HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07a - Designate Brod House as Historical Landmark at 1203 Oakwood Drive
DATE: December 17, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jason Kruckeberg, Assistant City Manager/Development Services Director
Lisa L. Flores, Deputy Development Services Director
By: Edwin Arreola, Senior Planner
SUBJECT: REVIEW OF HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. HL 24-01 TO DESIGNATE
THE EARLE L. AND MADY G. BROD HOUSE DESIGNED BY THE
MASTER ARCHITECT RICHARD NEUTRA AS A HISTORICAL
LANDMARK AT 1203 OAKWOOD DRIVE
CEQA: Exempt
Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 7605 approving the Brod
House as a Historical Landmark
SUMMARY
The Applicant and Property Owner, Chris Karlen, is requesting that the City Council
approve Historical Landmark No. HL 24-01 and designate the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod
House (“Brod House”), designed by notable Master Architect Richard Neutra, as a
historical landmark at the local level. The Planning Commission, acting as the City’s
Historic Landmark Commission, reviewed the application and unanimously
recommended approval. It is recommended that the City Council find this landmark
designation categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act
(“CEQA”) and adopt Resolution No. 7605 (Attachment No. 1) approving the Brod House
as a historical landmark.
BACKGROUND
The Applicant and Property Owner, Chris Karlen, is requesting that the City Council
designate the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod House at 1203 Oakwood Drive (“Brod House”)
as Historical Landmark No. HL 24-01.
In 2019, the City Council adopted a Historic Preservation Ordinance to allow for the
designation and preservation of historic resources if the building, structure, or object
meets the eligibility criteria to associate the historic resource with local significant events,
persons, design, or history. In 2022, the City Council designated the Arcadia Woman’s
Club as the City’s first local historical landmark. This subject property is the second
application for historic designation the City has received.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 2 of 12
The Brod House is located on an 18,988 square foot corner lot located at the northwest
corner of Oakwood Drive and E. Sycamore Avenue in the Highlands Homeowners’
Association – refer to Figure 1 below and Attachment No. 2 for an aerial photo and zoning
information. The site has a 2,113 square foot single-story Mid-Century Modern house,
with an attached two-car garage that was designed in 1948 and completed in 1949. Many
of the homes within the Highlands Homeowners’ Association were predominantly
designed as single-story, Ranch style homes on large lots starting in the 1920’s. Following
World War II and the subdivision of additional lots in the area, the Brod House was
constructed as one of the few examples of Mid-Century Modern style homes in this area.
The site has decorative landscaping and mature trees, including two oak trees in the rear
yard, a screened garden room, and a swimming pool around the northeast corner of the
house.
Figure 1 – Aerial of Subject Site – 1203 Oakwood Drive
DISCUSSION
As part of the City’s historical landmark process, the house was evaluated by a
professional historical architect, Dr. Barbara Lamprecht from Modern Resources, who
specializes in Modern architecture – refer to the Historical Evaluation under Attachment
No. 3. Dr. Lamprecht noted that the Brod House was designed by Master Architect,
Richard Neutra, an Austrian-born architect that was considered one of the most influential
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Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 3 of 12
architects of the 20th Century. Neutra’s works are considered master examples of Mid-
Century Modern architecture and typically incorporate designs that feature traditional
Modern elements such as flat roofs, long, horizontal profiles, post-and-beam construction,
casement windows, and glass walls that connect the interior and exterior settings.
In terms of the architectural design, the Brod House is a single-story, T-shaped house
with a flat roof, white smooth stucco walls, wood paneling, and glass windows along the
exterior elevations, which provide details on the home that exemplify the characteristics
of the Mid-Century Modern architectural style. The house has rows of windows, using
floor-to-ceiling glass windows and sliding doors, which is one of Neutra’s architectural
designs that is renowned for its emphasis on connecting the interior spaces to outdoor
landscapes.
In addition to exemplifying the distinct characteristics of the Mid-Century Modern
architectural style, the Brod House includes several of Neutra’s character-defining details,
which include:
• Metal-capped white stucco walls that project above the roof line, such as on the
front/south elevation shown below in Figure 2, to help break up the flat roof and
provide alternating heights throughout the design of the home.
Figure 2 – Metal-capped stucco wall on the southeast corner of the house
• A gutter made of crimped metal fascia and painted in “Neutra Brown,” a dark brown
shade typically used by Neutra. This is a rare trademark of his, and the fascia
material is no longer replaceable. The material is shown below in Figure 3 along
the roofline.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 4 of 12
Figure 3 – The north elevation of the home that faces the swimming pool
• Neutra’s signature trademark, a “spider leg” extending out from the front porch,
which is a beam that extends out from the roof and is supported by a vertical beam
and creates a perception of expansiveness for the home. See Figure 4 below.
Figure 4 – The spider leg feature at the front entry of the home
• “Factorlite” glass, which is a translucent glass that is obscured on certain windows
of the home to provide privacy. Many of Neutra’s homes have had this glass
replaced. It is shown below in Figure 5.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 5 of 12
Figure 5 – The front elevation of the home. The “Factorlite” glass is the obscured
glass on the 3 windowpanes furthest right.
• Wood planking on the exterior walls and flush panel doors that alternate with the
glass and stucco walls typical of Neutra designs. Figure 6 below shows the
paneling along the south elevation of the house.
Figure 6 – The wood paneling along the south elevation of the house.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 6 of 12
One of Neutra’s most significant architectural design elements on the Brod House is how
he connected the indoor space with the outdoor space area. Neutra tucked a garden
room, a screened outdoor area, into one of the corners of the home and incorporated
large floor-to-ceiling glass doors along the exterior walls, which can be opened to combine
the garden room space with the interior of the home (See Figures 7 through 9 below).
Additional large, fixed windows that extend out from the garden room area of the home
along the living room and walkway to the master bedroom provide an even greater open-
type design on this portion of the house. These large expanses of glass walls are typical
on every Neutra design but are uniquely executed on the Brod House with the location of
the garden room.
Figure 7 – The garden room is shown on the right tucked into the northeast corner of the
Brod House
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 7 of 12
Figure 8 – A sliding glass door can be opened to connect the garden room to the dining
and living room
Figure 9 – Floor-to-ceiling, glass windows continue beyond the garden room to create a
more open look.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 8 of 12
The landscaping for the property was designed by local landscape architect, W. Bennett
Covert, in 1960. Although the landscape design came later, it took into account Neutra’s
Mid-Century Modern design and helped provide a sense of division between public and
private spaces, with trees and shrubs located along the front and street-side of the
property.
Earle and Mady Brod were the original owners of the residence and commissioned
Richard Neutra to design the home. The Brod’s owned the home until Mady Brod sold the
home in 1952 following the death of her husband. Marjorie Cox owned the home from
1952 to 1960; John and Grace Heiland owned the home from 1960 to 1963; and
Lawrence and Carolyn Papp owned the home from 1963 until it was sold in 2023 to the
current owner, Chris and Nedda Karlen.
Since the original construction in 1949, the property has largely remained in its original
form and undergone a few improvements to either the site or inside the house, such as a
swimming pool, perimeter walls, and modifications to the kitchen. None of these
improvements would alter the status of this potential historic resource. There have been
no alterations to the exterior elevations of the building. The following summarizes the
permit history for the property:
1948 The original building permit was issued to construct the Brod House,
which was completed in 1949.
1960 Permit issued for the swimming pool.
2006 Permit issued for a 6-foot-tall perimeter wall along the northern property
line and shared with 1211 Oakwood Drive.
2007 Permit issued to re-roof the house with a white 3-ply built up flat roof.
In addition to the above-permitted alterations, the following observed alterations were
identified:
• The original narrow-curving concrete walkway that led from the sidewalk at
Oakwood Drive to the front door, was replaced with large concrete pavers in 1960.
• The Papp family built a concrete wall with a wooden gate, which separated the
driveway and garage area from the backyard of the residence.
FINDINGS
The potential historic resource must be at least 45 years of age, unless it can be
demonstrated that the resource has achieved exceptional importance within the last 45
years (Development Code Section 9103.17.060(C)). The house was constructed in 1949
and is, therefore, 75 years old as of 2024, meeting the age requirement.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 9 of 12
In addition, in determining whether a potential historic resource should be designated as
a historic landmark, the City Council must consider, among other relevant factors, the
following designation criteria and find that the resource meets at least one of these
criteria:
1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of Arcadia's or California's history;
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local or California history;
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of
construction, or represents the work of master, or possesses high artistic values;
or
4. It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory
or history of the City or State.
Based on the historical evaluation that was prepared by Modern Resources, the house
meets Criterion 3 on the basis that the Brod House is a significant example of the Mid-
Century Modern architectural style.
Criterion 3: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or
method of construction, or represents the work of master, or possesses high
artistic values.
Facts to Support This Criteria: The Brod House is significant under this criterion
because the house embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Mid-Century Modern
architectural style, is an excellent example of a renowned architect, and possesses high
artistic values. The design of the home is completely true to the characteristics of Mid-
Century Modern architecture. While many of the surrounding homes in the
neighborhood are designed in a more traditional Ranch style, the Brod House was
ahead of its time in providing design features new to the period in which it was
constructed, and now are common architectural features seen in many homes. Today,
the house remains one of the few examples of extraordinary execution of the Mid-
Century Modern design in the City. Some of the features that embody the distinctive
characteristics of the Mid-Century Modern during this period and are present on the
design of the Brod House are:
• The flat roof and long, horizontal profile of the home.
• Post-and-beam construction.
• Use of simple modern materials such as concrete, stucco, glass, brick, and wood.
• Integration of the home with the outdoors through the use of glass and materials
that continue from the inside to the outside.
