3 Bedroom English Cotswold Design home in Altadena.

In 1932, a Cal Tech professor who dabbled in inventions on the side, including the ball-point pen and soft-frozen yogurt, was finally able to build his dream house -- an English Cotswold design culled from his memory of a trip through the highlands northwest of London. The Cotswold region is similar to the foothills of Altadena and Professor Arthur replicated the look and the area with his two-story manor house of slump stone and weeping mortar joints, complete with high pitched state roof, copper gutters and downspouts, and casement windows.

While the house was still being built, the Long Beach earthquake hit, and although the house did not sustain any damage, the Professor was convinced that extra structural strapping would be beneficial during future temblors. This is why the house has foundation bolts, reinforcement rods, and chimney struts, even though this would not be standard building practice for another twenty years. And yet, these are only a few of the unique features of the construction of this special house. Nowhere is there any evidence that this house had once been wired in the antiquated system called "knob and tube", where the walls of your house mimic the inside of a toaster. Instead the Professor utilized electrical metallic tubing or EMT, which was not readily available, rendering the Catherine property state-of-the-art. Another of his innovations was the development of porcelain air-locked "pebbles" for the grout which filled the slump stone blocks, creating an insulating effect which keeps the first floor temperate year-round. Still another curious aspect of the house is the odd measurements of the windows, until you realize the are in metric units. It seems that Professor Arthur was convinced even in 1932, that the world adopt a universal scheme of measurement -- the metric system. It is for this reason that in the late 80's and early 90's when the current owners undertook replacing those hideous slatted windows, all the replacement sash had to be custom-fitted. Another interesting discovery during that renovation period occurred while installing a full security/fire alarm system. The installers were surprised to find no open soil underneath the house. The entire substructure is encased in concrete, which not only added structural stability, but also eliminated any possibility of radon emissions. (The system installers were able to navigate under the house via a car mechanics dolly.) Yes, the good Professor was indeed mindful of the future. Evidence of that Latin phrase, non in cautus futuri, exists all over the house, but you can only read one phrase, "ignus deorum maximum donum" or  "fire (is) the greatest gift of the gods" on the lintel of the outdoor fireplace. This was inscribed by the Professor's daughter, who was taking Latin in middle school at the time. (You can also witness her hand print in the back porch stoop.)

Alas, the Professor ran out of money before the interior of the second story could be undertaken. That task fell upon the family who lived there during the 50's and 60's, and second floor bore that evidence of that style-challenged era. All vestige of these "improvements" were removed during our major remodel of the 80's and 90's. Gone are the slatted windows, pink Formica, hollow-core doors, and acoustic tile ceilings: replaced with bull nose casings, wide base-boards, carved-panel doors, casement windows, and vintage hardware and lighting fixtures.

A commercial actor, an associate director of "Days of Our Lives", a local TV news reporter, relatives of a famous hotelier, a PBS producer, and an eccentric inventor -- all were residents at one time of this truly unique piece of architecture.

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Interior Features

3 bedrooms
Formal Living Room
Formal Dinning Room
Central Heating and air conditioning
Two fireplaces
Security/Fire Alarm System
Crown Molding in Living and Dinning Rooms
Sun Porch
1930's lighting throughout
Hardwood Maple Flooring
Original Metal Casement Windows
Custom Built in Cabinetry
2293 sq. ft. (per assessor)
 

Exterior Features

Spa
Exterior Fireplace
Fountain
Custom Landscaping
Oversized detached two car garage
Original Slate Roofing
Large patio area for entertaining
8052 sq. ft. lot (per assessor)

Click on the following pictures for larger images.

Kitchen	Kitchen	Dinning Room
Stairs	Living Room	Family Room
Reading Area	Bedroom	Bedroom
Bathroom	Outside Fireplace	Fountain