From: Terry Bailey
To: Glendale Planning Dept., DRB, City Council, Historic Commission, City Attorney and City Manager
Re: Preliminary assessment of EP Associates Historic Assessment of Glendale Garden Homes, 1303-1315 N Central Ave.
Case #: 2 - 3421 -
Date: September 13, 2004
Introduction – preliminary review
I have briefly reviewed the historic assessment presented by EP Associates for developer Greg Brody to the City of Glendale for Glendale Garden Homes. I will state some brief first reactions now, and will submit further detailed reaction once we have had the opportunity to more carefully review the report and to have some historic architecture experts read it.
The report is, at best, not a thorough investigation. Several claims in the report are untrue or misleading and can be readily contradicted. Additionally, the introductory narrative of the report seems to contradict the summary conclusions; in the former, it appears that GGH meets design criteria for historic status, in the latter, it seems that the summary simply contradicts the narrative when it concludes that those criteria are not met.
Famous Resident J.E. Hoeft – Founder and Chairman of the Board of Glendale Federal Savings and Loan and President of Glendale Symphony
In order to claim that Glendale Garden Homes is an historic resource it must meet some combination of certain architectural design and cultural criteria. One important historic element has to do with whether a famous person, particularly one of historic note to Glendale, ever lived here. EP Associates mentions that a J. E. Hoeft lived here in the year 1968, in apartment 1303M, but, by omission of records, infers there is no proof that he lived here during any other years. The EP Assoc. report goes on to claim that there is no way to know if the J. E. Hoeft who lived here is the same J. E. Hoeft who founded and chaired the board of Glendale Federal Savings and Loan. Apparently EP Associates claims that the Hoeft who lived in GGH may have been a son or grandson by the same name.
During my preliminary review of the city directory pages included in EP Assoc. report, I noticed that pages for 1965, 1966, and 1967 are missing. The 1964 and 1969 pages list his apartment as vacant. All other pages are included. Also, in an included obituary of J. E. Hoeft, it notes that he left 2 daughters and 4 granddaughters – no sons or grandsons.
A subsequent search at the Glendale Central Library by resident Paula Van Houten, with the assistance of a librarian there, uncovered all of the missing city directory pages and significant information about J. E. Hoeft. It seems that Mr. Hoeft did indeed live at GGH, in apartment 1303M for the four years between 1965 and 1968. He apparently moved here after the death of his first wife, Hazel Elliot Crabbe, and stayed here until 1969 (after his remarriage to, Marjorie, in October 1968). Had EP Associates searched the City Directory pages more carefully, they would have discovered that in the front of the directory, Mr. Hoeft’s name and profession are listed (EP supplied the DRB only with the back pages which list the address and a name of resident only, no mention of profession).
Of additional note is the fact that it was during the years that Mr. Hoeft lived in Glendale Garden Homes that he did all of his important work as the president of the Glendale Symphony – bringing in world renowned conductors and players, and developing our local symphony to world class status. During those years, the symphony even played internationally televised concerts on NBC from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The link between Mr. Hoeft living at Glendale Garden Homes and the fact that his building, Glendale Federal Savings and Loan nearby on Brand Avenue, recently has received historic status, makes this discovery and its significance all the more important.
Persons Interviewed by EP Associates. and research of architect
There are only two people listed as interviewed in the entire historical research of Glendale Garden Homes by EP Associates. The first is architect Milard Archuleta, and the second in ten year resident, me, Terry Bailey.
In a statement for the Glendale Historic Society newsletter by saveGlendaleGardenHomes supporters, August 2004, it is stated that there remain many questions about the architect of GGH. The drawings are signed by a John De Longe of Norwood and DeLong from San Marino. Some information we have gathered tells us that particular architectural firm was hired because the city of Glendale was trying to “come up to the caliber” of apartments and condos being designed in Pasadena, specifically Orange Grove Blvd. Other oral histories have told us about a draftsman who designed many of the involved developers buildings, and still others talked about an architect named Milard Archuleta. Our conclusion was simply that more research needs to be done in this area. EP Associates only mentions Archuleta, and the fact that they spoke to him and were told that he did not design Glendale Garden Homes. Clearly much more research needs to be done as to the architect(s) responsible for this complex.