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 10 of 12
• Sliding, casement, and clerestory windows and sliding glass doors.
• Functional and thoughtful built-in furniture.
• Many paths of travel throughout the house.
Furthermore, the residence is an excellent example of Richard Neutra’s work in
retaining a high number of signature character-defining features associated with his
residential architecture in the postwar years. These include features such as walls that
project above the roof line to provide alternating heights on the home, “spider leg”
beams that are a trademark Neutra feature, “Factorlite” glass windows, and his
execution of connecting the interior space with the outdoors through the use of vast
amounts of glass. The large expanses of glass windows and doors along the northeast
corner of the house in conjunction with the garden room, which can be opened and
combined with the interior space, is the most exceptional design element of Neutra’s
work on the Brod House, and not seen on many of his other designs. It is evident that
the Brod House has not been significantly altered since it was first built, therefore,
maintaining it in Neutra’s original form and retaining its architectural integrity.
Additionally, it is the only house in Arcadia that was designed by Neutra and is one of
the best examples of his work.
In addition to the requirements listed above, an individual resource must satisfy at least
one of the following requirements:
1. It is listed on the National and/or California Register of Historic Places
The subject site is not listed on the National or California Register of Historic
Places but has been determined to be eligible for listing by the historical architect,
as the Brod House meets the criteria for listing and rises to level of state and
national historic designation. The City of Arcadia’s historic preservation
ordinance mirrors the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places and the
California Register of Historical Resources. The subject property retains all seven
aspects of integrity for consideration as a historic landmark, as defined by the
National Park Service, including location, workmanship, design, materials,
feeling, and association. As for the setting component, the house has also
retained a high degree of integrity due to the minimal changes that have been
done to it throughout its history. Many of Neutra’s other homes have been altered
in some form, making this home a rare, preserved example of Neutra’s Mid-
Century Modern work. Therefore, the subject property is an excellent candidate
for designation as a historic landmark at the local, state, and national level.
2. It is an iconic property
The Brod House is an iconic property within the City because the residence is
the only home in Arcadia designed by Richard Neutra, is an excellent example
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 11 of 12
of Mid-Century Modern architecture, and has undergone relatively few changes
in the last 75 years.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
The historical landmark application was presented to the Historic Preservation
Commission at their meeting on October 8, 2024, for consideration and recommendation
to the City Council – refer to Attachment No. 4 for the Historic Preservation Commission
Resolution No. 2156, Historic Preservation Commission Staff Report, and excerpt of the
approved minutes. The Commissioners agreed that the property meets the designation
criteria (specifically No. 3) in that the property is iconic, especially since it has been largely
unaltered, it is an excellent example of Mid-Century Modern architecture, and it is the only
home designed by Richard Neutra in Arcadia. The Historic Preservation Commission
applauded the property owner for designating this iconic house and recommended
unanimously that the City Council approve this potential historic landmark.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
It has been determined that the designation of a historic resource is categorically exempt
from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines, Section 15308, Class
8, pertaining to actions by regulatory agencies for the protection of the environment. Refer
to Attachment No. 5 for the Preliminary Exemption Assessment.
PUBLIC NOTICE/COMMENTS
A public hearing notice for this item was published in the Arcadia Weekly, and posted at
the City Clerk’s Office, City Council Chambers, the Arcadia Library, and on the City’s
website on September 26, 2024, prior to the Historic Preservation Commission meeting,
and again on November 7, 2024. It was also mailed to the property owners located within
300 feet of the subject property. As of December 12, 2024, no comments were received
related to the historical designation.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of a landmark will not have any fiscal impact on the City. However, there will be
a one-time cost for the design artwork and to produce the historic plaque. It is estimated
that the cost for the plaque will be approximately $200. The Development Services
Department has the funds to cover this cost in its current operating budget, therefore, no
additional funds are required from the General Fund.
The landmark designation of a property may have a fiscal impact through the review and
approval of a subsequent Mills Act application by the City Council, which allows for tax
abatement of the property, if a property owner were actively restoring or preserving a
historical property. A Mills Act contract between the City and property owner would be
required to be approved for a minimum of 10 years and the Los Angeles County Assessor
would annually determine the value of a Mills Act property, and the tax relief it would
Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01
December 17, 2024
Page 12 of 12
receive. No Mills Act Application has been submitted at this time; if one is filed at a later
date, it would be brought to the City Council for consideration along with a complete
package of information.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended the City Council find that the project is categorically exempt from the
California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and adopt Resolution No. 7605,
approving Historic Landmark No. HL 24-01 designating the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod
House designed by Mater Architect Richard Neutra as a historical landmark at 1203
Oakwood Drive.
Attachment No. 1: Resolution No. 7605
Attachment No. 2: Aerial Photo with Zoning Information and Photos of the Subject
Property
Attachment No. 3: Historical Evaluation of the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod House
Attachment No. 4: Historic Preservation Commission Resolution No. 2156, Excerpt of
the Historic Preservation Commission Minutes, dated October 8,
2024, and Staff Report, dated October 8, 2024 (with no attachments)
Attachment No. 5: Preliminary Exemption Assessment
Attachment No. 1
Attachment No. 1
Resolution No. 7605
Attachment No. 2
Attachment No. 2
Aerial 3KRWR with Zoning Information &
Photos of the Subject Site
Overlays
Selected parcel highlighted
Parcel location within City of Arcadia
N/A
Property Owner(s):
Lot Area (sq ft):
Year Built:
Main Structure / Unit (sq. ft.):
R-1 (12,500)
Number of Units:
VLDR
Property Characteristics
1949
2,117
1
Property Owner
Site Address:1203 OAKWOOD DR
Parcel Number: 5771-017-008
N/A
Zoning:
General Plan:
N/A
Downtown Overlay:
Downtown Parking Overlay:
Architectural Design Overlay:Yes
N/A
N/A
N/A
Residential Flex Overlay:
N/A
N/A
N/A
Yes
Special Height Overlay:
N/A
Parking Overlay:
Racetrack Event Overlay:
This map is a user generated static output from an Internet mapping site and is for
reference only. Data layers that appear on this map may or may not be accurate, current,
or otherwise reliable.
Report generated 03-Oct-2024
Page 1 of 1
Attachment No. 3
Attachment No. 3
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TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D. July 20, 2024
1
HISTORICAL CONTEXT, DESCRIPTION, and ALTERATIONS
Historical Context
The property is part of the 91-parcel Tract 4129. Surveyed by Edward M. Lynch in June 1923
(Los Angeles County Land Records, Map Book No. 75 48-49, Block 4, Lot 8), the land was
formerly part of Elias .J. “Lucky” Baldwin’s Rancho. The Arcadia Historic Context Statement
(AHCS) states that the Highlands was developed in the 1920s by the Cook Woodley Company
as a “highly exclusive community featuring large lots, picturesque views and a $10,000
minimum construction cost.”1 This is confirmed by Gordon S. Eberly in his book, Arcadia, City
of the Santa Anita, who wrote that the tract was part of the estate of Baldwin’s eldest daughter,
Clara Baldwin Stocker, who sold the tract to the company, including the whole area from
Foothill Boulevard to the mountains between Santa Anita Avenue and the Santa Anita Wash.
Ads for parcels in the began appearing in the Los Angeles Times in the late 1930s, with short
articles every Sunday marketing 100-foot by 185-foot lots for sale by the Three Cities Land
Company of Arcadia, the new owners/developers of the Highlands, marketing that continued
during the week with a three-line ad that appeared daily.2 The lots sold for $1,350 under the
text “Cream of the Southland, going fast, beautiful trees, good soil, cheap water.”3 In 1942,
the Times reported that Harold J. Bissner, Jr. (1925 – 2020), a well-known architect in Pasadena
who went on to great acclaim as a Modernist , designed two model homes that were ready for
viewing.4 By late 1942, the George Elkins Company took over ads for lots and model homes in
the Highlands, especially touting the Bissner design at 1230 Oakwood Drive. (Constructed in
1941 and across the street from the Brod House, Bissner’s informal Ranch style house is in
excellent condition.)5 Another model home, this time designed by architect Howard G. Elwell,
made its debut in 1945. A splayed U in plan, it was to be “built immediately of available
materials,” recalling the ban on materials throughout World War II. Building was slow until the
war’s end, when development took off in Southland cities, including Arcadia, fueled by
returning service personnel and the aerospace and related industries.
The Highlands represent a dramatic shift in Arcadia’s identity. In the 1920s and ’30s, the city’s
thriving poultry industry was known as the “egg basket” of Arcadia, infusing the city with
1 Architectural Resources Group (ARG), Arcadia Historic Context Statement, Jan. 11, 2016, 71
2 Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1941
3 Ibid., Nov. 30, 1941
4 Ibid., Feb. 22, 1942
5 Bissner has another important connection to Arcadia. With another distinguished Pasadena architect, Harold B.
Zook, he designed the iconic windmill and folded plate prototype for Van de Kamp’s coffee shops in 1967. Of the 13
that were built in Southern California, only Arcadia’s remains. In excellent condition thanks to the efforts of
preservationists, the windmill began rotating in 2016. It is now a Denny’s at the northeast corner of Huntington Drive
and Santa Anita Avenue. Bissner was still alive to see his design’s revival before his death four years later.
TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D. July 20, 2024
2
enough wealth to build schools, recreational facilities, and shopping centers. The multi-faceted
philanthropy of Anita Baldwin, the younger daughter of Lucky Baldwin, contributed greatly to
the city’s cultural and physical well-being.
