Rescued Craftsman house holds lots of treasured surprises
By Emily Young
When Wendy Harn rescued a 1913 Craftsman from the wrecking ball in 1989, she didn’t know much about the
Twenty years and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, Harn, a Long Beach native and assistant director in charge of crime analysis at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and her partner, Sasha Witte, are nearing the end of a painstaking renovation that makes the house radiate with new vitality. Here, Witte descends the entry staircase with a scroll-like banister — one of the elements that first attracted Harn to the house. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
In 1990, after months of preparation, the house embarked on the journey east via Junipero Avenue, 1st Street and Coronado Avenue in Long Beach. Instead of cutting the house in half, as one city official had recommended, Harn paid to have trees pruned, street lamps swung aside and cable television lines raised along the route. “I remember it was misting,” Harn says of the operation, which lasted from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. “But people were out in their robes to watch the house go by.”
The house moved only nine-tenths of a mile, but it was the start of a long, strange trip through the curious history of a structure that’s been home to, at various times, pillars of the community, frat boys and yoga enthusiasts. “It was a gem in the rough,” says Harn.
And now?
“The cold, cavernous space has been transformed into something warm and cozy,” Witte says. “We tried to honor what was here, but we’ve taken a little license to make it work for today.” (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
“Since 1913, it’s had many different lives,” Harn says. “The kitchen was remodeled in the ‘70s. The windows were covered with plywood. Wainscoting was plastered over. All the bookcases and cabinetry were painted white.”
Renovations began in 2006 and have been punctuated by surprises. Stripping woodwork uncovered handsome quarter-sawn white oak trim around doors and windows. Removing plaster revealed matching oak wainscoting. Even more rewarding was the discovery of the pair of stained-glass windows that had been boarded up above the living room fireplace and the glazed ceramic tiles that had been concealed under paint over the dining room buffet. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
Stained glass — once boarded up — has been uncovered and showcased. “We wanted to keep as much of what was here – the original DNA – in the house as possible,” Witte says. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
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The dining area off the living room. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
A light-filled sitting room faces out to the frontyard. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
While restoring the house, Harn and Witte collected tantalizing tidbits about the home’s past. Official documents were lost in a city fire, but the couple have been told that Cal State
Here in the dining room, original tile has been preserved. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
The grand staircase remains at the heart of the home.
In October, Harn and Witte learned of their home’s origins from Helena Segelhorst, a preservationist friend and founding member of the Bluff Park Neighborhood Assn. A 1915
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The master bedroom. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
The refinished master bathroom. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
The guest bathroom. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
Harn, left, and Witte in the sunroom of their restored Craftsman. Glass doors for the room were discovered stored away in the basement. The couple spent about $300,000 to replumb, rewire, repaint and refinish the interiors and reinforce part of the second floor. Still on their to-do list: revamping the kitchen, sprucing the garden and adding air conditioning, among other things. As much as they’d like to finish by the home’s centennial, they’re more concerned about getting things right.
“I feel like we’re preparing the house for the next hundred years,” Harn says. “The more work we do, the more bonded I feel to it. This home has always felt happy. It loves you back.”
To see inside more Southern California homes — Craftmans, moderns and more — click to our Homes of The Times gallery. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)
