Design + Build
Madison Heights House,
Pasadena
This Home was originally acquired as the architect's personal home and was in the incredible neighborhood of Madison Heights. Located in the residential area of the City of Pasadena bordering California Boulevard, Madison Heights has a real sense of community. This neighborhood is comprised of period homes with many of them showcasing their individual architectural styles. From Mission to Victorian and from Spanish to Craftsman its a neighborhood of some truly great examples of period residential architecture for which the City of Pasadena is known for.
This home is a California bungalow which originally had incredible untapped potential to become the home it is today. The design and planning took almost two years and the construction another year after that. The goal was to take stock in the qualities of the original house and to develop the best of the California bungalow style with its great proportions, simple yet elegant detailing and warm use of materials. It was a goal to develop it into a new classic.
A second floor was added and great care was taken to emulate the best of the original detailing and materials. Handmade Doug Fir windows & doors with leaded glass and period hardware defined the fenestration. The shingles were individually cut from Northern California old growth redwood stumps that were cut and sized for the house. The shingles were then shipped to northern Washington to be kiln dried, and finally installed throughout the home and stained with the same formula from Cabot stains used on the original Greene & Greene Homes.
The home was designed with mahogany detailing throughout the eves of the exterior and welded copper detailing for the chimney. Great care was taken with the interiors as well, with real plaster walls, limestone baths and marble counters and floors in the kitchen. Period lighting and quarter sawn oak flooring helped to finish the detailing of a dedicated remodel to honor the California bungalow architecture, a style that allows for countless design solutions giving the opportunity for this sincere example of authentically American architecture.