The Pacific Southwest Trust & Savings Banks established covenants and restrictions for much
Tract 1429 on Jan. 4, 1924; these were modified and made more exclusive by the new
developers, the Three Cities Land Company, an instrument that was executed on July 15,
1941. These restrictions applied to most of the Tract, including Block 4, a block that included
the subject property. No hedges more than five feet tall, for example, could be erected that
were within a 75-foot setback of the front property line; effecting a quality of openness
throughout the development. Owners were required to maintain citrus trees and not to keep
animals other than pets. And like countless other suburban developments, the lots could not
be “sold, conveyed, leased, or occupied by any person other than one of the Caucasian race,”
unless those in the “domestic service of the owner or occupant.”6 The restrictions were echoed
in an Aug. 31, 1939, article in the Arcadia Bulletin that baldly announced that “race restrictions
assures future property investments … practically all residential areas in Arcadia are now
restricted to the white race.”7
Notably, even withing given the beauty of the Highlands, the north-south Oakwood Drive is
exceptional because of the street’s remarkable width (70 feet wide) ; the consistency of the
homes, and the depth of the setbacks, virtually embodying the essence of ideal American
postwar suburbia. That first Bissner design still stands, almost across from the Brod, and is in
excellent condition with few exterior changes. To the north, the homes become more eclectic
in design, with various dates, heights, and styles. Streets are narrower and curvier as they
meander up to the mountains.
According to the Los Angeles County Assessor, the Brod House was built in 1949. In this
southern part of the Highlands, long, low one-story Ranch style homes predominate. Designed
in the International Style, the Brod House shares these basic tenets of massing while also being
a sharp contrast to its neighbors with its flat roof, unornamented exterior finishes of stucco and
redwood, and regular expanses of casement windows.
6 Three Cities Land Co., “Restrictions, Santa Anita Highlands, Tract 4129,” 3, Arcadia Public Library. Norman Nixon
was the company’s president; W.L Hoffeditz, the secretary.
7 Such restrictions were common throughout America. The Shelley vs. Kramer was a 1948 Supreme Court case that
outlawed race restrictions in restrictive covenants.It is difficult to assess whether this affected the Brods, who were
Jewish, as writers, theologians, and scholars debate whether Jewish persons are Caucasian. Notably, Neutra, who
was Jewish and an atheist, designed both single-family houses and multi-family family for clients of color and a
variety of faiths beginning in the 1930s.
TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D. July 20, 2024
3
Summary Description, House
Constructed in 1949, the one-story, 2,113-square-foot Earle L and Mady Brod House is located
at 1203 Oakwood Drive at the northwest corner of Oakwood Drive and East Sycamore Avenue
in the wooded, leafy neighborhood known as “The Highlands” and in the past as the “Santa
Anita Highlands,” and “The Highland Oaks.” The neighborhood is renowned for its generous
parcels, extensive landscaping, and mature trees, including Coast Live Oaks, sycamores, and
pepper trees. Because it is bounded on the east by a canyon and huge wash, Santa Anita
Canyon, on the east, and mountains on the north, where the Highlands stretches into the San
Gabriel Mountains, traffic largely disappears above Foothill Boulevard, the Highlands’ southern
border. Santa Anita Avenue, beautifully landscaped in this northern part of the avenue, is the
development’s western border. South of Foothill, everything changes, with easy proximity to
retail, the Arboretum, the Santa Anita Mall, the racetrack, and the 210 Freeway. The Period of
Significance is 1949, the year of completion. The east-facing dwelling is a modified T-shape in
plan. One arm of the T projects toward Oakwood Drive, while landscaping on the north
provides privacy to the screened garden room that opens out to a pool, added in 1960 by later
owners in the northeast corner of the house. Set well back from the street, the setting
comprises a variety of plantings and mature trees. A series of large rectangular pavers of
exposed aggregate concrete, individually set into the lawn and asymmetrically offset midway,
leads to the front door.
East (Primary) Elevation
The primary façade is characterized by an entire row of alternating larger fixed and narrower
operable casement windows surmounting a wall of white stucco; its flat roof continues north to
shelter the deeply recessed primary entry, a wood flush-panel front door set into a surround of
full-height wood paneling. To the immediate left of the paneling, a white-painted full-height
wall forms the bathroom’s north wall. At the south end of this east elevation, a metal-capped
end of a white stucco wall projects above the roofline, a typical Neutra strategy. To the right
(north) of the inset panel-and-door, a large beam extends beyond the roofline toward the
street. Supporting the roof, it is attached to a wood post set into a low, fifteen-foot-long multi-
colored brick planter. Together, the extended horizontal beam and the vertical supporting post
comprise Neutra’s most famous trademark, known as a “spider leg.” Neutra intended the
device, which stretches beyond the building footprint, to connect the structure to the earth and
to create the perception of expansiveness. Likewise, the brick planter (now painted) reaches
out to the street and serves to connect the pathway to the recessed entry. Above, the roof
extends north beyond the recessed entry about four feet to the north. An in-plane light strip at
the edge of the overhang, next to a screened strip of venting, is present; another important
character-defining feature.8 Together, the light strip and the venting run the length of the
8 Neutra referred to this strip of lighting as a “night curtain.” It was to expand the range of vision at night; he also
believed that the light, reflecting off the exterior glass, enhanced privacy within.
TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D. July 20, 2024
4
overhang, which terminates where the kitchen/bedroom wing begins.
By contrast to the other windows on this southern end of the primary façade, the last three
northmost windows are translucent “Factrolite,” a prismatic industrial glass invented in the
1920s and a favorite of Neutra’s.9 The powder room for an office suite lies behind the windows;
designed for a young married optometrist, the suite, whether used as an office or guest
quarters, can be sealed off with a huge wood sliding wall from the living room. A narrow
corridor from the front door, perpendicular to the front door, leads patients away from the
primary living space; a closet and the compact bathroom, conveniently enroute to the office, is
a thoughtful gesture for guests or patients. Other character-defining features on the primary
east façade include the rounded four-inch-wide post caps between each pair of casement
windows; the slightly concave section tempers the strict orthogonality of the design. The
gutter, made of crimped metal fascia, is another important and rare Neutra trademark.
Typically rendered in silver, here it is rendered in a brown whose shade is dark and rich, known
as “Neutra Brown.”10
Shielded by a mass of mature plantings, the northern portion of the east elevation (the long
stem of the T), including the light wood-framed, tall, screened garden room, the pool, and the
bedroom wing cannot be seen from the street. A rhythmic series of full-height fixed light glass
walls stands in front of the flagstone corridor flanking all the bedrooms in this wing. The
screened garden room is paved with flagstone, as is the dining area between the kitchen and
the screened garden room and the adjacent bedroom corridor. A full-height aluminum screen
door fills the northernmost bay of four bays facing Oakwood Drive, providing easy access to
the pool.
South Elevation, exterior
Facing Sycamore Avenue, the south elevation’s long length of vertical one-inch x three-inch
vertical redwood tongue-and-groove planking is surmounted by banks of windows (operable
clerestory windows, denoting the living room to the east, alternating between smaller, square
fixed windows and the five clerestories) and casement windows to the west, demarking the
kitchen. Following the same pattern seen on the primary, east elevation, here narrow casement
windows alternate with larger fixed windows. Three doors are present on this elevation. A half
glass wood door to the kitchen divides the length of the casement windows, and another, a
solid wood door that terminates the wood-and-glass plane on the west, leads to a small
bedroom, originally intended as a maid’s bedroom. A one-story-tall square of white stucco,
9 In many Neutra homes, such original Factrolite glass has often been replaced and thus is quite rare.
10 The series of tiny ridges stiffens the fascia and eliminates unsightly seam lines when overlapped. Most
manufacturers of such fascia, which requires a large stamping machine from the nineteenth century, have abandoned
the product.
TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
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slightly taller than the roofline and overhang above the wood planking and windows, projects
about three feet beyond the rest of this elevation. Here, the third door, a solid west-facing
wood door, anchors the south façade on the east. Notably, to the east of the kitchen door, a
small, hinged square of wood low on the façade opens to the outdoors, it was designed to
hold firewood brought in from the outdoors.11 The door leads to the optometrist’s office,
providing another way to enter and exit the office. At the south elevation’s other end, another
a similar, slightly taller rectangle of one-story tall plane of white stucco defines the south end of
the two-car garage; together the west and east stucco planes. Subtly different in size, these
two planes of stucco bracket and frame the middle wood-and-window section. A small square
of redwood planking, just east of the kitchen door, is not original and appears to have filled in
a vent.
West Elevation, exterior
The west elevation comprises the garage and a rectangular storage shed on the south and the
bedroom wing, which forms the stem of the T-shape plan on the north. Below a deep
overhang, painted white on its underside to reflect light, the west-facing wall features
alternating fixed and operable casement surmounting a white-painted stucco wall along the
entire west elevation. As with the powder room in front, the Factrolite windows identify the
bathroom for the primary suite, separating the suite from the two bedrooms.
The shed projects from the north elevation of the garage, serving to form a shallow, U-shaped
courtyard on the southern end of the arrangement. Consistent with the play of alternating
heights throughout the design between white stucco planes projecting above the roofline of
the brown-painted metal fascia, a rectangular section of the brown-painted metal fascia-
trimmed roof extends from the storage shed to shelter the door to the shed below. Supported
by two round steel posts at the end of the overhang, the slender structure’s roof line is lower
than the adjacent, white-painted stucco plane. A concrete pad at the ground plane mirrors this
small roof extension above.
Facing north, the “bottom” of the shallow U-shaped courtyard is a short wall comprising two
doors flanking a tall white rectangular stucco plane surmounted by windows of obscured glass.
