Crafting history in Costa Mesa

The peripatetic Huscroft House, once a TeWinkle Park eyesore, has finally found an owner to give it the care it deserves. Soon it may be for sale.John Morehart is nearly finished putting the craft back into a Craftsman-style house that was on the brink of destruction just two years ago.

After moving the Huscroft House to property he owns on Bernard Street in 2003, Morehart is within weeks of finishing renovations. But even with its beautiful old look, the future of the historic building is uncertain.

The Huscroft House has come a long way -- literally. It may have been built as early as 1903, possibly in Santa Ana. What’s known for sure is that it was moved to Costa Mesa in the early 1950s, Morehart said.

The Huscroft family sold the house to developer Eric Cernich, who then donated it to the city in the 1990s. It was moved to TeWinkle Park in 1998 and sat there, essentially on blocks, until 2003 while the city tried to decide what to do with it.

Officials were unsuccessful at selling the house and were about ready to consign it to the bulldozers when Morehart agreed to take it off the city’s hands.

Moving the house to Bernard Street was just the beginning of a monumental task. The roof had been torn off the house when it was moved, and the inside was a shambles after serving as a “shooting gallery” for drug users at TeWinkle Park.

Faced with such deterioration, Morehart had next to nothing to guide him on the original look of the house, inside or out. He admits he guessed and made things up, cribbing heavily from Greene and Greene, California architects who built Pasadena’s landmark Gamble House.

“We just tried to bring back some of the elegance that could have been in this house at one time,” Morehart said.

It took almost a year to strip the house and prepare it for paint. Morehart had the plumbing and electrical wiring replaced, he replastered everything, and he installed the extras -- a tiled fireplace and leaded-glass cabinet doors with a flower motif.

He’s even building a low brick wall that will contain a small pond at the front of the property and adding a porte-cochere at the side.

Today the Huscroft house looks fabulous, but the question of what comes next is hard to answer.

The Costa Mesa Historical Society wasn’t interested in the house because it wasn’t big enough and didn’t have a vault for document storage.

Besides that, it has less historical value because no important people or incidents are connected with it, and it wasn’t even built here.

“I think it’s a wonderful example of architecture of that period,” said Costa Mesa historian Hank Panian, but that’s really its only selling point.

Since the house has no historical connection to Costa Mesa, there’s less incentive for someone to invest in it.

“It’s tough because it’s not just the purchase, the obtaining of a historical building, but there’s also the long-term problem of maintaining it,” Panian said.

And it’s been quite an investment for Morehart -- far larger than he anticipated, though he doesn’t yet know the final tally.

“I’ve never sat down and figured it out, and I wouldn’t want to,” Morehart said. “It takes a tremendous amount of effort and time to make a project like this happen.”

He does know he’s spent more than the $400,000 to $500,000 he once expected the house to fetch.

He plans to sell the house. But he’s not sure who will buy it.

“I would love to see the community or nonprofits take an interest in it,” he said. But ultimately the high cost may mean it will become a private residence.

While the house is nearly complete, Morehart has more work ahead. When he moved the house, the city made him promise to renovate an adjacent single-family home and duplex he also owns. That work hasn’t yet begun.

Perhaps because of all the obstacles to the Huscroft House’s preservation, Morehart now wants to make it easier for other people to save old buildings. He plans to urge the council to adopt the Mills Act, a 1972 state law that lets local governments cut property taxes for owners who pledge to preserve historic properties.

Morehart credits the City Council, specifically Councilwoman Linda Dixon and Councilman Gary Monahan, for providing invaluable assistance -- the city shelled out part of the cost to move the house to Bernard Street, and the council waived some permit fees and let Morehart subdivide the lot.

“Without their cooperation, this house wouldn’t exist,” Morehart said.

Monahan said over the years he’s worked with many property owners like Morehart to help them fulfill their dreams.

“I just think John’s put several years of his life and sweat and stress into this house, and I’m just happy that it’s finally coming to a positive finish for him,” Monahan said.20051121iq9qm4kn(LA)Owner John Morehart displays original redwood pickets that lined the porch. The bathtub, right, is the only piece of original plumbing that will be retained. 20051121iq9qmzknNo Caption20051121iq9qlfknPHOTOS BY KENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)The historic Huscroft House on Bernard Street has undergone an extreme makeover in the past couple of years. In the foreground is a photograph of the house as it appeared when it sat boarded up and abandoned at TeWinkle Park. 20051121iq9qnbknKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)20051121iq9qmlkn(LA)Leaded-glass windows have been reinstalled as part of the renovation of the Huscroft House in Costa Mesa. Below, a 1953 Squirt soft-drink sticker remains on a door as renovations continue.