HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 186-060 City of Palo AltoCity Manager’s R rt
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
DATE:
SUBJECT:
APRIL 10, 2006 CMR:186:06
449-453 ADDISON AVENUE: RECOMMENDATION FROM THE
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD AT THE REQUEST OF THE OWNER,
MARGO SCHMIDT, TO DESIGNATE A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING TO
THE CITY OF PALO ALTO’S HISTORIC INVENTORY IN CATEGORY
2 PURSUANT TO MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 16.49 (HISTORIC
PRESERVATION ORDINANCE)
RECOMMENDATION
The Historic Resources Board (HRB) and staff recommend that the City Council grant the
owner’s request to designate the residential building located at 451-453 Addison Avenue as a
significant building in Category 2 of the Historic Inventory. The HRB also recommends
designation of the rear residence at 449 Addison Avenue to the Historic Inventory as a Category
4 building.
BACKGROUND
There are two residences on the project site. The cottage at 451-453 Addison Avenue is an
example of the Queen Anne style applied to a small residential building. It is a late and
simplified example of the Queen Anne style that places more emphasis on the careful
arrangement of a few forms than on a profusion of detail. The residence at 449 Addison Avenue
was originally a stable and remodeled as a dwelling in 1937. It is understated in style and
architectural details.
DISCUSSION
The designation of the Queen Anne cottage to the Historic Inventory in Category 2 is consistent
with the focus on architectural significance of the historic categories. The cottage is an
outstanding example of the Queen Anne style for the following reasons:
The front projecting Queen Anne bay may be the strongest such element in the City.
The delicate horizontal airy character of the porch provides a hospitable scale and a
cordial openness, and at the same time the delicacy of the porch enhances the projecting
bay’s sense of flight. On the other hand, the horizontal orientation of the porch contrasts
dramatically with the vertically oriented bay.
CMR:186:06 Page 1 of 3
All the elements of the front fagade of the cottage either echo each other (which provides
unity), or they contrast with each other in a carefully planned manner (which provides
drama).
Although several alterations occurred during the historic period, the cottage has maintained a
high degree of architectural integrity during the last 50 years.
The residence at the rear of the property (449 Addison Avenue) has not been altered since it was
remodeled as a residence in 1937; however, it does not meet the designation criteria for a
Category 2 structure of the Inventory as requested by the applicant due to its limited style and
architectural details.
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION
On June 1, 2005 the HRB reviewed the application to designate the residential structures at 449-
453 Addison Avenue to the City’s Historic Inventory (see Attachment C). Staff gave a
presentation and recommended designating the cottage at 451-453 as a Category 2 to the City’s
Historic Inventory, affirming that the cottage has a high degree of historic integrity under
designation standards of today. Staff did not recommend designation of the rear residence at 449
Addison, a former stable, to the Historic Inventory, explaining that it appears too understated in
style and details to meet the designation criteria of any category of the Inventory. The applicant,
Margo Schmidt, informed the Board that the buildings on site will be renovated and used as
individual residences.
At the meeting, the HRB unanimously voted (4-0-0-3, Bernstein, Makinen, and Kohler absent) to
support the staff recommendation for designation of 451-453 Addison as a Category 2 historic
building. The Board stated in its motion that the cottage at 451-453 Addison Avenue meets a
number of the criteria which are required for a property to be placed on Palo Alto’s Inventory.
The property is identified with Frank C. Thiele, an important historic figure in Palo Alto. The
house is also representative of the Queen Anne architectural style yet it also represents the
beginning of a transition from the Queen Anne style to the Colonial Revival style that occurred
in Palo Alto. The cottage was built by local builder, Gus Laumeister, and includes outstanding
architectural design, details, materials and craftsmanship. The Board acknowledged that the
Category 2 designation would allow some exterior modifications as long as the original character
of the building is retained. The Board also recommended designation of the former stable at 449
Addison as a Category 4 building because it is an example of a type of building that was once
common but now rare, consistent with one criterion for buildings to be designated.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Current Photograph of the Buildings at 449-453 Addison Avenue.
Attachment B: Historic Resources Board Staff Report of June 1, 2005.
CMR:186:06 Page 2 of 3
PREPARED BY:
Advance Planning"M~ager
DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW:
STEVe( EMSLIE
Director of Planning and Community
Environment
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
HARRISON
Assistant City Manager
CO:Historic Resources Board
Margo Schmidt
CMR: 186:06 Page 3 of 3
Attachment A
451 - 453 Addison Avenue
449 Addison Avenue
Attachment B
Historic Resources Board
Staff Report
Date:June 1, 2005
Historic Resources Board
From:
Subject:
Dennis Backlund,
Historic Presern, ation Planner
Department: Planning and
Community Environment
449-453 Addison Avenue [05PLN-00086]: Application by Margo
Schmidt, owner, for Historic Resources Board review of a proposal to
designate 451-453 Addison Avenue, a Queen Anne residential building
constructed in 1899, to the City ofPalo Alto’s Historic Inventory, and
Board recommendation to the City Council of a Historic Category
number for the designation of the building as provided in Municipal
Code Chapter 16.49 (Historic Preservation Ordinance).
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Historic Resources Board recommend that the City Council
designate the Queen Anne cottage numbered 451-453, and located at 449-453 Addison
Avenue, as a significant building in Category 2 consistent with the criteria for designation
of historic structures in Municipal Code Section 16.49.040(b), and the definition of
Category 2 in Section 16.49.020(b). Staff does not recommend designation of the rear
residence at 449 Addison Avenue to the Historic Inventory for reasons presented in the
final section of this staff report.