An upper sliding window lies above a horizontally oriented, narrow, fixed light; together the
window unit denotes the third bathroom. A door on the east leads to the kitchen, while a door
on the west opens into the garage. A third door, also on the north, leads to the storage shed,
which has a sliding metal clerestory on its east elevation. These doors all face the generous
lawn and garden at the rear, west portion of the property. Separating the garage and parking
area, a later concrete block wall with a wood gate serves as the southern and western borders
11 To improve function and economy of movement, Neutra devised ways to exploit interior space, especially in
kitchens and wood storage.
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1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
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of the garden.
The northmost end of this west elevation terminates with a four-foot wide fixed picture
window, perpendicular to an identical window around the corner, on the north elevation, a
gesture that identifies the primary bedroom suite at the end of the T-shape’s north-south stem.
North Elevation, exterior
The eastern end of the north elevation comprises the entrance, the living room, the screened
garden room and the pool. To the immediate west of the front door, a fixed window wall
comprising three bays runs the length of the living room’s north side. Where the last bay meets
the edge of the tall, screened garden room, a 16-foot-long sliding steel-framed glass wall can
shut the garden room off in cooler temperatures or open to the dining area, joining the two
spaces. Another full-height glass door, hinged, on the south side of the screened garden room
and perpendicular to the sliding wall opens the corner even further. This steel-framed door is
one of five four-foot bays along the walk to the master bedroom. Elaborated in Significance,
the location of the garden room is unique in Neutra’s canon. Tucked into the corner, here
living, dining (with a multi-colored brick indoor grill with copper facings), kitchen, and the
bedroom converge; located just south of the swimming pool, the garden room offers a flexible
space for entertaining or meals. .
The landscaping, pool, and benches were added by the third owner in 1960. The east side of
the pool is flanked by a metal fence that disappears into banks of mature plantings. Stout
metal posts support a curved wooden bench between the pool and the living room, while a
three-piece zig-zig bench stands below a California native oak tree to the north of the pool.
The west end of the north elevation defines the end of the master bedroom. An L-shape plane
of white-painted stucco wraps the bank of windows: a tall, narrow leg of the L projects above
the roof line on the west and also forms the bottom half of the stucco below the windows. A
generous picture window at the very west end of this elevation, matching one perpendicular to
it around the corner on the east elevation, privileges this bedroom as the primary suite. To the
east of the picture window are two units of a rectangular fixed light glass and a narrower
casement window. To the west, the roof extends to become part of the east elevation’s long
overhang.
Notably, the same play of taller planes of stucco projecting above horizontally oriented planes
of brown-painted fascia continues here, even on this rarely seen elevation.
TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
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Description, Setting
The unusually large lot accommodates a rich variety of plants, shrubs, and trees in a variety of
configurations that in a smaller lot would feel cramped and crowded. Apart from the two
massive California native oak trees on the north (potentially Coast Live Oak/Quercus agrifolia),
much of the other plantings, especially along Oakwood Drive, reflect the work of landscape
architect W. Bennett Covert, . Covert’s executed 1960 plan reveals an unusual sensitivity to
Neutra’s design intentions … and even the architect’s practices, integrating the site and the
building. This sensitivity is especially seen in the front lawn, where Covert set the tone and
rhythm of the design in three ways:
•Replaced a narrow curvilinear pathway with a linear, modular path of concrete pavers
•Framed entrance at sidewalk with a “forest” of trees to announce change from public to
private
•Echoed Neutra’s asymmetry in offset pattern of pavers that slows the walk to the entry
First, Covert replaced a curvilinear concrete entry walkway (whose narrowness was out of step
with the largesse and potential of this generous parcel) with a series of large, modular,
rectangular concrete pavers. They are spaced equidistantly from each other to allow for
planting (lawn and/or ground covers) between each paver. The modular pads are offset near
the entrance, from the sidewalk, creating interest along the pathway within a linear form that is
common with post war landscape designs. The modular concrete pads or paved modules
were installed in such a way along an imaginary axis that aligns the first three (3) paved
modules on the north side to the remaining six (6) paved modules to the north. A transitional
concrete paver, twice the length of the other pavers, spans the entire width of the offset path
to create 90-degree transition angles between the two offset sets of pavers. Notably, with their
exposed pebble/aggregate finish, the pavers are sensorially distinguished from the sidewalks,
another typical Neutra strategy that the landscape architect, not Neutra, designed.12 Two
offset rectangular planters, filled with thick groups of firethorns (Pyracantha) and other
plantings, accentuate the offset pattern of the pavers and the asymmetry of Neutra’s design, a
strategy that screens the pool from public view while still maintaining access and an open feel
in the garden.
Near the sidewalk at the southeast corner, two fruitless olive trees frame the beginning of the
entry walk to the front door. To the immediate north, as referred to by Covert, a mature
12 Neutra often offset walkways, as Covert did here, inspired by his visits to Japan, beginning in 1930, and wrote
about the physiological and psychological impacts of subtle changes in texture underfoot. See the Connell House,
Pebble Beach, 1958, and the Goldman houses, Los Angeles, 1951, among others.
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1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
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“forest” of six crape myrtle trees (Lagerstroemia indica) creates a diaphanous border between
the street and the front lawn. Two additional crape myrtles stand to the south of the entry
walkway. Below the crape myrtle trees, an understory planting of blue fescue (Festuca ovina
‘glauca’) ground cover is massed, another “forest” noted on the 1960 Covert plan. An L-
shaped arrangement of Variegated Tobria (Pittosporum tobria ‘variegata’) hugs the house,
while agapanthus (Agapanthis orientalis), daylilies (Hemerocallis species), Indian Hawthorne
(Rhaphiolepis indica) shrubs, and a yucca (Yucca species) are planted on the south side aligning
the sidewalk along Sycamore Avenue; a large mature Sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is also
present on the avenue side. At the west side of the south elevation, a striking Strawberry Tree
(Arbutus unedo) with its majestic red snarled trunk, stands outside the kitchen door, while
Tasmanian Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica), sword ferns, and asparagus ferns are planted near
the front entry.
The back yard’s west side features fairly recent plantings of dense Carolina Laurel Cherry
(Prunus Caroliniana) shrubs. A large lemon-scented Eucalyptus in the northwest corner rises
above several plantings of Mock Orange (Pittosporum undulatum) to the north of the pool. The
California native oak trees, along with more Mock Orange (Pittosporum undulatum, a lime tree
(Citrus species), Camellia shrubs (Camellia species), Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica), and
Tasmanian Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica) shade wooden benches, possibly designed by
Covert, that are mounted on stout steel columns on the north and south sides of the pool are
shaded by. Running north-south, a low painted wood fence is aligned with a black metal fence
that separates the pool deck and side yard from the front yard, where fire sticks (Euphorbia
tirucalli) and New Zealand flax (Phormium species) are intermixed with the firethorns
(Pyracantha species) noted above, in the same planting areas. Three pineapple guava (Feijoa
sellowiana) trees anchor the property’s northeast corner.
TThe Earle L and Mady Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
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Alterations
1. The narrow curving concrete leading from the primary façade to the sidewalk at
Oakwood Drive was replaced with a series of large exposed aggregate concrete pavers,
based on a review of drawings by W. Bennett Covert dated Oct. 27, 1960, just a little
more than three months after the Heilands bought the property. According to an
original rendering, Neutra had intended to use flagstone for the path to the entry;
never executed; an even earlier plan shows a curved walkway in the same conformation
as that that was built, but in ashlar masonry, not concrete.
2. Simultaneously, Covert also designed the biomorphically shaped pool located north of
the living room and east of the bedroom wing.
3. The Papp family built a concrete block wall with a wooden gate separates the garage
and the back yard.
4.While maintaining the overall spatial layout of the kitchen, some modifications have
occurred, possibly under the energetic Heilands. While the wood has been painted,
cabinets present on the north, east, and south elevations retain their original wood
handles for the cabinets and cutout insets for drawers have been retained, along with
the character-defining pass-through between the and east elevations of the kitchen
and the ingenious stepped shelves for glasses and cups present in the lowest upper
cabinet on the east. (The inset cutouts for pulling drawers out are typical Neutra
features; he wanted to eliminate the cost of cabinet hardware and to reduce cleaning
efforts around handles.) The south countertop has been replaced, along with built-in
oven and banquette with bench seating on the west side of the room, although the
space for the banquette and seating has not been altered. Likewise a large refrigerator
has been inserted into the western end of the north elevation, changing the original
cabinet configuration.
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D.
July 20, 2024
1
SIGNIFICANCE
Criteria for Significance
Mirroring the criteria for the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of
Historical Resources, the City of Arcadia’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, Section103.17.060,
establishes the criteria for the designation of an individual resource:
1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of Arcadia’s or California’s history;
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local or California
history;
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method
of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic
values;
4. It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the
prehistory or history of the city or state.
Criteria for Integrity
In addition to meeting one or more of the above criteria, the resource must
“retain sufficient integrity.” Integrity is defined as the “authenticity of a historical
resource’s physical integrity as evidenced by the survival of characteristics that
existed during the time period within which the resource attained significance.”
As defined by the National Park Service, the seven aspects of integrity are
location, design, setting , materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
Notably, the City of Arcadia’s criteria for integrity provide for a “greater degree
of flexibility shall be provided when evaluating the integrity of a locally eligible
historic resource, as opposed to one eligible for listing in the National or
California registers.”