It is true that as a ten year resident here, and one who, as an artist, has paid particular attention to the architecture and design of this complex, I am a good resource for information about Glendale Garden Homes. Also, I knew one of the original owners, Joseph Causey, and spoke to him often about GGH, its history and his pride in the place. However, I am not an historic or architectural expert, and any serious assessment certainly needs to gather the additional expertise and opinions of people who have more historic and architectural knowledge than I have.
Significance of Included Site Maps
EP Associates includes historic site maps of Glendale Garden Homes property from the early 1900s – before GGH was built. At the September 7, 2004 City Council meeting, Mr. Greg Brody, developer, referred to those maps while making a statement that there was “nothing here, or, empty land” before GGH was built in 1957. The site maps only display buildings. They do not contradict our preliminary findings - that an old Victorian home stood on this property for many years before GGH was built. That footprint of the building is shown in the historic maps in the EP Associates’ report.
However, the maps do not show any vegetation, only building footprints. Mr. Brody’s statement - that there was nothing here - is directly contradicted by the oral histories we have already gathered: that this property was home to an aviary and countless trees and plants before GGH was built; and that part of the original agreement between the City of Glendale and GGH developers was that the trees needed to be left standing, and GGH built around them - that only the palm trees could be removed.
Clearly more data and information need to be gathered regarding the history of this site and the trees that have been growing here some of them for over 100 years.
Significance of Included Photographs
A picture is worth a thousand words. A picture or chart or graph can also be created or manipulated to produce a certain effect or to persuade a certain opinion by a knowledgeable information designer. This is something I teach my college and professional students in information design classes.
The photographs included in the EP Associates report are shot and designed to convey an image of a run down, treeless and landscapeless environment in Glendale Garden Homes. This image distortion of reality is directly contradicted when anyone actually visits Glendale Garden Homes. I invite any interested city staff to call us and arrange a visit if they have not already. I also encourage them to look at the photos on our website at http://www.mediabench.com/saveGGH.html
Significance of Architecture and Cultural Historic Status of GGH
Since the residents and neighbors here began investigating the historic status of Glendale Garden Homes with its classic 1950s Modern architecture, we have uncovered an entire world of information about the Garden City movement of architecture that none of us knew anything about previously. It turns out that GGH is even more important because of its connection to the Garden City Movement than it is for its wonderful, classic 1950s Modern architecture style. In a nutshell, and ironically, Garden City movement was begun by our federal government in order to address the housing needs of the 1950s population explosion and related shortage of land in California.
In EP Associates’ own report (page 14), it is stated that the goal of the Garden City movement was to “create apartments that felt like home.” Further, EP Associates goes on to list the basic guidelines of the Garden City Movement, and to contend that GGH adheres precisely to those very guidelines. 1
We therefore contend that EP Associates summary conclusion that GGH is not architecturally historically significant is in direct contradiction to their own narrative findings in this report. Attention needs to be given to this contradiction, and more assessment made as to the architectural and cultural significance of GGH to both 50s Modern and Garden City Movement.
Supporters of save GGH contend that Glendale Garden Homes should be preserved because of it historic relation to both 50s Modern and Garden City Movement and because it should serve as a model to the city and to new developers today. In a recent press release, that concept was framed thus:
At a time when so much of the important aesthetic history of Glendale is being lost, Glendale Garden Homes should serve as the finest of examples of this city’s architectural and landscape design past and cultural history – and of city planner and developer collaboration. And at a time when Glendale, like most of California, looks to a future of continued population explosion, Glendale Garden Homes serves as a visionary and practical model for future quality of life, multifamily home development.
1 Some of the guidelines listed: 1. U-shaped buildings that are clustered around a landscaped communal courtyard, 2. maximum two stories, 3. Separate pedestrian, vehicular and service pathways, 4. Service door similar to a house back door for each unit, 5. Standardized and industrial materials, 6. Geometric shapes and openings
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