THE QUEEN ANNE COTTAGE
Significance of the Queen Anne Style
The cottage at 451-453 Addison Avenue is an example of the Queen Anne style applied
to a small residential building. The Queen Anne style began in England, and in America
flourished during the years 1880-1900. Together with the Richardsonian Romanesque,
and earlier styles including Gothic Revival, Stick Style, Italianate, Second Empire, and
the various Exotic Revivals, the Queen Anne style was part of the European and
American Romantic reaction against Classicism’s perceived culture of unnatural
451-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 1
artificiality at the expense of the natural, overemphasis on reason at the expense of
feeling, and excessive concern with classification and clarity at the expense of mystery
and spirituality. Classicism was generally the culture of the aristocratic class and of those
who aspired to it. Romanticism, which extended from the late 18th to the 20th centuries,
was in many ways the cultural expression of the triumph of the rising middle class. The
middle class created a domestic culture that was based on feeling to a degree rarely seen
in earlier family life, and the middle class home became the protector of those sentimental
domestic values. As one expression put it, "home is where the heart is." The middle
class house also became a symbol of the wealth produced by that other great feeling
cultivated by the middle class, entrepreneurial exuberance, a strange synthesis of
Romantic joy and business-oriented materialism. The Romantic styles of architecture
served the domesticity of the middle class by breaking buildings down--even large
buildings--to a domestic human scale through a host of articulating strategies and a
wealth of intricate details, and these details also functioned as signs of financial success
and superior social status.
The Queen Anne style, which first appeared in England and America in the 1870s, was
perhaps the ultimate expression of Romanticism in architecture (and of the middle class
values of the late 19%century "Gilded Age."). The Queen Anne, in order to maintain a
domestic scale and to display status, went to an extreme in avoiding expanses of flat
smooth wall, and in applying ornamentation--the exuberant fantasies of"gingerbread."
The Queen Anne also featured that exemplar of idealized medievalism, the fanciful and
commanding castle tower. Finally, it employed a rambling asymmetry and a variety of
textures and colors so that the building functioned as a metaphor for the rambling multi-
colored many-textured character of nature.
During the early twentieth century the Queen Anne style inevitably came under attack
from the rising culture of High Modernism which rejected all architectural references to
historical periods. A new aristocracy of Modernist critics identified the Queen Anne
style, and Victorian architecture in general, as the last word in vulgarity. Examples of the
Queen Anne eventually became the haunted houses of popular imagination, and by 1960
one of them was portrayed as the prime symbol of terror in Hitchcock’s film P_~ycho.
With the rise of Post-Modem historicism and neo-traditional town planning after 1970,
the Queen Anne style was re-interpreted in a much more sympathetic light, and in recent
years it has become an object of study for those seeking ways of maintaining human scale
in large buildings, and means of creating visual interest in buildings of all sizes.
Tlte Historic Cottage
The cottage at 451-453 Addison Avenue is a late and simplified example of the Queen
Anne style that places more emphasis on the careful arrangement of a few forms than on a
profusion of detail. In its Classic simplicity the cottage may be regarded as heralding the
Colonial Revival style that was just beginning in Palo Alto in 1899. As Virginia and Lee
451-453 Addison Avenue Desiggnation Page 2
McAlester state on page 327 of A Field Guide to American Houses. "The line between
some late free classic Queen Anne houses and some early Colonial Revival examples is
not a sharp one." Nevertheless, the cottage exhibits signature features of the Queen Anne
style including: (a) an irregular roof that combines a higher hip roof with lower projecting
cross gables, (b) an asymmetrical front fa,cade composed of several wall planes and a
radically off-center entry door, (c) a frieze suspended from the front porch ceiling with
spindles in a simple picket fence pattern, (d) a pair of dominant projecting bays located on
the front fa,cade and the left elevation that contain pedimented gable ends and wide boxed
cornices that are curved at the bottom to echo the form of the dramatic circular louvered
vents located at the center of the pediments, (e) a pair of three-sided cutaway bay
windows located below the pedimented gable ends of the projecting bays that are
decorated with panels and corner brackets incised with tendrils, (f) double-hung windows
with plain board surrounds, and (g) a variety of wall textures including wide rustic lap
siding below the water table on all elevations and narrower v-groove siding on the upper
walls, and imbricated shingles in the gable ends (see Attachments A and B).
The right elevation wall of the cottage is more utilitarian in character. The wall is flat and
contains two matching double-hung windows, and there are exposed plumbing pipes
attached to the wall as was commonly done at the turn of the 20th century. The left
elevation contains the decorated projecting bay mentioned above. Originally this bay
matched the front projecting bay but it was later altered. The rear portion of the left
elevation contains a small shed-roofed addition. The rear elevation contains double-hung
windows of various sizes, and a projecting enclosed porch that is a curiosity. The porch
has an entry door three feet above grade that has no entry steps. Part of the porch siding
is composed of narrow vertical boards not found elsewhere on the house, and one of the
enclosing windows contains narrower panes than the others do for no apparent reason.
However, all the elements of the rear porch appear to date from around 1900.
Architectural Significance of tlte Cottage
Staff has recommended that the Queen Anne cottage be designated to the Historic
Inventory in Category 2. The focus of the historic Categories is on architectural
significance. Staff concluded that the cottage is an outstanding example of the Queen
Anne style for the following reasons.
The front projecting Queen Anne bay may be the strongest such element in the
City. The forcefulness of the bay partly derives from a greater width in relation to
its height than is usually found on projecting Queen Anne bays. It also derives
from the wide gable end cornice and the window surrounds, as well as from the
dialogue between the curved elements in the upper part of the bay. The curves of
the boxed cornice of the gable end relate closely to the curves of the brackets of
the cutaway bay window so that a unified composition results on the upper portion
of the bay that is reinforced by the circular vent in the center of the gable end. The
451-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 3
dynamic character of the vent, established by the treatment of the circular vent
frame and by the bold louver pattern, is further enlivened by the sense of
movement conveyed by the surrounding shingle pattern. The upper portion of the
bay also appears to levitate in a manner reminiscent of Japanese roof forms
because the relationships between the various curved forms of the gable end
endow the brackets with a wing-like character and a sense of movement. The
projecting bay is further tied together and energized by additional design
strategies. The narrow vertical recessed panels on either side of the center window
of the bay have a dramatic oppositional relationship to the horizontal panels below
the windows of the bay, and the horizontal panels in turn echo the horizontal rustic
siding below the water table. The rustic siding, which serves as the base of the
bay, anchors the entire bay to the ground in an economical manner that does not
distract from the drama of the bay’s upper part.