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
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July 20, 2024
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Eligibility, Significance, Criterion 3, Architecture
Summary Paragraph
Designed in 1948 and completed in 1949, the Earle L and Mady R. Brod House is eligible for
listing as a historical landmark in the City of Arcadia under Criterion 3, as representing the work
of a master and possessing high artistic values. The residence is an excellent example of the
work of Richard Neutra in retaining an unusually high number of signature character-defining
features associated with his residential architecture in the postwar years. Arcadia’s 2016
Historic Context Statement evaluated the property as “individually eligible under Criterion C/3
as an excellent example of Mid-Century Modern architecture designed by master architect
Richard Neutra.”1 Featured on cover of the Los Angeles Times Home Magazine on January 25,
1953, it was widely published in domestic and international publications in 1951 and 1952,
including the L'Architecture D'Aujourd'hui, Arts and Architecture, Vitrium, Nuestra
Arquitectura, and Die Kunst. The Brod House retains an exceptional degree of integrity and is
the only house designed by Neutra in Arcadia.2
Narrative
Even more than many of his legendary peers in mid-century Modernism, Neutra is renowned
for his ability to integrate indoors and outdoors. Designed for a young optometrist and his
wife, here in the Brod House Neutra surpassed the design of many of his more well-known
homes, seen in the remarkable porosity of the home to the outdoors while delivering a house
filled with functional and thoughtful details. With its sliding glass walls and hinged glass door,
the screened garden room provides a special liminal, transitional space, extinguishing the
boundary between interior and exterior. Other renowned homes with similar screened rooms
include the Miller Mensendieck House, Palm Springs, 1937, and the Bald House, Ojai, 1943.
However, in both of these dwellings, the screened terrace is off the living room, on its own,
and not integrated with unfolding life in the kitchen, the pool, and the living area as does the
Brod House garden room. The flagstone flooring contributes to this effort, as does the
remarkable “indoor” built-in multi-colored brick barbeque, conveniently located within easy
reach of both the kitchen, the dining room, and the garden room.
The interior embodies the significance of the Brod House and the reasons why Neutra is
considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest architects. Examples abound. The design
of the office/den demonstrates the architect’s careful attention to both the needs of the
professional optometrist and a family setting, just as he did in similar fashion at the Kramer
House, Norco, 1953. There, he designed additional sleeping quarters next to the garage for a
1 Architectural Resources Group (ARG), Arcadia Historic Context Statement, Jan. 11, 2016, 78.
2 The magazines are in the Richard and Dion Neutra Papers, UCLA, Charles E. Young Research Library, Special
Collections.
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
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July 20, 2024
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country doctor who sometimes needed to slip away for house calls in the middle of the night
when the rest of the family was sleeping. At the Brod House, the office can be walled off, and
by locating it at the front of the house the design allows the doctor to see who is approaching
the house. The closet and tiny bathroom, located just off the front door, confers dignity on a
visitor arriving for an appointment. An exterior door on the south provides the optometrist or a
guest an additional exit, permitting even greater privacy for entering and exiting.
Designing many paths of travel throughout a house is a typical hallmark of Neutra’s
architecture. It affords an individual more personal choice as well as more freedom of
movement. The spatial relationships on the interior, intended to be a logical, effortless, and
natural progression of spaces, are aesthetically anchored in the wood that flows throughout
and unifies the entire house; according to realtor notes from the 1950s and ‘60s, the plywood
was veneered in South American mahogany.
The house also possesses other standard Neutra hallmarks, seen in the clever details and built-
in cabinetry that permit an easy functionality among all the inhabitants.3 Neutra insisted that
wherever possible, details did “double duty.” That requirement is seen in the inset cutouts in
drawer fronts. The cutouts accomplished three things. First, an uninterrupted visual plane was
not only more aesthetically pleasing but reduced what Neutra considered visual chaos, which
he believed contributed to human stress, no matter how apparently inconsequential. Second,
the cutout reduced the need for fussy cleaning around handles. Third, it eliminated the cost of
hardware. For cabinet doors, small chrome round knobs (another choice typical of Neutra) are
present, along with unique shaped wooden handles used in the kitchen and the living room
cabinets Another “double-duty” detail is seen in the bedroom closets. Surmounting the sliding
closet doors, translucent Factrolite panels are illuminated from lights in the closet, providing
gentle light both into the closet and out into the room.4 Midway on the sliding closets walls,
three inset brass finger pulls, characteristic of Neutra, maintain a monolithic plane while
permitting the operation of the closet sliders. Elsewhere, “hidden” closets are built into the
walls, most dramatically in the dining room, where one vertical panel open to reveal a closet,
and another, on brass piano hinges, opens to reveal the shelves between the kitchen and the
dining room, a gesture that eliminates gratuitous steps for the homemaker. The bathrooms,
too, are exceptional in their integrity. Except for one minor alteration with a mirror and one
sink, the Crane fixtures and original Hallmack [stet] accessories are intact, including the
lavatories that are steel rimmed.
3 Realtor notes documenting the features of the house, owner, and transaction dates and values were obtained from
the Arcadia Public Library.
4 In the bedroom adjacent to the primary suite, the Factrolite glass has been replaced, and will be restored with as
an exact match as possible.
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
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July 20, 2024
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Based on the experiences of Neutra’s own family and because he witnessed the ravages of
World War I and the Spanish influenza, cross-ventilation to carry away air-borne diseases and
germs was a requisite. The clerestory windows (hopper windows, meaning windows hinged at
the base that open into the interior) on the south side of the living room provide for such
ventilation. Now a common attribute and today considered the most energy-efficient and
comfortable, Neutra began specifying radiant heating with the Beard House, Altadena, 1934,
and that character-defining feature is present at the Brod House. Built-in speakers for the radio
and phonograph flank the built-in divan below the open shelving on the south side of the
carpeted living room and adjacent to the north side of the fireplace, other features that speak
to the Period of Significance. In the bedrooms, the remnants of a built-in intercom system
remain for communicating with the maid, whose bedroom, tucked between the garage and the
kitchen, was quite a distance from the primary suite.
Clearly, to achieve such a consummate design in such an upscale development, the Highlands,
the young Brods must have enjoyed considerable resources. Nonetheless, Earle Brod took one
further step to ensure success. In a letter to Neutra dated June 9, 1949, Brod noted
enthusiastically that with the advice of general contractor Red Marsh, Brod acted as his own
general contractor. “I have had no difficulty at all, no errors of any magnitude, and no
particular headaches. I am very pleased with our progress and expect to have the house
finished ahead of schedule,” Brod wrote to his architect. The mention of Red Marsh adds to
the dwelling’s significance — the tall, taciturn Marsh is considered Neutra’s finest builder and
general contractors.5 Brod was right: there were a very few Neutra houses whose owners built
them, and none as accomplished or as handsomely detailed as the Brod.
EVALUATION OF INTEGRITY
Within the Neutra canon, the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod House is one of Neutra’s best houses
in acquitting so many features with such fluidity. Additionally, the subject property retains all
seven aspects of integrity, including location, workmanship, design, materials, feeling, and
association. With regard to setting, the larger context of The Highlands is unchanged, and
while there is some modification in Bennett Covert’s work, the change is not only compatible
and subtle but enhances the dwelling using plant materials that are in keeping with mid-
century Modern landscaping. Therefore, the subject property is an excellent candidate for
designation as a historic landmark, City of Arcadia.
5 Apart from his fame as a great builder, Marsh gained a different sort of notoriety in his own right. When Neutra
went to visit Ayn Rand, the owner of Neutra’s fabled 1935 Von Sternberg House, Marsh drove Neutra there.
Approaching the house, Rand ran past the flustered Neutra to throw her arms around the startled Marsh. “You are
the embodiment of Howard Roark,” Rand cried. Marsh, who retired to grow champion orchids, told me the story
himself.
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D.
July 20, 2024
5
Significance, Setting
Postwar suburban landscapes were shaped by many factors. Suburbia replaced miles of
agricultural and citrus farms. The war was over. Victory Gardens with their humble emphasis on
raising your own food lost their appeal. Young veterans, including Pasadena-born Willard
Bennett Covert, a graduate of Pasadena Junior (now City) College had served in Iwo Jima as a
Marine before recovering in Hawaii.6 After their time in Japan and Hawaii, they returned to the
States with new experiences with landscape, more tropical, less about flowers and more about
textures, sculptural qualities, and shades of green and gray, in a different range of scale than
those of pretty prewar plantings. Shelter magazines like House Beautiful and the Los Angeles
Times Sunday Magazine advocated the new landscape aesthetic, especially when pictured
against the simple shapes and post-and-beam frames of mid-century homes. Big,
biomorphically shaped plants like Fatsia japonica, a favorite of Neutra’s, are present at the
Brod House. TV and air-conditioning brought people indoors, so the once-cooling front porch
and engagement with the street disappeared in favor of backyard privacy, barbeques, and
swimming pools. Just as houses and home equipment needed to more functional to reflect the
lack of servants, landscaping, too, needed to be lower maintenance. Finally, landscape
architects were increasingly exposed to and sometimes trained as Modernists, working closely
with like-minded architects to integrate indoors and outdoors, house and garden, aesthetically.
Covert’s plan embodies all those sensibilities and the original front lawn’s hardscape and
plantings at the entry have achieved significance in their own right.
