§ 16.52.240. The Moore House.

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 2.63 and with the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the City Council designates the following building as an historical landmark in the City: The Moore House.

A.

Location, Description and Reasons for Designation. Located at 5551 La Pasada, this single-family residence was designed by architect Richard J. Neutra. The six (6) room, one-story house of wood frame and stucco construction was built in 1952-53 for the Bethuel Moore family. It is a complement to the neighboring home at 5561 La Pasada, and was designed this way by the architect for the purpose of presenting an integrated architectural appearance. Building regulations dictated the use of pitched roofs. The pitch is low and the materials are cedar wood shingles with redwood eaves. The redwood used in the garage door and inconspicuous side "front" door and as a structural definition under the cave in the front of the house contrasts beautifully with the smooth white stucco of the house. High banded windows and movable glass wall sections are significant features of the house. The private front patio and garden become a part of the interior of the house when the glass walls are slid open. This sharing of interior-exterior space is a special part of Mr. Neutra's designs. The front, redwood loggia covers the walkway to 5551 as well as 5561 La Pasada and seems to be a part of the two (2) houses.

Doris and Bethuel Moore moved into the residence in June 1953. Bethuel, in his 40's, was a successful portrait painter and the den was designed as his studio. Doris was the owner of a seamstress shop and the originator of the Hang 10 insignia that graces millions of dollars of surfing and casual wear. Their daughter, Diane, was nine (9) years old. The construction costs were twenty-seven thousand dollars ($27,000.00) plus a ten percent (10%) architect's fee. In 1968, following the death of Mr. Moore by a heart attack, the home was purchased for fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) by Dr. Evelyn Blackman, a sociology professor at California State University, Long Beach. The home was sold in 1971 to Terry and Janice Atzen for fifty-two thousand dollars ($52,000.00). Terry, a stockbroker in his 30's, and Janice, a public relations Director, were the parents of Jennifer, 7, and Jonathan, 5. The den was then used as a third bedroom with bifold doors added. In 1981, the house was refurbished. With the exception of the peninsula counter dividing the kitchen from the living room, there were no significant architectural changes.

The bathrooms were updated and some contemporary light fixtures installed. The glass in the living room sliding doors was replaced with gray glass and the tracks refitted. In the kitchen, the painted wood cupboards were refitted with new doors of veneered koa wood to match the original oven and portable bar. The twin residences are pictured or written about in several books on Neutra. They are Richard Neutra: Building and Projects, 1959, edited by W. Boesinger; Richard Neutra, by Rupert Spade; and Richard Neutra and the Search for Modern Architecture, by Thomas S. Hines.

B.

General Guidelines and Standards for any Changes. The "Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings" prepared by the Secretary of the Interior (February 1978), as amended, are incorporated by reference, and the following additional guidelines and standards as recommended by the Cultural Heritage Committee are adopted:

Any alterations, modifications, or repair of the Moore House shall be done so in keeping with its historic character.

No environmental changes that deviate from the approved rehabilitation plan shall be allowed unless a certificate of appropriateness has been applied for and approved by the Cultural Heritage Committee or by the City Planning Commission upon appeal, authorizing such environmental changes.

(Ord. C-6206 § 2, 1985)