The delicate horizontal airy character of the porch provides a hospitable scale and
a cordial openness, and at the same time the delicacy of the porch enhances the
projecting bay’s sense of flight. On the other hand, the horizontal orientation of
the porch contrasts dramatically with the vertically oriented bay. The porch
terminates on its right edge with a pair of narrow turned columns with elaborate
attached brackets. These columns are the only really ornate elements on the house,
and they serve a design function, as does everything else on the front fa,cade. In
order to frame the right side of the front fa,cade with narrow columns that would
maintain a balanced fagade composition, it was necessary to endow the columns
with sufficient weight and authority to make them as strong a framing element on
the right end of the fagade as the projecting bay was on the left end. Providing
ornately turned columns and attaching ornate brackets to the column capitals
achieved this balanced design outcome. Finally, the pair of French multi-pane
entry doors at the right side of the porch echo the three-sided bay window at the
left side of the facade, and the verticality of the doors, emphasized by their white
board surround, contrasts dramatically with the horizontal wall siding.
In summary, all the elements of the front fagade of the cottage either echo each
other (which provides unity), or they contrast with each other in a carefully
planned manner (which provides drama). The resulting integrated design of the
front fagade led staff to conclude that 451-453 Addison Avenue is an outstanding
example of a local Queen Anne cottage.
Tlte Builder
451-453 Addison Avenue (the original address was 451 Addison) was built by the local
firm of Downing and Laumeister. According to a notice in the Palo Alto Times on
October 3, 1899, "F. C. Thiele, our successful tailor, let the contract for his house to
Downing & Laumeister for 1500. It will be a five-room cottage and bath of modern
451-453 Addison Avenue Desig-nation Page 4
design. It will be located on Addison adjoining Mrs. Benoni Parkinson. Work will be
commenced at once." On December 29, 1899, the Palo Alto Times stated, "Downing &
Laumeister have dissolved parmership, Mr. Downing retiring from the firm. For a
number of years this firm has been very successful as contractors and builders. Mr. H. D.
Downing contemplates going to Oregon and is one of the young men who came to Palo
Alto in its early days and has been a very energetic and reliable carpenter." An article in
the Palo Alto Community Book by historian Guy Miller (1952) indicates that after
working in partnership with John McBain of Menlo Park (around 1890) Gustave
Laumeister opened his own business in Palo Alto. H. D. Downing is not mentioned in
Miller’s article, and it may be that Laumeister founded the business and took on Downing
as a partner for assistance. The matter deserves further research. In any case, given
Laumeister’s long and consistently illustrious solo career as a building contractor in Palo
Alto, he was likely a dominant figure in his early business partnerships, and probably
participated in detail in the building of the cottage at 451 Addison. Laumeister (1865-
1955) was a lifelong Bay Area resident. He was born in Mission San Jose, and began his
building career in Alameda. Shortly thereafter he worked for Leland Stanford at the
University, and then began his Menlo Park partnership with John McBain. After opening
his business in Palo Alto, he remained in town until his death. He constructed some of
Palo Alto’s most notable buildings including Castilleja School’s Administration Building,
the landmark Colonial Revival house at 221 Kingsley (the Fowler Mansion), and the
major Craftsman houses at 365 Lincoln and 950 University. Currently 22 of his buildings
are listed on the City’s Historic Inventory. Laumeister’s business advertisements in the
early 1900’s state that he would furnish plans to clients (perhaps from plan books). The
fact that Laumeister furnished plans may account for the fact that the great majority of the
Historic Inventory forms for his buildings do not list an architect, only Laumeister as
builder. Given the distinguished designs of his houses, Laumeister evidently sought out
the freest pattern books available. Based on ample evidence of Laumeister’s lifelong
commitment to excellent craftsmanship and design, staff concluded that he was an
outstanding builder in early Palo Alto (see Attachment C).
Past Alterations
The cottage has maintained a high degree of architectural integrity during the last 50
years. Several alterations occurred during the historic period (see Attachments D and E).
Left Elevation
The most significant change occurred in 1949 when the cottage was converted to a
duplex. This change is historically significant as it reflects the housing shortage of the
Post-World War II period, and the attempt to add housing wherever possible. The
conversion to a duplex resulted in several alterations to the left elevation. The three-sided
cutaway bay window was converted to an entry to the second unit by replacing the angled
window on the right with a glass entry door and adding steps and a railing. However, the
change was carried out sensitively by making the glass panel in the door the same shape
451-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 5
and size as the original window, and by dividing the glass panel with a wood bar placed at
the exact location of the wood bar that had divided the original double hung window.
Also the entry steps, railing, and the siding below the railing all echo the design of the
front porch steps and railing. To provide further space for the second unit, a small shed-
roofed addition was included in the 1949 conversion to a duplex. The addition was
constructed behind the projecting bay and was slipped in under the soffit of the cutaway
bay window (necessitating the removal of one of the corner brackets and the simple wood
pendant that originally connected the two brackets). The wood siding of this small
addition, and the three double-hung windows and their board surrounds, all match the
original design of the cottage. According to the tax assessor sheets, the 1949 remodel
included the construction of a garage behind the cottage. The garage is still there, but
some of its features, such as the south elevation window, and the north elevation door
with its Victorian doorknob, appear to have been salvaged possibly from the cottage
before the 1949 remodeling was carried out (see Attachment F).
Front Facade
Staff could not determine whether there have been alterations to the street-facing fa,cade.