Richard Neutra, Architect
Richard Joseph Neutra (1892 – 1970) is regarded as one of the most influential architects of
the twentieth century. Born in Vienna, Austria, the Modernist architect graduated summa
cum laude from the Vienna Technical Institute (now the Technical University, Vienna) and
was affiliated with the radical architectural theorist Adolf Loos in Loos’s informal “Bauschule”
before serving with the Austro-Hungarian Empire forces in World War I. Like his early friend
and later sometime colleague Rudolf M. Schindler, Neutra was deeply influenced by the
European publication of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wasmuth Portfolios, published in 1910-11, a
watershed manifesto. The publication, which both Neutra and Schindler encountered in
about 1912, illuminated Wright’s radical conception of the “breaking of the [conventional]
box” through the use of diagonal vistas through ganged corner windows, a more open plan,
and an emphasis on the extended and low horizontal line. For Wright, these strategies
culminated in a complete break with European-derived historicism in favor of a liberated,
democratic architecture, an American architecture that embodied the individual free from
6 “News of Men in Service,” Metropolitan Pasadena Star-News, May 21, 1945, p. 22
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
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July 20, 2024
6
constraints. Neutra deeply appreciated the break with historicism; however, he was less
interested in individual expression as an end than in the potential of Wright’s work to create
surroundings and environments better suited to human well-being and on a scale that
embraced all classes of people. While still in Europe, following World War I when there was
little work in an exhausted Europe, Neutra worked for the famous Swiss gardener and
landscape theorist Gustav Ammann. He then worked as City Architect for the feudal city of
Luckenwalde, where he designed housing and the City’s legendary forest cemetery before
employment with Expressionist Erich Mendelsohn, one of Germany’s most successful
interwar architects. Neutra worked there from 1921 to 1923, when he immigrated to
America, fulfilling a dream that had taken root years before. After a short stint in New York,
he was hired as a draftsman for the famous Chicago firm, Holabird and Roche, where he
mastered steel skyscraper framing and later met another hero, architect Louis Sullivan. He
then worked for Wright in his atelier, Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, beginning in the
fall of 1924 before moving in early 1925 to Los Angeles, which became Neutra’s permanent
home.
In Los Angeles, Neutra's international renown was established by the Lovell Health House,
which was one of the few West Coast designs included in the iconic 1932 "International
Exhibition of Modern Architecture" held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The
Austrian-American went on to build hundreds of homes, including tract developments and
military housing as well as private residences, primarily in Southern California but as far away
as Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Puerto Rico. The author of several books advocating his
philosophy of “biorealism,” harnessing science, medicine, psychology, and evolutionary
biology, Neutra distinguished himself from his Modernist peers in his credo that human
beings needed to be connected to nature. He also argued that architecture as a profession
needed to embrace a range of sciences including biology, evolutionary biology,
environmental psychology, Gestalt aesthetics, and anthropology in order to better
understand the basis of human needs and how best to address them. Neutra called the
synthesis of architecture and these sciences biorealism, which he addressed in many books,
beginning with Survival Through Design (1954), and ending with Nature Near: The Late
Essays of Richard Neutra (1989). Biorealism sought to re-integrate human and nature though
strategies Neutra devised that responded to the human range of perception through the
senses. Each project blended a consideration of the human being as generic, with the same
basic psychological and physiological needs as other humans, and as individual, with a
highly “custom” history of unique experiences, wants, and needs. His buildings are Modern
stylistically, especially embodied in his well-controlled, horizontal arrangements of
asymmetrical massings, use of standardized, prefabricated systems and products, and
unornamented planes of glass, white stucco, and wood; yet, they also invariably reach out to
nature. On behalf of biorealism, he deployed a range of strategies, including continuity of
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D.
July 20, 2024
7
materials inside and out, graduated transitions between public and private space, calibrated
axes for views to the landscape, full-height window walls and steel-casement windows, and
spider legs. Neutra also wrote on the need to include nature and landscape as a critical part
of any design, whether residential, public, or commercial, demonstrated in the little
layperson’s book, Mystery and Realities of the Site (1951). Winner of numerous honorary
doctorates, prizes, and awards, he earned the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal
posthumously in 1977.
W. Bennett Covert, Landscape Architect
Pasadena born, bred, and based Willard Bennett Covert, 1925 - 1978, was a founding
member of the American Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), which sought to recognize
licensed professionals who were landscape contractors as well as landscape architects (by
contrast to the American Society of Landscape Architects, ASLA, which banned combining
disciplines as a potential conflict of interest.) Throughout the 1950s and ‘60s, Bennett Covert
was regularly featured, almost weekly, in local newspapers, primarily the Los Angeles Times
and San Gabriel Valley publications for his innovative landscapes, pools, and gardens. By 1955,
he was designing landscapes in Arcadia, including the Robert Spreen Residence, 815 Hampton
Road, for Courtland Paul Landscape Associates. Later that year, the Los Angeles Times
featured a Bennett Covert garden that included “fatsia, acanthus, golden bamboo,” and
papyrus, along with a garden by Eckbo, Royston, and Williams, considered one of the greatest
Modern landscape firms in the country.7 A week later, the Times featured one of Bennett
Covert’s special wood benches (also present at the Brod House), part of the setting “for a
dramatic composition of richly textured tropical plants.”8 He wrote articles too, ranging from
drainage to ground covers (the Pasadena Independent, April 3, 1955) and was increasingly
associated with well-known regional designers such as noted Modernist architect John
Galbraith. In 1966, he was retained to design the “Golden West Village” in Arcadia, the 5.5-
acre site for the Pantry Food Market where little expense was spared, according to an article in
the Pasadena Independent in which he was pictured and quoted.9
7 Betty Rupert, “An Ancient Modern,” Los Angeles Times, March 6, 1955, p. 331
8 Los Angeles Times, March 13, 1955, p. 334.
9 Pasadena Independent, June 8, 1966, p. 22.
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D. July 20, 2024
1
CHARACTER DEFINING FEATURES
Exterior Character Defining Features – Mid-Century Modernism
The Brod House shares many of the typical characteristics of Mid-Century Modern houses in
Southern California. These include:
. a long, horizontal profile reinforced with a flat roof
. a deep integration with site, setting, and landscape through
extended overhangs
copious amounts of glass
materials that continue from inside to outside, bridging interior and exterior
. post-and-beam construction, or the regular disposition of posts
. diagonal views through mitred glass corners
. windows usually sliding, casement, jalousie, or fixed lights, with simple
frames often commercial in origin
. doors usually single-panel wood or painted, with no ornamentation
. use of simple, modern materials: concrete, stucco, float glass, steel, and
aluminum, contrasted with natural materials such as brick and stone,
. a rhythmic distribution of details, wall treatments, textures, and windows
. lack of applied ornament
Exterior Character Defining Features – Neutra
The Brod House also exhibits a broad complement of features typical of Neutra’s work:
. flat roofs (technically, not flat but requisite slopes often hidden)
. use of stucco walls contrasted with casement and fixed windows and sliding window
walls, to effect an aesthetic of alternating solids and voids
. rhythmic changes in heights, alternating stucco planes with fascia roof lines
. often wood planking or wood board-and-batten walls
. use of stain or paint – white alternating with dark brown or silver.
. rounded post caps separated by window units, created by adding a separate piece of
lumber, flat on one side and subtly rounded on the other, which fit over a squared
4” post, thus softening the visual effect of an otherwise rectilinear composition
. built in cabinetry with inset cut-in handholds, simple knobs, or brass inset finger pulls
. custom-designed cushions for built-in sofas and divans
. the use of Factrolite glass for windows and panels surmounting closets
. spider legs (extended wood beams supported by wooden posts or columns)
. continuity of materials indoors and out
. use of standard, off-the-shelf components such as Hallmack and Crane fittings
. banks of casement windows and full-height glass walls
. exterior strip lighting at the edges of roof overhangs
. flush panel doors
. use of plywood veneers for interior finishes
TThe Earle L and Mady G. Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
1
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1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
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OOwnership History
Commissioning client Earle Lawrence Brod was born Nov. 16, 1919, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania listed in US Census 1950 as born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in Nov. 16, 1919.
He was a graduate of Cornell University and the Los Angeles College of Optometry. In 1948,
the Voter Registration entry shows him living at 728 S. Washington Ave. Los Angeles;
two years earlier he lived at 4226 ½ Los Feliz Blvd. His World War II Draft Card, dated Dec. 12,
1941, shows his occupation as optometrist at 22 years old with a mailing address of 620 W.
149th St., New York, the home of Mrs. Bessie Brod. (The place of residence is first listed as 909
W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, and crossed out with 32 W. Briddle St. Baltimore MD.) The
1950 US Census lists him with the same profession and living at 1203 Oakwood Drive, the
subject property. Brod apparently had a home office, according to the City Directory, 1950.
Matilda Gellman Brod was born in Newark, New Jersey, on June 14, 1922. They married on
May 16, 1945, in Manhattan. A Mrs. Mady Broad appears on the California Registration Roll
076 as being registered to vote in 1950.
Earle L. Brod died Feb. 14, 1952, age 33, and was buried at the Home of Peace Memorial Park
and Mortuary, a cemetery that serves the Jewish community. According to the Daily News-Post
and Monrovia News-Post, he “plunged to his death from the fifth floor of Cedars of Lebanon
Hospital today. Detective William McRoberts said Dr. Brod had been despondent and under a
psychiatrist’s care.”
In 1952, an undated realtor note obtained from the Arcadia Public Library notes, “husband just
died.” Mady sold the house on Sept. 12, 1952, to Marjorie E. Cox, just nine months after her
husband died. Mady Brod died eight months later on April 12, 1953 at the age of 31. The
Evening Vanguard reported that on early Sunday morning, the day before, she struck a car in
Westwood.; the Independent reported that she apparently ran a stop sign. Her address was
stated as 14089 Eastborne Ave., Westwood and that she left two small children. She is buried
alongside her husband. No further information about them was obtained.
Marjorie E Cox (James F. Cox is also listed as a possible owner) owned it until Ms. Cox sold it
to John G. and Grace R. Heiland on July 14, 1960. Chicago-born John George. Heiland,
married to Grace Ruby Kruger, is listed at 1203 Oakwood Drive as Associate Director, Bell &
Howell Research Center, according to City Directory, 1960 records. John Heiland was born
Sept. 10, 1917, and died Jan. 22, 2010, at the age of 92. Grace Heiland was born on January
22, 1917, and died Nov. 4, 2004.
