Fowler's architectural ideas were popular in the East, where most octagonal structures and homes were built. After the Civil War, however, few people were interested in the Octagonal style. The house was built in 1893 by Gilbert Longfellow and originally located at 3800 Homer Street. It was declared as Historic-Cultural Monument No. 413.
Mt. Pleasant House
The Mount Pleasant House
was built in 1876 by prominent businessman and lumber baron William Hayes Perry
. Designed by renowned architect E. F. Kysor, the home contains elements meant to display the wealth and status of the family. These elements include corinthian
columns, fine hardwood floors, a sweeping staircase, and marble fireplace mantles. When built in then-fashionable neighborhood of Boyle Heights
, the Perry Residence was arguably the finest and most expensive residence yet seen in Los Angeles. The outward sweep of the entrance stairway, the brackets under the eaves, the slanted bay windows and the narrow columns are characteristic of its Greek Revival and Italianate style.
In 1975, the house was moved to the museum from 1315 Mount Pleasant Street and restoration was begun by the Colonial Dames Society of America.
The John J. Ford House
The Ford House was built in 1887 as part of a large tract of simple middle-class homes in downtown Los Angeles built by the Beaudry Brothers. The home is particularly interesting because of its inhabitant - John J. Ford, a well-known wood carver. Ford's works include carvings for the California State Capitol
, the Iolani Palace in Hawaii, and Leland Stanford
's private railroad car. Because of his occupation, the exterior and interior carvings were all done by hand in ornate, one-of-a-kind patterns.
The Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church
The Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church dates to 1897. Designed in the Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne styles, the floor plan follows the Methodist tradition of non-axial plans. This plan, with the entrance in one corner and the pulpit in the opposite, is known as the Akron style, having originated in Akron, Ohio.
The Carriage Barn
The barn was built in 1899 on the grounds of what is now Pasadena's Huntington Memorial Hospital
for Dr. Osborne, a member of the hospital's staff. Its architectural style is Queen Anne Cottage with Gothic Revival influences. It has three gables and a distinctive pitched roof.
The barn was saved from demolition and moved to the Heritage Square Museum in 1981.
The Valley Knudsen Garden Residence (Shaw House)
A unique style for the West Coast, the Shaw House is a Second Empire home with a French Mansard styled roof. It is more humble than the Hale and Perry Houses.
Hale House
The Hale House
(Historic-Cultural Monument No. 40) was built in 1887 by George W. Morgan, a land speculator and real estate developer, at the foot of Mount Washington
just a few blocks from the museum in Highland Park in Los Angeles.
The house was sold many times and was moved from 4501 to 4425 North Pasadena Avenue (now Figueroa Street) before being purchased by James G. Hale in 1906. It remained in the Hale Family until it was acquired by the museum in 1970. The building is an outstanding example of Queen Anne
and Eastlake styles. The exterior colors of Hale House were reproduced from chips of the original colors found on the house during restoration. The interior has been restored to represent the rooms as they may have appeared in 1899.
The William H. Perry Residence
The largest house in the museum is the Perry Residence, which was built in 1876 for prominent businessman and lumber baron William H. Perry. Architect E.F. Kysor designed it to include hard wood floors, a sweeping staircase and marble fireplace mentles. This Greek Revival and Italianate Style structure was originally located in the fashionable Boyle Heights district of Los Angeles and it was moved to the museum in 1975.
Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, California
Montecito Heights is a small district in Northeast Los Angeles formerly known as an original East Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, California. The 2000 population is estimated at 16,768.-Geography and transportation:...
neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, that tells the story of the development of Southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
through architecture. Eight historic structures, a train car, and a trolly car were all saved from demolition and moved to the site between 1969 to 2005. The museum focuses its efforts on interpreting the years 1850 to 1950, a period of unprecedented growth in Los Angeles. Volunteer interpreters give thorough tours that incorporate the history, architecture, and culture of the region. Other specialized living history events, lectures, and items of historical interest are given on a periodic basis.
Background
During the rapid urban expansion of the 1960s, Victorian buildings in Los Angeles were being demolished at an alarming rate. In 1969, at the request of the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission, a group of concerned citizens established the Cultural Heritage Foundation to counteract this destruction. The Foundation organized Heritage Square as a last-chance haven for architecturally and historically significant buildings, which otherwise would have been destroyed.Structures at the museum
The Palms DepotBuilt circa 1875, the Palms Depot
National/Palms (Los Angeles Metro station)
National/Palms Station is a future elevated light rail station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It will be located at the intersection of National Boulevard and Palms Boulevard, in the Palms District of Los Angeles. When it opens, this station will be served by the Expo Line. This...
was built for Los Angeles and Independence Railroad
Los Angeles and Independence Railroad
The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad , opened October 17, 1875, was a steam powered rail line which travelled from a wharf North of the current Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica along a private right-of-way to 5th and San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles...
and was absorbed into the Pacific Electric Railway
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
in 1911. It continued to provide service until 1953. The Palms Depot was declared a historical monument in 1963 and transported to the museum to avoid demolition.
