“Petit Château” in West Pasadena to be Considered for Landmark Status

A turreted 1926 French Norman estate with a touch of Disneyland feel is one of three homes going before the Pasadena City Council on Monday seeking Landmark status.

The Pasadena City Council on Monday will discuss a recommendation by the Department of Planning and Community Development to designate the residence located at 701 W. Holly Street as a landmark because it embodies the distinctive characteristics of the French Norman architectural style and represents the work of a locally significant architectural firm. 

The current property owners, who purchased the single-family residence in 2021,  submitted an application for Landmark designation of the property on June 5, following which the city started the evaluation process to find out about its qualifying features. 

In September, as a key step in the landmark designation process, the Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission recommended the designation of the property as a landmark under the Pasadena Municipal Code.

The property is situated on the north side of West Holly Street, set between Arroyo Drive and North Arroyo Boulevard, east of the Holly Street Bridge. It features an irregular plan and an asymmetrical façade that remains mostly unchanged from its original design.

A listing on real estate broker Redfin described the property as “a beautiful home in the prestigious neighborhood of Pasadena” whose original details include a Batchelder tile fireplace in the living room, arched doorways, a gracious dining room, breakfast nook and pantry, a library sitting area, and French doors that lead to a spacious patio for dining al fresco. 

The listing said there are three bedrooms, two baths on the third level and a den/office and powder room located off the entry on the first floor. The property also offered easy access to shops, local parks, the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center and the Norton Simon Museum, according to Redfin. 

The Planning Department said there are no immediate neighboring houses on either side of the property, although the surrounding neighborhood contains other single-family homes as well as multi-family residences.

The Planning Department said the building, dating back to 1926, displays the distinctive features of the French Norman style, including a central conical tower, stucco cladding, half-timbering, and wooden balcony, among other elements. Notably, the property has not undergone major exterior alterations since its construction, preserving its historical integrity.

Postle & Postle, the father-and-son architectural firm that designed the house, was renowned in Pasadena in the 1920s. The firm specialized in various architectural styles and contributed significantly to the architectural landscape of Pasadena. 

According to the Planning Department report, David Postle, Sr. began his architecture career in Chicago in the 1860s and moved to the Los Angeles area in the 1920s before partnering with his son, David Postle, Jr. Together, they were a successful design and contracting firm that worked to meet the demand for luxury housing by the region’s elite and wealthy.

The report said the company specialized in interpreting and applying popular styles of the time, including Chateauesque, Beaux Arts, Spanish Colonial, Tudor Revival, Mission Revival, and Regency. Together, the firm designed numerous property commissions throughout Pasadena and the larger Los Angeles area, many of which have been designated as historic resources. 

In Pasadena, commissions from the firm include 529 S. El Molino Ave., 545 S. Euclid Ave., 141 N. Grand Ave., and 1133 N. Marengo Ave., the Planning Department said in the report.

The report also said the property’s character-defining features include its being a three-story configuration with attached garage, asymmetrical stepped back massing, a central conical tower with recessed entry, stucco cladding, half-timbering, single and double punched window openings with wood multi-light windows, a front-facing second story projecting balcony with French doors, original arched wood garage doors, and a steeply pitched hipped roof form. 

The other two homes are at 656 South Oak Knoll Avenue and 627 North Euclid Avenue.