Lawrence C. and Carolyn S. Papp purchased the subject property on July 31, 1963, and added
the property to the Papp Family Trust on May 14, 2020.
Chris and Nedda Karlen purchased 1203 Oakwood Drive on Dec. 12, 2023, and put the
property in a family trust.
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D.
July 20, 2024
1
SOURCES and REFERENCES
Ancestry.com. Available at: https://www.ancestry.com/
Arcadia Historical Society. Arcadia. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008.
Arcadia Public Library Special Collection. Realtor notes, 1203 Oakwood Drive.
Architectural Resources Group. City of Arcadia Citywide Historic Context Statement. Jan. 11,
2016.
Bennett Covert, Wayne. Email and telephone communications with author, June/July 2024.
Wayne is Willard Bennett Covert’s son.
Bowen, Jeffrey K. “The Neighborhoods of Arcadia.” In Visions of Arcadia: A Centennial
Anthology (Gary A. Kovacic, edtr). Arcadia: City of Arcadia and Gary A. Kovacic, 2003
Eberly, Gordon S. Arcadia: City of the Santa Anita. Claremont: Saunders Press, 1953.
FindAGrave.com
Gebhard, David, and Winter, Robert. An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles. Los Angeles:
Angel City Press, 2019.
Historical Los Angeles Times. (Proquest, available through the Los Angeles Public Library.)
Lamprecht, Barbara. Richard Neutra: Complete Works. Köln and Los Angeles: Taschen, 2000.
Newspapers.com (see footnotes for citations.)
Nicolaides, Becky M. The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles
After 1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.
Pasadena Independent (see footnotes for citations.)
Pasadena Star-News (see footnotes for citations)
Richard and Dion Neutra Papers. Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library,
TThe Earle L and Mady G Brod House
1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia 91006-2411
Nomination, Designation Historic Landmark, City of Arcadia
Modern Resources / Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch. Ph.D.
July 20, 2024
2
UCLA.
Streatfield, David C. California Gardens: Creating a New Eden. New York: Abbeville Press,
1994.
Attachment No. 4
Attachment No. 4
Historic Preservation Commission
Resolution No. 2156, Excerpt of the
Historic Preservation Commission
Minutes, dated October 8, 2024, and
Staff Report, dated October 8, 2024
with no attachments
DATE: October 8, 2024
TO: Honorable Chair and Historic Preservation Commission
FROM: Lisa L. Flores, Deputy Development Services Director
By: Edwin Arreola, Senior Planner
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 2156 – REVIEW OF HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. HL
24-01 TO DESIGNATE THE EARLE L. AND MADY G. BROD HOUSE
THAT WAS DESIGNED BY THE MASTER ARCHITECT RICHARD
NEUTRA AS A HISTORICAL LANDMARK WITH A CATEGORICAL
EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ACT (“CEQA”) AT 1203 OAKWOOD DRIVE
CEQA: Exempt
Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2156 Recommending that the
City Council Approve the Historical Landmark
SUMMARY
The Applicant and Property Owner, Chris Karlen, is requesting that the Historic
Preservation Commission recommend approval to the City Council of Historical Landmark
No. HL 24-01 and designate the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod House (“Brod House”) that
was designed by a notable Master Architect, Richard Neutra, as a historical landmark at
the local level. It is recommended that the Historic Preservation Commission find this
landmark designation is categorically exempt under the California Environmental Quality
Act (“CEQA”) and adopt Resolution No. 2156 (Attachment No. 1) recommending that the
City Council approve the historical landmark designation.
BACKGROUND
The subject property is an 18,988 square foot corner lot that is located at the northwest
corner of Oakwood Drive and E. Sycamore Avenue in the Highlands Homeowners’
Association – refer to Figure 1 below and Attachment No. 2 for an aerial photo and zoning
information. The site has a 2,113 square foot single-story Mid-Century Modern house with
an attached two-car garage that was designed in 1948 and completed in 1949. The site
has decorative landscaping and mature growth trees, including two oak trees, a screened
garden room, and a swimming pool around the northeast corner of the house.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 2 of 12
Figure 1 – Aerial of Subject Site
In regard to the history of the area, the Highlands Homeowners’ Association area was
first developed in the 1920’s as a highly exclusive community with large lots that had
restrictions on developments. Following World War II, additional lots were subdivided and
many homes were constructed during this time. Many of the homes in the area were
predominantly designed as single-story, Ranch style homes but Mid-Century Modernism
became popular by the mid-40’s and the Brod House was one of the few examples of
Modern style homes built in this area in 1949.
The Brod House was designed by the notable Master Architect, Richard Neutra. Richard
Neutra was an Austrian-born architect that was considered one of the most influential
architects of the twentieth century. Neutra’s works are considered master examples of
Mid-Century Modern architecture and typically incorporate designs that feature traditional
Modern elements such as flat roofs, long, horizontal profiles, post-and-beam construction,
casement windows, and glass walls that connect the interior and exterior settings. After
relocating to Los Angeles in 1925, Neutra proceeded to design various Mid-Century
Modern style residences throughout Southern California. Mid-Century Modern homes
were popular throughout Southern California until the end of the 1960’s. They are
characterized by their clean, simple lines, long and horizontal exterior walls, flat roofs,
use of simple materials such as stucco and glass, exposed beams, and built-in furniture
on the interior.
1203
E. SYCAMORE AVE.
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Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 3 of 12
The subject property has been owned by five separate owners. Earle and Mady Brod
were the original owners of the residence and commissioned Richard Neutra to design
the home. The Brod’s owned the home until Mady Brod sold the home in 1952 following
the death of her husband. Marjorie Cox owned the home from 1952 to 1960. John and
Grace Heiland owned the home from 1960 to 1963. Lawrence and Carolyn Papp owned
the home from 1963 until it was sold to the current owner, Chris and Nedda Karlen in
2023.
As part of the City’s historical landmark process, the house was evaluated by a
professional historical architect, Dr. Barbara Lamprecht from Modern Resources, who
specializes in Modern architecture – refer to the Historical Evaluation under Attachment
No. 3.
In terms of the architectural design, the Brod House is a single-story, T-shaped house
with white smooth stucco, wood paneling, and glass windows along the exterior
elevations. It contains a flat roof that is characteristic of the Mid-Century Modern
architectural style. The front elevation of the residence faces Oakwood Drive and features
a row of alternating large, fixed casement windows. The wood paneled front entry is
deeply recessed from the outermost wall, contains a brick planter, and is sheltered by the
flat roof. The front yard contains mature trees that screen the front entry from view of the
street. The south elevation of the residence fronts E. Sycamore Avenue and features a
long wall length comprised of vertical redwood planks and alternating narrow casement
and large fixed windows. There is a door with access to the kitchen and a door with access
to a bedroom along this elevation. The east elevation consists of the garage, a storage
shed, and the side of a bedroom wing that stems out the north of the residence. This
elevation consists of white stucco walls and alternating fixed and operable casement
windows along the bedroom wing. This bedroom wing faces the rear yard tucked away in
the northwest corner of the property which contains a garden area which consists of a
lawn surrounded by bushes, shrubs, and trees. The north elevation faces the interior of
the lot and consists of fixed glass windows looking out from the living room into the pool
and yard area, a screened garden room that is open to the elements, and the end of the
master bedroom which contains an L shaped stuccoed wall that wraps around a wall of
windows.
In addition to exemplifying the distinct characteristics of the Mid-Century Modern
architectural style, the Brod House includes a number of Neutra’s character defining
details which include:
x Metal-capped white stucco walls that project above the roof line, such as on the
front/south elevation shown below in Figure 2, to help break up the flat roof and
provide alternating heights throughout the design of the home.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 4 of 12
Figure 2 – Metal-capped stucco wall on the southeast corner of the house
x A gutter made of crimped metal fascia and painted in “Neutra Brown,” a dark brown
shade typically used by Neutra. A rare trademark of his and the fascia material is
no longer replaceable. The material is shown below in Figure 3 along the roofline.
Figure 3 – The north elevation of the home that faces the swimming pool
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 5 of 12
x Neutra’s signature trademark, a “spider leg”, extending out from the front porch
which is a beam that extends out from the roof and is supported by a vertical beam
and creates a perception of expansiveness for the home. See Figure 4 below.
Figure 4 – The spider leg feature at the front entry of the home
x “Factorlite” glass, which is a translucent glass that is obscured, on certain windows
of the home to provide privacy. Many of Neutra’s homes have had this glass
replaced. It is shown below in Figure 5.
Figure 5 – The front elevation of the home. The “Factorlite” glass is the obscured
glass on the 3 windowpanes furthest right.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 6 of 12
x Wood planking on the exterior walls and flush panel doors which alternate with the
glass and stucco walls typical of Neutra designs. Figure 6 below shows the
paneling along the south elevation of the house.
Figure 6 – The wood paneling along the south elevation of the house.