The combination of a porch frieze in the picket fence pattern and a more delicate porch
railing is typical of many Queen Anne houses. However, French entry doors are not
typical of Queen Anne cottages although they do occur with large Queen Anne houses.
Nevertheless, exceptions to common practice occur with historic homes of all styles and
sizes, and staff found no clear evidence that the French entry doors of the cottage are not
historic. Possibly a wide single entry door originally filled the opening currently
containing the French doors. The one possible change to the front fa,cade is a loss of the
center porch column that would connect the existing wood pendant of the porch frieze
with the railing post below. As the other porch columns survive, they would serve as
documentary evidence of the appearance of the missing column. Initially, however, it
would need to be determined that a column originally existed at this location.
Right Elevation
Staff did not find evidence that the right elevation has been changed from its original
appearance.
Rear Elevation
The rear elevation appeared to staff to be close to its original appearance, and the
dimensions of the enclosed porch appear to match those shown on early Sanborn maps.
The anomalies of the porch design could be the result of highly utilitarian repair
approaches in the past.
IBstor,~ of Use
The cottage was built in 1899 as the residence of Frank C. Thiele, a Palo Alto pioneer.
He was born in Bohemia in 1860, graduated from the University of Prague in the mid-
451-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 6
1880s, came to New York in 1887, to San Francisco in 1894, and to Palo Alto in 1897
where he opened a tailor shop that catered especially to Stanford University students.
Thiele, as a highly educated European, was known to Stanford students as "The Baron"
due to his suspected noble lineage. He became celebrated for his uncommon generosity
to Stanford students, making many loans to them and frequently extending credit on
clothing. Thiele is significant in Palo Alto history because of the houses he constructed in
Palo Alto during its early years. As a January 17, 1902 article in the Palo Alto Times
states, "Mr. Thiele has a lively faith in Palo [Alto] as is shown by his investments--this
will make four residences built by him." Thiele remained at 451 Addison until 1909.
That same year he purchased a larger Queen Anne home at 1247 Cowper Street where he
remained until 1927 when he sold the house to Charles and Kathleen Norris. They
demolished it in order to build the famous Norris House that is currently listed on the
National Register. Thiele moved to 1405 University Avenue in Crescent Park where he
died in 1947 at the age of 87 (see Attachment A).
After Thiele sold 451 Addison in 1909, the cottage was occupied by various teachers,
students, salespeople, shop owners and office workers. Perhaps the most significant
resident after F. C. Thiele was Mrs. Zo~ Tiffany, vice-principal of Channing School, who
occupied the property from 1925-1938.
Criteria for Designation and Definition of Historic Category 2
Chapter 16.49, Section 16.49.040 (b) of the Municipal Code provides general criteria that
apply to all historic designations in Palo Alto. The criteria are:
1.The structure or site is identified with the lives of historic people or with important
events in the city, state or nation;
2.The structure or site is particularly representative of an architectural style or way of
life important to the city, state or nation;
3. The structure or site is an example of a type of building which was once common,
but is now rare;
4. The structure or site is connected with a business or use which was once common,
but is now rare;
5. The architect or building was important;
6. The structure or site contains elements demonstrating outstanding attention to
architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship.
Chapter 16.49, Section 16.49.020 (b) (definitions of the Categories) establishes the level
of importance of properties that meet the general criteria for designation. The focus of
the definitions of the Categories is on architectural significance. Category 2 structures are
defined as follows:
"Category 2: ’Maj or building’ means any building or goup of buildings of maj or
45 !-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 7
regional importance, meritorious works of the best architects or an outstanding
example of an architectural style or the stylistic development of architecture in the
state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the
original character is retained."
HISTORIC EVALUATION OF 451-453 ADDISON AVENUE
Based on an analysis of the criteria for designation and the definition of Historic Category
2 found in Municipal Code Chapter 16.49, staff concludes that the Queen Anne cottage at
451-453 Addison Avenue meets the criteria for designation and best fits the definition of
a Category 2 building in that:
It is identified with Palo Alto pioneer F. C. Thiele who operated a tailoring business
important to the students of Stanford University, and who invested in the future of
Palo Alto by building several homes in the new city (Criterion 1);
It represents the development of one of the most important architectural styles in early
Palo Alto, the Queen Anne, a style that was more commonly seen in the early 20th
century but is becoming much more rare, especially in cottages, as examples are
demolished or significantly altered (Criteria 2 and 3);
¯With respect to Criterion 4, the original use of the building as a single-family
residence is not rare;
The builder of the cottage, Gustave Laumeister, is one of the most important local
building contractors of Palo Alto’s historic period, and he often supplied plans for his
projects that contained outstanding designs (Criterion 5);
¯The cottage demonstrates outstanding attention to architectural design and detail as
discussed above (Criterion 6).
The cottage is consistent with the definition of a Category 2 building in that it retains
integity with respect to its most important original features, and represents a meritorious
Queen Anne cottage design in the Bay Area regional context. Also, it was built by one of
Palo Alto’s most notable contractors of the time, Gustave Laumeister.
449 ADDISON AVENUE
Staff recommends that the residence at the rear not be included in a designation of the
property to the Historic Inventory because even if the building has not been altered since
it was remodeled as a residence in 1937 (see Attachment X), it appears too understated in
style and details to meet the designation criteria of any Category of the Inventory.
451-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 8
The building appears on the earliest available Sanborn Map (1901) as a one-and-a-half
story structure with an address of 451 V2 (see Att.achments X and X). The original use of
the building is indicated by a large s,vmbol "X" which stands for stable. The individual
numbered address of the building suggests that a room was also present where mail could
be received. By the 1924 Sanborn Map the numbered address has been removed and the
entire building is labeled "A" for auto-house (garage). The taxassessor’s sheets for 449
Addison indicate that the building was remodeled as a dwelling ("Dwg") in 1937, and it
has remained in residential use ever since. The tax assessor sheets also state that a
sunroom was added to the rear of the building in 1951. Although this sunroom is not
shown on the Sanborn Map of 1962, staff has confirmed that it is still there (see
Attachment G).
