Much ado about a house

Jennifer Kho

The white, two-story house stands on a corner at TeWinkle Park in

Costa Mesa.

It is made of redwood and has a multi-planed roof line, a gable roof

with exposed rafters, wood siding and a porch.

Boards cover what used to be leaded windows with panes set in designs.

Its name is the Huscroft House.

But while city officials seem to agree that the house is a good

example of the Craftsman-style of architecture, popular in the 1910s and

1920s, they have different opinions about whether the house is historical

enough to be worth saving.

Councilwoman Linda Dixon and Cultural Arts and Historic Resources

Committee Vice Chairwoman Kristen Petros said they think the house is an

important part of Costa Mesa history.

“The past is getting rapidly demolished, and here’s our chance to save

a piece of it right here,” Petros said Wednesday. “It’s a rare event when

a building that is part of our heritage gets donated to the city. A lot

of people don’t think this is important because it doesn’t look like [a

Victorian house]. But we didn’t have that kind of history. This is part

of our past, and it’s important for adults and children to see what our

past looked like.”

Councilman Gary Monahan said he doesn’t believe the house, which was

built in 1915 in Santa Ana and moved to Costa Mesa in 1954, is really

part of Costa Mesa history.

“The house has no bearing on Costa Mesa, and to preserve the house

costs a tremendous amount of taxpayer dollars that we can use for much

more important projects, such as improving our streets, etc.,” Monahan

said. “The process of moving and storing the Huscroft House is going to

cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it’s not worth it. It’s a

complete waste of taxpayers’ money. It’s infested with fleas, it has got

rats, and we could build a replica for a lot less money than it’s going

to cost to restore it. The house is just falling apart.”

The City Council in December unanimously approved the restoration of

Huscroft House -- which was donated by Eric Cernich, a developer and

Costa Mesa resident, who bought it from the Huscroft family -- for use as

part of a cultural museum at Fairview Park, but in February voted to have

a public hearing to determine if it’s worth the cost.

Moving the house to Fairview Park is expected to cost the city

$137,707. In 1998, the city paid about $54,000 to move the house from

2529 Santa Ana Ave. to TeWinkle Park.

At a council meeting scheduled for Monday, city staff are expected to

have an estimate of the cost of restoring the house.

Removing lead-based paint and asbestos, as well as taking care of

structural problems, termite damage and flea and rodent infestation,

could significantly add to the cost, Monahan said.

Dixon said the cost of restoring the house could be defrayed by making

the restoration a community project and using volunteers, particularly

carpenters, electricians, roofers, architects and gardeners, as well as

collecting donations for building supplies.

“It’s an early [Craftsman-style] house, and there aren’t a lot of

these in Costa Mesa,” she said. “Costa Mesa doesn’t have a lot of old

structures. . . . We’re not so old, so this is really a part of our

history. This is not something we’re trying to get on the National

Register, so it won’t be as costly. It doesn’t have to be all original.

There are lots of ways we could make this a really fun house.”

The city committee will have a meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at

the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., to discuss the house,

plans for restoration and plans for the development of a historical

village at Fairview Park.

The council is scheduled to discuss the future of the house at 6:30

p.m. Monday at Costa Mesa City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.