One of Neutra’s most significant architectural design elements and unique on the Brod
House is how connected the indoor space with the outdoor space area. Neutra tucked a
garden room, a screened outdoor area, into one of the corners of the home and
incorporated large floor to ceiling glass doors along the exterior walls which can be
opened to combine the garden room space with the interior of the home (See Figures 7
through 9 below). Additional large, fixed windows that extend out from the garden room
area of the home along the living room and walkway to the master bedroom provide an
even greater open-type design on this portion of the house. These large expanses of
glass walls are typical on every Neutra design but is uniquely executed on the Brod House
with the location of the garden room.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 7 of 12
Figure 7 – The garden room is shown on the right tucked into the northeast corner of the
Brod House
Figure 8 – A sliding glass door can be opened to connect the garden room to the dining
and living room
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 8 of 12
Figure 9 – Floor-to-ceiling, glass windows continue beyond the garden room to create a
more open look
The landscaping for the property was designed by local landscape architect, W. Bennett
Covert in 1960. Although the landscape design came later, it took into account Neutra’s
Mid-Century Modern design. Fruitless olive trees are provided along the front property
line and next to the walkway pavers that lead to the front door to help frame the beginning
of the pathway to the front entrance of the home. These trees and additional crape myrtle
trees along the front of the property create a sense of division between public and private.
Shrubs and other smaller trees are present along the south side of the property to provide
added separation between the home and the public sidewalk. Within the rear and interior
side yard, two native oak trees are present along with fruit trees and ferns which provide
privacy, shade, and decoration around the pool and garden areas (See Figures 10 and
11 below for images of the front yard and rear garden areas).
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 9 of 12
Figure 10 – The Brod House, front entry as seen from Oakwood Drive
Figure 11 – West elevation of the Brod House, showing the master bedroom wing, rear
garden, and oak trees on the property
Since the original construction in 1949, the property has undergone a few improvements
to either the site or inside the house, such as a swimming pool, perimeter walls, and
modifications to the kitchen. None of these improvements would alter the status of this
potential historic resource. There have been no alterations to the exterior elevations of
the building and the design remains relatively intact from when it was originally built. The
following summarizes the permit history for the property.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 10 of 12
1948 The original building permit was issued to construct the Brod House, which was
completed in 1949.
1960 Permit issued for the swimming pool.
2006 Permit issued for a 6 foot tall perimeter wall along the northern property line and
shared with 1211 Oakwood Drive.
2007 Permit issued to re-roof the house with a white 3-ply built up flat roof.
In addition to the above permitted alterations, the following observed alterations were
identified:
x The original narrow curving concrete walkway that led from the sidewalk at
Oakwood Drive to the front door was replaced with large concrete pavers in 1960.
x The Papp family built a concrete wall with a wooden gate which separated the
driveway and garage area from the backyard of the residence.
ANALYSIS
The designation criteria for a Historical Landmark at the local level in Section 9103.17.060
of the City’s Development Code requires that the Historic Preservation Commission
forward a recommendation to the City Council whether the potential historic resource
should be designated as a local landmark on the basis that it meets one or more of the
following local eligibility criteria, listed below.
The potential historic resource must also be at least 45 years of age, unless it can be
demonstrated that the resource has achieved exceptional importance within the last 45
years (Development Code Section 9103.17.060(C)). The house was constructed in
1949 and is therefore 75 years old as of 2024, meeting the age requirement.
The Commission, among other relevant factors, the following criteria in making the
findings:
1. It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of Arcadia's or California's history;
2. It is associated with the lives of persons important to local or California history;
3. It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of
construction, or represents the work of master, or possesses high artistic values;
or
4. It has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory
or history of the city or state.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 11 of 12
Based on the historical evaluation that was prepared by Modern Resources, the house
meets criteria no. 3 on the basis that the Brod House is a significant example of the Mid-
Century Modern architectural style.
Criterion 3: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or
method of construction, or represents the work of master, or possesses high
artistic values.
Facts to Support This Criteria: The Brod House is significant under this criterion
because the house embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Mid-Century Modern
architectural style, is an excellent example of a renowned architect, and possesses high
artistic values. The design of the home is completely true to the characteristics of Mid-
Century Modern architecture. While many of the surrounding homes in the
neighborhood are designed in a more traditional Ranch style, the Brod House was
ahead of its time in providing design features new to the period in which it was
constructed and now are common architectural features seen in many homes. Today,
the house remains one of the few examples of extraordinary execution of the Mid-
Century Modern design in the entire City. Some of the features that embody the
distinctive characteristics of the Mid-Century Modern during this period and are present
on the design of the Brod House are:
x The flat roof and long, horizontal profile of the home
x Post-and-beam construction
x Use of simple modern materials such as concrete, stucco, glass, brick, and wood
x Integration of the home with the outdoors through the use of glass and materials
that continue from the inside to the outside
x Sliding, casement, and clerestory windows and sliding glass doors
x Functional and thoughtful built-in furniture
x Many paths of travel throughout the house
Furthermore, the residence is an excellent example of Richard Neutra’s work in
retaining a high number of signature character-defining features associated with his
residential architecture in the postwar years including features such as walls that project
above the roof line to provide alternating heights on the home, “spider leg” beams which
are a trademark Neutra feature, “Factorlite” glass windows, and his execution of
connecting the interior space with the outdoors through the use of vast amounts of glass.
The large expanses of glass windows and doors along the northeast corner of the house
in conjunction with the garden room, which can be opened and combined with the
interior space, is the most exceptional design element of Neutra’s work on the Brod
House and not seen on many other of his works. It is evident that The Brod House has
not been significantly altered since it was first built, therefore maintaining it in Neutra’s
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 12 of 12
original form and retaining its architectural integrity. Additionally, it is the only house in
Arcadia that was designed by Neutra and is one of the best examples of his work.
In addition to the requirements listed above, an individual resource must satisfy at least
one of the following requirements:
1. It is listed on the National and/or California Register of Historic Places
The subject site is not listed on the National or California Register of Historic
Places but has been determined to be eligible for listing by the historical architect,
as the Brod House meets the criteria for listing and rises to level of state and
national historic designation. The City of Arcadia’s historic preservation
ordinance mirrors the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places and the
California Register of Historical Resources. The subject property retains all seven
aspects of integrity for consideration as a historic landmark, as defined by the
National Park Service, including location, workmanship, design, materials,
feeling, and association. As for the setting component of integrity, the Brod House
has had few changes over the years similarly to many of the homes within the
vicinity in the Highlands and the neighborhood has maintained its architectural
integrity over the years. The house has also retained a high degree of integrity
due to the minimal changes that have been done to it throughout its history. Many
of Neutra’s other homes have been altered in some form making this home a
rare, preserved example of Neutra’s Mid-Century Modern work. Therefore, the
subject property is an excellent candidate for designation as a historic landmark
at the local, state, and national level.
2. It is an iconic property
The Brod House is an iconic property within the City of Arcadia because the
residence is the only home in Arcadia designed by Richard Neutra, is an excellent
example of Mid-Century Modern architecture, and has undergone relatively few
changes in the last 75 years.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
It has been determined that the designation of a historic resource is categorically exempt
from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15308, Class
8, pertaining to actions by regulatory agencies for the protection of the environment. Refer
Attachment No. 4 for the Preliminary Exemption Assessment.
PUBLIC NOTICE/COMMENTS
A public hearing notice for this item was published in the Arcadia Weekly, and posted at
the City Clerk’s Office, City Council Chambers, the Arcadia Library, and on the City’s
website on September 26, 2024. It was also mailed to the property owners located within
300 feet of the subject property. As of October 3, 2024, no comments were received
related to the historical designation.
Resolution No. 2156 – HL 24-01
October 8, 2024
Page 13 of 12
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended the Historic Preservation Commission adopt Resolution No. 2156,
recommending that the City Council find that the project is categorically exempt from the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and approve Historical Landmark No. HL
24-01, designating the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod House at 1203 Oakwood Drive as a
historical landmark.
If any Historic Preservation Commissioners, or other interested party has any questions
or comments regarding this matter prior to the October 8, 2024 hearing, please contact
Senior Planner, Edwin Arreola at (626) 821-4334, or by email at
earreola@ArcadiaCA.gov.
Approved:
Lisa L. Flores
Deputy Development Services Director
Attachment No. 1: Resolution No. 2156
Attachment No. 2: Aerial Photo with Zoning Information and Photos of the Subject
Property and Vicinity
Attachment No. 3: Historical Evaluation of the Earle L. and Mady G. Brod House
Attachment No. 4: Preliminary Exemption Assessment
Attachment No. 5
Attachment No. 5
Preliminary Exemption Assessment
Preliminary Exemption Assessment FORM “A”
PRELIMINARY EXEMPTION ASSESSMENT
1.Name or description of project: Historical Landmark No. HL 24-01 with a Categorical
Exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act
("CEQA") Section 15308 to designate the Earle L. and Mady G.
Brod House as a historical landmark at the local level.
2.Project Location – Identify street
address and cross streets or
attach a map showing project site
(preferably a USGS 15’ or 7 1/2’
topographical map identified by
quadrangle name):
1203 Oakwood Drive – The house is located on the northwest
corner of Oakwood Drive and E. Sycamore Avenue.
3.Entity or person undertaking
project:
A.
B.Other (Private)
(1)Name The Ismaili Karlen Family Trust,
Property Owner
(2)Address 1203 Oakwood Drive
Arcadia, CA 91006
4.Staff Determination:
The Lead Agency’s Staff, having undertaken and completed a preliminary review of this project in
accordance with the Lead Agency's "Local Guidelines for Implementing the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA)" has concluded that this project does not require further environmental
assessment because:
a.The proposed action does not constitute a project under CEQA.
b.The project is a Ministerial Project.
c.The project is an Emergency Project.
d.The project constitutes a feasibility or planning study.
e.The project is categorically exempt.
Applicable Exemption Class: 15308 – Class 8 (Actions by regulatory agencies for
the protection of the environment)
f.The project is statutorily exempt.
Applicable Exemption:
g.The project is otherwise
exempt on the following basis:
h.The project involves another public agency which constitutes the Lead Agency.
Name of Lead Agency:
Date: September 19, 2024 Staff: Edwin Arreola, Senior Planner