Restoring Your Art Deco Home in Northeast Los Angeles

There are more than a few Art Deco gems in Northeast LA, even though other styles of homes have the streamline details mixed in. They need to be saved.

While other architectural styles of homes are predominant in Northeast Los Angeles – Craftsman bungalows, Victorian, Spanish Revival, Tudor Revival, and Mid Century Moderns, primarily – there are a few art deco (some technically “art moderne” or “streamline moderne”) designs among the homes in Highland Park, Glassell Park and Eagle Rock.

Interestingly, art deco style isn’t limited to single-family dwellings. Apartment buildings, retail and commercial structures dot the city landscape not far from the streamline moderne homes in Mt. Washington, Pasadena and Glendale, all with large price tags.

But perhaps what might be surprising is that some homes have deco detailing that create a hybridization of styles. One example is Spanish deco. A home was listed recently in Eagle Rock that was described as an “Emotional Spanish Deco,” built in the mid 1930s with a combination of a red-tile roof and a stucco exterior but also ziggurat archways, a deco master bath, and sunburst wood burning fireplace. Elsewhere in places like Garvanza and Hermon the wrap-around windows, glass blocks, flat roofs, and other streamline details can be mixed into Prairie, Craftsman and other styles that occupied the same eras when they were most popular.

Deco homes, mostly due to their age, come with some problems that may require restoration by an owner. First, electrical systems in the 1920s and 1930s, at the height of deco’s first wave of popularity, clearly needs updating if that hasn’t already been done. Features such as jalousie windows, more popularly used in the resurgence of deco in the 1950s, are distinct and yet likely damaged or dysfunctional because of all those moving parts.

The deco aesthetic, to purists, cannot be compromised (although those hybrid applications do challenge the notion). So where it comes to saving and honoring a deco design home, it’s possible to think of it in four degrees of what “saving” might mean:

• Renovation – This is the least stringent in that it allows the owner to update and make functional a space. New materials and new sections of the building might be added, windows and doors could be relocated, and there is not even necessarily an effort made to keep the house definitively “art deco.” If the renovation is severe, it probably would disappoint deco fans, even if it raises the value of the property.
• Restoration – This is a more thoughtful and considerate approach. It may not hew perfectly to original materials, but it achieves the goal of looking like the original.
• Preservation – The primary goal is to keep as much of the original building parts intact. This can make modernizing mechanical systems challenging, for example.
• Conservation – This is unlikely the path of a homeowner intending to occupy the building and more the province of a museum curator who strives to bring it to the original condition. There is no design interpretation on what should be in the building, what colors can be used, etc. Instead, an absolute commitment to all things original must be made.

Art deco gets much more attention in commercial structures, and in a few homes of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, than in the residences of NELA. But where those streamlined, moderne features found there way over to Eagle Rock and other places they are to be treasured.

Realtor Tracy King understands the cost-benefit of restorations and renovations in NELA done right. Feel free to call her (323-243-1234) to discuss your existing vintage property or to look for something new.

Optimizing Front Doors in Vintage Homes in NELA

Vintage homes – including Mid Century Moderns – are in good supply in Northeast Los Angeles. Entryway doors are important defining characteristics.

If you’re a homeowner thinking of selling, or a prospective buyer thinking of buying in the northeast of Los Angeles, you already know vintage homes are in demand and commanding top dollar. And it isn’t just homes in Highland Park and Eagle Rock that’s hot. Homes in Glassell Park, Hermon and Garvanza are being snatched up as quickly as they’re being listed … especially character homes like Victorians, Mission Revival and California Craftsman.

If there is an enduring feature of Craftsman homes it’s the front door. They are solid, usually in finished (unpainted) wood, with the upper third in glass panes separated from the bottom third by a small “dentil” shelf. The door – commonly found on Craftsman homes in Pasadena, Altadena, Eagle Rock and other neighborhoods of Northeast Los Angeles – was a prominent part of the façade.
To put a fine point on it: rehabbers, don’t mess with this.

Front doors on vintage homes anywhere and of any type matter a whole lot. The statement Frank Lloyd Wright made with his smaller, off-center doors was to create a sense of privacy for the family within, and, as some argue, it was consistent with the prairie style philosophy of being part of the landscape, not dominating it. Who deserves personal grandeur when the home and its surrounding environment are so impressive?

Doors on Victorian, Craftsman, Tudor Revival, and Mission Revival homes – also features of real estate in NELA neighborhoods such as Mt. Washington, Montecito Heights, and Lincoln Heights – didn’t hold back from providing dramatic grand entrances. In fact, they celebrated them.
Which is why preservation of front doors, their appearance and their placement, matter a lot in the preservation of vintage homes. Entryways are integral to the overall scheme, both aesthetically and functionally.

It should be noted that Mid Century Modern homes, also plentiful in NELA, have their own door vernacular, as the architects say. It’s a little hard to pin down what that is, given the broad range of what MCMs look like, other than to say they tend to be very spare, clean, and minimalist – yet, colors often pop (e.g., magenta, chartreuse, orange, cerulean blue). To borrow from an article on HGTV.com, the MCM front door has at least one rule:

“If you really want to see the curb appeal [of your MCM home] take a nosedive, replace the front door with something ornate.”

Other styles of homes have their front door “rules,” so to speak:

Victorians – Decorative glass in or near the front door (transoms, sides) are part of the look, as are colors within the overall façade paint scheme.
Mission Revival/Mediterranean – By all means keep the original or have it reproduced. But with this style the landscaping and accessorizing matter as well. The pathway to the entry door might be a gravel-like decomposed granite (DG), or done with terra cotta pavers or Spanish tiles. Plants should be drought resistant, as befits Southern California and the style’s Mediterranean roots.
Craftsman – The stain of the wood on a Craftsman entryway can be gorgeous, but painted doors might help the overall color scheme. A Portland, Oregon Realtor told HGTV, “You can play up architectural details, such as columns, by playing down the body color of the home…painting door details, columns and porch ceilings a simple white really made them pop and showed off the home’s unique characteristics.”

Realtor Tracy King knows from a smart door and overall curb appeal, having sold homes in NELA for a quarter century. Contact her office (323-243-1234) to learn how you can increase the curb appeal of your home and how to achieve an optimal selling price as quickly as possible.