Longfellow-Hastings Octagon House
One of only about 500 octagonal buildings remaining in the United States, this building has a story all its own. Based on a philosophy of eight-sided homes being preferable to the standard four-sided variety, the builders of Octagonal structures believe that having windows on all sides offered more light and better air circulation which, in turn, lowers heating and cooling expenses and were easier and cheaper to construct. Fowler's architectural ideas were popular in the East, where most octagonal structures and homes were built. After the Civil War, however, few people were interested in the Octagonal style. The house was built in 1893 by Gilbert Longfellow and originally located at 3800 Homer Street. It was declared as Historic-Cultural Monument No. 413.
Mt. Pleasant House
The Mount Pleasant House
Mount Pleasant House
The Mount Pleasant House is a house built in 1876 by William Hayes Perry in Boyle Heights and later relocated to the Heritage Square Museum in the Montecito Heights section of Los Angeles, California....
was built in 1876 by prominent businessman and lumber baron William Hayes Perry
William Hayes Perry
-Personal life:William Hayes Perry was born October 17, 1832, near Newark, Ohio, where hespent his boyhood. He completed an apprenticeship in cabinet making andturning.Perry married Elizabeth M. Dalton in 1858. They had three children...
. Designed by renowned architect E. F. Kysor, the home contains elements meant to display the wealth and status of the family. These elements include corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
columns, fine hardwood floors, a sweeping staircase, and marble fireplace mantles. When built in then-fashionable neighborhood of Boyle Heights
Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Boyle Heights is a neighborhood east of Downtown Los Angeles on the East Side of Los Angeles. For much of the twentieth century, Boyle Heights was a gateway for new immigrants. This resulted in diverse demographics, including Jewish American, Japanese American and Mexican American populations,...
, the Perry Residence was arguably the finest and most expensive residence yet seen in Los Angeles. The outward sweep of the entrance stairway, the brackets under the eaves, the slanted bay windows and the narrow columns are characteristic of its Greek Revival and Italianate style.
In 1975, the house was moved to the museum from 1315 Mount Pleasant Street and restoration was begun by the Colonial Dames Society of America.
The John J. Ford House
The Ford House was built in 1887 as part of a large tract of simple middle-class homes in downtown Los Angeles built by the Beaudry Brothers. The home is particularly interesting because of its inhabitant - John J. Ford, a well-known wood carver. Ford's works include carvings for the California State Capitol
California State Capitol
The California State Capitol is home to the government of California. The building houses the bicameral state legislature and the office of the governor....
, the Iolani Palace in Hawaii, and Leland Stanford
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
's private railroad car. Because of his occupation, the exterior and interior carvings were all done by hand in ornate, one-of-a-kind patterns.
The Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church
The Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church dates to 1897. Designed in the Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne styles, the floor plan follows the Methodist tradition of non-axial plans. This plan, with the entrance in one corner and the pulpit in the opposite, is known as the Akron style, having originated in Akron, Ohio.
The Carriage Barn
The barn was built in 1899 on the grounds of what is now Pasadena's Huntington Memorial Hospital
Huntington Memorial Hospital
Huntington Hospital is a 635-bed not-for-profit hospital in Pasadena, California. It is named for Southern California businessman and booster Henry E...
for Dr. Osborne, a member of the hospital's staff. Its architectural style is Queen Anne Cottage with Gothic Revival influences. It has three gables and a distinctive pitched roof.
The barn was saved from demolition and moved to the Heritage Square Museum in 1981.
The Valley Knudsen Garden Residence (Shaw House)
A unique style for the West Coast, the Shaw House is a Second Empire home with a French Mansard styled roof. It is more humble than the Hale and Perry Houses.
Hale House
The Hale House
Hale House
Hale House is a Queen Anne style Victorian era mansion built in 1885 in the Highland Park section of northeast Los Angeles, California. It has been described as "the most photographed house in the entire city," and "the most elaborately decorated." In 1966, it was declared a Historic Cultural...
(Historic-Cultural Monument No. 40) was built in 1887 by George W. Morgan, a land speculator and real estate developer, at the foot of Mount Washington
Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, California
Mount Washington is a neighborhood located in the hills of northeastern Los Angeles, California.-Geography:The boundaries of Mount Washington are roughly defined by Division Street on the west, El Paso Drive and Avenue 50 on the northeast, Marmion Way on the southeast, and Isabel street on the...
just a few blocks from the museum in Highland Park in Los Angeles.
The house was sold many times and was moved from 4501 to 4425 North Pasadena Avenue (now Figueroa Street) before being purchased by James G. Hale in 1906. It remained in the Hale Family until it was acquired by the museum in 1970. The building is an outstanding example of Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
and Eastlake styles. The exterior colors of Hale House were reproduced from chips of the original colors found on the house during restoration. The interior has been restored to represent the rooms as they may have appeared in 1899.
The William H. Perry Residence
The largest house in the museum is the Perry Residence, which was built in 1876 for prominent businessman and lumber baron William H. Perry. Architect E.F. Kysor designed it to include hard wood floors, a sweeping staircase and marble fireplace mentles. This Greek Revival and Italianate Style structure was originally located in the fashionable Boyle Heights district of Los Angeles and it was moved to the museum in 1975.