The existing residence is a simple side-gabled structure with V-groove siding. It exhibits
a pair of wide shed-roofed dormers centered on the front fagade roof., and a plain gable-
roofed entry porch that is also centered on the front fagade. The building is symmetrical
in its fenestration design but the entry, door is offset within the porch. There is a ribbon of
four multi-pane windows on either side of the entry porch, and each shed dormer also
contains a ribbon of four multi-pane windows. There are plumbing pipes attached to the
rear elevation that may date from the early 20th century (see Attachment H).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Property Information and Photographs submitted by the Applicant.
Attachment
Attachment
Atta6hment
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
B: Photographs of the Property prepared by Staff.
C: Information on Gustave Laumeister.
D: Sanborn Maps of the Property, 1901-1962.
E: Tax Assessor Sheets for 451-453 Addison.
F: Photographs of the 451-2~53 Addison Garage.
G: Tax Assessor Sheets for 449 Addison Avenue.
H: Photographs of 449 Addison.
COURTESY COPY
Margo Schmidt
PREPARED BY:
Dennis Backlund,
Historic Preservation Planner
REVIEWED BY:
JULIE CAPORGNO~/
Advance Planning Manager
451-453 Addison Avenue Designation Page 9
Attachment A
Architectural and Historical Information
On the Property
and
Current Photographs
Submitted by the Applicant
March 11, 2005
Dear Historic Resource Board:
I am submitting a proposal for designating my property as an historic
structure in category 2. I am enclosing materials with this letter which I
believe will demonstrate that my property qualifies for historic designation
on the basis of its architectural style. I am hopeful the board will concur
with my opinion.
Sincerely,
Margo Schmidt
16.49.o4o
The house at 451-453 Addison Avenue is consistent with Queen Anne
styling. The information follow, ring indicates a construction date of
1899 also consistent udth the period of Queen Anne architecture.
In 1949, a permit was granted. Subsequent to that date, an additional
address appears (453 Addison). It can be assumed the house was
converted to a duplex at that time.
451 -453 Addison Avenue
449 Addison Avenue
INFORMATION ON 451 ADDISON AND ITS SITE from the card file
of the Palo Alto Historical Association
1899 Cottage at 451 Addison Avenue built by Downing and
Laumeister for $1ooo.oo
Ou~ner F.C. Thiele and Mrs. F.C. Thiele. Mr. Thiele, nicknamed "The
Baron", had a tailor shop at 183 University- and Emerson which was
built in 1897 and destroyed in the 19o6 earthquake. Mr. Thiele
reopened a shop in San Francisco. Mr. Thiele also had built 471
Addison (by G.W. Mosher) and perhaps two other cottages.
PAT 12/29/99, 9/29/99, lO/6/99, lO/3/99
19o8 Mr, and Mrs. Thiele in residence
191o Miss Maude J. Wilson (photographer) and mother in
residence. Miss Wilson and Miss Kelly owned Wilson-Kelly
Photography Shop at 944 Bryant.
1911 Fred Whitney, author, in residence.
1914,1915 Charles Riefenbaek or Riefenberick, dair~rnan, in
residence. He appears to be listed as the owner. He lives with u~fe
Jane and William L., a student.
1916 Vacant
1917 Mr. Samuel Chappelear, Laura and Monroe (student) in
residence.
1919 Hudson M. Monroe, a teacher, and wife in residence.
1920 A.P. Hi!!, Jr. in ~,.sld,.n~e.
1925 Mrs. Zoe Tiffany, a widow and vice-principal of Channing
School in residence. Mrs. Tiffany apparently oumed the property
until 1938.
1938 Mr. Melvin Shippy or Shippey, a Palo Alto High School
teacher, bought the property and set up residency in the former
stable/garage at the rear of 451. A 1937 permits shows the conversion
of the garage into a house. The City Directory indicates the Shippey
family living at 449 Addison in 1938, the first mention of this address
on the site.
John Day in residence at 451. He remained until
1954
453
1959
1965
1967 Mr. Shippy in residence at 449.
and Mrs. Lois Esau at 453.
Irene Peterson in residence at 45~..
Mrs. Effie Cousins in residence at 453.
Mr. Shippy in residence at 449. 451,453 are vacant.
John Maker resides at 451
197o Philena Shippy, a widow, in residence at 449, Jean Gill
resides at 45~_ and Mrs. Martha Hayden at 453.
1972 Property bought by J. Camp (Jerry L. and Mattie), retired,
formerlyof 479 Wisteria Dr. EPA. T. C. Kay-in residence at 451 and
Dennis R. Tuite (salesman at Emporium) at 453.
1978 I bought the property from Mr. and Mrs. Neerie who
purchased the property from the Camps in the mid-7o’s.
194o Mr.
1945.
1949 Permits for the conversion of 451 Addison into a duplex
and construction of a new- garage. According to the City Directory,
two addresses appear on the front house, 451 and 453.
195o S.M. Smith in residence at 451
C.O. Griffin.in residence at 453.
1951 Sunroom addition to 449 Addison by Aro and Okerman
Builders for $15oo.
PAT 6/12/51
Edith Blinn, office worker at Stanford, in residence at 451 or
k of
YOUR
10.0
l~atte ~-n~s_
W.&j, loane’
.C2... a.-’-pet "
are now at
To be Sewed, Laid and Lined at
BRUSSELS
AXi21NISTER
TAPESTRI ES
t’al0 iit0:-:.Tim s
FRIDAY JANUARY 17,, 1902
Butlding New:.
.-Louis .Dahl is havtpg a cottage buIl~
for himself on Alma streol,, near Lytton
avollue, ..
J.’W. W~lls ha~ ~ntracted to erect
thrtm ooltagos for Wa{~ Hughes
Emerson atrtmt, ’
Ml~Mlnnlo Butlm: has arranged for
the oroe~lon of a building for a m~sle
s~udl0, to accommoth~tb h~r largo class
ofpupila. It will be located onChaa-
nlng avon., near theButler home.
, F, C. Thielo will go0n ~gin ~he con-"
htru~tion of a n(ne-room residence on
Addison avenue, ~w~n his home and
the L’akl~ place, lie -wlll-also’ have
cottage built in the same block. Mr.
Thlolo has a lively faith In Pale as
shown by his Investments--this will
make: four residences built by him.
.G.E. Chllds~ who recen{ly moved
hero and purcha~d the Wigiehome,
has given a contract tb G, W. Moshor
for building a large addition to tim resi-
donco~ aiaeos~of$21~, This addition
will i~ovldo for .a rocol)~lon room, a li-
brary ani] .a dining hall. These hn~
~rov~en ts-an d-~he-changes- con ~em=
pl~d in theamph~ grounds, will make
M~. Child’s home one of tim most at-
tractive in Pal~{ Alto.
IRenting
Stoves
Jose.,wasprosont and sang a number of
selections which much pleased the aud-
ience. |Mi~s Lhla’Jean Elli0tt, a Denver
elocutionist, gave-two recitations in.a
mos~ artistic mariner. Miss Edith Cos-
sort:gave a beautiful piano solo which
was well on.cored. Ylerman Schall’ner,
of San l~rancisgo, Grand Keeper of
l’Lecords and" Seal, made a br[efaddress
realized for the benefit of tim
libn~rY. ..
School M~ting.
-" The school trustees of the Pale .A
d’istric~ have .called a meeting" of
heads of families and taxpayers
Friday evening, January 24, at"
public school bailding. A report of
finances~ condi~ions and needs of ,1i
Headquarters
for- -
SlOan 5g ar~-lXollable .............................
K. of P.,Entertainment~Pioneer Pleasantry.
Tim public Installation and entertain-It certainly .~ii--~-~ -~~iniscen
ment ~vep~.last night by Pale Alto ~.~ ....~,~ th~ ’~nl,1 ~"" ~.. ¯,), . _( ~ ~, , ~,u~J ......~ ..........~lers ~1,
T~mpm, ~.sath.Dopo atSt~rS, was a -very1 Frl(lav evening, January 31sty.
loasan~ affair I he impr~slv~ instalP’""[tho.dh’ec~ion of the Woman. sCl~
M~r, hall Bl~ck, ~pu~y ur¯¯" I amusine ’and okhm.wt~e, 6[pi6fioer
~llor lm Dls~rm~ ~e ~, Paul D Cul’’. ¯’" ~ varied progr~m,~illb9providedver~ grafid Prolste, ~fnd.G.W. Harms, refreshments served. All ~hts will
INGRAINS 6rana Ma.~er .~ Ar~s: ~iven for a qua,’~er of a doll.e,
~s nope(i ~na~ a nsnusomo B~I~qVllI-
popular Manda~aln Quar~tte, of San
atlng a l)]ac;e that would ho.a delight
all and that would be vlsi~o(1 by
4ourlu~ who comes to Californi~. Su
Alto, and everyone will hope~that
prospect of its lining bu.H~
ilized; "
THE
BEGINS. NE
-THE GREE’
CAMPUS FIGURE
~rank C. Thee!e, pionee: resi-
dent o~ Polo Alto kno~ toStafford students in ~he early
days of ~the university as "~e
~aron," ~assed away early yes-
terday ~orning a~ter
~llness at his home, !405 Univer-sity ~ve.
~r. Thie]e o~ened a ~ailor~hop on University Ave. ~ ~897.
~o years ~a~e. he was employ-~ng s~x tailors and handling the
Stanford trade. It was th~n ~ha~students began to ca!l h~m "The
~aron’." He was ~are~ul about
his dress and had an old world
~anner that may have earned
h~ the ~ickname.
Remembered for k~dne~
. S~anford s t u d e nt s remem-bered him $or his kindnesses
during gheir undergraduage days
and ~any kep# ~n touch w~h~hu a~ter ~hey le2~ ~he campus.
Mr. Thiele was both in Ausgria
87 years ago. He ca~e ~ this
country as a young man, se~-
$lin~ ~irsg ~ ~he East and~hen~owng ~ the-West CoasL He
opened a ~ai!or shop in Redwood
Ci~y in 1895. He ma~&~ed
shop in 2~1o Al~o until a~ter
earthquake and ~hen moved
business ~o San’ Franc~co. H4S
#ar~ially co,pieCed building on
~a St. ~as ~he mos~ badlydamaged sbuc~ure in Polo Alto
after She !906 euake.
Sold to Ka{hleen Norris
He and Mrs. ~iele lived1247 Cowper SL for many yesrs
~n~il ~hey sold ~he property
~athleen- and C~arles Norris,~ho bu~ ~he home ~hey oc-
cupied here until his receng
death.
Funera! services will be held~omorrow at 2 p.m. ~ ~he chore!o~ Roller and Hapgood. Entomb-
ment will be at A[ta Mesa Me-
~oria! £ark. ~e Rev. ~bertOlson of ~he ChrJs~ E~iscopa]
Church. of Los A!tos ~11elate ag ~he ser~,ices.
Mr/ Thiele ~s survived by
~ife, Delia A. Thiele.
ALO ALTO TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1947
i ditor at Int.. by EVC
Many old-timers hereabouts were moved to
reminiscence by the news of Frank C. Thiele’s
death July 27. To pioneer residents of Polo Alto
’and particularly to Stanford students of early
days, the passing of "the Baron" was more than
an item in the obituary column.
Lee Emerson Bassett, emeritus professor of
English at Stanford, was among those who knew
him welt and speak of him with affection. He
can’t explain why the baronial title was given
Mm. but guesses "it was a friendly term, and
fitting, carrying an implication of f,amily rank
somewhere back in the dhn past, about which
he was strangely reticent."
"In the nearly 50 years I knew him I was
never able to learn much about his forebears or
early environment, but I did come to know the
man and know him well," Mr. Bassett recalls.
"As I think of him, two notable and admirable
characteristics, among others, stand out clearly,
These were his good will and generosity, and
his loyalty to the principles and privileges of
democratic America.
--: "Students soon learned that ’the Baron’
was not only a good tailor but a peerless and
generous frieud. A student without cash or a
needed suit of clothes got the clothes. The
cash could wait."...
Uncollected bills on "Baron" Thiele’s books
when he retired must have run into the thou-
sands, friends have said.
There were loans as well as credits.
"If one needed money in an emergency," Pro-
fessor Bassett continfies, "he got it from ’the
Baron’ without note or collateral. Registration
’ at Stanford was collateral enough for him. He
wa~ equally ready and generous in contributing
to all sorts of student projects and activities, and
in nanking loans to organiza.tibns ,in need of
funds. He liked to share the privileges he enjoyed
as a citizen of free America.
~ "To -l~im America "was a land of opportun-
ity where, as he said, he was ’born a citizen
with pants on.’ He was pr.oud of his citizenship
and jealous of his independence and free-
dom. o . o
"Born in Bohemia in 1861, orphaned at an
early age and thrown on his own--and only--
resources of intelligence, ambition, self-reliance,
sense of humor, and s~erling character,~he grad-
unfed Zrom the University of Prague and then
came to America.
"He arrived in New York in his 26th year with-
out money or friends. Eventually he made his
w.ay to San Francisco, arriving at the time of
the Califo’rnia Midwinter International Exposi-
tion of 1894. Two years later h~ came to Polo
Alto.
"He opened a tailor shop at University Ave.
and Emerson St. -- they were just dirt roads
then -- and soon established a thriving business
and a reputation for personal integrity, business
ability, honest work and square dealing. Nev2r a
speculator, nor miserly in his dealings, it w~s by
dint of industry, honest, and strict attention
to. business that he wa~ able to retire at 60
boasting of ’never having borrowed a dollar from
any man’ and owing no man. He had an
~ractive home in Crescent Park and a compe-
tence to meet the needs of long years of quiet
retirement, shared by ’the best wife a man could
have.’"
~ Professor Bassett believes that this rec-
ord stands *’as the example of what loyalty to
the principles and privileges of democratic
the late Frank C. Thie!e .and
i]ong-time Paio Alto resident,died of a heart attack yesterday
=’afternoon in her home at 1405
University Ave. Although she
had been in poor health ~or some
time, ’ her passing came as
shock to friends.
:Mrs. Thiele, a native 0f Mich-
igan, came to Polo Aft0 42 years
ago as a young bride. Her hus-
~ band, who died a year ago/ was
~ well known among early-day
]Stanford students as "The~,Baron." He operated a tailor
~ shod in Polo Alto from 1896 un-
]~il it was destros[ed ~ #he._l£O6
earthquak&~-~" ~&~ l{~oved his
~ business to San Fra.ncis¢o.
Mrs. Thiele and her. hus~-dwere actively ~nt~rested ~n aid-
ing S~anford students, and
promoting the-]velfare of ~he
community. Many students kept
in touch with ~hem after ]eav~ng[the university.
~ They lived for many years at
~ 1247 .Cowper St., until Kathleen
~ and the ]ate Charles- Norris
~bought ~he property ~n 192L
~Later the University Ave. home
: was built.
The spirit of. aiding others
Efforts. are being made by rel-
atives Of Mrs. Dale.A. Thiete, whodied in Pal0 Alto in August,. to
set aside her will bequeathing
her entire.estate of $36,000 to~ a
Mountain View cou~e, Mr. andMrs; Robert O. Mail’ly.
Five nieces-and nephews of the
V7-year-old ~ddow, filed contest
yesterday in ~uperior court, San
ffose, .charging that Mrs. Thiele
was of unsound mind When she
executed the Will and further,
that she was under the influefice
of the Mail]ys, who, they allege,
acted-as her confidant, wrote al!her checks, managed a!l her ~f-
~airs, and prevented her ~rom
replyiffg to their corresnondence.
The contestants are~Bruce P.
Fowler of Trenton, N.5.,; E!ls-
worth and Gordon Beaume, a~dOliviaM. Bill of Michigan; and
Henry Reaume of L ’ "~
Colo.afaye~e,
A~tachment B
Photographs of 451-453 Addison Avenue
Prepared by Staff
451-453 Addison
Front Facade Vent
451-453 Addison
Left Elevation
451-453 Addison
Left Elevation
451-453 Addison
Right Elevation
451-453 Addison
Rear Enclosed Porch
Attachment C
3O0 PALO ALTO COM~{UNITY BOOK
Radio Engineering Department, and Muriel, the wife of Michael Darling,
who resides on the Empire Ranch in Nevada.
Gustav Laumeister
One of the oldest residents of Palo Alto, and a most highly revered
pioneer citizen, is Gustav Laumeister who put up the flags for the original
auction sale of lots in Palo Alto in February, 1889, and he has been here
almost c0ntinu~usly for the past sixty-three years, having been an important
factor in the upbuilding of the community.
Mr. Laumeister was born in Mission San Jose on Januar3, 27, 1865, the
son of John A. and Frederica Christina Laumeister. He attended the Mission
San Jose school and the old Washington College at Irvington, which was a
particularly .well known institution of his day. His father desired r.hat he
enter the University of California but instead he began .work in_ the building
trade in Alameda. ....
For several years Mr. Laumeister was with the Pacific Improvement
Company, and he also worked on buildings on Senator Stanford’s Stock
farm and the University. While still a young man he entered in the building
business with John McBain in Menlo Park, but he early commenced building
operations-in Palo Alto on his own, and became the leading contractor in
Palo Alto of his day. In addition to erecting numerous homes in this area,
he also built many of the original business structures and other institutions,
including the Nevada Building, the Castilleia School buildings and he erected
the first hospital here.
Mr. Laumeister was for. years one of Palo Alto’s most prominent real
estate developers. He gpent many years developing his real estate holdings,
as well as the large acreage of his second wife. He added several subdivisions
to the cit3,, including South Court and South Court Addition. He sold the
land on which Leland Manor is located to Palo Alto Properties, Inc. for
development.
-In addition to his real estate and building operations in Palo Alto,
Mr: Laumeister erected many homes in Carmel, where he still spends a
considerable portion of his time. He owned a home there for many years.
!Cir. Laumeister married (first) Miss Emma Loveland, formerly of Menlo
Park, who is deceased. One daughter was born of this union, Emma, the
widow of. Ernest Hackell of New York, who was an internationally known
artist. There are two grandchildren: Ernest Haskell, Jr., and Josephine, the
wife of Edward Seward Stevens, and three great gtandchildren: Edward S.
Stevens,-Jr., Diana Stevens, and Karen Stevens.
It; 1909, Mr. Laumeister married (second) Miss Mabel Seale, who passed
away in 1946. She was the daughter of Thomas Seale, who at one time owned
practically all of the land on which Palo Alto now stands. The portion of
his land north of Embarcadero road was sold to Timothy Hop "k.inS who founded
University Park, the original name of what is now Palo Alto.
BIOGRAPHICAL 301
Mr. Laumeister, until very .recently, maintained membership in the
Menlo Country Club and the Monterey Peninsula Countty Club. He still
is a member of the Commonweahh Club of San Francisco, the Native Sons
of the Golden West, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He
holds a life membership with-the Masons.
Although now well beyond the allotted three score and ten, Mr. Lau-
meister is well able to enjoy life with his daughter at his residence on Wash-
ington Avenue. He still takes great interest in following the development
of Palo Alto and finds his principal pleasure in seeing his friends and motoring.
George Fowler Morel]
George Fowler Morell,. president and majority, owner of Peninsula
Newspapers Incorporated, which publishes the daily Palo Alto Times, Red-
wood CitT Tribune and Burlingame Advance and a number of weekly papers,
has made Palo Alto his home most of the years since 1904.
He was born at Fiddler’s Green, South Amherst, Massachusetts, Sep-
tember 24, 1886, the son of John Fowler Morell and Alice Goodrich Morell.
His father, born at Lenox, Massachusetts, in 1837, was .principal of the
Lenox Academy and the editor of the Berkshire Gleaner. Both activities were
supplemented by his life-long occupation as a farmer. "
The Morell family, of Huguenot ancestry, fled from France to Ger-
many to escape religious persecution following the massacre of St. Bartholo-
mew. In 1784 the family emigrated to America for the same reason, and
ultimately serried in Lenox. There the i:amily home, a hill farm, was main-
tained for more than a..hundre8 years. Mr. Moreli’s paternal grandfather
served in the war of 1812 and his great-gran~lfather in the Revolution.
Mrs. Alice Morell, a resident of Palo Alto from 1904 until her death
in 1942, was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1854. Her family, of
Welsh ancestty, came to America in 1630, serding in the lower Connecticut
Valley where they were active in the pioneer life of the colonies, taking part
in a number of military expeditions against the indians before and during
the French and Indian Wars. Both of her grandfathers served in the Conti-
nental Army during the Revolution.
George Morell received his early schooiing in South Amherst. The
family moved in 1899 to Flushing, Long Island, where he graduated from
high school in 1904. That same year, Mr. Morell came to Palo Aho and
entered Stanford University, where he took a pre-legal course intermittently
for six years. He paid his way during this period by working chiefly with pick
and shovel, but also variously as a teamster, ranch hand, placer miner, seaman,
chau~eur, sawmill hand and advertising solicitor.
Shortly after leaving Stanford in 1910, Mr. Morell became advertising
manager Of the Cooperative Land Company which was developing coloniza-
tion. piojects in the San Joaquin Valley. Two years later he became manager
GUSTAV LAUMEISTER
Address
30] Addison
737 Bo’ant
l 100 Bryant
13 ] 0 Bryanit
235 Embarcadero
] 035 Emerson
] ] 01 Emerson
1111 Emerson
1129 Emerson
221 Kingsley
430 Kingsley
308 Lincoln
318 Lincoln
365 Lincoln
401 Lowell
1001 Ramona
1103 Ramona
1115 Ramona
1139 Ramona
851 UniversiU~
950 University
970 University
HISTORICIN¥~NTORY HO~fES
BU~,T BY
GUSTA¥ LAUMEISTER
Construction Date
1901
1903
1902
1910
1906
1904
1903
1903
1908
1902
1902
1902
1901
1903
1908
1908
190i
1903
.90~
1903
1908
1909
Cate~oor~, Number
3
4
4
3
2
3
4
4
2
3
3
4
2
4
3
3
2
2
4
4
2
COWPER
1t
Attachment D
Sanborn Map
1901
1i
/1
WAVERLY
Ii
/1
Sanborn Map
1904
i L
Ix
I
Sanborn Map
1908
Sanborn Map
1924
11
il
ill
1
I
23
Sanborn Map
1949
i
Sanborn Map
1962
451 - 453 Addison Avenue
I I
Attachment F
451-453 Addison
Garage
451-453 Addison
Garage
451-453 Addison
Garage Doorknob
451-453 Addison
Garage
IIIII
III
I
IIIIII
449 Addison Avenue
Attachment G
II
II1
IIII
I IIIIIII
IIII.I I II I
IIIIIIII
449 Addison Avenue
.<
Attachment H
449 Addison
Front Fa,cade
449 Addison
Rear Elevation